[20] The borough is located on the South Branch of the Raritan River in the north central part of Hunterdon County.

Water from the South Branch was a valuable power source for one of the first ironworks in the United States, established in the 1740s by William Allen and Joseph Turner of Philadelphia.

[21] Allen was the mayor of Philadelphia, a Chief Justice of Pennsylvania, and a prominent landowner in New Jersey.

In 1859, the Central Railroad of New Jersey began a five-year construction project of a 112-foot-high (34 m), 1,300-foot-long (400 m) bridge across the river from which structure the locality ultimately took its name.

[24][25][26] Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Jericho Hill, Pierce Heights[citation needed] and Silverthorn.

[34][35] High Bridge has a downtown (Main Street) that is home to eateries, services and professionals.

A grant received by the Union Forge Heritage Association in 2008 provided for the creation of the Taylor Steelworkers Historical Greenway, which stretches 5+1⁄4 miles (8.4 km) around the borough, starting at Columbia Trail and connecting the borough's parks and other historic sites.

[41] The High Bridge Hills golf course, located near Route 31, provides another means of recreation in the small town.

The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council.

[44][45][3] As of 2023[update], the mayor of High Bridge Borough is Democrat Michele Lee, whose term of office ends December 31, 2026.

Members of the Borough Council are Kenneth Doyle (D, 2025), Natalie Ferry (D, 2023), Christopher Graham (D, 2024; elected to serve an unexpired term), Curtis Nowell (D, 2025), Alan Schwartz (R, 2023) and Steven Silvestri (R, 2024).

[52] In February 2022 the borough council selected Christopher Graham from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2024 that had been held by Leigh Ann Moore until she stepped down from office.

Graham won election outright in November 2022 and will now serve the balance of the term of office to December 2024.

[53] In April 2016, the borough council selected Keir LoIacono from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat of Mike Stemple, who had resigned from office the previous month.

[54] In November 2014, the borough council selected Stephen Strange to fill the vacant seat expiring in 2016 of Victoria Miller, who had resigned from office in the previous month.

[58] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 7th congressional district is represented by Thomas Kean Jr. (R, Westfield).

[60] For the 2024-2025 session, the 16th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Andrew Zwicker (D, South Brunswick) and in the General Assembly by Mitchelle Drulis (D, East Amwell Township) and Roy Freiman (D, Hillsborough Township).

[82] The High Bridge School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.

Originally a vital junction for the Central Railroad of New Jersey in hauling iron ore from northern New Jersey via its High Bridge Branch which headed north toward Wharton and High Bridge station[101] now serves as the westernmost station on NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line.

The station has been the western terminus of the line since 1983, the year NJ Transit commenced operations.

NJ Transit considers making plans for bringing service back to Phillipsburg again in the future.

[106] The Taylor Steel Workers Historical Greenway, created by the Union Forge Heritage Association, connects to the Columbia Trail.

[107] The TISCO Headquarters, constructed in 1742 for the Union Iron Works, is the oldest office building in New Jersey.

Covering 90 acres (36 ha), the site includes buildings dating back to 1803, some of which have deteriorated over the years.