[19] Hope Township is one of the earliest planned communities in the United States, having been established by German Moravians in 1769.

[20] Prior to the arrival of the Moravians, there was no distinct town, but several families farmed on Jenny Jump Mountain, to the south of Hope, in surrounding area and on John Samuel Green Jr.'s farm in the center of what is now the Village.

The Moravians were a religious group whose formal name was the "Unitas Fratrum" or Unity of the Brethren.

They were followers of Jan Hus, the reformer from Prague who protested against the Roman Catholic Church in 1415 and was finally burned at the stake for his rebellion.

These followers continued to practice his views in Moravia and Bohemia in what is now the Czech Republic, hence the common name "The Moravians".

In the late 17th century this group began to be persecuted and sought shelter away from Bohemia.

Count Nicolas Ludwig von Zinzendorf offered them refuge on his lands east of Dresden, Germany, and provided a base for them to regroup and pursue their religion.

After a formal survey of the village completed on November 26, 1774, the community was officially accepted by The Moravian Church and the name was changed by drawing lots on February 8, 1775, from Greenland to Hope.

The basic reason for closing the community was that it was never self-supporting and had declined from its height of population of 147 to under 100 people by the early 19th century.

Moravians worldwide were selling possessions and even some other entire communities to pay off debts incurred years earlier by Count von Zinzendorf, who heavily mortgaged his lands to give them opportunity back in Germany.

Hope CDP (with a 2010 population of 195[23]), Mount Hermon (141[24]) and Silver Lake (368[25]) are unincorporated communities and census-designated places (CDPs) located within the township.

[31][32] The township's economic data (as is all of Warren County) is included by the US Census Bureau as part of the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metropolitan Statistical Area.

[44] The 2010 United States census counted 1,952 people, 741 households, and 558 families in the township.

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

[55] For the 2024-2025 session, the 23rd legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Doug Steinhardt (R, Lopatcong Township) and in the General Assembly by John DiMaio (R, Hackettstown) and Erik Peterson (R, Franklin Township).

[60][61] Constitutional officers of Warren County are: Clerk Holly Mackey (R, Alpha; 2027),[62][63] Sheriff James McDonald Sr. (R, Phillipsburg; 2025)[64][65] and Surrogate Michael J. Doherty (R, Washington; 2025).

[69] Among the township's 2010 Census population, 67.5% (vs. 62.3% in Warren County) were registered to vote, including 87.2% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 81.5% countywide).

[88] Interstate 80 (the Bergen-Passaic Expressway) passes through the township for 3.42 miles (5.50 km), with access via exit 12 to Hope-Blairstown Road (County Route 521).