Named for the Rocky Hill Ridge, this historic village is nestled within the heart of the Raritan Valley region, located alongside the course of the Millstone River.

[21] The earliest European settlement in the area began after John Harrison negotiated the purchase of land in 1701 from the Lenape Native Americans.

Speaking an Algonquian language, they had occupied the area for centuries prior to the arrival of European settlers.

Bands of Lenape lived along the coast from Connecticut through New York and New Jersey and south to Maryland and Delaware.

In 1783, during the American Revolutionary War, General George Washington camped at Rockingham, the house owned by the Berrien family.

Before roads were improved, it was known as the Devil's Featherbed because it was difficult to travel the rocky terrain by horse and wagon.

[22] Rocky Hill was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on December 18, 1889, from portions of Montgomery Township.

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

[36][37] As of 2022[update], the mayor of Rocky Hill is Democrat Robert Uhrik, whose term of office ends December 31, 2022.

Members of the Borough Council are Council President Edgar L. "Trey" Delaney (D, 2024), Susan P. Bristol (I, 2023), Jonathan Lee (D, 2022; appointed to serve an unexpired term), Catherine Plunkett (D, 2022), Ken Rizzi (D, 2023; appointed to serve an unexpired term), Denise Varga (D, 2024).

[3][38][39][40][41][42][43] In January 2022, the borough council selected Jonathan Lee from a list of three candidates nominated by the Democratic municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2022 that had been held by Rasheeda Pretto until she resigned from office.

[44] Rasheeda Pretto was appointed to fill the borough council seat expiring in December 2020 that had been held by Robert Uhrik until he stepped down to take office as mayor, though she chose to run for a full three-year term rather than to run for the remainder of the term.

In November 2019, Amy Kirtland won a write-in campaign to fill the balance of Uhrik's council term.

[53] 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).

[71] Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 77.3% (vs. 60.4% in Somerset County) were registered to vote, including 100% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 80.4% countywide).

The district encompasses a total of 145 buildings, most notable of being the Dutch Reformed Church that was built in 1856 in the Carpenter Gothic style.

The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 8, 1982, for its significance in archeology, architecture and commerce.

[99] An aggressive recruitment and training program under new operational and executive leadership led to Rocky Hill First and Rescue Squad returning to full primary EMS coverage in October 2012, covering all shifts on a scramble basis and offering mutual aid to squads based in Franklin Township, Kingston, and Princeton.

It is owned by the Penn Medicine Health System and is the only such hospital in the state of New Jersey.