Why Change Lake Shawnee's ZIP Code?

The Lake Shawnee Reservation is surrounded by a Lake Hopatcong mailing address to the north, west, and south.  To the east is protected land part of the North Jersey Highlands.  There are two entrances and one exit by vehicle.  The homes and businesses surrounding the methods of egress and ingress are served by the Lake Hopatcong, NJ  07849 post office, making such a change presumably more efficient for the US Postal Service.

The ZIP code change request is being made for several of the reasons identified in the CRS Report for Congress, including but not limited to:

• Lack of Proper Community Identity
• Lake Shawnee is not Geographically Close to Wharton
• Lake Shawnee is More Similar to Lake Hopatcong than Wharton
• Lake Hopatcong, NJ 07849 is not a Municipality, but is Generally Known to be the Municipality of Jefferson Township, NJ.

Please support the change of ZIP code serving the Lake Shawnee Reservation from Wharton, NJ 07885 to Lake Hopatcong, NJ 07849.

The Lake Hopatcong Post Office is less than half the distance as the Dover Annex on Richard Mine Road.  This will improve vacation mail pickup as well as signature required package pickups.

Other notable reasons for the change include:

• Property Value Association
• Wharton Average Home Value: $254,200 (Source: Zillow 6/11/16)
• Jefferson Average Home Value: $279,500 (Source: Zillow 6/11/16)
• Improvements with Navigation/Directions
• Confusion in Voting Location and Congressional District 
• Jefferson - 11th District
• Wharton - 7th District
• Property Tax Remittance and Municipal Service Accuracy

Lastly, the compromise of changing the city name on the last line of the address is not a suitable solution as it does not adequately address the primary concerns outlined above.  Additionally, nearly all computer systems that have ZIP code data associate ZIP code 07885 with Wharton, NJ and do not have a second association to Jefferson Township or the Lake Shawnee Reservation.  Also, according to the US Postal Service, you are advised not to simply substitute the preferred city name before the ZIP code in an address line.  US Postal Service computers have internal checks that compare the ZIP code with the proper city name, and if the two do not match, mail can be misdirected.

Please read the FAQs to learn more.