It is hoped the designation will bolster tourism and economic activity.
Blairstown Township has a population of about 6,000 people, not counting the through-hikers.
The rural Warren County town nestled in the shadow of the Delaware Water Gap on Saturday celebrated its designation as New Jersey's first Appalachian Trail Community.
The title, applied by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, is anticipated to help bolster local tourism and economic activity while promoting conservation of the 2,190-mile trail from Georgia to Maine.
Saturday's event included a designation ceremony and street fair, showing off local businesses. With the new label, hikers will hopefully stop in town for amenities like laundry, food or perhaps a brief respite from the trail.
"I hike a lot around here," said Gwen Conway, a 24-year-old from Cranford, after she signed up as a volunteer to help maintain trailways at the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference booth.
"New Jersey doesn't get a lot of credit," she said. "I'm excited because it's really beautiful around here."
Blairstown is about 880 miles from the Appalachian Trail's northern terminus at Mt. Katahdin in Maine, and a little less than 1,300 miles from the southern end at Georgia's Springer Mountain.
The AT enters New Jersey from the west via the Interstate 80 bridge through the Delaware Water Gap and runs 72 miles to Abram S. Hewitt State Forest in Passaic County, stopping at High Point along the way.
The trail community designation -- which was officially announced late last year -- also applies to the Warren County townships that border Blairstown: Knowlton, Hardwick, Hope and Frelinghuysen.
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"These towns and cities are considered assets by all that use the A.T., and many of these towns act as good friends and neighbors to the Trail," the conservancy says on its website, listing 40 communities in all -- Blairstown is the 41st. "As a visitor on the Trail, you can enjoy special events and promotions in these designated areas."
There are five trail communities in Pennsylvania, including nearby Delaware Water Gap and the Lehigh Valley borough of Wind Gap, which was granted the title two years ago.
Economic impacts won't be immediate, but officials are hopeful. Last winter, Wind Gap Council President Dave Hess said he hadn't heard much chatter in town since receiving the designation, but said "I do see hikers down on Broadway," the borough's main street.
Still, local officials say that having a New Jersey community recognized as a friendly stop for hikers will be helpful.
"What a beautiful sight. We are in New Jersey!" state Sen. Steve Oroho exclaimed to cheers during Saturday's ceremony at Blair Academy. "Everyone thinks you have to go west to get these nice trails. ... Yeah, go to West New Jersey!"
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.