Butler is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, covering a little over two square miles in the county's northeastern corner. It was incorporated in 1901, but its identity was forged earlier by rubber: the industry began in 1869 when a New York dentist helped establish hard-rubber manufacturing along the river, and by the late 19th century the American Hard Rubber Company had made Butler the oldest and largest manufacturer of hard rubber products in the world. The town was named in 1880 for Richard Butler, the rubber executive who built the industry and, in effect, the community around it. About 8,000 residents live in Butler, with the U.S. Census Bureau recording 8,047 in 2020. The borough is densely settled, with a population density near 4,000 people per square mile. Older single-family homes blend with newer residential development, and the town's parks, playgrounds, athletic fields, and the well-used Stonybrook Pool anchor local recreation. Butler functions as a commuter-oriented suburb. NJ Transit buses carry riders to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City, and the borough sits near regional highways serving Morris and Passaic counties. The compact geography means residents live close to schools, recreation, and transit stops. The Butler Public Schools operate a small kindergarten-through-twelfth-grade district of about three schools and roughly 1,200 students, reinforcing a close-knit, walkable character. Shopping centers, a public library, holiday celebrations, and league sports round out a town that draws families and commuters to a small, self-contained setting. That blend of a compact footprint, local schools, and a direct bus link to New York City has long defined Butler's appeal as a practical northern New Jersey hometown.