Phillipsburg, New Jersey

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Map of Phillipsburg in Warren County
Map of Phillipsburg in Warren County

Phillipsburg, known locally as P'burg, is a town in Warren County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the town population was 15,166.

Phillipsburg was incorporated as a town by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 8, 1861, from portions of Phillipsburg Township (now Lopatcong Township).[1]

The town is located in western New Jersey, on the border of Pennsylvania, and is considered the eastern border of the region's Lehigh Valley.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Phillipsburg is located at 40°41′22″N, 75°11′7″W (40.689474, -75.185340)GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 8.7 km² (3.3 mi²). 8.3 km² (3.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (3.29%) is water.

Pohatcong Mountain is a ridge, approximately 6 mi (10 km) long, in the Appalachian Mountains that extends from Phillipsburg northeast approximately to Washington.

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1930 19,255
–
1940 18,314 -4.9%
1950 18,919 3.3%
1960 18,502 -2.2%
1970 17,849 -3.5%
1980 16,647 -6.7%
1990 15,757 -5.3%
2000 15,166 -3.8%
historical data source: [2]

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 15,166 people, 6,044 households, and 3,946 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,818.5/km² (4,703.6/mi²). There were 6,651 housing units at an average density of 797.5/km² (2,062.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.84% White, 3.47% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.02% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.38% of the population.

There were 6,044 households out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $37,368, and the median income for a family was $46,925. Males had a median income of $37,446 versus $25,228 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,452. About 9.9% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.6% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Economic revival

Most of the manufacturing jobs have left Warren County's largest city. As the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh rivers, Phillipsburg used to benefit from being a major transportation hub. Long gone is the era of canal shipping and many of the important freight railways have shut down. In 1994, the New Jersey Legislature designated Phillipsburg as an Urban Enterprise Zone community. This zoning offers tax incentives and other benefits to Phillipsburg-based businesses, as well as a 3½% sales tax rate, reduced from the 7% rate charged statewide.

In recent years, some businesses have begun to move into the center of the city. Rising real estate prices indicate that these legislative stimulants have been somewhat effective. Phillipsburg also has been selected as a site for the New Jersey Railroad and Transportation Heritage Center (jointly with Netcong), a museum designed to help preserve and showcase the state's transportation history.[3]

[edit] Government

[edit] Local government

Phillipsburg is governed under the Mayor-Council system of municipal government under the Faulkner Act[4]. The Mayor of Phillipsburg is Harry L. Wyant, Jr., whose term of office ends on December 31, 2007. Town Council Members are Council President James M. Shelly (2009), Council Vice President David DeGerolamo (2007), John Damato (2009), William Merrick (2009) and James P. Stettner (2007).[5][6]

[edit] Federal, state and county representation

Phillipsburg is in the Fifth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 23rd Legislative District.[7]

New Jersey's Fifth Congressional District, covering the northern portions of Bergen County, Passaic County and Sussex County and all of Warren County, is represented by Scott Garrett (R, Wantage Township). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).

The 23rd legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Leonard Lance (R, Flemington) and in the Assembly by Michael J. Doherty (R, Oxford) and Marcia A. Karrow (R, Raritan Township). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).

Warren County is governed by a three-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. Warren County's Freeholders are: Freeholder Director Richard D. Gardner (term ends 2006), Freeholder Deputy Director John DiMaio (2008) and Freeholder Everett A. Chamberlain (2007).

[edit] Education

The Phillipsburg School District serves students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.

The elementary and middle schools of the district are: Green Street School (Grades PreK-5), Barber School (Grades 1&2), Freeman School (Grades 1&2), Andover-Morris School (Grades 3-5) and Phillipsburg Middle School (Grades 6-8).

Students in grades 9-12 attend Phillipsburg High School which serves students from the town of Phillipsburg and from five neighboring communities at the secondary level: Alpha, Bloomsbury (in Hunterdon County), Greenwich Township, Lopatcong Township and Pohatcong Township, who attend as part of sending/receiving relationships. Although the school sports an historic attractive building, a multi-million dollar football stadium and sport training facility, and one of the states biggest football powerhouses, it remains as one of the lowest performing public schools in the state in academics and suffers from chronic overcrowding. The school district, which has struggled for over a decade to build a new school, continues to use a building which lacks up-to-date facilities and some handicap amenities and will soon introduce its 32nd temporary trailer to help its lack of classroom space.

Phillipsburg High School has an athletic rivalry with neighboring Easton, Pennsylvania's Easton High School, which celebrated its 100th anniversary game on Thanksgiving Day 2006. Phillipsburg unfortunately lost this game. [8]

Phillipsburg represents one of the state's 30-odd Abbott Districts, established by the New Jersey Supreme Court to alleviate what was found to be an inadequate and unconstitutional education of the district's children.

[edit] Transportation

Many major highways pass through Phillipsburg, including U.S. Route 22, Route 122, Route 173 and Interstate 78.

[edit] Notable present and former residents

[edit] References

  1. ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 248.
  2. ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990. Retrieved on March 3, 2007.
  3. ^ Phillipsburg's Historic CNJ Station, accessed August 30, 2006
  4. ^ Phillipsburg Form of Government, accessed July 25, 2006
  5. ^ About the Council..., accessed July 25, 2006
  6. ^ Warren County page for Phillipsburg, accessed July 25, 2006
  7. ^ League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 62, accessed August 30, 2006
  8. ^ High school rivals are like family, USA Today, September 21, 2005
  9. ^ Ned Bolcar player profile, accessed February 5, 2007
  10. ^ Database Football Player's Page for Jim Ringo, accessed November 4, 2006

[edit] External links

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Municipalities of Warren County, New Jersey
(County seat: Belvidere)
Boroughs Alpha | Washington
Towns Belvidere | Hackettstown | Phillipsburg
Townships Allamuchy | Blairstown | Franklin | Frelinghuysen | Greenwich | Hardwick | Harmony | Hope | Independence | Knowlton | Liberty | Lopatcong | Mansfield | Oxford | Pahaquarry (defunct) | Pohatcong | Washington | White
Communities Allamuchy-Panther Valley | Beattystown | Brass Castle | Great Meadows-Vienna
Rivers Bear Creek | Beaver Brook | Cory's Brook | Dead River | Delaware River | Lopatcong Creek | Musconetcong River | Paulins Kill | Pequest River | Pohatcong Creek | Pophandusing Creek | Yard's Creek
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