Elmwood Park, New Jersey
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For other places with the same name, see Elmwood Park.
Elmwood Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 18,925.
Prior to 1916, the area was known as Dundee Lake, a section of Saddle River Township.[1] Residents of the Dundee Lake area voted on April 18, 1916, to secede from Saddle River Township to form the Borough of East Paterson.[2] In 1917, residents of the Rosemont section of Saddle River Township voted to be annexed to East Paterson.[1] In November of 1972, residents voted to change the name of the Borough to Elmwood Park. The new name became official on January 1, 1973.[1]
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[edit] Geography
Elmwood Park is located at (40.905639, -74.119909)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 7.1 km² (2.8 mi²). 6.9 km² (2.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (3.99%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 4,779 |
|
|
| 1940 | 4,937 | 3.3% | |
| 1950 | 15,386 | 211.6% | |
| 1960 | 19,344 | 25.7% | |
| 1970 | 20,511 | 6.0% | |
| 1980 | 18,377 | -10.4% | |
| 1990 | 17,623 | -4.1% | |
| 2000 | 18,925 | 7.4% | |
| Est. 2005 | 18,905 | [3] | -0.1% |
| Population 1930 - 1990[4] | |||
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 18,925 people, 7,089 households, and 5,075 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,757.4/km² (7,129.8/mi²). There were 7,242 housing units at an average density of 1,055.2/km² (2,728.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 82.53% White, 2.16% African American, 0.11% Native American, 7.80% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 4.44% from other races, and 2.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.39% of the population.
There were 7,089 households out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the borough the population was spread out with 20.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $52,319, and the median income for a family was $59,131. Males had a median income of $40,684 versus $31,535 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $22,588. About 4.7% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
The Borough of Elmwood Park was incorporated in 1916 and is governed by a Mayor and six-member Council whose members oversee the Borough's administrative agencies. The Mayor is elected directly by the voters to serve a term of four years. Members of the Council serve overlapping terms, with two members elected at large each year to serve for three years.
Under the Borough form of government, Council members act as the legislative body with the Mayor presiding at meetings and voting in the event of a tie. Most appointments are made by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the Council. The Mayor also annually assigns Council committee and liaison duties to effectively carry on the business of government[5].
The current Mayor is Richard A. Mola (R). Members of the Elmwood Park Borough Council are Council President Joseph T. Mongelli, Frank Caramagna, Frank Fasolo, Robert Kassai, Lorraine Pellegrine, John "Jack" McLaughlin and The Democratic Party (Democratic Party has a 5-1 majority with Robert Kassai as the only Republican Party council member (2007).[6]
On Election Day, November 7, 2006, voters filled two three-year seats on the borough council, at the time both filled by Republican incumbents, with Robert Kassai running for re-election and Karen Tyburczy not running for another term in office. As of Election Day, Democrats had a 4-2 majority on the council, in a community in which registered Democrats outnumbered Republicans by a 6-5 margin. Democrat John McLaughlin (2,305 votes) won a seat, returning to a council on which he had served for 15 years, and incumbent Republican Robert Kassai (2,265) was also re-elected. The two were election over Democrat Sandra Balistrieri (2,173) and former Republican Councilman Robert Colletti (2,136).[7][8][9][10]
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Elmwood Park is in the Ninth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 38th Legislative District.[11].
New Jersey's Ninth Congressional District, covering the southern portion of Bergen County and sections of Hudson County and Passaic County, is represented by Steve Rothman (D, Fair Lawn). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
The 38th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Joseph Coniglio (D, Paramus) and in the Assembly by Robert M. Gordon (D, Fair Lawn) and Joan Voss (D, Fort Lee). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).
Bergen County's County Executive is Dennis McNerney (D). The executive, along with the Board of Chosen Freeholders administer all county business. Bergen County's Freeholders are Chairman Tomas J. Padilla (D, Park Ridge), Vice-Chairman Elizabeth Calabrese (D, Wallington), David L. Ganz (D, Fair Lawn), James M. Carroll (D, Demarest), Bernadette P. McPherson (D, Rutherford), Julie O'Brien (D) and Connie Wagner (D).
Other countywide elected officials are Sheriff Leo McGuire (D), Surrogate Court Judge Mike Dressler (D, Cresskill) County Clerk Kathleen Donovan (R).
[edit] Politics
As of April 1, 2006, out of a 2004 Census estimated population of 19,005 in Elmwood Park, there were 10,359 registered voters (54.5% of the population, vs. 55.4% in all of Bergen County). Of registered voters, 1,792 (17.3% vs. 20.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,523 (14.7% vs. 19.2% countywide) were registered as Republicans and 7,040 (68.0% vs. 60.1% countywide) were registered as Undeclared. There were four voters registered to other parties[12].
On the national level, Elmwood Park leans toward the Democratic Party. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 54% of the vote here, defeating Republican George W. Bush, who received around 45%[13].
[edit] Education
The Elmwood Park Public Schools serve students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district consist of three K-5 elementary schools — Gantner Avenue School with 289 students, Gilbert Avenue School with 329 students and Sixteenth Avenue School with 300 students — Memorial Middle School with 542 students in grades 6-8 and Elmwood Park Memorial High School with 648 students in grades 9-12. Currently each of the schools are under construction and are expected to be completed in the end of 2007.
Despite boasting several State Championship football teams in the early 1970's, the Elmwood Park High School Crusaders' football team is now notorious for having one of the worst records in the entire state of New Jersey. The Crusader football team had a 41-game losing streak in effect from 2002 until September 30, 2006, when they defeated the Manchester Regional High School Falcons, 33-14, snapping the four-year-long losing streak[14].
[edit] Notable residents
Notable current and former residents include:
- Michael Cade, actor, who appeared in California Dreams
- Dick Vitale[15]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Brief History of Elmwood Park, accessed June 23, 2006
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 77.
- ^ Census data for Elmwood Park, United States Census Bureau, accessed March 1, 2007
- ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, accessed March 1, 2007
- ^ Borough Government, accessed June 23, 2006
- ^ [1]
- ^ Elmwood Park Election Guide, The Record (Bergen County), November 1, 2006
- ^ Elmwood Park Election Results, The Record (Bergen County), November 8, 2006
- ^ Lost council seat adds to GOP's woes, The Record (Bergen County), November 8, 2006
- ^ Bergen County 2006 General Election Results, accessed February 1, 2007
- ^ League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 57, accessed August 30, 2006
- ^ "County of Bergen: Voter Statistics by Municipality, Ward & District," dated April 1, 2006
- ^ 2004 Presidential Election results: Bergen County New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety: Division of Elections, dated December 13, 2004
- ^ Go crazy, EP! Losing streak kaput, The Record (Bergen County), October 1, 2006
- ^ Dick Vitale bio, ESPN.com, dated November 2004
[edit] External links
- Elmwood Park Borough website
- Elmwood Park Public Schools
- Elmwood Park Public Schools's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Elmwood Park Public Schools
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
