Washington, New Jersey
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- See also: Washington Township, New Jersey
Washington is a borough in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 6,712. The borough is located in the eastern most region of the Lehigh Valley.
Washington was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 20, 1868, from portions of Washington Township.[1]
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[edit] Geography
Washington is located at (40.760532, -74.979231)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 5.1 km² (2.0 mi²), all land.
Pohatcong Mountain is a ridge, approximately 6 mi (10 km) long, in the Appalachian Mountains that extends from west Phillipsburg northeast approximately to Washington. Upper Pohatcong Mountain extends northeast of Washington approximately 6 mi (10 km) to the vicinity of Hackettstown. The two ridges are sometimes called "Pohatcong Mountain" collectively.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 4,410 |
|
|
| 1940 | 4,643 | 5.3% | |
| 1950 | 4,802 | 3.4% | |
| 1960 | 5,723 | 19.2% | |
| 1970 | 5,943 | 3.8% | |
| 1980 | 6,429 | 8.2% | |
| 1990 | 6,474 | 0.7% | |
| 2000 | 6,712 | 3.7% | |
| historical data source: [2] | |||
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 6,712 people, 2,724 households, and 1,686 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,322.2/km² (3,429.9/mi²). There were 2,876 housing units at an average density of 566.5/km² (1,469.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 91.45% White, 3.89% African American, 0.12% Native American, 1.45% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.61% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.17% of the population.
There were 2,724 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the borough the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $47,000, and the median income for a family was $61,379. Males had a median income of $41,436 versus $31,880 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $23,166. About 5.0% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
Members of the Washington Borough Council are Honorable Mayor Marianne Van Deursen (term ends December 31, 2008), Deputy Mayor Susan L. Wagner-Glaser (2006), Charles T. Housel (2006), Alexander Buoye (2006), Heather Oakley (2008), Andrew Turner (2008) and Christina Woykowski (2006).[3]
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Washington Township is in the Fifth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 23rd Legislative District.[4]
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] History
Washington Borough separated from Washington Township, which completely surrounds it, in 1868. The community grew during the 19th century as a result of the transportation routes that ran through or near the borough. The Morris Canal ran along the north end of town, the Morris & Essex Railroad along the southern end. Intersecting in the center of the borough are two major roadways, which today are Route 31 and Route 57. The borough also served as a center for the farmers of the surrounding townships.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the borough became a mecca of musical instruments manufacturers, the manufacture of organs in particular. A bustling downtown developed around these businesses. Many of the Victorian style houses in the borough, as well as Taylor Street School and Warren Hills Middle School (formerly Washington High School) were built during this period.
The advent of the automobile brought Washington closer to both the nearby Lehigh Valley and the not so nearby New York City area. In the years following World War II, an increasing number of Washington residents would commute to work in those two areas. In addition, people from those areas began to settle in Washington, and there were many new houses and apartment complexes built during the late 20th century. As was the case in many similar towns, the downtown area struggled to remain vibrant during this time, and a major fire did not help matters. Education at the Middle and High School level was regionalized in 1968, and a new elementary school was also built (Memorial School).
The 1990s saw a population boom in Warren County, which continues today, as high real estate prices and property taxes in New Jersey’s northeastern counties push buyers to look further west. Although the borough itself does not have much room to grow, it has benefited from the growth of the nearby townships. Efforts are underway to revitalize the downtown with new residential and retail properties.
[edit] Education
Students in grades K - 6 attend the schools of the Washington Borough Public Schools. Schools in the district (with 2003-04 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics are the Taylor Street School with 209 students in grades K - 2 and Memorial School, with 344 students in grades 3 - 6.
Students in grades 7 and up attend the schools of the Warren Hills Regional School District. Warren Hills is a Grade 7-12 district that serves approximately 2,100 students from the municipalities of Washington Borough, Washington Township, Mansfield Township, Franklin Township and Oxford Township (for 9-12 only). Students in grades 7 and 8 attend Warren Hills Regional Middle School (745 students) and students in grades 9 - 12 attend Warren Hills Regional High School (1,377 students).
Warren County Technical School serves 306 full time and 20 shared time students from Warren County.
Washington is also the home of Warren County Community College.
[edit] References
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 248.
- ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990. Retrieved on March 3, 2007.
- ^ Borough of Washington Governing Body, accessed July 19, 2006
- ^ League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 65, accessed August 30, 2006
[edit] External links
- Washington Borough website
- Warren County page for Washington Borough
- Washington Borough Public Schools
- Washington Borough Public Schools's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Washington Borough Public Schools
- Warren Hills Regional School District
- Warren County Technical School
- Warren County Community College
- 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
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(County seat: Belvidere) |
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| 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 | |
