Wharton, New Jersey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wharton is a Borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 6,298.
What is now Wharton was originally incorporated as the borough of Port Oram by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on June 26, 1895, from portions of Randolph Township and Rockaway Township, subject to the results of a referendum passed on the previous day. The name was changed to Wharton as of April 16, 1902, based on a referendum held that day.[1]
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[edit] Geography
Wharton is located at (40.898098, -74.580151)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 5.7 km² (2.2 mi²). 5.7 km² (2.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (1.36%) is water.
[edit] History
On June 28, 1895, voters from the settlements of Port Oram, Irondale, Luxemburg, Maryville and Mount Pleasant voted 143 to 51 to incorporate as a town under the name of Port Oram, the largest member of the group. These localities, covering an area of two and a quarter square miles west of Dover, New Jersey, were basically mine camps or housing for blast furnace and silk mill workers. A mayor, six councilmen, an assessor and a collector were elected to govern this new borough which had started life as an ore shipping port on the Morris Canal. These elected officials -- mine superintendents, store owners, a railroad superintendent and a school teacher -- represented the leaders of these settlements where iron ore was mined, smelted and shipped.
In 1831 the Morris Canal was completed from Newark to Phillipsburg, New Jersey across the Delaware River from the terminus of the Lehigh Canal. On the way, it passed through Boonton, Dover and Port Oram all connected with iron. On this route it tapped the Morris County ore fields and became a carrier for both ore and pig iron. Its main purpose, however, was as an extension of the Lehigh Canal to furnish a route for anthracite coal from the Pennsylvania mines to seaboard. Any local traffic was a gain to supplement the through anthracite freight and iron ore and its products soon became important sources of revenue. Sites on the canal were selected for docks and industry, including iron works
Born in 1826 in Philadelphia to an old Quaker family, Joseph Wharton first studied at a local Friend's school but did not attend college, rather he went to live on a farm because his parents wanted him to mature [2], and during the winter studied chemistry at the laboratory of Martin Boye in Philadelphia. He entered into the manufacture of zinc and nickel, and gradually bought a controlling interest in Bethlehem Iron Works. As his business interests expanded he purchased substantial shares of several railroads involved in the coal and iron trade, also purchasing iron mines and furnaces near Port Oram. After selling his interest in Bethlehem Iron Works in 1901 and his nickel works to Inco in 1902, he continued to actively acquire and manage a large and diverse business empire that included iron smelting in Wharton, NJ until just before his death in January, 1909. The town was named after him at after a referendum in 1902. [[1]]
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 3,683 |
|
|
| 1940 | 3,854 | 4.6% | |
| 1950 | 3,853 | -0.0% | |
| 1960 | 5,006 | 29.9% | |
| 1970 | 5,535 | 10.6% | |
| 1980 | 5,485 | -0.9% | |
| 1990 | 5,405 | -1.5% | |
| 2000 | 6,298 | 16.5% | |
| historical data source: [3] | |||
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 6,298 people, 2,328 households, and 1,599 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,110.4/km² (2,882.4/mi²). There were 2,394 housing units at an average density of 422.1/km² (1,095.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 82.09% White, 4.40% African American, 0.44% Native American, 3.14% Asian, 7.21% from other races, and 2.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.21% of the population.
There were 2,328 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 26.5% 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 2.70 and the average family size was 3.28.
In the borough the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 34.0% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $56,580, and the median income for a family was $64,957. Males had a median income of $42,311 versus $36,016 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $25,168. About 6.4% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
Wharton is governed under the Borough system of municipal government. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.
The Mayor of Wharton is Bill Chegwidden, whose term of office ends in 2007. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Glenn Corbett, Brian Gillen, Vincent Binkoski, Scott Hutchins, Marianne Laux and David Young.[4]
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Wharton is in the Eleventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 25th Legislative District.[5]
New Jersey's Eleventh Congressional District, covering western portions of Essex County, all of Morris County, and sections of Passaic County, Somerset County and Sussex County, is represented by Rodney Frelinghuysen (R, Harding Township). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
The 25th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Anthony Bucco (R, Denville) and in the Assembly by Michael Patrick Carroll (R, Morristown) and Richard A. Merkt (R, Randolph). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).
Morris County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. Morris County's Freeholders are: Margaret Nordstrom (Freeholder Director), John Inglesino (Freeholder Deputy Director), Douglas R. Cabana, Frank J. Druetzler, Cecilia G. Laureys, John J. Murphy, and Jack Schrier.
[edit] Education
The Wharton Borough School District serves students in Kindergarten through eighth grade. Schools in the district (with enrollment data from the New Jersey Department of Education's 2004-05 School Report Cards) are the Marie V. Duffy Elementary School (554 students in grades K - 5) and Alfred C. MacKinnon Middle School (242 students in grades 6 - 8).
Students in grades 9 - 12 attend Morris Hills High School, in Rockaway Borough, which also serves the residential community of Rockaway Township. The current enrollment is 1,087 students. The high school is part of the Morris Hills Regional High School District, which also includes students from Denville Township.
[edit] Trivia
- Cyndi Lauper's "Time after Time" video was filmed in 1984 Wharton.[6]
- Kirk Alyn, the first on-screen Superman, was born in Wharton, the son of Hungarian immigrants.
[edit] See also
[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. 196.
- ^ "Joseph Wharton: Quaker Industrial Pioneer", W. Ross Yates, 1987, Lehigh University Press, pp 31-35.
- ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990. Retrieved on 2007-03-03.
- ^ Wharton Borough - Town Hall: Governing Body, accessed June 28, 2006
- ^ League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 63, accessed August 30, 2006
- ^ History of Wharton Borough, accessed November 2, 2006
[edit] External links
- Wharton Borough website
- Wharton Borough Public Schools
- Wharton Borough Public Schools's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Wharton Borough Public Schools
- Daily Record: Regional area newspaper
- History of Wharton Borough
- Abandoned Mines of NJ
- 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: Morristown) |
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Butler | Chatham | Chester | Florham Park | Kinnelon | Lincoln Park | Madison | Mendham | Morris Plains | Mount Arlington | Mountain Lakes | Netcong | Rockaway | Riverdale | Victory Gardens | Wharton |
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| Towns | Boonton | Dover | Morristown | |
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| CDPs and other communities | Budd Lake | Cedar Knolls | Cedar Lake | Convent Station | Flanders | Green Village | Lake Swannanoa | Landing | Lake Telemark | Long Valley | New Vernon | Port Morris | Stirling | Succasunna-Kenvil | Towaco | Union Hill | Whippany | White Meadow Lake | |
