Chatham Township, New Jersey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Chatham Township, New Jersey | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Morris |
| Incorporated | March 10, 1806 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Township (New Jersey) |
| - Mayor | Kevin R. Tubbs |
| Area | |
| - Total | 9.4 sq mi (24.2 km²) |
| - Land | 9.3 sq mi (23.8 km²) |
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.4 km²) |
| Elevation [1] | 249 ft (76 m) |
| Population (2006)[2] | |
| - Total | 10,279 |
| - Density | 1,081.0/sq mi (417.4/km²) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 07928 |
| Area code(s) | 973 |
| FIPS code | 34-12130[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882194[4] |
| Website: http://www.chathamtownship.org | |
Chatham Township is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the population was 10,086.
Chatham was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 12, 1806, from portions of Hanover Township and Morris Township, based on the results of a referendum held on March 10, 1806. Madison was formed from portions of the township on December 27, 1889. On August 19, 1892, Chatham village was formed within the township, formally separating as Chatham Borough on March 1, 1897. Florham Park was formed from portions of the township on March 9, 1899.[5]
New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Chatham Township as the best place to live in New Jersey in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.[6]
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Chatham Township is located at (40.728203 -74.415657)[7].
According to the United States Census Bureau, Chatham Township has a total area of 9.4 square miles (24.2 km²), of which, 9.3 square miles (24.2 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.21%) is water.
Green Village is an unincorporated area that is also in parts of Harding Township. Green Village is the site of the Rolling Knolls Landfill, a landfill identified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as a Superfund site. The landfill is bordered on two sides by the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, and was formerly known as Miele's Dump, after owner Robert Miele.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 1,115 |
|
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| 1940 | 2,026 | 81.7% | |
| 1950 | 2,825 | 39.4% | |
| 1960 | 5,931 | 109.9% | |
| 1970 | 8,093 | 36.5% | |
| 1980 | 8,883 | 9.8% | |
| 1990 | 9,361 | 5.4% | |
| 2000 | 10,086 | 7.7% | |
| Est. 2006 | 10,279 | [2] | 1.9% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[8] | |||
As of the census of 2000,[3] there were 10,086 people, 3,920 households, and 2,771 families residing in Chatham Township. The population density was 1,081.0 people per square mile (417.4/km²). There were 4,019 housing units at an average density of 430.8/sq mi (166.3/km²). The racial makeup was 93.71% White, 0.45% African American, 0.06% Native American, 4.81% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.95% of the population.
There were 3,920 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.4% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.11.
The population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.
The median income for a household was $106,208, and the median income for a family was $131,609. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $58,750 for females. The per capita income was $65,497. About 1.9% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
The township form of government is the oldest form of municipal government in New Jersey since it became an American state. That form of local government dates back to the act of 1798 and during a reorganization of Morris County in 1806, Chatham Township was formed to include several colonial villages and settlements that had been made part of previously existing townships. A great deal of open, swampy, and mountainous land was included with the villages. For a while, the new township included what are now, Madison, Chatham, and Florham Park, as well as all of Green Village and all of the lands still governed by Chatham Township, but soon the principle villages began to secede because of contention over the funding of their projects.
On December 27, 1889, based on the results of a referendum passed three days earlier, the village of Madison seceded from Chatham Township and adopted the borough form of government in order to develop a local water supply system for its population of 3,250. Madison annexed additional portions of Chatham Township in 1891, and annexed more each year from 1894-1898, followed finally, by an exchange of some lands in 1899 with Chatham Township.
In the midst of these changes, in 1892 "...Chatham Village found itself at odds with the rest of the township. Although village residents paid 40 percent of the township taxes, they got only 7 percent of the receipts in services. The village had to raise its own money to install kerosene street lamps and its roads were in poor repair. As a result, the village voted on August 9, 1892, to secede from the township."[9]
The village that is now Florham Park first was part of Hanover Township, before being included in the township formed in 1806 as Chatham Township. It also seceded from Chatham Township and incorporated as Florham Park in 1899.
Green Village remained in the township until 1922, when portions of it became part of Harding Township, another new township. Its main intersection remains in Chatham Township.
The boundaries of Chatham Township finally settled down and have remained the same since 1922. Residential developments began in the late 1950s when farm lands and greenhouses began to be sold off and ownership of automobiles increased dramatically. By the 1960s its post WWII boom in housing was in full swing in Chatham Township.
Voters elect the township committee's five members. The elections are partisan and the committee members serve three-year staggered terms. The township committee elects the mayor from among its members for a one-year term. The mayor serves as the chair of the township committee and has powers vested in the mayor's office by general law.
The township committee is the legislative branch of the community's government and establishes policies for the administration of the various departments. The committee appoints the township administrator who is responsible for carrying out those policies and overseeing the day to day operations.
Subcommittees of the township committee are public safety; public works; planning, engineering, and land use; parks and recreation; general administration; and finance. Two members of the township committee serve on each and provide oversight to the departments.
Members of the Chatham Township Committee are Mayor Kevin R. Tubbs, Deputy Mayor Bailey Brower, Jr., Robert Gallop, Nicole Hagner and William O'Connor.[10]
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Chatham Township is in the Eleventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 21st Legislative District.[11]
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).
For the 2008-2009 Legislative Session, the 21st District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Thomas Kean Jr. (R, Westfield) and in the Assembly by Jon Bramnick (R, Westfield) and Eric Munoz (R, Summit).[12] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[13]
Morris County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, who are elected to three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two or three seats up for election each year.[14] As of 2008, Morris County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Margaret Nordstrom, Deputy Freeholder Director Gene F. Feyl, Douglas R. Cabana, William J. Chegwidden, John J. Murphy, James W. Murray and Jack J. Schrier.[15]
[edit] History
In 1773, Chatham was named in honor of Sir William Pitt, an English prime minister and the first Earl of Chatham who was most favorable toward the colonists in issues with the British government. Participation in the revolutionary war was significant by the citizens of Chatham. Nearby Morristown was the military center of the revolution, where the winter headquarters were established twice, and revolutionary troops were active in the entire county area regularly.
Chatham Township was incorporated in 1806, and included the areas that are now the boroughs of Chatham, Madison, and Florham Park.[16] Today, Chatham Township shares some joint public services with Chatham Borough, including the library and school district.
[edit] Education
[edit] Public Schools
Chatham Borough and Chatham Township held elections in November 1986 to consider joining their (at the time separate) school districts. This proposal was supported by the voters of both communities and since then, the two municipalities have shared a regionalized school district, the School District of the Chathams. Chatham's school district is also considered one of the best in the state, along with one of the top public schools in the nation.
For the 2004-05 school year, Chatham High School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education[17], the highest award an American school can receive.
[edit] Private school
The Darcy School, founded in 1998, is a private coeducational day school located in Chatham Township, serving students in preschool through eighth grade. The school has a total enrollment of 115 students.
[edit] Transport
New Jersey Transit provides ample public transport to Chatham Township.
[edit] Rail transport
New Jersey Transit stops at the Chatham station to provide commuter service on the Morristown Line, with trains heading to the Hoboken Terminal and to New York Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan.
[edit] Bus transport
New Jersey Transit local bus service is provided on the MCM3 and MCM8 routes.[18]
[edit] Notable residents
- Chris Carlin, radio producer and sportscaster at WFAN Sports Radio 66 in New York City.[19]
[edit] References
- ^ USGS GNIS: Township of Chatham, Geographic Names Information System, accessed April 12, 2007.
- ^ a b Census data for Chatham township, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 15, 2007.
- ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 191.
- ^ "Best Places To Live - The Complete Top Towns List 1-100", New Jersey Monthly, February 21, 2008. Accessed February 24, 2008.
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
- ^ If You're Thinking of Living In/Chatham; Rich Past, Bustling but Homey Present, The New York Times, April 17, 1994.
- ^ Chatham Township Committee, Chatham Township. Accessed February 27, 2008.
- ^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 55. Accessed August 30, 2006.
- ^ Legislative Roster: 2008-2009 Session, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed June 6, 2008.
- ^ About the Governor, New Jersey. Accessed June 6, 2008.
- ^ What is a Freeholder?, Morris County, New Jersey. Accessed February 6, 2008.
- ^ Meet the Freeholders, Morris County, New Jersey. Accessed February 6, 2008.
- ^ History of Chatham Township, Chatham Township. Accessed December 13, 2006.
- ^ Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 2003 Through 2005, accessed May 15, 2006.
- ^ Morris County Bus/Rail Connections, New Jersey Transit. Accessed June 21, 2007.
- ^ Chris Carlin profile, WFAN. Accessed June 19, 2007. "Chris grew up in Chatham Township, New Jersey, and attended Oratory Prep High School in Summit."
[edit] External links
- Chatham Township website
- School District of the Chathams website
- School District of the Chathams's 2006-07 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the School District of the Chathams
- Regional area newspaper
- Chatham Township, New Jersey is at coordinates Coordinates:
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