Rochelle Park, New Jersey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rochelle Park, New Jersey | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Bergen |
| Incorporated | March 7, 1871 as Midland Township |
| Reincorporated | November 5, 1929 as Rochelle Park |
| Government | |
| - Type | Township |
| - Mayor | Joseph Scarpa (R, 2008) |
| - Administrator | Michael Mariniello[1] |
| Area | |
| - Total | 1.0 sq mi (2.7 km²) |
| - Land | 1.0 sq mi (2.7 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²) |
| Elevation [2] | 59 ft (18 m) |
| Population (2006)[3] | |
| - Total | 6,027 |
| - Density | 5,287.7/sq mi (2,041.6/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 07662 |
| Area code(s) | 201 |
| FIPS code | 34-63990[4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882307[5] |
| Website: http://rochelleparknj.gov | |
Rochelle Park is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 5,528.
What is now Rochelle Park was incorporated as Midland Township on March 7, 1871, from portions of New Barbadoes Township. Rochelle Park was formed as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on November 5, 1929, replacing Midland Township, based on the results of a referendum held on that same day that passed by a 503-69 margin.[6] The main impetus behind the change in name was to avoid confusion with the nearby community of Midland Park.[7]
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[edit] Geography
Rochelle Park is located at (40.906553, -74.077972)[8].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.7 km²), all of it land.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 519 |
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| 1910 | 591 | 13.9% | |
| 1920 | 882 | 49.2% | |
| 1930 | 1,768 | 100.5% | |
| 1940 | 2,511 | 42% | |
| 1950 | 4,483 | 78.5% | |
| 1960 | 6,119 | 36.5% | |
| 1970 | 6,380 | 4.3% | |
| 1980 | 5,603 | −12.2% | |
| 1990 | 5,587 | −0.3% | |
| 2000 | 5,528 | −1.1% | |
| Est. 2006 | 6,027 | [3] | 9% |
| Population 1930 - 1990[9][10] | |||
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 5,528 people, 2,061 households, and 1,393 families residing in the township. The population density was 5,287.7 people per square mile (2,032.7/km²). There were 2,111 housing units at an average density of 2,019.2/sq mi (776.2/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 90.09% White, 0.45% African American, 0.04% Native American, 6.02% Asian, 2.03% from other races, and 1.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.57% of the population.
There were 2,061 households out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the township the population was spread out with 18.7% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 23.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.2 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $60,818, and the median income for a family was $74,016. Males had a median income of $43,580 versus $36,827 for females. The per capita income for the township was $25,054. About 0.4% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
Rochelle Park is governed under the Township form of government with a five-member Township Committee. The Township Committee is elected directly by the voters in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year.[11] At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor.
The Rochelle Park Township Committee consists of Mayor Joseph Scarpa (R, term ends December 31, 2008), Jay Kovalcik (R, 2010), Wilbur Lotz (R, 2009), Phyllis Strohmeyer (R, 2009) and Frank Valenzuela (R, 2008).[12][13]
In elections held on November 6, 2007, voters turned out to fill a single seat on the Township Committee. Incumbent Republican Kenneth Kovalcik (508 votes) ran unopposed and won a new three-year term in office. The win retains full Republican control on the 2008 committee[14][15]
On Election Day, November 7, 2006, voters filled two full three-year terms and a single two-year unexpired term on the Township Council, and also voted on a non-binding resolution requesting compensation for a property Bergen County is planning to acquire. As of Election Day, the council was comprised entirely of Republicans, in a community where registered Republicans outnumbered Democrats by an 8-7 margin. In the three-year race, incumbent Republicans Phyllis Strohmeyer (992) and Wilbur Lotz (919) won re-election, defeating Independent James Pallouras (694), who had served on the Township Council in the 1980s, including five years as mayor. In the race for the unexpired term, Francis Valenzuela (1,035) ran unopposed to serve the balance of the term. A non-binding ballot item asking if the township should oppose plans by Bergen County to acquire the Board of Social Services property unless the County compensated the township for $280,000 in lost tax revenue, passed by a 1,067-177 margin.[16][17][18]
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Rochelle Park is in the Fifth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 37th Legislative District.[19]
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).
For the 2008-2009 Legislative Session, the 37th District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Loretta Weinberg (D, Teaneck) and in the Assembly by Valerie Huttle (D, Englewood) and Gordon M. Johnson (D, Englewood).[20] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[21]
Bergen County's County Executive is Dennis McNerney (D).[22] The executive, along with the seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders administer all county business. As of 2008, Bergen County's Freeholders are Chairman Tomas J. Padilla (D, Park Ridge), Vice-Chairman Elizabeth Calabrese (D, Wallington), James M. Carroll (D, Demarest), David L. Ganz (D, Fair Lawn), Bernadette P. McPherson (D, Rutherford), Julie O'Brien (D, Ramsey) and Vernon Walton (D, Englewood).[23]
Other countywide elected officials are Sheriff Leo McGuire (D), Surrogate Court Judge Mike Dressler (D, Cresskill) County Clerk Kathleen Donovan (R, Rutherford).[24]
[edit] Politics
As of April 1, 2006, out of a 2004 Census estimated population of 5,734 in Rochelle Park, there were 3,393 registered voters (59.2% of the population, vs. 55.4% in all of Bergen County). Of registered voters, 648 (19.1% vs. 20.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 599 (17.7% vs. 19.2% countywide) were registered as Republicans and 2,145 (63.2% vs. 60.1% countywide) were registered as Undeclared. There was one voter registered to another party.[25]
On the national level, Rockleigh leans towards the Republican Party. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 56% of the vote here, edging Democrat John Kerry, who received around 43%.[26]
[edit] Education
The Rochelle Park School District serves public school students in prekindergarten through eighth grade. Midland School opened in 1925, serving K-8 back then as well, with students attending Hackensack High School after completing studies at Midland School.[7] As of the 2005-06 school year, Midland School had an enrollment of 471 students.[27]
Students in public school for grades 9 - 12 attend Hackensack High School in Hackensack, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Hackensack Public Schools, together with students from Maywood and South Hackensack.[28]
[edit] Transportation
New Jersey Transit bus routes 144, 145, 148, 162, 163, 164, 175, 709, 712, 758, and 770 serves Rochelle Park. [29]
Route 17 and the Garden State Parkway travels through Rochelle Park.
[edit] Commerce
Rochelle Park is the business headquarters for specialty retailer United Retail Group, which is a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange.
[edit] References
- ^ Township Officials, Township of Rochelle Park. Accessed December 17, 2007.
- ^ USGS GNIS: Township of Rochelle Park, Geographic Names Information System, accessed December 17, 2007.
- ^ a b Census data for Rochelle Park, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 6, 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. pp. 81, 86.
- ^ a b Officially Rochelle Park, Township of Rochelle Park. Accessed July 6, 2007. "Little noticed by the world in general, on November 5, 1929, a week after the Crash, Midland Township changed its name to Rochelle Park. Residents voted 503 to 69 to end the confusion with Midland Park."
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
- ^ Historical Population Trends in Bergen County (1900 - 2000), Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed December 23, 2007.
- ^ 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 157.
- ^ Meet the Township Committee, Township of Rochelle Park. Accessed February 26, 2007.
- ^ "County of Bergen: 2007 County and Municipal Directory", Bergen County, New Jersey, p. 61.
- ^ "Rochelle Park election", The Record (Bergen County), October 28, 2007. Accessed December 17, 2007.
- ^ Bergen County election results, The Record (Bergen County), November 7, 2007. Accessed November 10, 2007.
- ^ Rochelle Park Election Guide, The Record (Bergen County), November 1, 2006.
- ^ Election 2006: Municipal Results", The Record (Bergen County), November 8, 2006.
- ^ Bergen County 2006 General Election Results, accessed February 1, 2007.
- ^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 63. 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.
- ^ Bergen County Executive, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed March 25, 2008.
- ^ Freeholder Home Page, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed March 25, 2008.
- ^ Constitutional Officers, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed March 25, 2008.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Data for the Rochelle Park Board of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed May 1, 2008.
- ^ Hackensack High School 2006 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 12, 2008. "Hackensack High School serves the communities of Hackensack, South Hackensack, Maywood and Rochelle Park."
- ^ New Jersey Transit Bus Schedules. Accessed August 30, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Rochelle Park official website
- Rochelle Park Board of Education
- Rochelle Park Board of Education's 2006-07 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- Data for the Rochelle Park Board of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
- Rochelle Park, New Jersey is at coordinates Coordinates:
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