Bogota, New Jersey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bogota is a Borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 8,249.
Bogota was formed on November 14, 1894, from portions of Ridgefield Township at the height of the "Boroughitis" phenomenon, based on the results of a referendum held that day.[1] Portions of Bogota were taken in 1895 to form part of the newly-created Township of Teaneck. Bogota was named in honor of the Bogert family, which had been the first to occupy the area.[2][3]
This community is not to be confused with Bogotá, capital city of Colombia. 1.54% of Bogota's residents are from Colombia.[4]
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[edit] Geography
Bogota is located at (40.873876, -74.027699)GR1, on the east shore of the Hackensack River.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.1 km² (0.8 mi²). 2.0 km² (0.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (7.32%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 7,341 |
|
|
| 1940 | 7,346 | 0.1% | |
| 1950 | 7,662 | 4.3% | |
| 1960 | 7,965 | 4.0% | |
| 1970 | 8,960 | 12.5% | |
| 1980 | 8,344 | -6.9% | |
| 1990 | 7,824 | -6.2% | |
| 2000 | 8,249 | 5.4% | |
| Est. 2005 | 8,150 | [5] | -1.2% |
| Population 1930 - 1990[6] | |||
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 8,249 people, 2,874 households, and 2,126 families residing in the borough. The population density was 4,190.7/km² (10,841.3/mi²). There were 2,915 housing units at an average density of 1,480.9/km² (3,831.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 75.72% White, 5.73% African American, 0.15% Native American, 7.75% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 6.76% from other races, and 3.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21.32% of the population.
There were 2,874 households out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.0% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.38.
In the borough the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $59,813, and the median income for a family was $69,841. Males had a median income of $49,347 versus $36,406 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $25,505. About 2.6% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.3% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
The Borough of Bogota operates under the Borough form of municipal government, consisting of a Mayor and six Councilpersons elected at large.
The Mayor is elected to serve a four-year term and may succeed that term by re-election. The Mayor is empowered as head of the municipal government to: Provide for the proper execution of local and State laws; Recommend to the Borough Council measures deemed in the best interest of the Borough; Nominate and, with the advice and consent of the Council, appoint most subordinate officers of the Borough; and Maintain peace and order. Although the Mayor presides over meeting of the Borough Council, the Mayor votes only in the case of a tie. State law also requires the Mayor to be a member of the Planning Board and Board of Trustees of the municipal Public Library.
The six Council members are elected at-large for terms of three years on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year. The Council exercises general legislative powers conferred upon it by State law to protect and promote the general welfare of the Borough. Among these are: The right to enact ordinances; Approve resolutions; Approve mayoral appointments; and Adopt the annual budget and determine tax levy.[7]
The Mayor of the Borough of Bogota is Steve Lonegan. Members of the Bogota Borough Council are Council President Joe Noto, Yesenia Frias, Pat Kearns, Pat McHale, Tara Sharp and George Silos.[8].
In July 2006, Mayor Lonegan created a controversy when he engineered a Borough Council resolution requesting the removal of a Spanish-language billboard in town advertising McDonald's iced coffee. Lonegan said the billboard was "divisive." The story received national publicity, occurring concurrently with a national debate on illegal immigration[9].
On Election Day, November 7, 2006, Democrats Tara M. Sharp (1,403 votes) and Yesenia Frias (1,351) ousted Republican incumbents Melissa A. Schnipp (964) and George T. Shalhoub (930), winning three-year terms of office on the Borough Council. When Frias and Sharp took office on January 1, 2007, the Council consisted entirely of Democrats, leaving Mayor Lonegan as the lone Republican elected official in the borough. A ballot initiative regarding purchase of two new firetrucks passed by a 1,208-554 margin.[10][11]
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Bogota is in the Ninth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 37th Legislative District.[12]
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 37th legislative 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). 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 8,208, there were 4,405 registered voters (53.7% of the population, vs. 55.4% in all of Bergen County). Of registered voters, 790 (17.9% vs. 20.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 798 (18.1% vs. 19.2% countywide) were registered as Republicans and 2,817 (64.0% vs. 60.1% countywide) are registered as Undeclared. There were no voters registered to other parties.[13]
On the national level, Bogota leans toward the Democratic Party. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 56% of the vote here, defeating Republican George W. Bush, who received around 43%.[14]
[edit] Education
Students in grades Kindergarten through 12 are educated in the Bogota Public Schools. Schools in the district are E. Roy Bixby School with 283 students in grades K - 6, Lillian M. Steen School which serves 258 students in grades K - 6, and Bogota High School with an enrollment of 496 students on grades 7 through 12.
Saint Joseph's School is a Roman Catholic parochial school serving students in grades K - 8.
[edit] Transportation
Bogota is located between I-80 and Route 4, both of which provide access to the George Washington Bridge and points west. Several bridges span the Hackensack River to Hackensack. There is no passenger rail service, but the CSX Northern Branch freight line is on the edge of the borough.
Several New Jersey Transit bus lines travel through Bogota between Hackensack, Jersey City, Paramus and New York City. New Jersey Transit bus service is available to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 155, 157 and 168 routes; to the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal on the 182 route; and to other New Jersey communities served on the 83, 751 and 755 routes.[15]
[edit] Popular culture
The 2005 documentary film Anytown, USA focused on the 2004 mayoral race between Republican Steve Lonegan, Democrat Fred Pesce and independent Dave Musikant. The film was screened at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival on April 9, 2005, where it won the award for Best Documentary.[16]
[edit] Sources
- "History of Bergen County, New Jersey, 1630-1923;" by "Westervelt, Frances A. (Frances Augusta), 1858-1942."
- "Municipal Incorporations of the State of New Jersey (according to Counties)" prepared by the Division of Local Government, Department of the Treasury (New Jersey); December 1, 1958.
[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. 76.
- ^ "History of Bergen County" p. 339
- ^ The Story of Bogota: The "Borough Act" of 1894 allowed Bogota to become a Borough, accessed July 17, 2006
- ^ Colombian Ancestry, Epodunk, accessed March 3, 2007
- ^ Census data for Bogota, United States Census Bureau, accessed March 1, 2007
- ^ Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, accessed March 1, 2007
- ^ Bogota Municipal Government: How Does It Work?, accessed July 17, 2006
- ^ Bogota Town Directory, accessed February 1, 2007
- ^ Bogota formally requests billboard removal, The Record (Bergen County), July 14, 2006
- ^ Bogota election results, 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. 55, 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
- ^ New Jersey Transit Bus Schedules, accessed March 15, 2007
- ^ Sirk Productions, accessed February 24, 2007
[edit] External links
- Bogota official website
- Bogota Public Schools
- Bogota Public Schools's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Bogota 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
