Ramsey, New Jersey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ramsey is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 14,351.
Ramsey was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 10, 1908, from portions of Hohokus Township (now Mahwah). Additional territory was annexed from Waldwick (1921) and Saddle River (1925).[1]
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[edit] Geography
Ramsey is located at (41.058819, -74.142382)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 14.5 km² (5.6 mi²). 14.4 km² (5.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.89%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 3,258 |
|
|
| 1940 | 3,566 | 9.5% | |
| 1950 | 4,670 | 31.0% | |
| 1960 | 9,527 | 104.0% | |
| 1970 | 12,571 | 32.0% | |
| 1980 | 12,899 | 2.6% | |
| 1990 | 13,228 | 2.6% | |
| 2000 | 14,351 | 8.5% | |
| Est. 2005 | 14,558 | [2] | 1.4% |
| Population 1930 - 1990[3] | |||
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 14,351 people, 5,313 households, and 3,947 families residing in the borough. The population density was 996.6/km² (2,583.2/mi²). There were 5,400 housing units at an average density of 375.0/km² (972.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 91.62% White, 0.78% African American, 0.10% Native American, 5.85% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.54% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.93% of the population.
There were 5,313 households out of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.4% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the borough the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $88,187, and the median income for a family was $104,036. Males had a median income of $75,017 versus $43,205 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $41,964. About 1.4% of families and 1.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
Legislative power of the municipality is exercised by six elected council members and an elected mayor. Council members are elected for three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year. The Mayor is elected directly by the voters for a four-year term.
The Mayor of the Borough of Ramsey is Christopher C. Botta, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2010. Members of the Ramsey Borough Council are Council President Arthur M. Nalbandian, Deirdre A. Dillon (2009), Jeffrey C. Heller, William J. Jones (2009), Andrew Siemsen and Bruce Vozeh.[4]
On Election Day, November 7, 2006, voters filled a four-year term for Mayor and two three-year seats on the Borough Council. As of Election Day, Ramsey had a Democratic Mayor and an all-Republican Borough Council, in a community in which registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by a 5-3 margin. Incumbent Mayor Richard Muti (2,294 votes), running as an Independent, fell short in his bid for a second term, defeated by Republican Council President Christopher Botta (2,483). Francis "Doc" Kelaher (878), the Democratic Party candidate, came in a distant third. With Chris Botta running for mayor, and Dave Bissailon not seeking re-election, two council seats were open. Republicans Deirdre A. Dillon (3,183 votes) and William J. Jones (2,950) defeated Democrats Kyle Cook (2,151) and Steve Duva (2,020). With the Republican sweep, Ramsey will have a fully Republican Mayor and Council in 2007, the first time this has occurred since 2003.[5][6][7]
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Ramsey is in the Fifth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 39th Legislative District.[8]
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 39th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Gerald Cardinale (R, Cresskill) and in the Assembly by John E. Rooney (R, Emerson) and Charlotte Vandervalk (R, Westwood). 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 14,601 in Ramsey, there were 9,323 registered voters (63.9% of the population, vs. 55.4% in all of Bergen County). Of registered voters, 1,242 (13.3% vs. 20.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 2,235 (24.0% vs. 19.2% countywide) were registered as Republicans and 5,842 (62.7% vs. 60.1% countywide) were registered as Undeclared. There were four voters registered to other parties.[9]
On the national level, Ramsey leans toward the Republican Party. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 58% of the vote here, defeating Democrat John Kerry, who received around 41%.[10]
[edit] Education
Students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade attend the schools of the Ramsey Public School District. Schools in the district (with 2004-05 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Wesley D. Tisdale with 535 students in K-3, John Y. Dater with 449 students in grades 4-5, Mary A. Hubbard School with 478 students in K-3, Eric S. Smith Middle School with 748 students in 6-8 and Ramsey High School with 879 students in 9-12.
Students from Saddle River have the option of attending either Ramsey High School or Northern Highlands Regional High School as part of sending/receiving relationships with both districts.
Ramsey is the home of Don Bosco Preparatory High School, an all boys Roman Catholic high school, for grades 9-12.
[edit] Transportation
Route 17 passes through Ramsey.
There are two New Jersey Transit station on the Main Line, Ramsey and the Ramsey Route 17 station, which opened on August 22, 2004, as a park-and-ride facility located off of Route 17 South.
[edit] Popular culture
Scenes from the The Happy Wanderer episode of the HBO series The Sopranos were shot in Ramsey.
Some scenes from the movie World Trade Center released in 2006 were filmed in a house in Ramsey.
[edit] Notable residents
- Ramsey is home to Medal of Honor awardee, United States Army Master Sergeant Charles Ernest Hosking, Jr. who was recognized with the nation's highest military honor for events that took place in Phuoc Long Province, Republic of Vietnam, on March 21, 1967. He was awarded the honor for holding a Viet Cong prisoner with a live grenade, taking the brunt of the blast rather than allowing the prisoner to reach several of his commanders. Hosking Way, a road off of Darlington Avenue, is named in his honor.
[edit] Trivia
Konica Minolta's U.S. offices are in Ramsey.
[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. 846.
- ^ Census data for Ramsey, United States Census Bureau, accessed March 1, 2007
- ^ Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, accessed March 1, 2007
- ^ THE MAYOR AND BOROUGH COUNCIL, accessed January 7, 2007
- ^ Ramsey Election Guide, The Record (Bergen County), November 1, 2006
- ^ Ramsey 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. 63, 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
[edit] External links
- Ramsey Borough website
- Ramsey Public School District
- Ramsey Public School District's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Ramsey Public School District
- Ramsey Free Public Library
- Ramsey Police
- Ramsey Volunteer Rescue Squad
- Ramsey Volunteer Ambulance Corps
- Ramsey Office of Emergency Management
- Ramsey Volunteer Fire Department
- Ramsey Historical Society
- 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
