Irvington, New Jersey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Irvington, New Jersey | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Essex |
| Incorporated | March 27, 1874 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) |
| - Mayor | Wayne Smith |
| Area | |
| - Total | 3.0 sq mi (7.7 km²) |
| - Land | 3.0 sq mi (7.7 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²) |
| Elevation [1] | 154 ft (47 m) |
| Population (2006)[2] | |
| - Total | 58,024 |
| - Density | 20,528.3/sq mi (7,926.0/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 07111 |
| Area code(s) | 973 |
| FIPS code | 34-34450[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0877363[4] |
| Website: http://www.irvington.net/index.htm | |
Irvington is a Township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township had a total population of 60,695.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Irvington is located at (40.725651, -74.232076)[5].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.7 km²), all of it's land. yes you know it
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 1,677 |
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| 1900 | 5,255 |
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| 1910 | 11,877 | 126.0% | |
| 1920 | 25,480 | 114.5% | |
| 1930 | 56,733 | 122.7% | |
| 1940 | 55,328 | -2.5% | |
| 1950 | 59,201 | 7.0% | |
| 1960 | 59,379 | 0.3% | |
| 1970 | 59,743 | 0.6% | |
| 1980 | 61,493 | 2.9% | |
| 1990 | 61,018 | -0.8% | |
| 2000 | 60,695 | -0.5% | |
| Est. 2006 | 58,024 | [2] | -4.4% |
| Population 1930 - 1990[6][7] | |||
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 60,695 people, 22,032 households, and 14,408 families residing in the township. The population density was 20,528.3 people per square mile (7,917.1/km²). There were 24,116 housing units at an average density of 8,156.5/sq mi (3,145.7/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 8.97% White, 81.66% African American, 0.24% Native American, 1.10% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 3.68% from other races, and 4.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.38% of the population.
As part of the 2000 Census, 81.66% of Irvington's residents identified themselves as being African American. This was one of the highest percentages of African American people in the United States, and the third-highest in New Jersey (behind Lawnside at 93.6%, and East Orange at 89.46%) of all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.[8]
There were 22,032 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.2% were married couples living together, 27.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.39.
In the township the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.5 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $36,575, and the median income for a family was $41,098. Males had a median income of $32,043 versus $27,244 for females. The per capita income for the township was $16,874. About 15.8% of families and 17.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.9% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Crime
Irvington experienced the crack epidemic of the 1980s and the city still struggles with the aftermath today. The city still has a violent crime rate six times higher than New Jersey overall and a murder rate eight times higher than statewide statistics. Irvington has a higher crime rate than Camden and is more dangerous, but since it has a population fewer than 75,000, it couldn't be ranked as the most dangerous city in the nation. One year in the early 2000s, Irvington was officially named the "Murder Capital of America" due to its very high murder rate. Irvington is known for its very high crime rate. In 2006, it was determined to have the 2nd highest violent crime rate for a U.S. city with a population between 40,000 and 60,000 people.
[edit] History
Clinton Township, which included what is now Irvington, Maplewood and parts of Newark and South Orange, was created on April 14, 1834.[9] The area was known as Camptown until the mid-1800s. In 1850, after Stephen Foster published his ballad, Camptown Races,, residents were concerned that the activities described in the song would be associated with their community. Lydia Crawford, the wife of the local postmaster, suggested Camptown's new name, Irvingtown, in honor of Washington Irving.[10]
Irvington was incorporated as an independent village on March 27, 1874, from portions of Clinton Township.[10] What remained of Clinton Township was absorbed into Newark on March 5, 1902.[9] On March 2, 1898, Irvington was incorporated as a Town, replacing Irvington Village.[9] Laws approved in Trenton in both 1903 and 1908 that would have annexed Irvington to Newark were rejected by local voters.[9]
The 1967 Newark riots hastened an exodus of families from that city, many of them moving the few short blocks to Irvington. Until 1965, Irvington was almost exclusively white. By 1980, the town was nearly 40% black, by 1990 it was 70%. On July 1, 1980, Fred Bost, the first black to serve on the Town Council, was sworn in as East Ward Councilman. [11] Michael G. Steele, the town's first black mayor, was elected in 1990, followed by Sara B. Bost in 1994. The current Mayor is Wayne Smith.[10]
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
Irvington is governed under the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) form of municipal government.[12]
Mayor Wayne Smith was directly elected by the residents to serve a four year term that began on July 1, 2002. As Chief Executive of the township, Mayor Smith has the enforcement responsibility for all ordinances, charter provisions, and preparation of the municipal budget. While the Mayor has the right to speak at Council meetings, he has no vote and is not required to attend.
The Council is the legislative body of the municipality and is composed of seven members. Four are elected from Wards and three are elected at-large. The Council can, by a majority vote, reduce items in the Mayor's budget, but needs a ⅔ majority to increase any item in the budget.
Members of the governing body are elected for four year terms the 2nd Tuesday in May each year. Terms are staggered biennially and the elections are non-partisan.
Members of the Township Council are:[13]
- John Sowell, West Ward, President
- Andrea C. McElroy, At-Large, First Vice President
- D. Bilal Beasley, At-Large, Second Vice President
- Lebby C. Jones, At-Large
- Sandra R. Jones, South Ward
- Quinzell R. McKenzie, East Ward
- David Lyons, North Ward
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Irvington is in the Tenth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 28th Legislative District.[14]
New Jersey's Tenth Congressional District, covering portions of Essex County, Hudson County, and Union County, is represented by Donald M. Payne (D, Newark). 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 28th District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Ronald Rice (D, Newark) and in the Assembly by Ralph R. Caputo (D, Belleville) and Cleopatra Tucker (D, Newark).[15] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[16]
Essex County's County Executive is Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. The executive, along with the Board of Chosen Freeholders administer all county business. Essex County's Freeholders are Freeholder President Blonnie R. Watson, Freeholder Vice President Ralph R. Caputo, Freeholders-At-Large Johnny Jones, Donald M. Payne, Jr., and Patricia Sebold, Freeholder District 1 Samuel Gonzalez, Freeholder District 2 D. Bilal Beasley, Freeholder District 3 Carol Y. Clark, Freeholder District 4 Linda Lordi Cavanaugh and Freeholder District 5 Ralph R. Caputo.
[edit] Politics
On the national level, Irvington leans strongly toward the Democratic Party. In 2004, Democrat John Kerry received 92% of the vote here, defeating Republican George W. Bush, who received around 7%.
[edit] Education
Irvington's public schools are operated by Irvington Public Schools. The district is one of 31 Abbott Districts statewide.[17]
Irvington High School serves the city of Irvington. Of 316 Public High Schools examined, Irvington was ranked lowest in the state in a cover story in the September 2006 issue of New Jersey Monthly magazine.[18]
[edit] Transportation
Irvington is served by New Jersey Transit bus routes 1, 13, 25, 26, 27, 37, 39, 42, 70, 90, 94, and 107. [19]
Scheduled airline service is available at Newark Liberty International Airport in neighboring Newark and Elizabeth.
[edit] Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Irvington include:
- Paul Boris (1955-), former pitcher for the Minnesota Twins.[20]
- Austin Gunsel (1909-1974), best remembered for serving as the National Football League's interim commissioner following the death of Bert Bell on October 11, 1959.[21]
- James J. Howard (1927-1988), represented New Jersey's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1965–1988.[22]
- Queen Latifah (1970-), rapper, singer, actress, producer.[23]
- Jerry Lewis (1926-), comedian, actor, director.[24]
- Blanche Noyes, (1900-1981), pioneering female aviator who was among the first ten women to receive a pilot's license.[25]
- Robert Randolph, singer and guitarist for Robert Randolph & the Family band.[26]
- Mark William Rudd (1947-), educator and anti-war activist.[27]
[edit] References
- ^ USGS GNIS: Township of Irvington, Geographic Names Information System, accessed January 4, 2008.
- ^ a b Census data for Irvington township, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 14, 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Wm. C. Hunt, Chief Statistician for Population. Fourteenth Census of The United States: 1920; Population: New Jersey; Number of inhabitants, by counties and minor civil divisions (ZIP). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
- ^ African American Communities, Epodunk. Accessed August 25, 2007.
- ^ a b c d "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 126 re Clinton Township, p. 128 re Irvington.
- ^ a b c History of Irvington, Irvington Township. Accessed May 9, 2007.
- ^ Crime statistics for Irvington, Homesurfer. Accessed August 14, 2007.
- ^ 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 129.
- ^ Mayor - Council Plan, Township of Irvington. Accessed March 9, 2007.
- ^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 59. 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.
- ^ Abbott Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 31, 2008.
- ^ http://www.njmonthly.com/topschools/hslist3.lasso?-MaxRecords=50&-SkipRecords=300&-SortField=rank&-SortOrder=ascending&county=&high_school= New Jersey Monthly, September 2006.
- ^ New Jersey Transit bus schedules accessed November 7, 2007
- ^ Paul Boris Statistics, The Baseball Cube. Accessed January 19, 2008.
- ^ "N.F.L. Picks Interim Chief; GUNSEL IS CHOSEN BY CLUB OWNERS Acting Chief of Pro League Since Bell's Death to Serve Until January", The New York Times, October 15, 1959.
- ^ James John Howard, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed August 30, 2007.
- ^ Guthrie, Marissa. "'Life' of a Queen: Latifah digs deep for an HBO movie", copy of article from New York Daily News, March 8, 2007, accessed April 19, 2007. "Latifah—who’ll turn 37 this month—grew up in Irvington, N.J."
- ^ Sragow, Michael. " Funny Bones" review of "KING OF COMEDY The Life and Art of Jerry Lewis". By Shawn Levy, The New York Times, June 9, 1996. "Mr. Levy locates the seeds of Mr. Lewis's king-size ambitions and insecurities in his struggling show-biz family (his parents devoted themselves primarily to his father's career as a would-be Jolson), and in his sometime hometown of Irvington, N.J., which in the 1930's was rife with German-American support for Hitler."
- ^ "MRS. NOYES GETS AIR POST; Irvington Woman Is Appointed Federal Marking Pilot.", The New York Times, August 14, 1936. Accessed January 2, 2008. "Mrs. Blanche Noyes of Irvington, N.J., was appointed today an air-marking pilot for the Bureau of Air Commerce by Eugene L. Vidal, the director. Mrs. Noyes has been flying since 1929 and was one of the first ten women pilots to receive an air transport license."
- ^ Wise, Brian. "Eclectic Sounds of New Jersey, Echoing From Coast to Coast", The New York Times, February 8, 2004. Accessed November 22, 2007.
- ^ Who is Mark Rudd?, dated July 2005, accessed April 19, 2007. "Mark was born on June 2, 1947 in Irvington, N.J."
[edit] External links
- Township of Irvington homepage
- Irvington Public Schools
- Irvington Public Schools's 2006-07 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Irvington Public Schools
- Irvington, New Jersey is at coordinates Coordinates:
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