Riverside Township, New Jersey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Riverside, New Jersey | |
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Burlington |
| Incorporated | February 20, 1895 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Township (New Jersey) |
| - Mayor | George Conard, Sr. |
| - Deputy Mayor | Lorraine Hatcher |
| Area | |
| - Total | 1.6 sq mi (4.2 km²) |
| - Land | 1.5 sq mi (3.9 km²) |
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²) |
| Elevation [1] | 20 ft (6 m) |
| Population (2006)[2] | |
| - Total | 7,950 |
| - Density | 5,197.2/sq mi (2,006.7/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 08075 |
| Area code(s) | 856 |
| FIPS code | 34-63510[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882098[4] |
| Website: http://www.riversidetwp.org/ | |
Riverside Township is a Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 7,911.
Riverside was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 20, 1895, from portions of Delran Township.[5]
Contents |
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.2 km²), of which, 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (6.14%) is water.
Riverside Township borders Delanco Township and Delran Township.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 7,061 |
|
|
| 1940 | 7,072 | 0.2% | |
| 1950 | 7,199 | 1.8% | |
| 1960 | 8,474 | 17.7% | |
| 1970 | 8,591 | 1.4% | |
| 1980 | 7,941 | −7.6% | |
| 1990 | 7,974 | 0.4% | |
| 2000 | 7,911 | −0.8% | |
| Est. 2006 | 7,950 | [2] | 0.5% |
| Population 1930 - 1990[6] | |||
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 7,911 people, 2,978 households, and 1,992 families residing in the township. The population density was 5,197.2 people per square mile (2,009.5/km²). There were 3,118 housing units at an average density of 2,048.4/sq mi (792.0/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 90.22% White, 4.44% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.28% from other races, and 2.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.11% of the population.
There were 2,978 households out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the township the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 99.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $43,358, and the median income for a family was $52,479. Males had a median income of $36,556 versus $25,510 for females. The per capita income for the township was $18,758. About 6.7% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
Members of the Riverside Township Committee are Mayor George Conard, Sr., Deputy Mayor Lorraine Hatcher, Marcus Carroll, Robert Prisco and Thomas Polino.[7]
On Election Day, November 7, 2006, Mayor Chuck Hilton (R) and fellow Republican James Ott were running for reelection to the Township Council, but were defeated by their Democratic opponents, newcomers Lorraine Hatcher and Thomas Polino. The anti-immigration ordinance passed by the Township Committee that imposed fines on any business that hires or any landlord who rents to an illegal immigrant was a major issue in the campaign.[8]
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Riverside Township is in the Third Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 7th Legislative District.[9]
New Jersey's Third Congressional District, covering portions of Burlington County, Camden County and Ocean County, is represented by Jim Saxton (R, Mount Holly). 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 7th district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Diane Allen (R, Edgewater Park Township) and in the Assembly by Herb Conaway (D, Delanco Township) and Jack Conners (D, Pennsauken Township).[10] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[11]
Burlington County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, elected at-large to three-year terms on a staggered basis. As of 2008, Burlington County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director James K. Wujcik (Cinnaminson Township, 2009), Deputy Director Joseph B. Donnelly (Cinnaminson Township, 2010), Dawn Marie Addiego (Evesham Township, 2008), Aubrey A. Fenton (Willingboro Township, 2008) and William S. Haines, Jr. (Medford Township, 2009).[12]
[edit] Education
The Riverside School District serves public school students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[13]) are Riverside Elementary School for grades PreK-5 (641 students), Riverside Middle School for grades 6-8 (286 students) and Riverside High School for grades 9-12 (517 students).
Public school students from Delanco Township attend Riverside High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Delanco Township School District.[14]
[edit] Transportation
The Riverside station on the River Line light rail system, is located on Franklin Street, offering southbound service to Camden, New Jersey and the Walter Rand Transportation Center (with transfers available to the PATCO Speedline) and northbound service to the Trenton Rail Station with connections to New Jersey Transit trains to New York City, SEPTA trains to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Amtrak trains.
New Jersey Transit provides bus service to Philadelphia on the 419 line.[15]
[edit] In film
Riverside was used for the filming of the film Jesus' Son along with other locations.[16]
[edit] Immigration debate
In July 2006, a controversial ordinance was passed by the township committee trying to handle the large amount of immigrants, primarily illegally from Brazil, that had moved into the township. The ordinance stated that employers who hired an illegal immigrant and landlords who rented to them would be fined $1,000 - $2,000 per incident and could possibly lose their business license. In response to the ordinance, several civil groups including the ACLU and People for the American Way took or contemplated legal actions against the ordinance.[17][18]
In August 2007, the ordinance was repealed, and some have speculated that the exodus of over 1,000 immigrants from Riverside to other New Jersey townships was a major factor.[19] The ordinance repealing the law cited the high cost of defending it against legal challenges.[20]
[edit] Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Riverside Township include:
- Deron Cherry (class of 1977) NFL Kansas City Chiefs 1981-1991. Six time Pro Bowler at Safety.[21]
- Michael Giacchino, music composer, notably for the TV series Lost.[citation needed]
- Derek Holloway (1961-), retired football player, who was a wide receiver in the NFL for the Washington Redskins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[22]
[edit] External links
- Township website
- Riverside School District
- Riverside School District's 2006-07 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Riverside School District
[edit] References
- ^ USGS GNIS: Township of Riverside, Geographic Names Information System, accessed January 4, 2008.
- ^ a b Census data for Riverside township, United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 1, 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. 98.
- ^ Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
- ^ Elected Officials, Township of Riverside. Accessed January 21, 2008.
- ^ Latinos praise election results in Riverside, The Courier-Post, November 15, 2006.
- ^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 62. 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.
- ^ The Burlington County Board Of Chosen Freeholders, Burlington County, New Jersey. Accessed January 30, 2008.
- ^ Data for the Riverside School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed March 1, 2008.
- ^ Riverside High School 2007 School Report Card, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 1, 2008. "To achieve this goal, Riverside High School, which draws students from both Delanco and Riverside Townships, offers a comprehensive program of study in grades nine through twelve."
- ^ Burlington County Bus/Rail Connections, New Jersey Transit. Accessed July 15, 2007.
- ^ Jesus' Son (1999) - Filming locations
- ^ "Riverside OKs illegal aliens measure", The Courier-Post, July 27, 2006.
- ^ "Riverside threatened with suit", The Courier-Post, September 21, 2006.
- ^ Panaritis, Maria and Wood, Sam. "Riverside to repeal immigrant laws: After an exodus of Brazilian residents, officials plan to end penalties sought for hiring and housing those here illegally.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 23, 2007. Accessed August 23, 2007.
- ^ Hurdle, John [1]
- ^ Deron Cherry, Database Football. Accessed January 24, 2008.
- ^ Derek Holloway profile, database Football. Accessed August 6, 2007.
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