Wharton, New Jersey
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| Wharton, New Jersey | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Morris |
| Incorporated | June 26, 1895 as Port Oram |
| Renamed | April 16, 1902 as Wharton |
| Government | |
| - Type | Borough (New Jersey) |
| - Mayor | Bill Chegwidden |
| Area | |
| - Total | 2.2 sq mi (5.7 km²) |
| - Land | 2.2 sq mi (5.7 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km²) |
| Elevation [1] | 669 ft (204 m) |
| Population (2006)[2] | |
| - Total | 6,298 |
| - Density | 2,882.4/sq mi (1,112.9/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 07885 |
| Area code(s) | 973 and 862 |
| FIPS code | 34-80390[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0885443[4] |
| Website: http://www.whartonnj.com | |
Wharton is a Borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 6,298.
What is now Wharton was originally incorporated as the borough of Port Oram by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on June 26, 1895, from portions of Randolph Township and Rockaway Township, subject to the results of a referendum passed on the previous day. The name was changed to Wharton as of April 16, 1902, based on a referendum held that day.[5]
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[edit] Geography
Wharton is located at (40.898098, -74.580151)[6].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²), of which, 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.36%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 3,683 |
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| 1940 | 3,854 | 4.6% | |
| 1950 | 3,853 | -0.0% | |
| 1960 | 5,006 | 29.9% | |
| 1970 | 5,535 | 10.6% | |
| 1980 | 5,485 | -0.9% | |
| 1990 | 5,405 | -1.5% | |
| 2000 | 6,298 | 16.5% | |
| Est. 2006 | 6,211 | [2] | -1.4% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[7] | |||
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 6,298 people, 2,328 households, and 1,599 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,882.4 people per square mile (1,110.4/km²). There were 2,394 housing units at an average density of 1,095.6/sq mi (422.1/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 82.09% White, 4.40% African American, 0.44% Native American, 3.14% Asian, 7.21% from other races, and 2.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.21% of the population.
There were 2,328 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.28.
In the borough the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 34.0% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $56,580, and the median income for a family was $64,957. Males had a median income of $42,311 versus $36,016 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $25,168. About 6.4% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] History
On June 28, 1895, voters from the settlements of Port Oram, Irondale, Luxemburg, Maryville and Mount Pleasant voted 143 to 51 to incorporate as a town under the name of Port Oram, the largest member of the group. These localities, covering an area of two and a quarter square miles west of Dover, New Jersey, were basically mine camps or housing for blast furnace and silk mill workers. A mayor, six councilmen, an assessor and a collector were elected to govern this new borough which had started life as an ore shipping port on the Morris Canal. These elected officials -- mine superintendents, store owners, a railroad superintendent and a school teacher -- represented the leaders of these settlements where iron ore was mined, smelted and shipped.
In 1831 the Morris Canal was completed from Newark to Phillipsburg, New Jersey across the Delaware River from the terminus of the Lehigh Canal. On the way, it passed through Boonton, Dover and Port Oram all connected with iron. On this route it tapped the Morris County ore fields and became a carrier for both ore and pig iron. Its main purpose, however, was as an extension of the Lehigh Canal to furnish a route for anthracite coal from the Pennsylvania mines to seaboard. Any local traffic was a gain to supplement the through anthracite freight and iron ore and its products soon became important sources of revenue. Sites on the canal were selected for docks and industry, including iron works
Born in 1826 in Philadelphia to an old Quaker family, Joseph Wharton first studied at a local Friend's school but did not attend college, rather he went to live on a farm because his parents wanted him to mature [8], and during the winter studied chemistry at the laboratory of Martin Boye in Philadelphia. He entered into the manufacture of zinc and nickel, and gradually bought a controlling interest in Bethlehem Iron Works. As his business interests expanded he purchased substantial shares of several railroads involved in the coal and iron trade, also purchasing iron mines and furnaces near Port Oram. After selling his interest in Bethlehem Iron Works in 1901 and his nickel works to CVRD Inco in 1902, he continued to actively acquire and manage a large and diverse business empire that included iron smelting in Wharton, NJ until just before his death in January, 1909. Wharton is best known for the namesake school he endowed, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The town was named after him at after a referendum in 1902.[9]
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
Wharton is governed under the Borough system of municipal government. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.
The Mayor of Wharton is Bill Chegwidden, whose term of office ends in 2007. Members of the Borough Council are Council President David Young, Vincent Binkoski, Glenn Corbett, Brian Gillen, Scott Hutchins and Tom Yeager.[10]
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Wharton is in the Eleventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 25th Legislative District.[11]
New Jersey's Eleventh Congressional District, covering western portions of Essex County, all of Morris County, and sections of Passaic County, Somerset County and Sussex County, is represented by Rodney Frelinghuysen (R, Harding 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 25th District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Anthony Bucco (R, Boonton) and in the Assembly by Michael Patrick Carroll (R, Morris Plains) and Richard A. Merkt (R, Brookside).[12] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[13]
Morris County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, who are elected to three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two or three seats up for election each year.[14] As of 2008, Morris County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Margaret Nordstrom, Deputy Freeholder Director Gene F. Feyl, Douglas R. Cabana, William J. Chegwidden, John J. Murphy, James W. Murray and Jack J. Schrier.[15]
[edit] Education
The Wharton Borough School District serves public school students in Kindergarten through eighth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[16]) are the Marie V. Duffy Elementary School (529 students in grades K - 5) and Alfred C. MacKinnon Middle School (251 students in grades 6 - 8).
Public school students in grades 9 - 12 attend Morris Hills High School, in Rockaway Borough, which also serves the residential community of Rockaway Township.[17] The current enrollment is 1,087 students. The high school is part of the Morris Hills Regional High School District, which also includes students from Denville Township.
[edit] Trivia
- Cyndi Lauper's "Time after Time" video was filmed in 1984 Wharton.[18]
[edit] Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Wharton include:
- Kirk Alyn, the first on-screen Superman, was born in Wharton, the son of Hungarian immigrants.[19]
- Bonnie Lee Bakley, murdered wife of Robert Blake (actor).
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ USGS GNIS: Borough of Wharton, Geographic Names Information System, accessed January 4, 2008.
- ^ a b Census data for Wharton borough, United States Census Bureau. Accessed October 12, 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. 196.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Joseph Wharton: Quaker Industrial Pioneer", W. Ross Yates, 1987, Lehigh University Press, pp 31-35.
- ^ Wharton History, Borough of Wharton. Accessed May 25, 2007.
- ^ Town Hall: Governing Body, Wharton Borough. Accessed February 27, 2008.
- ^ 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.
- ^ What is a Freeholder?, Morris County, New Jersey. Accessed February 6, 2008.
- ^ Meet the Freeholders, Morris County, New Jersey. Accessed February 6, 2008.
- ^ Data for the Wharton Borough Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 27, 2008.
- ^ Morris Hills High School 2007 School Report Card, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 27, 2008. "Morris Hills High School is a comprehensive four-year public school located in the heart of Morris County.... The school serves the local communities of Wharton, Rockaway Township, and Rockaway Borough where the school resides."
- ^ History of Wharton Borough, accessed November 2, 2006.
- ^ Wharton's Own Superman: Kirk Alyn, Borough of Wharton. Accessed February 27, 2008.
[edit] External links
- Wharton Borough website
- Wharton Borough Public Schools
- Wharton Borough Public Schools's 2006-07 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- Data for the Wharton Borough Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics
- Daily Record: Regional area newspaper
- History of Wharton Borough
- Abandoned Mines of NJ
- Wharton, New Jersey is at coordinates Coordinates:
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