| Berkeley Heights, New Jersey | |||
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| — Township — | |||
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| Map of Berkeley Heights in Union County. Inset: Location of Union County highlighted in the State of New Jersey. | |||
| Census Bureau map of Berkeley Heights, New Jersey | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | New Jersey | ||
| County | Union | ||
| Incorporated | November 8, 1809 as New Providence Township | ||
| Renamed | November 6, 1951 as Berkeley Heights Township | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council-Administrator) | ||
| • Mayor | Joseph Bruno (term ends 2011)[1] | ||
| • Administrator | Amey Upchurch[2] | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 6.3 sq mi (16.2 km2) | ||
| • Land | 6.3 sq mi (16.2 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) | ||
| Elevation[3] | 430 ft (131 m) | ||
| Population (2010 Census)[4][5] | |||
| • Total | 13,183 | ||
| • Density | 2,092.5/sq mi (813.8/km2) | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP code | 07922 | ||
| Area code(s) | 908 | ||
| FIPS code | 34-05320[6][7] | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0882218[8] | ||
| Website | http://www.berkeleyheightstwp.com | ||
Berkeley Heights is a township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 13,183.[5]
Berkeley Heights was originally incorporated as New Providence Township by the New Jersey Legislature on November 8, 1809, from portions of Springfield Township, while the area was still part of Essex County. New Providence Township became part of the newly formed Union County at its creation on March 19, 1857. Portions of the township were taken on March 23, 1869, to create Summit, and on March 14, 1899, to form the borough of New Providence. On November 6, 1951, the name of the township was changed to Berkeley Heights, based on the results of a referendum held that day.[9]
In Money magazine's 2007 Best Places to Live rankings, Berkeley Heights ranked 45th out of a potential 2,800 places in the United States with populations above 7,500 and under 50,000.[10]
In its 2010 rankings of the "Best Places to Live", New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Berkeley Heights as the 19th best place to live in New Jersey.[11] In its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Berkeley Heights as the 59th best place to live in New Jersey.[12]
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Berkeley Heights is located at (40.677405, -74.429711).[13]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 6.3 square miles (16 km2), of which, 6.3 square miles (16 km2) of it is land and 0.16% is water.
Berkeley Heights is located partially on the crest of the Second Watchung Mountain and in the Passaic River Valley, aptly named as the Passaic River forms the township's northern border.
Berkeley Heights is located in northwestern Union County, at the confluence of Union, Morris, and Somerset Counties. Berkeley Heights is bordered by New Providence and Summit to the east, Scotch Plains to the southeast, Chatham to the north, Watchung to the south, and Warren Township and Long Hill Township to the west.
Downtown Berkeley Heights is located along Springfield Avenue, approximately between the Plainfield Ave. intersection and the Snyder Avenue intersection. In addition, a post office, the Municipal Building, police station, train station, Walgreens, Stop & Shop and other shops and services are located in this downtown section.
A brick walk with personalized bricks engraved with the names of many long-time Berkeley Heights residents runs from near the railroad station towards Kings grocery store. A memorial to the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks adjoins a wooded area alongside Park Avenue, just southwest of downtown.
The Lenape Native Americans were known to inhabit the region, including the area now known as Berkeley Heights, dating back to the 1524 voyage of Giovanni da Verrazzano to what is now the lower New York Bay.
The earliest construction in Berkeley Heights began in an area that is now part of the 1,960 acres (7.9 km2) Watchung Reservation; a Union County park that includes 305 acres (1.23 km2) of the township.
The first European settler was Peter Willcox, who received a 424 acres (1.72 km2) land grant in 1720 from the Elizabethtown Associates. This group bought much of northern New Jersey from the Lenape in the late 17th century. Willcox built a grist and lumber mill across Green Brook.[14]
In 1793, a regional government was formed. It encompassed the area from present-day Springfield Township, Summit, New Providence, and Berkeley Heights, and was called Springfield Township. Growth continued in the area, and by 1809, Springfield Township divided into Springfield Township and New Providence Township. New Providence Township included present day Summit, New Providence, and Berkeley Heights.
In 1845, Mr. Willcox's heirs sold the mill to David Felt, a paper manufacturer from New York. Felt built a small village around the mill aptly named Feltville. It included homes for workers and their families, dormitories, orchards, a post office and a general store with a second floor church.[14]
In 1860, Feltville was sold to sarsaparilla makers. Other manufacturing operations continued until Feltville went into bankruptcy in 1882. When residents moved away, the area became known as Deserted Village. Village remains consist of seven houses, a store, the mill and a barn. Deserted Village is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is undergoing restoration by the Union County Parks Department. Restoration grants of almost $2 million were received from various state agencies.[15] Deserted Village, in the Watchung Reservation, is open daily for unguided walking tours during daylight hours.
On March 23, 1869, Summit Township (now the City of Summit) seceded from New Providence Township. On March 14, 1899, the Borough of New Providence seceded from New Providence Township. Present day Berkeley Heights remained as New Providence Township.[9] Many of the townships and regional areas in New Jersey were separating into small, locally governed communities at that time due to acts of the New Jersey Legislature that made it economically advantageous for the communities to due so.
Due to confusion between the adjacent municipalities of the Borough of New Providence and the Township of New Providence, the township conducted a referendum in 1952 and voted to change the name to Berkeley Heights Township. The origin of the township's name has never been fully established, but is believed to have been taken from an area of town that was referred to by this moniker, which itself was assumed to be derived from Lord John Berkeley, who was co-proprietor of New Jersey from 1664 to 1674.[16]
Early life in Berkeley Heights is documented in the Littell-Lord Farmhouse Museum & Farmstead (31 Horseshoe Road in Berkeley Heights), an 18-acre (73,000 m2) museum surrounding two houses, one of which was built in the 1750s and the other near the turn of the century. Among the exhibits are a Victorian master bedroom and a Victorian children's room, furnished with period antiques. The children's room also has reproductions of antique toys, which visitors can play with. The museum, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, also includes an outbuilding that was used as a summer kitchen, a corncrib dating to the 19th century and a spring house built around a spring and used for refrigeration.[17] The museum is open 2-4 p.m. on the third Sunday of each month from April through December, or by appointment.
The township owes its rural character to its late development. Until 1941, when the American Telephone and Telegraph Company built its Bell Laboratories research facility in the township, it was a sleepy farming and resort community. According to a history compiled by the League of Women Voters in 1963, the population grew from 2,194 in 1940 to 9,500 in 1962.
Another early Berkeley Heights community of note is the 67-acre (270,000 m2) Free Acres, established in 1910 by Bolton Hall, a New York entrepreneur and reformer who believed in the idea of Henry George, the economist, of single taxation, under which residents pay tax to the community, which, in turn, pays a lump sum to the municipality. Among the early residents of Free Acres were the actor James Cagney and his wife, Billie.[14]
To this day, residents of Free Acres pay tax to their association, which maintains its streets and swimming pool, approves architectural changes to homes and pays a lump sum in taxes to the municipality.[14]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 1,899 |
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| 1940 | 2,194 | 15.5% | |
| 1950 | 3,466 | 58.0% | |
| 1960 | 8,721 | 151.6% | |
| 1970 | 13,078 | 50.0% | |
| 1980 | 12,549 | −4.0% | |
| 1990 | 11,980 | −4.5% | |
| 2000 | 13,407 | 11.9% | |
| 2010 | 13,183 | −1.7% | |
| Population sources 1930-1990[18] 2000[19] 2010[5] |
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As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 13,407 people, 4,479 households, and 3,717 families residing in the township. The population density was 2,140.7 people per square mile (826.9/km2). There were 4,562 housing units at an average density of 728.4 per square mile (281.4/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 89.65% White, 1.11% African American, 0.08% Native American, 7.87% Asian, 0.61% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.68% of the population.[19]
There were 4,479 households out of which 41.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.1% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.0% were non-families. 14.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.21.[19]
In the township the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.[19]
The median income for a household in the township was $107,716, and the median income for a family was $118,862. Males had a median income of $83,175 versus $50,022 for females. The per capita income for the township was $43,981. About 1.5% of families and 2.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.8% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.[19]
In accordance with a ballot question that was passed in November 2005, Berkeley Heights switched from a Township Committee form to a Mayor-Council-Administrator form of government under the Faulkner Act. The switch took effect on January 1, 2007. In the fall 2006 elections all seats were open. Under the new form of government, the mayor is directly elected to a four-year term. The Township Committee has been replaced with a Township Council consisting of six members elected to staggered, three-year terms. With all six Township Council seats open in 2006, two councilpersons were elected to one-year terms, after which those seats will be open for three-year terms in 2007. Two other seats were open for two-year terms in 2006. The final two were open for three-year terms from the beginning. The responsibilities of the Township Administrator are unchanged.[20]
As of 2011[update], the Mayor of Berkeley Heights is Joseph Bruno.[21] Members of the Township Council are Council President Kevin Hall (2012), Council Vice President Craig Pastore (2012), Ed Delia (2013), Elaine Perna (2011), Tom Pirone (2013) and Bob Woodruff (2011).[22]
The first Township Council under the new form of government was elected in November 2006; accordingly, the Township Committee ceased to exist on December 31, 2006, and the Township Council was inaugurated on January 1, 2007.
In the 2006 election, the Republican nominees were David Cohen for mayor, Louis DiPasquale and John Haddad for three-year terms on the Council, Elaine Perna and Joseph Bruno for two-year Council terms, and David Ronner and Thomas Pirone for one-year terms. The Democrats did not run a mayoral candidate, but did field four Township Council candidates: Thomas Battaglia and Charles Hasz for three-year terms, Alexandra Chirinos for a two-year term, and John Bonacci for a one-year term. In addition, John Miller ran for mayor as an independent write-in candidate. Cohen won the election for mayor. The race between Battaglia and Haddad was very close; in a recount, Battaglia won by 10 votes. The other winning Council candidates were DiPasquale, Perna, Bruno, Pirone, and Bonacci; thus, the Township Council consists of four Republicans and two Democrats. Cohen, DiPasquale, Perna, Bruno, and Ronner were sitting Township Committee members in 2006; Battaglia sat on the Committee in the 1990s. Ronner was the only Township Committee incumbent who was unseated.
On January 1, 2007, the Township Council elected Elaine Perna Council President, after Mayor Cohen broke a tie vote and therefore defeated Louis DiPasquale's candidacy for the presidency. The Council then elected Joseph Bruno Council vice president. The Council president has no authority other than to chair Council meetings in the mayor's absence; the Council vice president chairs meetings in the absence of both the mayor and the Council president. If all three officials are absent, then the remaining Council members must choose a temporary presiding officer.
The Berkeley Heights Municipal Building is located at 29 Park Avenue.
Berkeley Heights Township is in the 7th Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 21st state legislative district.[23] The legislative district was kept unchanged by the New Jersey Apportionment Commission based on the results of the 2010 Census.[5]
New Jersey's Seventh Congressional District is represented by Leonard Lance (R, Clinton Township). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
21st Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature, which is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Thomas Kean, Jr. (R, Westfield) and in the New Jersey General Assembly by Jon Bramnick (R, Westfield) and Nancy Munoz (R, Summit).[24] The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham).[25] The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).[26]
Union County is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders, whose nine members are elected at-large to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis with three seats coming up for election each year.[27] As of 2011, Union County's Freeholders are Chairman Deborah P. Scanlon (Union, term ends December 31, 2012)[28], Vice Chairman Alexander Mirabella (Fanwood, 2012)[29], Linda Carter (Plainfield, 2013)[30], Angel G. Estrada (Elizabeth, 2011)[31], Christopher Hudak (Linden, 2011)[32], Mohamed S. Jalloh (Roselle, 2012)[33], Bette Jane Kowalski (Cranford, 2013)[34], Daniel P. Sullivan (Elizabeth, 2013)[35] and Nancy Ward (Linden, 2011).[36][37]
The Berkeley Heights Public Schools serves Schools in the district (with 2009-10 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[38]) are The Mary Kay McMillin Early Childhood Center (PreK-1st grade; 372 students), Thomas P. Hughes Elementary School (2-5; 317), Mountain Park Elementary School (2-5; 282), William Woodruff Elementary School (2-5; 234), Columbia Middle School (6-8; 598) and Governor Livingston High School (9-12; 1,043 students).
The high school serves public school students of Berkeley Heights Township, along with those from neighboring Borough of Mountainside who are educated at the high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Mountainside School District.[39] Governor Livingston also provides programs for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Cognitively Impaired, of which students are enrolled from all over north-central New Jersey.
Governor Livingston was the 24th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 322 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2010 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 15th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[40]
There are three private pre-kindergarten schools in Berkeley Heights. The Westminster Nursery School is located at the corner of Plainfield Avenue and Mountain Avenue, the Union Village Nursery is located bordering Warren Township at the corner of Mountain Avenue and Hillcrest Road, and the Diamond Hill Montessori is located along Diamond Hill Road opposite McMane Avenue.
There are no primary or secondary private schools in Berkeley Heights.
The Summit Medical Group is located on Mountain Avenue and there is also an entrance on Diamond Hill Road. It is the main medical facility in Berkeley Heights.
The Berkeley Heights Public Library at 290 Plainfield Avenue, next to the Church of the Little Flower and across from the Columbia Middle School, is a member of the Infolink region of libraries, the Morris Union Federation (MUF) and the Middlesex Union Reciprocal Agreement Libraries (MURAL). The library catalog is available online.
The Berkeley Heights Police Department is located at the Municipal Building, 29 Park Avenue. This is also the location of the Berkeley Heights Municipal Court.
The Berkeley Heights Volunteer Rescue Squad, founded in 1942, is located at the corner of Snyder Avenue and Locust Avenue. The closest trauma centers are Morristown Medical Center (Morristown, NJ) and University Hospital in Newark. The closest hospital emergency room is Overlook Hospital in Summit. The all volunteer Rescue Squad provides emergency medical services to the township 7 days per week. As of the summer of 2011 the squad has over 50 members including over 35 certified EMT's. The squad also enlists College Students and has an active High School Cadet program. In 2010 the rescue squad responded to nearly 600 calls for assistance.[41]
The Berkeley Heights Fire Department is a volunteer fire department with 40 members that operate out of a fire station located at 411 Hamilton Avenue, across from the intersection of Roosevelt Avenue. The department has three engines, one ladder truck, a rescue truck with the Jaws of Life, an air truck, and several support vehicles. In 2010 the department responded to 665 calls.[42]
Located in Berkeley Heights are many municipal parks, including the largest one, Columbia Park (located along Plainfield Avenue). Columbia Park boasts tennis courts, two baseball fields, basketball courts, and a large children's play area. It is owned by the Recreation Commission. In addition to those located at each of the schools, athletic fields are located along Horseshoe Road (Sansone Field) and along Springfield Avenue (Passaic River Park).
There are three Swimming clubs located in Berkeley Heights: the Berkeley Heights Community Pool (Locust Avenue), the Berkeley Swim Club (behind Columbia Park), and Berkeley Aquatic (off of Springfield Avenue).
Also, the Watchung Reservation and Passaic Valley Park are in the township and maintained by Union County. The Watchung Reservation has hiking trails, horseback riding trails, a large lake (Lake Surprise), the Deserted Village of Feltville, and picnic areas.
The major roads in Berkeley Heights are Springfield Avenue, Mountain Avenue, Snyder Avenue, Plainfield Avenue, and Park Avenue. Springfield Avenue and Mountain Avenue run east-west, Snyder Avenue and Plainfield Avenue run north-south, while Park Avenue runs northeast-southwest. Each of these roads is heavily residential (except parts of Springfield Avenue) with only one travel lane in each direction.
Berkeley Heights is served by Interstate 78, which runs from the Holland Tunnel to the Pennsylvania State Line.
The Berkeley Heights station is part of the Gladstone Branch of the New Jersey Transit commuter rail system, serving Hoboken Terminal, Newark Broad Street Station, and Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan. Berkeley Heights is also in close proximity of the Summit train station, which provides frequent commuter rail service to New York City.
NJ Transit offers local bus service on the 986 route.[43] Lakeland Bus Lines also provides commuter bus service to New York City Port Authority Bus Terminal and a connection to Gladstone.
Freight rail transportation was, until recently, provided by Norfolk Southern via off-peak use of New Jersey Transit's Gladstone Branch line. The Berkeley Heights plant of Reheis Chemical located on Snyder Avenue was the last freight customer on the Gladstone Branch.
Newark Liberty International Airport is approximately 18 miles (29 km) east of Berkeley Heights.
Notable current and former residents of Berkeley Heights include:
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