Bernardsville, New Jersey

Bernardsville
—  Borough  —
Bernardsville, New Jersey
Map of Bernardsville in Somerset County. Inset: Location of Somerset County in New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Bernardsville, New Jersey.
Coordinates:
Country United States
State New Jersey
County Somerset
Incorporated April 29, 1924
Government
 • Type Borough (New Jersey)
 • Mayor Lee C. Honecker (2013)[1]
Area
 • Total 12.9 sq mi (33.5 km2)
 • Land 12.9 sq mi (33.5 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation[2] 768 ft (234 m)
Population (2010 Census)[3]
 • Total 7,707
 • Density 597.4/sq mi (230.1/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 07924
Area code(s) 908
FIPS code 34-05590[4][5]
GNIS feature ID 0885159[6]
Website http://www.bernardsvilleboro.org

Bernardsville ( /ˈbɜrnərdzvɪl/) is a borough and affluent suburb in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. Bernardsville has the 10th-highest per capita income in the state. Nationwide, Bernardsville ranks 75th among the 100 highest-income places in the United States (with at least 1,000 households). As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population is 7,707.[3]

Bernardsville was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 6, 1924, from portions of Bernards Township, based on the results of a referendum held on April 29, 1924.[7]

Part of the borough was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Olcott Avenue Historic District in 2009.

Contents

History

Bernardsville was originally a section of Bernards Township known as Vealtown. In 1840, Vealtown became Bernardsville, named after Sir Francis Bernard, Colonial governor of New Jersey from 1758 to 1760. Nestled in the northern most part of Somerset County, just 12 miles (19 km) south of Morristown, this rustic community sits in some of the last vestiges of the Great Eastern Forest.

During the American Revolutionary War, General Charles Lee rested his troops in Vealtown around the night of 12 to 13 December 1776. General Lee and some of his guard spent the night about 3 miles (5 km) SE at White's Inn on the SE side of Basking Ridge, NJ, near the manor house of Lord Stirling (American General William Alexander). On the morning of 13 Dec 1776, General Lee was captured by the British and removed to New York.[8]

After the Civil War, many wealthy and prominent New Yorkers moved into the area, first as summer visitors, then as permanent residents of the Bernardsville Mountain.

The Gladstone Branch railroad line was built through Bernardsville in 1872 and played an important role in the borough's development. Bernardsville did not become an independent municipality until 1924, when it split from Bernards Township.

Olcott Avenue Historic District, above Olcott Center The New Jersey State Review Board for Historic Sites recommended the creation of the Olcott Avenue historic district on February 10, 2009. While the Olcott Avenue School is but one historic structure within Bernardsville's first historic district area, the areas appeal and historic significance remembers the story of the rise of the middle class in Bernardsville and how this particular location impacted the entire region, from the downtown, Little Italy, and even the Mountain Colony areas.

Geography

Bernardsville is located at 40°44'N 74°36'W (40.7188, -74.5777).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 12.9 square miles (33 km2), of which, 12.9 square miles (33 km2) of it is land and 0.08% is water.

Mendham Twp Mendham Mendham Twp
Peapack and Gladstone Harding Twp
   Bernardsville    
Far Hills Bernards Twp

Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1930 3,336
—
1940 3,405 2.1%
1950 3,956 16.2%
1960 5,515 39.4%
1970 6,652 20.6%
1980 6,715 0.9%
1990 6,597 −1.8%
2000 7,345 11.3%
2010 7,707 4.9%
Population sources:
1930-1990[9] 2000[10] 2010[3]

As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 7,345 people, 2,723 households, and 2,050 families residing in the borough. The population density was 568.1 people per square mile (219.3/km2). There were 2,807 housing units at an average density of 217.1 per square mile (83.8/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 93.94% White, 0.25% African American, 0.15% Native American, 2.64% Asian, 1.55% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.98% of the population.[10]

There were 2,723 households out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.2% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.7% were non-families. 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.12.[10]

In the borough the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.[10]

The median income for a household in the borough was $104,162, and the median income for a family was $126,601. Males had a median income of $91,842 versus $50,732 for females. The per capita income for the borough was US$69,854. About 1.6% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.3% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.[10]

Government

Local government

Bernardsville is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a six-member Borough Council, with all positions elected on an at-large basis in partisan elections. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. 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.[11]

As of 2011, the Mayor of Bernardsville is Lee C. Honecker. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Kevin Sooy, Joe DeMarco, Charlotte Foster, Craig Lawrence, John McCrossan and Joseph Rossi, Jr.[12]

Federal, state and county representation

Bernardsville is in the 7th Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 16th state legislative district.[13] The borough was relocated to the 25th state legislative district by the New Jersey Apportionment Commission based on the results of the 2010 Census.[3] The new district will be in effect for the June 2011 primary and the November 2011 general election, with the state senator and assembly members elected taking office in the new district as of January 2012.[13]

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).

16th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature, which is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Christopher "Kip" Bateman (R, Neshanic Station) and in the New Jersey General Assembly by Peter J. Biondi (R, Hillsborough Township) and Denise Coyle (R, Basking Ridge).[14] The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham).[15] The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).[16]

Somerset County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, whose members are elected at-large to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year.[17] As of 2011, Somerset County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Robert Zaborowski (Franklin Township, term ends December 31, 2011)[18], Freeholder Deputy Director Patricia L. Walsh (Green Brook Township, 2013)[19], Jack Ciattarelli (Hillsborough Township, 2012)[20], Peter S. Palmer (Bernardsville, 2011)[21] and Patrick Scaglione (Bridgewater Township, 2012).[22][23]

Education

Public school students in grades PreK–12 attend the schools of the Somerset Hills Regional School District, a regional school district serving students from Bernardsville, Far Hills and Peapack-Gladstone, along with students from Bedminster who are sent to the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship.[24] The three schools in the district (with 2009-10 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[25]), all of which are located in Bernardsville, are Bedwell Elementary School (PreK–4 with 737 students), Bernardsville Middle School (5–8 with 549 students) and Bernards High School (9–12 with 779 students).

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Bernardsville include:

Pronunciation

Bernardsville is often mispronounced as "BernARDSville" as opposed to the correct parochial pronunciation "BERNardsville".

References

  1. ^ 2011 New Jersey Mayors Directory, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. Accessed August 25, 2011.
  2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Borough of Bernardsville, Geographic Names Information System. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
  3. ^ a b c d 2011 Apportionment Redistricting: Municipalities sorted alphabetically, New Jersey Department of State. Accessed June 5, 2011.
  4. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  5. ^ A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 14, 2008.
  6. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  7. ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 222.
  8. ^ From the Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution, Volume 2, page 222
  9. ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network, backed up by the Internet Archive as of May 2, 2009. Accessed August 25, 2011.
  10. ^ a b c d e Census 2000 Demographic Profile Highlights: Bernardsville borough, New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 25, 2011.
  11. ^ 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 77.
  12. ^ Bernardsville Borough Mayor and Council, Bernardsville Borough. Accessed March 21, 2011.
  13. ^ a b 2011 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 54. Accessed June 5, 2011.
  14. ^ "Legislative Roster: 2010-2011 Session". New Jersey Legislature. http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/roster.asp. Retrieved 2010-06-26. 
  15. ^ "About the Governor". New Jersey. http://www.nj.gov/governor/about/. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 
  16. ^ "About the Lieutenant Governor". New Jersey. http://www.nj.gov/governor/lt/. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 
  17. ^ Somerset County Government: At Your Service, Somerset County, New Jersey. Accessed January 6, 2011.
  18. ^ Robert Zaborowski, Somerset County, New Jersey. Accessed January 9, 2011.
  19. ^ Patricia Walsh, Somerset County, New Jersey. Accessed January 9, 2011.
  20. ^ Jack Ciattarelli, Somerset County, New Jersey. Accessed January 9, 2011.
  21. ^ Peter S. Palmer, Somerset County, New Jersey. Accessed January 9, 2011.
  22. ^ Patrick Scaglione, Somerset County, New Jersey. Accessed January 9, 2011.
  23. ^ 2011 Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Somerset County, New Jersey. Accessed January 9, 2011.
  24. ^ Somerset County School Districts-Sending/Receiving/Regional, Somerset County Superintendent of Schools. Accessed March 21, 2011.
  25. ^ Data for the Somerset Hills School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed August 25, 2011.
  26. ^ Miller, Judith. "Old Money, New Needs", The New York Times, November 17, 1991. Accessed March 21, 2011. "Eventually Kuser fell in love with another woman and left his wife. She moved from Bernardsville, N.J., to New York and took up a career writing features and book reviews, and eventually became an editor at House & Garden."
  27. ^ Gardner, Amanda. "THEATER; Tony Awards' New Jersey Ties", The New York Times, July 23, 2008. Accessed March 21, 2011.
  28. ^ Staff. "FORREST F. DRYDEN, FINANCIER, IS DEAD; Former Head of the Prudential Insurance Company, Which Was Founded by His Father. ACTIVE IN JERSEY UTILITIES Also Served on Board of Newark Public Library - Was Long Active in National Guard.", The New York Times, July 20, 1932. Accessed March 21, 2011. ""BERNARDSVILLE, N. J., July 19 - Forrest Fairchild Dryden, president of the Prudential Insurance Company of America, of Newark, N. J., from 1912 to 1922, and a figure in the investigation of insurance and banking conditions in New York by the Lockwood committee in 1921, died today of heart disease at his home here in his sixty-eighth year."
  29. ^ Staff. "JOHN F. DRYDEN DIES WORTH $50,000,000; Ex-Senator from New Jersey Succumbs to Pneumonia, Following an Operation.", The New York Times, November 25, 1911. Accessed March 21, 2011. "At the time of his death Mr. Dryden had about completed the building of his property at High Point, N. J., which is the largest private estate in New Jersey and said to be one of the largest of its kind in the United States. This is apart from his large estate at Bernardsville, N. J."
  30. ^ "Dr. Ernest Duncan, 74, Mathematics Professor", The New York Times, November 28, 1990. Accessed March 21, 2011. "Dr. Ernest R. Duncan, professor emeritus of mathematics at Rutgers University and the author of several mathematics textbooks, died on Sunday at Morristown Memorial Hospital in New Jersey. He was 74 years old and lived in Bernardsville, N.J. He died of leukemia, his family said."
  31. ^ Rockland, Kate. "BY THE WAY; A Monument to Sagging", The New York Times, June 12, 2006. Accessed March 21, 2011. "Mr. Ecko, a Rutgers dropout who was born and raised in Lakewood, recently bought a scandal-tainted villa in Bernardsville that completes the New Jersey spin to his Cinderella story."
  32. ^ Lambert, Bruce. "Millicent Fenwick, 82, Dies; Gave Character to Congress", The New York Times, September 17, 1992. Accessed March 21, 2011. "Millicent H. Fenwick, a retired Republican Congresswoman renowned for her political independence and championing of liberal causes, died yesterday at her home in Bernardsville, N.J. She was 82 years old. She died of heart failure, her family said."
  33. ^ Millicent Hammond Fenwick, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed March 21, 2011. "was a resident of Bernardsville, N.J., until her death there on September 16, 1992."
  34. ^ Gray, Christopher. "Streetscapes/Henry Janeway Hardenbergh; An Architect Who Left an Indelible Imprint", The New York Times, May 7, 2000. Accessed March 21, 2011. "He alternated living in New York and New Jersey, at first at 121 West 73rd Street, in Jersey City and Bernardsville, and in a big town house of his own design at 12 East 56th Street."
  35. ^ Andrew McCarthy bio, TV.com. Accessed March 21, 2011. "At 16, he moved to Bernardsville, where he attended a prep school called the Pingry School."
  36. ^ Staff. "DWI FOR MOYERS", St. Paul Pioneer Press, August 3, 2002. Accessed March 21, 2011. "Moyers, 68, of Bernardsville, N.J., who served as special assistant to President Lyndon Johnson and publisher of Newsday before turning to public TV in the '70s, was stopped by state police last Saturday in Arlington, Vt."
  37. ^ Cheslow, Jerry. If You're Thinking of Living In/Peapack and Gladstone; Fox-Hunting and High-Priced Homes, The New York Times, August 7, 1994. Accessed March 21, 2011. "She does have a story about Aristotle Onassis, who rented a home in neighboring Bernardsville with his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis."
  38. ^ a b Roan, Richard W. "Roebling's Amphibian: The Origin Of The Assault Amphibian". Accessed March 21, 2011. "By the end of World War I, John A. Roebling II had concentrated his efforts on banking and the management of the Roebling family fortune, leaving the leadership of the John A. Roebling's Sons plants to other family members. John and his wife, Margaret, built a sprawling estate called the Boulderwood Mansion in Bernardsville, New Jersey, only thirty miles west of John's office complex in New York City.... Donald Roebling was born in New York City on 15 November 1908. Young Roebling, strong-willed, temperamental, and overweight, spent his childhood in the luxury of his parents' Bernardsville, New Jersey, mansion."
  39. ^ AFI Award: Meryl Streep, The Hollywood Reporter by Wolf Schneider, June 10, 2004. "A New Jersey girl made good, Streep grew up middle-class and mousy-haired in Summit and Bernardsville, suburbs in which those around her would remember Streep as a bossy child."
  40. ^ Gross, Ken. "As Wife Robin Givens Splits for the Coast, Mike Tyson Rearranges the Furniture", People (magazine), October 17, 1998. Accessed March 21, 2011. "The food lies untouched. The only sounds across the breakfast table in the Bernardsville, N.J., mansion are the loud silences of words being swallowed.Finally, Robin Givens, 24, star of the ABC-TV sitcom Head of the Class, pushes herself away from the table and announces, 'I have to pack.' 'Me, too,' says her husband, Mike Tyson, 22, the world heavyweight boxing champion. Suddenly the Sunday morning atmosphere is tense and full of menace."
  41. ^ via Associated Press. Mike Tyson Chronology, USA Today, June 12, 2005. Accessed March 21, 2011. "Oct. 2, 1988 — Police go to Tyson's Bernardsville, N.J., home after he hurls furniture out the window and forces Givens and her mother to flee the house."

External links

Municipalities and communities of Somerset County, New Jersey, USA
Boroughs
Townships
CDPs
Communities