| Borough of Edgewater, New Jersey | |||
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| — Borough (New Jersey) — | |||
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| Map highlighting Edgewater's location within Bergen County. Inset: Bergen County's location within New Jersey | |||
| Census Bureau map of Edgewater, New Jersey | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | New Jersey | ||
| County | Bergen | ||
| Incorporated | December 7, 1894 as Undercliff | ||
| Renamed | November 8, 1899 as Edgewater | ||
| Government[1] | |||
| • Type | Borough (New Jersey) | ||
| • Mayor | James Delaney (D; 2011 - present) | ||
| • Administrator | Gregory S. Franz[2] | ||
| Area[3] | |||
| • Total | 2.42 sq mi (6.3 km2) | ||
| • Land | 0.85 sq mi (2.2 km2) | ||
| • Water | 1.57 sq mi (4.1 km2) 64.88% | ||
| Elevation[4] | 33 ft (10 m) | ||
| Population (2010 Census)[5][6] | |||
| • Total | 11,513 | ||
| • Density | 4,757.4/sq mi (1,827.5/km2) | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP code | 07020[7] | ||
| Area code(s) | 201/551 | ||
| FIPS code | 34-20020[8][9] | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0876101[10] | ||
| Website | http://www.edgewaternj.org | ||
Edgewater is a borough located along the Hudson River in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough had a population of 11,513.[5][6] Its history has featured the founding of the first colony in Bergen County, contribution to the Revolutionary War, a period as a "sleepy, pastoral little town"[11] with resort hotels in the 19th century;[12] industrialization in the early 20th century and transition to a residential community in the late 20th century.
Edgewater was originally formed on December 7, 1894, from portions of Ridgefield Township as the Borough of Undercliff, at the height of the "Boroughitis" phenomenon then sweeping through Bergen County. The name was changed to Edgewater on November 8, 1899.[13][14]
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Coordinates are (40.829893, -73.973911).[15]
Edgewater is a narrow strip of land in Bergen County lying along the Hudson River, as shown in the Census map, with 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of waterfront.[16] The Palisades Cliff rises dramatically and forms a natural border on its western side, running roughly parallel to the Hudson. The towns atop the cliff are Fort Lee and Cliffside Park, north and south, respectively. Edgewater abuts Fort Lee Historic Park in the borough of Fort Lee on the north. On the south it shares a border with the township of North Bergen, which lies in Hudson County.
River Road runs into and out of the town from the north and south, lying just above the level of the Hudson. Only three roads lead up the Palisades Cliff. Route 5, with one switchback, ascends to Palisades Avenue, which leads north into Fort Lee and south into Cliffside Park. Gorge Road and Edgewater Road, the latter still referred to by many local residents by its Colonial-era name as Oxen Hill Road, lead up the Palisades to Cliffside Park.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.42 square miles (6.3 km2), of which 0.85 square miles (2.2 km2) is land and 1.57 square miles (4.1 km2), or 64.88%, is water.[3]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 1,006 |
|
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| 1910 | 2,655 | 163.9% | |
| 1920 | 3,530 | 33.0% | |
| 1930 | 4,089 | 15.8% | |
| 1940 | 4,028 | −1.5% | |
| 1950 | 3,952 | −1.9% | |
| 1960 | 4,113 | 4.1% | |
| 1970 | 4,987 | 21.2% | |
| 1980 | 4,628 | −7.2% | |
| 1990 | 5,001 | 8.1% | |
| 2000 | 7,677 | 53.5% | |
| 2010 | 11,513 | 50.0% | |
| Population sources:1910-1930[17] 1900-1990[18][19] 2000[20] 2010[5][6][21] |
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The 2010 United States Census reported that there were 11,513 people, 5,637 households and 3,020 families residing in the borough. The racial makeup of Edgewater was 53.3% (6,135) White, 5.0% (570) African American, 0.1% (16) Native American, 35.5% (4,084) Asian, 0.1% (7) Pacific Islander, 3.4% (386) from other races, and 2.7% (315) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.1% (1,278).[5][21]
As of the 2000 census[8], there were 7,677 people, 3,836 households, and 1,971 families residing in the borough. The population density was 9,060.6 people per square mile (3,487.2/km2). There were 4,277 housing units at an average density of 5,047.8 per square mile (1,942.8/km2). As of the 2000 census, the racial makeup of the borough was 67.12% White, 10.45% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 3.52% African American, 0.21% Native American, 23.12% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.94% from other races, and 3.05% from two or more races.[20]
There were 3,836 households out of which 20.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.6% were non-families. 39.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 2.70.[20]
In the borough the population was spread out with 15.4% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 46.7% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males.[20]
The median income for a household in the borough was $63,455, and the median income for a family was $72,692. Males had a median income of $50,795 versus $49,238 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $42,650. About 6.2% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.[20]
In the 2000 Census, 11.83% of Edgewater's residents identified themselves as being of Korean ancestry, which was the ninth highest in the United States and seventh highest of any municipality in New Jersey, for all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.[22] 3.22% of residents identified themselves as being of Japanese ancestry, which was the third highest of any municipality in New Jersey, behind Fort Lee (6.09%) and Demarest (3.72%).[23] In the 2010 Census, those reporting Korean ancestry were 19.6% of the population (2,258 residents), while the percentage of Japanese residents had risen to 4.9% (560 residents).
Edgewater is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. 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.[1][24]
The Mayor of Edgewater was Agnes "Nancy" Merse (D), whose term was to expire on December 31, 2011. On March 10, 2011, Mayor Merse died due to complications from cancer.[25] Councilmember James Delaney was chosen in April 2008 to fill Merse's vacancy as mayor.[26] Michael H. Henwood was chosen to fill Delaney's vacant council seat, and will serve until December 2011, with the one year remaining on Delaney's council set up for election in November 2011.[27]
As of 2011[update], members of the Edgewater Borough Council are Council President Luis Vidal (2011), Michael H. Henwood (2011), Maureen Holtje (2011), Dr. David Jordan (2013), Vincent Monte (2013) and Neda Rose (2012).[28]
Edgewater is in the 9th Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 38th state legislative district.[29] The city was relocated to the 32nd state legislative district by the New Jersey Apportionment Commission based on the results of the 2010 Census.[6] The new district is 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.[29]
New Jersey's Ninth Congressional District is represented by Steve Rothman (D, Fair Lawn). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
38th District of the New Jersey Legislature, which is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Robert M. Gordon (D, Fair Lawn) and in the New Jersey General Assembly by Joan Voss (D, Fort Lee) and Connie Wagner (D, Paramus).[30] The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham).[31] The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).[32]
Bergen County's County Executive is Kathleen Donovan (R, Rutherford; term ends December 31, 2014).[33] The Board of Chosen Freeholders is the county's legislative body and its seven members are elected at-large on a staggered basis, with two or three seats coming up for election each year.[34] As of 2011, Bergen County's Freeholders are Chairman John Driscoll, Jr. (R, 2012; Paramus),[35] Vice-Chairwoman Maura DeNicola (R, 2013; Franklin Lakes),[36] Chair Pro Tempore John D. Mitchell (R, 2013; Cliffside Park)[37] John A. Felice (R, 2013; River Edge),[38] David L. Ganz (D, 2011; Fair Lawn),[39] Robert G. Hermansen (R, 2012; Mahwah)[40] and Bernadette P. McPherson (D, 2011; Rutherford).[41][42] Other countywide constitutional officials are Sheriff Michael Saudino (R), Surrogate Michael R. Dressler (D, Cresskill) and County Clerk Elizabeth Randall (R, Westwood).[43]
As of Election Day, November 4, 2008, there were 4,471 registered voters. Of registered voters, 2,222 (49.7% of all registered voters) were registered as Democrats, 454 (10.2%) were registered as Republicans and 1,794 (40.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There was one voter registered to another party.[44]
In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 67.9% of the vote here, defeating Republican John McCain, who received 31.1% of the vote, with 81.7% of registered voters participating.[44] In the 2004 election, Democrat John Kerry received 65% of the vote here, defeating Republican George W. Bush, who received around 34%.[45]
On the local level, Edgewater has its own two-party system, split between the Democratic Party and the Independent Coalition for a Better Edgewater. The Republican Party has minimal presence and doesn't always run a slate in local elections. The perennial local political issue is managing growth.
The Edgewater Public Schools serves public school students in Pre-Kindergarten through sixth grade. Eleanor Van Gelder School, the lone school in the district, had an enrollment of 601 students in the 2009-10 school year.[46]
For grades 7 - 12, public school students are sent to the Leonia Public Schools as part of a sending/receiving relationship.[47] Students attend Leonia Middle School for grades 7 and 8 (which had 489 students in grades 6 - 8), and Leonia High School which had 636 students in grades 9 - 12, all as of 2009-10.[48]
22-acre (89,000 m2) Veterans' Field[49] offers residents recreational opportunities and provides space for a Community Center and American Legion Post 116. Veterans' Field is located on River Road (County Route 505) in the north section of Edgewater, lying along the Hudson River. It has indoor and outdoor basketball courts, three softball fields, a 1/3 mile-long track which accommodates runners, walkers and skaters; tennis courts, a Little League field and a playground. It is also the site of a large American flag which can be seen easily from across the river in Manhattan. A plaque commemorating the New Netherland plantation of David Pietersen de Vries, Vriessendael, is located at the entrance to the field on the west. Although the field extends well to the east, it did not exist in de Vries's day. In 1922, landfill was dumped into the Hudson River from the construction site of Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, which gives Veteran's Field its current dimensions.[49] As of September 16, 2011, Veteran's Field was closed due to soil contamination in the fill brought to the site.[50]
Borough Hall, the Binghamton Ferry and the Edgewater Public Library are listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the New Jersey Register of Historic Places.[51]
Constructed in 1904, Borough Hall was voted $406,000 by Senate and General Assembly of New Jersey in August 2009 for restoration of the building.[52] Among other renovations, the missing gargoyles were returned to the 1902 edifice.[53][54]
The Binghamton Ferry, permanently anchored at the Binghamton Shopping Plaza, was built in 1904-1905 in Newport, RI.[55] The only double-ended ferry boat still on the Hudson River, the Binghamton ferried passengers from New Jersey to Barclay Street in Manhattan for many years [56] and was retired in 1956.[57]
The last remaining of 15 Carnegie libraries in New Jersey[58] built with $15,000 in funds from the Carnegie Foundation,[59] the Edgewater Free Library was dedicated on February 8, 1916.[59][60] Edgewater had opened its library in 1910, prior to the donation from the Carnegie Foundation, with 817 books on its shelves.[60]
In addition to these sites, the Eleanor Van Gelder School is listed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places.[51]
The promenade along the Hudson is part of the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway. In 1988, construction of a waterfront walkway was mandated by state law that would allow walkers a path along the Hudson River from Bayonne up to the George Washington Bridge.[61] Although property owners were required to build and maintain it,[62] many gaps remain. Of the 18.5 miles (29.8 km) called for, only 11 are complete, and many of the gaps occur in Edgewater.[63] The completed stretches offer paths for walking along the Hudson River with views of Manhattan.
Edgewater has five main shopping areas. From north to south they are Town Centre, the Binghamton Shopping Plaza, Mitsuwa Marketplace, Edgewater Commons and City Place. All are located on the river side of River Road and bordered by the River Walk. As recently as 1984 the town had no supermarket.[16] Now groceries may be purchased at Whole Foods Market in Town Centre, Trader Joe's at the Binghamton Plaza, Japanese labeled groceries at Mitsuwa Marketplace, and at Pathmark in Edgewater Commons. Shuttle buses run on Wednesdays and Thursdays, bringing shoppers to Mitsuwa from Manhattan.[64]
Edgewater is the home of a free-flying colony of Monk Parakeets, also known as Quaker Parrots. These small, green parrots have lived in Edgewater since at least 1980 and were numbered at 200 to 230 in a 2008 New York Times article.[65] They are easily seen in Memorial Park and its vicinity at River Road and Route 5. The parrots build large nests of twigs and down which become permanent residences.[66] Nests four feet long can be seen near the intersection. How the birds came to Edgewater is unknown, though a widely accepted story traces their origin to an escape from a damaged crate at John F. Kennedy Airport in the 1960s.[65]
The birds have built nests not only in trees, but also against transformers on utility poles. Citing the risk of fire, the utility PSE&G has destroyed such nests. This has brought the utility into conflict with parrot advocates. As of 2008 PSE&G has agreed not to take down nests in breeding season.[65]
Edgewater was used as a filming location for the 1997 feature film, Cop Land, starring Sylvester Stallone, Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel and Ray Liotta.[67]
New Jersey Transit buses include the 156, 158 and 159 routes serving the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan; the 188 to the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal; and local service on the 751 and 755 routes.[68]
There is also ferry service to West Midtown Ferry Terminal in Manhattan, offered by NY Waterway. Edgewater Landing is located where Route 5 comes into River Road. Parking at the terminal is not allowed; however a shuttle bus operated by the borough is available to transport passengers to the landing.[69] In Manhattan passengers can transfer free to a network of buses operated by NY Waterways.[70]
Several ferries operated in Edgewater in the past,[71] with the old Edgewater Ferry Terminal historically located about 100 yards from the current ferry terminal. The last ferry in the 20th century crossed the river in 1950.[49] The Borough was also site of the Trolley terminal for numerous electric lines in New Jersey.[72] Situated across River Road from the old Ferry Terminal, it met passengers arriving from Manhattan. Its service included transportation to the top of Palisades Cliff.[73] The trolley stopped running in 1938.[74]
Native American people are known to have lived in the vicinity before the arrival of colonists in the 17th century. The Lenape were a local tribe associated with the neighboring borough of Fort Lee,[75] and the first European settler bought 500 acres (202 ha) of land from the Tappan Indians. This colonist was David Pietersz Devries (also transliterated as David Pietersen de Vries), who established the settlement of Vriessendael in what is now Edgewater.[76] A historical plaque placed in Veteran's Field by the Bergen County Historical Society names Vriessendael as the first known colony in Bergen County with a founding date of 1640. Vriessendael was destroyed in 1643 in Kieft's War by Indians reacting to foolish actions by the Director General of the Dutch West India Company, who lived across the river in New Amsterdam, as Manhattan was then known.[77] In pioneer days, River Road was known as the Hackensack Turnpike,[78] and Ox [sic] Hill Road was an important route to the top of the Palisades Cliff.[72] While Oxen Hill Road still exists as a thoroughfare, another Colonial hallmark and major local industry[72] has only recently disappeared: shad fishing. The Undercliff section in the northern section of Edgewater was originally a colony of fishermen.[79] In the 1980s there were still about 100 commercial fishermen in New Jersey harvesting shad from their annual spring run from the Atlantic Ocean up the Hudson River to spawn. Now there are none.[55]
Etienne Burdett began ferry service between north Edgewater and the island of Manhattan in 1758. His gambrel-roofed house in what is now the Edgewater Colony stood until 1899.[80] The ferry service at Burdett's Landing, which was located at the southern base of the bluff of Fort Lee, proved valuable to the American cause during the Revolutionary War. The ferry functioned as the link for supplies, information and transportation between Fort Lee on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River and Fort Washington on the New York side.[81] In the century following the Revolutionary war, north Edgewater developed into a resort area with large hotels built in the mid- and late 19th century.[12] It was in the 19th century that Burdett's Landing became known as "Old Stone Dock," as cobblestones quarried from the Palisades Cliffs by Russell & Read were shipped across the Hudson to fill the demand for paving Manhattan streets.[82] Concern over the destruction caused in quarrying led to the formation of the Palisades Interstate Park in 1900, which was effective in preserving the cliffs.[83] Although the first chemical plant was founded in 1843 in the south section of the borough,[84] throughout the 19th century the town retained a bucolic character.[82] Early in the 20th century the addition of landfill to the Hudson River changed the borough's appearance. Until that time, the Hudson River lay closer to River Road from just above Veteran's field southward to what is now the Binghamton Ferry Plaza.[85]
The 20th century brought great change to Edgewater with industrialization, which overwhelmed the borough[86] and filled 3 miles (4.8 km) of the shoreline with its operations. Transportation of factory goods was facilitated when the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway cut a tunnel through the Palisades in 1894 to connect the borough to its Jersey City line.[57] Edgewater was also well situated for shipping, with deep water piers on the Hudson River and access to abundant labor from Manhattan.[84] Generally, industrial development occurred in the southern end of the borough, while the northern end remained residential.[72] As industrialization increased in the borough, picnic grounds lost their appeal and resort hotels faded.[87] Among the industries that would prosper in the first half of the 20th century were Alcoa Aluminum, the Ford Motor Company, Lever Brothers, Valvoline Oil Co. and Archer-Daniels-Midland.[84][88] Railroad trains served various factories, traversing tracks laid in River Road.[86] During the first 30 years of the century Edgewater's population quadrupled, and the transient workforce increased tenfold.[87] Eventually the factories closed. The reasons were varied, but they included the globalization of industry, obsolete facilities[84] and the replacement of railroad shipping by trucking,[55] which could not run its large tractor trailer trucks on Edgewater's narrow streets.[57]
There is a wonderfully evocative portrait of Edgewater in the early 20th century in Joseph Mitchell's essay The Rivermen, which was published in The New Yorker and is included in his book The Bottom of the Harbor.
The late 20th century history of Edgewater was one of change from an industrialized town to a residential one. With the closing of the factories, development came to Edgewater[89] beginning in the 1960s.[90] As condominiums were built along the Hudson where industry had formerly operated,[91] the population of Edgewater grew rapidly. As seen in the population box on this page, it had remained mostly in the 4,000 to 5,000 range from 1930 to 1990. According to estimates from 2007, the population has roughly doubled. City council members and residents acknowledge the problem of increased traffic.[49][57] Crime statistics are down[57] and real estate values are up. Because of the expense of buying property, some currently refer to Edgewater as the Gold Coast.[84] A photographic history of Edgewater describes the population and demographics change and its possible consequence this way:
Now a good number of residents live on the river in condominiums and rental apartments and town houses on land that was once the province of heavy industry. Some see this as the creation of a town divided, with the newcomers living on the east side of River Road by the Hudson River and the old-timers living on the west side of River Road.[91]
Although the borough is unrecognizable as the industrial town it once was, growing pains have left marks. When the old Alcoa plant site from 1916 began to be converted to condominiums, construction was forced to halt for cleanup of industrial contaminants, including excessively high concentrations of PCBs.[57] In another case, construction of a condominium/shopping center in south Edgewater was interrupted for six months by safety measures to protect workers from chemical exposure in the lead- and arsenic-riddled soil.[49] Next to this structure, behind a chain link fence lies a Superfund site.[84] Operational Hess Oil tanks stand as a reminder of the borough's industrial phase beside the derelict Alcoa rolling mill, once the second-largest in the world,[92], the building, occupying 1,100,000 square feet (100,000 m2) of space was designed in 1914 and was used to roll ingots of aluminum into sheets that were used to create everything from toothpaste tubes to aircraft frames before the facility was abandoned in 1967.[93]
Notable current and former residents of Edgewater include:
(click images to enlarge)