| Florham Park, New Jersey | |
|---|---|
| — Borough — | |
| Map highlighting Florham Park's location within Morris County. Inset: Morris County's location within New Jersey | |
| Census Bureau map of Florham Park, New Jersey | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Morris |
| Incorporated | March 9, 1899 |
| Government[1] | |
| • Type | Borough (New Jersey) |
| • Mayor | R. Scott Eveland (2011) |
| • Administrator | Nancy C. Gage[2] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.6 sq mi (19.3 km2) |
| • Land | 7.6 sq mi (19.2 km2) |
| • Water | 0.04 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation[3] | 213 ft (65 m) |
| Population (2008)[4] | |
| • Total | 12,389 |
| • Density | 1,191.3/sq mi (460.3/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | U.S. EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 07932 |
| Area code(s) | 973 |
| FIPS code | 34-23910[5][6] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0876394[7] |
| Website | http://www.florhamparkboro.net |
Florham Park is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 8,857, which had grown to 12,389 as of the Bureau's 2008 estimate.[4]
Florham Park was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 9, 1899, from portions of Chatham Township.[8]
Florham Park is the home to the New York Jets training camp, where in 2008 the Jets relocated to from their old facility at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. Florham Park beat out Berkeley Heights, Jersey City, Millburn, South Amboy, and Wood-Ridge, which had all been finalists contending to be the host of the new facility.[9]
Florham Park is also the North American headquarters for the BASF corporation, the world's largest chemical company.[10]
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Florham Park is located at (40.777250, -74.390278).[11]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 7.4 square miles (19 km2), of which, 7.4 square miles (19 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (0.27%) is water.
The Borough of Florham Park is located in the Southeastern part of Morris County and is bordered on the South by Madison and Chatham Boroughs; on the North by Hanover and East Hanover Townships; on the West by Morris Township; and on the East by the Passaic River.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 1,269 |
|
|
| 1940 | 1,609 | 26.8% | |
| 1950 | 2,385 | 48.2% | |
| 1960 | 7,222 | 202.8% | |
| 1970 | 8,094 | 12.1% | |
| 1980 | 9,359 | 15.6% | |
| 1990 | 8,521 | −9.0% | |
| 2000 | 8,857 | 3.9% | |
| Est. 2008 | 12,389 | [4] | 39.9% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[12] | |||
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 8,857 people, 3,239 households, and 2,474 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,191.3 people per square mile (460.3/km2). There were 3,342 housing units at an average density of 449.5 per square mile (173.7/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 94.00% White, 0.99% African American, 0.01% Native American, 3.87% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.38% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.15% of the population.
There were 3,239 households out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.7% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.6% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the borough the population was spread out with 21.7% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 86.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.6 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $88,706, and the median income for a family was $102,047. Males had a median income of $74,410 versus $49,551 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $42,133. About 2.4% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.
The area that is now Florham Park was first settled by the English sometime between 1680 and 1700, and the community was long recognized as a prime farming area. The area was known for the manufacture of quality brooms, which was the source of one of its names, Broomtown. Through its history, the area was known as Hoppingtown, Broomtown, Columbia, Afton, and finally Florham Park. It was part of Hanover Township, then Chatham Township before being incorporated as Florham Park in 1899.
Florence Vanderbilt (1854–1952), granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt, renowned as the richest man in America, and her husband, financier, Hamilton McKown Twombly, came to the Morris County countryside in 1887, joining over 100 other millionaires who owned sprawling country retreats. They fancied an English-style country mansion in a stately park setting. "Florham," built on 840 acres (3.4 km2), one of America's finest Gilded Age homes, was the result. The couple named their new estate "Florham," a combination of their first names, Florence and Hamilton.
The second part to the name "Florham Park" received its name from a second mansion in town that was on about 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of land. It used to lie where the current Brooklake Country Club is located. It was owned by Dr. Leslie Ward — one of the founders of the Prudential Insurance Company and the first vice president of the company — and was named "Brooklake Park", partially because of the beautiful lake that was on the property.
Both of these families were supporters of many civic projects including the petitioning of the State of New Jersey to create their own town. On March 20, 1899, the governor signed the bill, making Florham Park a borough. The new town was named after Florence and Hamilton Twombly's and Dr. Ward's estates.
Florham Park 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]
As of 2011[update], the Mayor of Florham Park is Scott Eveland, whose term of office ends December 31, 2015. Members of the Borough Council (with their term-end year and mayoral portfolio assignments listed in parentheses) are Council President William Huyler (2014, Community Services), Charles Germershausen (2014, Public Safety), Mark Taylor (2013, Land Use & Environmental), David Wikstrom (2013, Recreation), Carmen Cefolo-Pane (2012, Senior Citizens, Health, Social Events) and Fred Boy (2012, Finance), [13] [14]
Florham Park Borough is in the 11th Congressional district. New Jersey's Eleventh Congressional District is represented by Rodney Frelinghuysen (R, Harding Township). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
Florham Park is in the 26th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature, which is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Joseph Pennacchio (R, Pine Brook) and in the New Jersey General Assembly by Alex DeCroce (R, Morris Plains) and Jay Webber (R, Morris Plains).[15]
Morris County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, who are elected at-large to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with two or three seats coming up for election each year.[16] As of 2011, Morris County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director William J. Chegwidden (Wharton),[17] Deputy Freeholder Director Douglas R. Cabana (Boonton Township),[18] Gene F. Feyl (Denville),[19] Ann F. Grassi (Parsippany-Troy Hills),[20] Thomas J. Mastrangelo (Montville),[21] John J. Murphy (Morris Township)[22] and Margaret Nordstrom (Washington Township).[23][24]
On the national and state levels, Florham Park leans strongly toward the Republican Party. In the 2008 Presidential Election, Republican John McCain received 59% of the vote, defeating Democrat Barack Obama, who received around 40%. In the 2009 Gubernatorial Election, Republican Chris Christie received 62% of the vote, defeating Democrat Jon Corzine, who received around 30%.
The Florham Park School District serves public school students in grades K through 8. The schools in the district (with 2008-09 school enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[25]) are Briarwood Elementary School (grades K-2, 353 students), Brooklake Elementary School (grades 3-5, 340 students) and Ridgedale Middle School (grades 6-8, 334 students).
Students in public school for grades 9 - 12 are served by the Hanover Park Regional High School District, attending Hanover Park High School in East Hanover, together with students from East Hanover Township. The district also serves students from the neighboring community of Hanover Township at Whippany Park High School in the Whippany section of Hanover Township.[26]
Holy Family School is a Catholic school operated under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson.[27]
Portions of the College of Saint Elizabeth campus are in Florham Park, including the Villa of Saint Ann, a classical Greek amphitheater built into a hillside, and the original dairy farm for the complex. Portions of the Fairleigh Dickinson University campus, College at Florham, also are located in Florham Park.
Notable current and former residents of Florham Park include: