Phillipsburg, New Jersey

Phillipsburg, New Jersey
—  Town  —
Map of Phillipsburg in Warren County. Inset: Location of Warren County highlighted in New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Philipsburg, New Jersey
Coordinates:
Country United States
State New Jersey
County Warren
Incorporated March 8, 1861
Government
 • Type Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council)
 • Mayor Harry L. Wyant, Jr. (2011)[1]
 • Administrator Michele D. Broubalow[2][3]
Area
 • Total 3.3 sq mi (8.6 km2)
 • Land 3.2 sq mi (8.4 km2)
 • Water 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation[4] 295 ft (90 m)
Population (2010 Census)
 • Total 14,950
 • Density 4,671.9/sq mi (1,779.8/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 08865
Area code(s) 908 Exchanges: 213, 387, 454, 859
FIPS code 34-58350[5][6]
GNIS feature ID 0885350[7]
Website http://phillipsburgnj.org

Phillipsburg, known locally as P'burg, is a town in Warren County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 14,950.

Phillipsburg was incorporated as a town by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 8, 1861, from portions of Phillipsburg Township (now Lopatcong Township).[8]

The town is located in western New Jersey, on the border of Pennsylvania, and is considered the eastern border of the region's Lehigh Valley.

Contents

Geography

Phillipsburg is located at .[9]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.5 km2), of which 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (3.29%) is water.

Pohatcong Mountain is a ridge, approximately 6 mi (9.7 km) long, in the Appalachian Mountains that extends from Phillipsburg northeast approximately to Washington.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1930 19,255
—
1940 18,314 −4.9%
1950 18,919 3.3%
1960 18,502 −2.2%
1970 17,849 −3.5%
1980 16,647 −6.7%
1990 15,757 −5.3%
2000 15,166 −3.8%
2010 14,950 −1.4%
Population 1930 - 1990.[10]

As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 15,166 people, 6,044 households, and 3,946 families residing in the town. The population density was 4,703.6 people per square mile (1,818.5/km2). There were 6,651 housing units at an average density of 2,062.8 per square mile (797.5/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 91.84% White, 3.47% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.02% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.38% of the population.

There were 6,044 households out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $37,368, and the median income for a family was $46,925. Males had a median income of $37,446 versus $25,228 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,452. About 9.9% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.6% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.

Industrial history

Situated at the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh rivers, Phillipsburg once benefited from being a major transportation hub. Long gone is the era of canal shipping and many of the important freight railways that served the area have gone bankrupt or bypass the city on long distance routes.

Phillipsburg was served by five major railroads:
1. Central Railroad Company Of New Jersey (CNJ)
2. Lehigh & Hudson River (L&HR)
3. Lehigh Valley (LV)
4. Delaware, Lackawanna & Western (DL&W) and
5. Pennsylvania (PRR).

Phillipsburg served as the western terminus of the Morris Canal for approximately 100 years from the 1820s to 1920s, which connected the city by water to the industrial and consumer centers of the New York City area, with connections westward via the Lehigh Canal across the Delaware.

Economic revival

Most of the manufacturing jobs have left Warren County's largest city. In 1994, the New Jersey Legislature designated Phillipsburg as an Urban Enterprise Zone community. This zoning offers tax incentives and other benefits to Phillipsburg-based businesses, as well as a 3½% sales tax rate, reduced from the 7% rate charged statewide.[11]

In recent years, some businesses have begun to move into the center of the city. Rising real estate prices indicate that these legislative stimulants have been somewhat effective. Phillipsburg also has been selected as a site for the New Jersey Railroad and Transportation Heritage Center (jointly with Netcong), a museum designed to help preserve and showcase the state's transportation history.[12]

Railway

The Belvidere and Delaware River Railway still serves the city's remaining industry and connects to the national rail network via a connection with Norfolk Southern in the city.

As of the fall of 2007, New Jersey Transit is conducting a study to determine if re-establishing a commuter rail extension of the Raritan Valley Line to Phillipsburg is economically feasible.

Phillipsburg also is home to a small railroad museum operated by the Phillipsburg Railroad Historians (PRRH) [1] They also operate a 2" scale miniature railroad, the Centerville & Southwestern, that formerly ran in Roseland, NJ. A schedule of open dates is on their web site www.prrh.org.

Government

Local government

Phillipsburg is governed under the Mayor-Council system of municipal government under the Faulkner Act by a mayor and a five-member Town Council. Councilmembers are elected at large to four-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with two or three seats up for election every other year.[13][14]

As of 2011, the Mayor of Phillipsburg is Harry L. Wyant, Jr. (R, term of office ends December 31, 2011).[15] He is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition,[16] a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Town Council Members are Council President Randy Piazza, Sr. (R, 2013), Vice President James P. Stettner (D, 2011), Bernie Fey, Jr. (R, 2013), David R. DeGerolamo (D, 2011) and Todd M. Tersigni (D, 2013).[3][17]

Federal, state and county representation

Phillipsburg is in the 5th Congressional district. New Jersey's Fifth Congressional District is represented by Scott Garrett (R, Wantage Township). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).

Phillipsburg is in the 23rd Legislative District (New Jersey) of the New Jersey Legislature, which is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Michael J. Doherty (R, Oxford Township) and in the New Jersey General Assembly by John DiMaio (R, Hackettstown) and Erik Peterson (R, Franklin Township).[18]

Warren County is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders whose three members are elected at-large on a staggered basis with one seat coming up for election each year. As of 2011, Warren County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Everett A. Chamberlain (Belvidere, term ends December 31, 2012), Freeholder Deputy Director Richard D. Gardner (Asbury, 2011) and Freeholder Jason Sarnoski (Lopatcong Township, 2013).[19]

Education

The Phillipsburg School District serves public school students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district is one of 31 Abbott Districts statewide.[20]

The schools in the district (with 2008-09 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[21]) are Early Childhood Learning Center (Grades PreK-K, 444 students), Barber School (1&2, 196), Freeman School (1&2, 210), Andover-Morris School (3-5, 259), Green Street School (3-5, 305) and Phillipsburg Middle School (6-8, 547). Students in grades 9-12 attend Phillipsburg High School (1,634) which serves students from the town of Phillipsburg and from five neighboring communities at the secondary level: Alpha, Bloomsbury (in Hunterdon County), Greenwich Township, Lopatcong Township and Pohatcong Township, who attend as part of sending/receiving relationships.[22]

Phillipsburg High School has an athletic rivalry with neighboring Easton, Pennsylvania's Easton Area High School, which celebrated its 100th anniversary game on Thanksgiving Day 2006. Phillipsburg lost the game.[23] In 2009, the 1993 teams from the Easton P-Burg Game met again for the Gatorade REPLAY Game to resolve the game, which ended in a 7-7 tie. The REPLAY Game was won by Phillipsburg, 27-12.[24]

Transportation

Many major highways pass through Phillipsburg, including U.S. Route 22, Route 122, and Interstate 78.

New Jersey Transit bus service is provided on the 890 and 891 routes.[25]

By air, Phillipsburg is served by Lehigh Valley International Airport.

Notable residents

Main article: List of people from the Lehigh Valley

Notable current and former residents of Phillipsburg include:

References

  1. ^ 2011 New Jersey Mayors Directory, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. Accessed July 18, 2011.
  2. ^ Town Business Administrator, Town of Phillipsburg. Accessed March 14, 2011.
  3. ^ a b Warren County page for Phillipsburg, Warren County, New Jersey. Accessed April 10, 2008.
  4. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Town of Phillipsburg, Geographic Names Information System. Accessed January 4, 2008.
  5. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  6. ^ A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 14, 2008.
  7. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  8. ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 248.
  9. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
  10. ^ 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 July 18, 2011.
  11. ^ Geographic & Urban Redevelopment Tax Credit Programs: Urban Enterprise Zone Employee Tax Credit, State of New Jersey, backed up by the Internet Archive as of May 25, 2009. Accessed July 18, 2011.
  12. ^ Phillipsburg's Historic CNJ Station, accessed August 30, 2006.
  13. ^ Phillipsburg Form of Government, Town of Phillipsburg. Accessed July 25, 2006.
  14. ^ 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 103.
  15. ^ Mayor Bio, Town of Phillipsburg. Accessed March 14, 2011.
  16. ^ "Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Members". http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/about/members.shtml. 
  17. ^ Town Council Bios, Town of Phillipsburg. Accessed March 14, 2011.
  18. ^ "Legislative Roster: 2010-2011 Session". New Jersey Legislature. http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/roster.asp. Retrieved 2010-07-25. 
  19. ^ Board of Chosen Freeholders, Warren County, New Jersey. Accessed January 6, 2011.
  20. ^ Abbott Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 31, 2008.
  21. ^ Data for the Phillipsburg School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed March 14, 2011.
  22. ^ OUR VISION:"Quality teaching and learning...by design", Phillipsburg School District. Accessed March 14, 2011. "The district serves students from the Town of Phillipsburg and five sending communities at the secondary level: Alpha, Bloomsbury, Greenwich, Lopatcong and Pohatcong Townships."
  23. ^ "High school rivals are like family", USA Today, September 21, 2005.
  24. ^ "Phillipsburg beats Easton in Gatorade Replay football", April 29, 2009
  25. ^ Warren County Bus/Rail Connections, New Jersey Transit, backed up by the Internet Archive as of May 22, 2009. Accessed July 18, 2011.
  26. ^ Wlater E. "Scrappy" Bachman, Lafayette Maroon Club Hall of Fame. Accessed March 14, 2011.
  27. ^ Noto, Anthony. "Phillipsburg In The Big League? White Sox Visit Memorable", The Morning Call, April 24, 1994. Accessed March 14, 2011. "Undoubtedly, the person most instrumental in persuading the White Sox to make the trek to Phillipsburg was native son Charlie Berry, who earlier that season had been traded to the White Sox by the Boston Red Sox."
  28. ^ "Jack's Facts: A Closer Look at the Easton/Phillipsburg Rivalry", The Morning Call, November 21, 2006, accessed April 13, 2007. "The Garnet's Charlie Berry would score all Phillipsburg's points in a 14-7 win. Berry after graduating from PHS went on to have outstanding career at Lafayette College and later became an American League baseball umpire and officiated in the NFL."
  29. ^ William Fred Birch, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed July 25, 2007.
  30. ^ Staff. "FLASHBACK: In '90, Parkland swept Easton, Phillipsburg for first time", The Morning Call, February 8, 2010. Accessed March 14, 2011. "1985 -- Phillipsburg's Ned Bolcar, Parade Magazine's football co-player of the year, reveals he will attend Notre Dame."
  31. ^ Head Coach Tom Brennan, University of Vermont, backed up by the Internet Archive as of September 7, 2008. Accessed March 14, 2011. "The 54-year old Brennan is a native of Phillipsburg, NJ who graduated as the all-time leading scorer at Phillipsburg Catholic High School."
  32. ^ Tim Brewster, Minnesota Golden Gophers. Accessed March 14, 2011.
  33. ^ Staff. "WRESTLERS TANGLE TO DEFEND TITLES", The Morning Call, August 23, 1984. Accessed March 14, 2011. "Drake the 250-pounder from Phillipsburg and 245-pound Bronx native Ray Apollo wound up in a bloody brawl that resulted in a double disqualification."
  34. ^ State of New Jersey Executive Order #57 issued by Governor James J. Florio, accessed April 6, 2007. "WHEREAS, he played minor league baseball for the former St. Louis Browns and later moved to Phillipsburg in 1940 where he began practicing law;"
  35. ^ Gehman, Geoff. "FIONA: P'BURG NATIVE'S BIG VOICE FINDS A HOT SPOT ON ROCK CHARTS", The Morning Call, April 5, 1985. Accessed March 14, 2011. "All this is heady stuff for a bouncy spry 23-year-old from Phillipsburg N.J."
  36. ^ James Cullen Ganey, Biographical Directory of Federal Judges. Accessed March 14, 2011.
  37. ^ John R. Guthrie, United States Army Materiel Command. Accessed March 14, 2011.
  38. ^ Bell, Bill. "LONG LIVE THE DUKE", Daily News (New York), April 30, 1999. Accessed March 14, 2011. "He was born in Phillipsburg, N.J., where his father was a mill worker and his mother a waitress. He majored in journalism at New York University, and except for a brief flirtation with the Episcopal priesthood as a seminarian at the New York General Theological Seminary, he has worked as a writer and editor for about 25 years."
  39. ^ Staff. "Life in the fast lane", Home News Tribune, March 14, 2003. Accessed March 14, 2011. Terry Kitchen's easy tuneful and contemplative folk sounds are sure to make for a warm evening of music wherever he plays. The Phillipsburg native is based in Boston these days and he's set to perform at thee Mine Street Coffeehouse in New Brunswick tomorrow night..."
  40. ^ Terry Kitchen's Home Page, accessed April 13, 2007. "Born in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, Kitchen grew up first in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania..."
  41. ^ Staff. "REAL LIFE FUELED LENNON'S VISION", Contra Costa Times, June 25, 1998. Accessed March 14, 2011. "Lennon, who grew up in Phillipsburg, NJ, moved to Wyoming after graduating from college in Philadelphia."
  42. ^ McDonnell, Betty. Hilda Madsen December 13.1910 - May 1.1981, Newfoundland Club of America. Accessed July 18, 2011.
  43. ^ Staff. "Jayne Mansfield Is Killed In Early Morning Smash up On Narrow Louisiana Road", St. Petersburg Times, June 30, 1967. Accessed March 14, 2011. "Born Vera Jayne Palmer in Bryn Mawr, Pa., April 19, 1933, Miss Mansfield grew up in Phillipsburg, N.J."
  44. ^ Wojcik, Sarah M. "Phillipsburg honors posthumous Medal of Honor recipient, hometown hero Martin O. May", The Express-Times, May 2, 2009. Accessed March 14, 2011. "A decorated World War II hero from Phillipsburg will not be forgotten in his hometown after a ceremony officially dedicated a memorial in his name this afternoon. Martin O. May, Purple Heart and Medal of Honor recipient, died in April 1945 after a three-day standoff on an island near Japan's Okinawa. His courage inspired the Chapter 700 Military Order of the Purple Heart to install a memorial in his honor at Phillipsburg High School, where he attended as a member of the class of 1941."
  45. ^ Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II (M-S), United States Army. Accessed January 8, 2008.
  46. ^ Halbfinger, David M. "Ex-Rep. Helen S. Meyner, 69; Born Into Democratic Politics", The New York Times, November 3, 1997. Accessed March 14, 2011. "In 1972, Democratic Party leaders asked her to run for Congress from the Meyner family home in Phillipsburg, in the heavily Republican 13th Congressional District in Sussex and Morris Counties."
  47. ^ Robert B. Meyner, The Robert B. & Helen S. Meyner Center for the Study of State & Local Government, Lafayette College. Accessed March 14, 2011. "During his early childhood, Robert Meyner’s family moved to Pennsylvania, and then to Phillipsburg and Paterson, New Jersey, and finally settled back in Phillipsburg in 1922, where the family lived in the house on Lincoln Avenue built by Robert Meyner’s grandfather, Robert B. Meyner.... Robert Meyner was graduated from Phillipsburg High School in 1926, where he was class valedictorian and a member of the debating team."
  48. ^ Jones, Joyce. "Creating Postcards Not Just for Tourists", The New York Times, July 12, 1992. Accessed October 28, 2007. "In his efforts to satisfy the public's penchant for nostalgia, Mr. Scheller met with a collector of Civil War memorabilia, Lou Reda of Phillipsburg, who introduced him to the Charles Fifer collection of photo plates, hand-colored by Currier & Ives in 1876."
  49. ^ Schudel, Matt. "NFL's Jim Ringo; Hall of Famer With Packers and Eagles", The Washington Post, November 22, 2007. Accessed March 14, 2011. "James S. Ringo Jr. was born Nov. 21, 1931, in Orange, N.J., and grew up in Phillipsburg, N.J."
  50. ^ Jim Ringo, Database Football]. Accessed March 14, 2011.
  51. ^ Longsdorf, Amy (May 6, 2010). "Will the May 18 DVD release of The World Unseen mean the film is unseen no longer?". The Morning Call. http://articles.mcall.com/2010-05-06/entertainment/all-moviecolumn.7262898may06_1_unseen-film-wonderful-life. 
  52. ^ Charles Sitgreaves, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed August 18, 2007.
  53. ^ Smith, Wilfird. "GRIDIRON HOPES OF 1945 IRISH REST ON FROSH: Loss of Szymanski Is Heavy Blow", Chicago Tribune, September 12, 1945. Accessed March 14, 2011. "Devore is concentrating on the development of Bill Walsh, a freshman from Phillipsburg, Pa., who truly is a great prospect..."
  54. ^ Lechiski, Kevin. "Monster Rally explores horror, sci-fi cinema", Warren Reporter, February 21, 2009. Accessed July 18, 2011. "The same can be said about Phillipsburg resident S. Michael Wilson's new book, Monster Rally (232 pp, pb, $16.99), a collection of essays and articles exploring the amazing, fantastic, and sometimes disturbing realms of horror and sci-fi cinema, as well as the mutants, monsters, and madmen who inhabit them."

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