| Wharton, New Jersey | |
|---|---|
| — Borough — | |
| Memorial Park in central Wharton | |
| Wharton highlighted in Morris County. Inset map: Morris County highlighted in the State of New Jersey. | |
| Census Bureau map of Wharton, New Jersey | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Morris |
| Incorporated | June 26, 1895 as Port Oram |
| Renamed | April 16, 1902 as Wharton |
| Government[1] | |
| • Type | Borough (New Jersey) |
| • Mayor | Bill Chegwidden |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.2 sq mi (5.7 km2) |
| • Land | 2.2 sq mi (5.7 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation[2] | 669 ft (204 m) |
| Population (2007)[3] | |
| • Total | 6,127 |
| • Density | 2,882.4/sq mi (1,112.9/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 07885 |
| Area code(s) | 973 and 862 |
| FIPS code | 34-80390[4][5] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0885443[6] |
| Website | http://www.whartonnj.com |
Wharton is a Borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the borough population was 6,298.
What is now Wharton was originally incorporated as the borough of Port Oram by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on June 26, 1895, from portions of Randolph Township and Rockaway Township, subject to the results of a referendum passed on the previous day. The name was changed to Wharton as of April 16, 1902, based on a referendum held that day.[7]
Contents |
Wharton is located at (40.898098, -74.580151).[8]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2), of which, 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (1.36%) is water.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 3,683 |
|
|
| 1940 | 3,854 | 4.6% | |
| 1950 | 3,853 | 0% | |
| 1960 | 5,006 | 29.9% | |
| 1970 | 5,535 | 10.6% | |
| 1980 | 5,485 | −0.9% | |
| 1990 | 5,405 | −1.5% | |
| 2000 | 6,298 | 16.5% | |
| Est. 2008 | 6,083 | [3] | −3.4% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[9] | |||
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 6,298 people, 2,328 households, and 1,599 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,882.4 people per square mile (1,110.4/km2). There were 2,394 housing units at an average density of 1,095.6 per square mile (422.1/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 82.09% White, 4.40% African American, 0.44% Native American, 3.14% Asian, 7.21% from other races, and 2.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.21% of the population.
There were 2,328 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 31.3% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.28.
In the borough the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 34.0% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $56,580, and the median income for a family was $64,957. Males had a median income of $42,311 versus $36,016 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $25,168. About 6.4% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.
The borough is a swing in a slightly more conservative county. However the borough was carried by Republican candidate Chris Christie, the results were Christie: 808; Corzine: 563; Daggett: 132.
On June 28, 1895, voters from the settlements of Port Oram, Irondale, Luxemburg, Maryville and Mount Pleasant voted 143 to 51 to incorporate as a town under the name of Port Oram, the largest member of the group. These localities, covering an area of two and a quarter square miles west of Dover, New Jersey, were basically mine camps or housing for blast furnace and silk mill workers. A mayor, six councilmen, an assessor and a collector were elected to govern this new borough which had started life as an ore shipping port on the Morris Canal. These elected officials—mine superintendents, store owners, a railroad superintendent and a school teacher—represented the leaders of these settlements where iron ore was mined, smelted and shipped.
In 1831 the Morris Canal was completed from Newark to Phillipsburg, New Jersey across the Delaware River from the terminus of the Lehigh Canal. On the way, it passed through Boonton, Dover and Port Oram all connected with iron. On this route it tapped the Morris County ore fields and became a carrier for both ore and pig iron. Its main purpose, however, was as an extension of the Lehigh Canal to furnish a route for anthracite coal from the Pennsylvania mines to seaboard. Any local traffic was a gain to supplement the through anthracite freight and iron ore and its products soon became important sources of revenue. Sites on the canal were selected for docks and industry, including iron works
Born in 1826 in Philadelphia to an old Quaker family, Joseph Wharton first studied at a local Friend's school but did not attend college, rather he went to live on a farm because his parents wanted him to mature,[10] and during the winter studied chemistry at the laboratory of Martin Hans Boyè in Philadelphia. He entered into the manufacture of zinc and nickel, and gradually bought a controlling interest in Bethlehem Iron Works. As his business interests expanded he purchased substantial shares of several railroads involved in the coal and iron trade, also purchasing iron mines and furnaces near Port Oram. After selling his interest in Bethlehem Iron Works in 1901 and his nickel works to CVRD Inco in 1902, he continued to actively acquire and manage a large and diverse business empire that included iron smelting in Wharton until just before his death in January, 1909. Wharton is best known for the namesake school he endowed, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The town was named after him at after a referendum in 1902.[11]
Wharton 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 Wharton is Bill Chegwidden, whose term of office ends in 2011. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Vincent Binkoski, Glenn Corbett, Brian Gillen, Scott Hutchins, Tom Yeager and David Young.[12]
Wharton 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).
Wharton is in the 25th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature, which is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Anthony Bucco (R, Boonton) and in the New Jersey General Assembly by Michael Patrick Carroll (R, Morris Plains) and Tony Bucco (R, Boonton).[13]
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.[14] As of 2011, Morris County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director William J. Chegwidden (Wharton),[15] Deputy Freeholder Director Douglas R. Cabana (Boonton Township),[16] Gene F. Feyl (Denville),[17] Ann F. Grassi (Parsippany-Troy Hills),[18] Thomas J. Mastrangelo (Montville),[19] John J. Murphy (Morris Township)[20] and Margaret Nordstrom (Washington Township).[21][22]
The Wharton Borough School District serves public school students in Kindergarten through eighth grade. Schools in the district (with 2009-10 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[23]) are Marie V. Duffy Elementary School (547 students in grades K - 5) and Alfred C. MacKinnon Middle School (248 students in grades 6 - 8).
Public school students in grades 9 - 12 attend Morris Hills High School, located in Rockaway Borough, and which also serves the residential communities of Rockaway Township and Wharton.[24] The 2008-09 enrollment at Morris Hills was 1,125 students.[25] The high school is part of the Morris Hills Regional High School District, which also includes students from Denville Township.[26]
Notable current and former residents of Wharton include: