West Orange, New Jersey

West Orange is a suburban township in central Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 46,207, reflecting an increase of 1,264 (+2.8%) from the 44,943 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 5,840 (+14.9%) from the 39,103 counted in the 1990 Census.

The township is set off by two large parks: the South Mountain Reservation along its southwestern borders with Maplewood and Millburn, and the Eagle Rock Reservation along its northeastern borders with Montclair and Verona. The township straddles the transition between the low-lying Newark Bay basin and the high terrain of the Watchung Mountains.

History

West Orange was initially a part of the city of Newark, and remained so until November 27, 1806, when the territory now encompassing all of The Oranges was detached to form Orange Township. On April 13, 1807, the first government was elected. On January 31, 1860, Orange was incorporated as a town, and on April 3, 1872, it was reincorporated as a city. Almost immediately, Orange began fragmenting into smaller communities, primarily because of local disputes about the costs of establishing paid police, fire and street departments. South Orange was organized on April 1, 1861, Fairmount (an independent municipality for less than one year that was later to become part of West Orange) on March 11, 1862, and East Orange on March 4, 1863. West Orange (including what had been the briefly independent municipality of Fairmount) was incorporated as a township on April 10, 1863, and was reformed as a town on February 28, 1900.

Llewellyn Park, the first planned community in America, is located within West Orange, and was designed by entrepreneur Llewellyn Haskell and architect Alexander Jackson Davis in 1857. Llewellyn Park is considered among the best examples of the "Romantic Landscape" movement of that period. Thomas Edison was one of the many residents.

Geography and neighborhoods

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 12.171 square miles (31.522 km²), of which, 12.046 square miles (31.198 km²) of it was land and 0.125 square miles (0.324 km²) of it (1.03%) was water. It is located approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) west of downtown Newark and 13 miles (21 km) west of New York City.

West Orange borders the Essex County communities of Essex Fells, Livingston, Millburn, Maplewood, Montclair, Orange, Roseland and South Orange.

The township is marked by an eclectic mix of neighborhoods and housing types, which roughly correspond to the township's geographic features. Generally, the township has four distinct neighborhoods:

Downtown West Orange and The Valley

The oldest and most densely populated part of the township is Downtown West Orange, which lies in the low basin along the township's eastern border with the city of Orange and Montclair. Main Street, in this section, is home to the Thomas Edison National Historical Park, as well as the municipal building, police headquarters, and a branch post office. The West Orange Public Library is located on Mount Pleasant Avenue in this section, just west of Main Street. Downtown West Orange is laid out in the pattern of a traditional town, and is formed around the western termini of two major east-west arteries of the Newark street grid: Central Avenue and Park Avenue. Downtown West Orange has the most urban character of the township's neighborhoods, while the Valley is home to a growing arts district and a significant African American community.

The First Mountain

West of Downtown, the neighborhoods of West Orange become increasingly suburban as one ascends the steep hill of the First Watchung Mountain along Northfield, Mount Pleasant, or Eagle Rock Avenue. The housing stock in the neighborhoods of Hutton Park and Gregory is a mixture of Victorian, Jazz Age, and Tudor-style houses; large estates; garden apartments; and post-World War II modern houses. The Victorian enclave of Llewellyn Park, one of America's first planned residential communities, is also located on the First Mountain, having been created in 1853 as a site for country homes for the wealthy from New York City. Many blocks on the First Mountain have sweeping views of the Newark and New York City skylines.

Pleasant Valley and Pleasantdale

Beyond the high ridge traced by Prospect Avenue, West Orange becomes a patchwork of post-World War II suburban neighborhoods, interspersed with pockets of older Victorian homes, as well as golf courses, professional campuses, and shopping centers. Pleasantdale, a walkable business district in this part of the township, includes a number of restaurants, office buildings, and houses of worship. Pleasantdale is also home to a significant Orthodox Jewish community.

The Second Mountain

Finally, the westernmost section of West Orange lies along the eastern face of the Second Watchung Mountain, and includes large portions of the South Mountain Reservation. The housing stock in this neighborhood resembles that of Pleasantdale, as well as those of the adjacent suburban townships of Millburn and Livingston.

Demographics

Census 2010

At the 2010 United States Census, there were 46,207 people, 16,790 households, and 11,753 families residing in the township. The population density was 3,836.0 per square mile (1,481.1/km²). There were 17,612 housing units at an average density of 1,462.1 per square mile (564.5/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 57.15% (26,406) White, 26.58% (12,284) Black or African American, 0.38% (174) Native American, 7.96% (3,680) Asian, 0.02% (10) Pacific Islander, 4.82% (2,227) from other races, and 3.09% (1,426) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 16.20% (7,487) of the population.

There were 16,790 households, of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% 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 township, 23.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.6 years. For every 100 females there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.2 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $88,917 (with a margin of error of +/- $4,480) and the median family income was $106,742 (+/- $5,256). Males had a median income of $65,854 (+/- $4,548) versus $43,223 (+/- $2,769) for females. The per capita income for the township was $43,368 (+/- $2,021). About 4.9% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.5% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 44,943 people, 16,480 households, and 11,684 families residing in the township. The population density was 3,708.7 people per square mile (1,431.7/km²). There were 16,901 housing units at an average density of 1,394.7 per square mile (538.4/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 67.6% White, 17.5% African American, 0.14% Native American, 8.09% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.52% from other races, and 3.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.04% of the population.

There were 16,480 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.19. In the township the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $69,254, and the median income for a family was $83,375. Males had a median income of $52,029 versus $39,484 for females. The per capita income for the township was $34,412. About 4.6% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

West Orange is governed by Plan B of the Mayor-Council system of municipal government pursuant to the Faulkner Act, as implemented on July 1, 1962, by direct petition. Each member of the Council is elected to a four-year term of on a staggered basis, with either three council seats or two seats and the mayoral seat up for election every even-numbered year. Township elections are nonpartisan and at-large. In December 2013, the Township Council approved an ordinance that shifted municipal elections from May to the November general election, citing savings from the combined elections estimated as much as $100,000 per cycle.

As of 2015, the Mayor of West Orange is Robert Parisi, whose term of office ends December 31, 2018. Members of the Township Council are Victor Cirilo (2018), Jerry Guarino (2016), Joe Krakoviak (2016), Susan McCartney (2018) and Patty Spango (2016).

Municipal court

Officers of the municipal court are:

• Margaret Padovano - Chief Judge
• Dennis O. Dowd - Municipal Judge
• Bryn Whittle - Municipal Prosecutor.

Township facilities

• The Municipal Building and Township Council offices are located at 66 Main Street
• The Police Department and Municipal Court are located at 60 Main Street
• The West Orange First Aid Squad is located at 25 Mount Pleasant Place
• The West Orange Fire Department HQ is located at 415 Valley Road
• The West Orange Public Library is located at 46 Mount Pleasant Avenue

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 30,561 registered voters in West Orange, of which 14,166 (46.4%) were registered as Democrats, 3,273 (10.7%) were registered as Republicans and 13,108 (42.9%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 71.3% of the vote (15,214 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 27.9% (5,950 votes), and other candidates with 0.8% (177 votes), among the 21,491 ballots cast by the township's 32,061 registered voters (150 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 67.0%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 67.8% of the vote (15,423 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 29.3% (6,667 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (154 votes), among the 22,740 ballots cast by the township's 30,260 registered voters, for a turnout of 75.1%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 64.7% of the vote (13,535 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 34.0% (7,118 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (186 votes), among the 20,933 ballots cast by the township's 28,418 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 73.7.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Democrat Barbara Buono received 56.0% of the vote (6,350 cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 42.9% (4,863 votes), and other candidates with 1.1% (125 votes), among the 11,580 ballots cast by the township's 32,390 registered voters (242 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 35.8%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 59.3% of the vote (8,168 ballots cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 32.9% (4,530 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 6.2% (858 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (100 votes), among the 13,773 ballots cast by the township's 29,898 registered voters, yielding a 46.1% turnout.

Federal, state and county representation

West Orange is split between the 10th and 11th Congressional Districts and is part of New Jersey's 27th state legislative district. Prior to the 2010 Census, West Orange had been split between the 8th Congressional District and the 10th Congressional District, a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections. In the redistricting that took effect in 2013, 18,122 residents in the eastern third of the township were placed in the 10th district, while 28,085 residents in the western portion of the township were placed in the 11th District.

New Jersey's Tenth Congressional District is represented by Donald Payne, Jr. (D, Newark). New Jersey's Eleventh Congressional District is represented by Rodney Frelinghuysen (R, Harding Township). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Cory Booker (D, Newark, term ends 2021) and Bob Menendez (D, Paramus, 2019).

For the 2014-2015 Session, the 27th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Richard Codey (D, Roseland) and in the General Assembly by Mila Jasey (D, South Orange) and John F. McKeon (D, West Orange). The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham Township). The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).

Essex County is governed by a directly-elected County Executive, with legislative functions performed by the Board of Chosen Freeholders. As of 2014, the County Executive is Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. The county's Board of Chosen Freeholders consists of nine members, four elected on an at-large basis and one from each of five wards, who serve three-year terms of office on a concurrent basis, all of which end December 31, 2014. Essex County's Freeholders are Freeholder President Blonnie R. Watson (at large; Newark), Freeholder Vice President Patricia Sebold (at large; Livingston), Rufus I. Johnson (at large; Newark), Gerald W. Owens (At large; South Orange, filling the vacant seat after the resignation of Donald Payne, Jr.) Rolando Bobadilla (District 1 - Newark's North and East Wards, parts of Central and West Wards; Newark), D. Bilal Beasley (District 2 - Irvington, Maplewood and Newark's South Ward and parts of West Ward; Irvington), Carol Y. Clark (District 3 - East Orange, Newark's West and Central Wards, Orange and South Orange; East Orange) and Leonard M. Luciano (District 4 - Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Fairfield, Livingston, Millburn, North Caldwell, Roseland, Verona, West Caldwell and West Orange; West Caldwell), and Brendan W. Gill (District 5 - Belleville, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Montclair and Nutley; Montclair). Constitutional elected countywide are County Clerk Christopher J. Durkin (West Caldwell, 2015), Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura (2015) and Surrogate Theodore N. Stephens, II (2016).

Education

The West Orange Public Schools serves students in pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2011-12 school year, the district's 11 schools had an enrollment of 6,792 students and 573.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a studentâ€"teacher ratio of 11.84:1. Schools in the district (with 2011-12 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) seven elementary schools â€" Gregory Elementary School (590 students; in grades K-5), Hazel Avenue Elementary School (368; K-5), Mount Pleasant Elementary School (416; K-5), Pleasantdale Elementary School (424; PreK-5), Redwood Elementary School (576; K-5), St. Cloud Elementary School (386; K-5) and Washington Elementary School (403; K-5) â€" three middle schools â€" Thomas A. Edison Central Six School (6; 475), Liberty Middle School (7&8; 551) and Roosevelt Middle School (7&8; 464) â€" and West Orange High School (2,141) for grades 9-12.

Transportation

Roads and highways

As of May 2010, the township had a total of 114.54 miles (184.33 km) of roadways, of which 89.63 miles (144.25 km) were maintained by the municipality, 19.45 miles (31.30 km) by Essex County and 5.46 miles (8.79 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Public transportation

New Jersey Transit offers bus service in the township to Newark on the 21, 29, 71, 73, 75 and 79 routes, with local service on the 97 route.

DeCamp Bus Lines offers scheduled service between the township and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 66 route. Coach USA / Community Coach serves the Port Authority Bus Terminal on route 77.

The township offers a jitney service that operates on weekdays, offering service to the Orange and South Orange train stations.

Sports

The Jersey Rockhoppers hockey team of the Eastern Professional Hockey League, formed for the 2008-09 season, played home games at the Richard J. Codey Arena. The arena also used to be the practice facility for the New Jersey Devils from 1986-2007. The New Jersey Daredevils, a special needs hockey team formed in 2002 that plays in the SHI (Special Hockey International League), uses the arena for home games and practices. Annually in October, the Daredevils host a Halloween themed tournament for Special Hockey International teams (including the Daredevils themselves) called Frankenfest. Frankenfest has been going on every October since 2009. The New Jersey Devils Youth Hockey team also plays here as well.

Mass media and telecommunications

For years West Orange has been a hotbed for the mass-media and telecommunications industries. Edison's Black Maria, the first movie studio ever, was located here. Several broadcast antennas are located in the town. From the mid-1970s until the early 1990s Channel 68 TV maintained their offices, studios and transmitter on Eagle Rock Avenue which was later occupied by WNBC-TV and WPXN-TV as a backup transmitter facility after Channel 68 moved to West Market Street in Newark. As of March 2007, the 416 Eagle Rock Avenue property is an empty lot, the main building which housed Channel 68 was recently demolished and the transmitter tower stands alone. WFME-FM has offices studios and transmitter while their sister station WNYJ-TV has executive offices in the same building on Mount Pleasant Avenue next to an MCI Communications (Now part of Verizon Communications) Fiber optics and satellite transmission facility and a Fiber Optic and satellite transmission facility on Eagle Rock Avenue next to the old Channel 68 building. Former Upsala College radio station WFMU's transmitter is on Marcella Avenue just down the street from WFME-FM. Sprint Nextel and Verizon Wireless all have cell towers located throughout the township to provide clear coverage and Verizon maintains a huge Central Office on Prospect Avenue.

Shopping and entertainment

An outdoor mall called Essex Green Shopping Center has stores, restaurants, and an AMC Theaters Fork and Screen, a dine-in movie theater.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with West Orange include:

• Nat Adderley, Jr. (born 1955), music arranger who spent much of his career with Luther Vandross.
• Ronald Bell (born 1951), musician with Kool & the Gang.
• Enea Bossi, Sr. (1888â€"1963), aviation pioneer who created the first stainless steel aircraft and one of the first human-powered planes.
• Martin Brodeur (born 1972), ice hockey goaltender in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils.
• Mona Brody, artist.
• Anna Easter Brown (1879-1957), part of the original nine group of founders in the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
• Brendan Byrne (born 1924), Governor of New Jersey from 1974 to 1982.
• David Cassidy (born 1950), teen idol, singer and actor who appeared on the 1970s TV series The Partridge Family.
• Joan Caulfield (1922â€"1991), movie, theatre, television actress of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s who was born in East Orange, moved to West Orange during childhood and lived here until her high school graduation from a private school in Orange.
• James Ormsbee Chapin (1887-1975), artist.
• Richard Codey (born 1946), State Senator, and Acting Governor of New Jersey in 2002 and Governor from 2004 until 2006. (Now resides in neighboring Roseland)
• Jemima Condict (1754â€"1779), American Revolutionary War era diarist.
• Brandon Costner (born 1987), forward for the NC State Wolfpack basketball team.
• Anthony Criss (born 1970), member of the rap group Naughty by Nature.
• Charles Cullen (born 1960), former nurse and serial killer who confessed to killing 40 people.
• John J. Degnan (born 1944), Attorney General of New Jersey from 1978 until 1981 who was chosen as Chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
• DJ Whoo Kid (born 1972), official DJ of G-Unit.
• Frank J. Dodd (1938-2010), politician who served as President of the New Jersey Senate from 1974 to 1975.
• Ginny Duenkel (born 1947), winner of a Gold and Bronze medal in two swimming events at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Ginny Duenkel Municipal Pool is named in her honor.
• Charles Edison (1890â€"1969), United States Secretary of the Navy 1940, Governor of New Jersey 1941 to 1944 and son of Thomas Edison.
• Theodore Miller Edison (1898â€"1992), only child of his inventor father who graduated from college; went on to become an inventor with over 80 patents.
• Thomas Alva Edison (1847â€"1931), inventor of the phonograph, the incandescent electric lightbulb, and the first practical motion picture camera whose home was Glenmont Mansion. Edison's Black Maria, the first movie studio, was located in West Orange.
• Eugenio Fernandi (1922â€"1991), tenor with the Metropolitan Opera who rose to prominence in the late 1950s and 1960s, receiving 22 curtain calls for his performance in Lucia di Lammermoor.
• Alisa Flatow (1975â€"1995), victim of the Egged bus 36 bombing.
• Alan Flusser (born 1945), men's clothing designer.
• Rich Galen (born 1946), columnist, political strategist and former press-secretary to Vice President Dan Quayle and Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.
• Chris Gethard (born 1980), author of Weird New York and an associate editor of the Weird NJ publications. He is also a performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in NYC.
• Whoopi Goldberg (born 1955), comedian, actress, talk show host.
• Eldridge Hawkins, Jr. (born 1979), former Mayor of Orange, New Jersey.
• Maya Hayes (born 1992), soccer player who has played for Sky Blue FC of the National Women's Soccer League.
• Will Hill (born 1990), safety for the Baltimore Ravens.
• Kyrie Irving (born 1992), professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association.
• Mark Kelly (born 1964), NASA astronaut and husband of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
• Scott Kelly (born 1964), NASA astronaut.
• Paul J. Kern (born 1945), commanding general of the United States Army Materiel Command from 2001-2004.
• Carole King (born 1942) and Gerry Goffin (born 1939), husband & wife songwriting team who resided off Pleasant Valley Way in the mid-1960s along with other song writers, a location that gave rise to the song Pleasant Valley Sunday, recorded by the Monkees in 1966.
• Bettye LaVette (born 1946), soul singer who released her first record at age 16 and found success with I've Got My Own Hell to Raise at age 59 in 2005.
• Georgia Mason (1910-2007), botanist and author.
• Nick Massi (1927-2000), bass singer and bass guitarist for the Four Seasons.
• George B. McClellan (1826â€"1885), Major General and briefly general-in-chief of the Union Army during the Civil War. He ran as a Democrat against Lincoln in the presidential election of 1864. He went on to become governor of New Jersey (1878â€"1881).
• John F. McKeon (born 1958), member of the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 27th Legislative District who served as Mayor of West Orange from 1998 to 2010.
• Joseph Minish (1916â€"2007), represented New Jersey's 11th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.
• Charles W. Nichols, businessman who constructed the Pleasantdale Chateau.
• Michael Oren (born 1955), Israeli ambassador to the United States.
• Fred Ott (1860â€"1936), an employee of Thomas Edison's in the 1890s who "starred" in two of the earliest surviving motion pictures â€" Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze (a.k.a. Fred Ott's Sneeze) and Fred Ott Holding a Bird â€" both filmed in 1894.
• Robert Pearlman (born 1976), founder and editor of collectSPACE.
• Michael Pitt (born 1981), actor who was in Murder by Numbers, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and Last Days, as well as HBO's Boardwalk Empire.
• Vinnie Politan (born 1965), co-anchor of In Session on the cable network truTV.
• Paul C. Reilly (1890â€"1984), architect who designed many buildings for Catholic clients and for several Manhattan theatres.
• Phil Rizzuto (1917â€"2007), nicknamed "The Scooter," played shortstop for the New York Yankees from 1941-1956.
• Vin Rock (born 1970), rapper for group Naughty by Nature.
• Peter W. Rodino (1909â€"2005), United States Congressman from 1949 to 1989.
• Hilary Rosen (born 1958), former Chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America and CNN political analyst.
• Sherry Ross, sportscaster and journalist.
• Walter H. Seward (1896â€"2008), super-centenarian, lived to 111 years.
• Alfredo Silipigni (1932â€"2006), conductor.
• Amos Alonzo Stagg (1862â€"1965), known as "The Grand Old Man" of college football. During the founding year of the College Football Hall of Fame, he was inducted as both a player and a coach. He was among the first group of inductees into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959. He is also credited with the invention of the batting cage in baseball and the tackling dummy in football. West Orange's Stagg Field playground is named in his honor. Ranked #4 on the Sports Illustrated list of The 50 Greatest New Jersey Sports Figures.
• Andy Stern (born 1950), former president of the Service Employees International Union.
• Mike Trainor (born 1981), comedian.
• Evelyn Ward (born 1923), actress, mother of David Cassidy.
• Scott Wolf (born 1968), actor who is best known as Bailey Salinger on the TV series Party of Five.
• Ian Ziering (born 1964), actor who is best known for the role of Steve Sanders on the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210.
• Abner Zwillman (1899â€"1959), mobster found hanging dead at his home at 50 Beverly Road.

See also

• The Oranges

References

External links

• Official website
• West Orange, New Jersey at DMOZ

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