Guttenberg, New Jersey

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Guttenberg, New Jersey
—  Town  —
Guttenberg highlighted in Hudson County. Inset: Location of Hudson County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Guttenberg, New Jersey
Coordinates: 40°47′34″N 74°00′16″W / 40.792784°N 74.004572°W / 40.792784; -74.004572Coordinates: 40°47′34″N 74°00′16″W / 40.792784°N 74.004572°W / 40.792784; -74.004572
Country United States
State New Jersey
County Hudson
Incorporated March 9, 1859
Government[1]
 • Type Town (New Jersey)
 • Mayor Gerald Drasheff (term ends 2011)[2]
 • Clerk Alberto Cabrera[3]
Area[4]
 • Total 0.243 sq mi (0.628 km2)
 • Land 0.196 sq mi (0.507 km2)
 • Water 0.047 sq mi (0.121 km2)  19.24%
Elevation[5] 194 ft (59 m)
Population (2010 Census)[6][7][8][9]
 • Total 11,176
 • Density 57,116.0/sq mi (22,052.6/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 07093[10]
Area code(s) 201/551
FIPS code 34-28650[11][12]
GNIS feature ID 0885235[13]
Website http://www.guttenbergnj.org

Guttenberg (pronounced /ˈɡʌtənbɜrɡ/), is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 11,176.[6] Only four blocks wide, Guttenberg is one of the smallest municipalities in New Jersey and the most densely populated incorporated place in the country. Most of the town's population resides in the Galaxy Towers, a trio of residential skyscrapers overlooking the Hudson River.[14]

Contents

[edit] Geography

Guttenberg is located atop the Hudson Palisades, south of Woodcliff and the Racetrack Section in North Bergen and north of West New York. Its western border is Kennedy Boulevard. Bergenline Avenue, the commercial corridor of North Hudson, runs north and south through the town. Its eastern border is the Hudson River, opposite Manhattan's Upper West Side.

Guttenberg is located at 40°47′34″N 74°00′16″W / 40.792784°N 74.004572°W / 40.792784; -74.004572 (40.792784,-74.004572). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town had a total area of 0.243 square miles (0.628 km2), of which, 0.196 square miles (0.507 km2) of it is land and 0.047 square miles (0.121 km2) of it (19.24%) is water.[15][4]

[edit] History

Further information: North Bergen
A 2009 sign on Boulevard East advertising the town's 150th anniversary. In the background is one of the three towers of the Galaxy apartments.

Guttenberg was formerly a farm owned by William Cooper, sold in 1853 to a group of New Yorkers, who had formed a Weehawken Land and Ferry Association. Like nearby Union Hill, it was subdivided and lots were sold mostly to Germans. The company ran two ferries, the "Hultz" and the "Flora", which plied the Hudson from the landings at the foot of Bulls Ferry Road, Pleasant Valley, Fort Lee, and Spring Street in Manhattan.

Guttenberg was formed as a town on March 9, 1859, from portions of North Bergen Township.[16]

Galaxy Towers, developed by Prudential Insurance Company. were built in the late 1970s on Boulevard East. The three octagonal skyscrapers rise 415 feet (126 m) and contain 1,075 apartments.

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1910 5,647
—
1920 6,726 19.1%
1930 6,535 −2.8%
1940 6,200 −5.1%
1950 5,566 −10.2%
1960 5,118 −8.0%
1970 5,754 12.4%
1980 7,340 27.6%
1990 8,268 12.6%
2000 10,807 30.7%
2010 11,176 3.4%
Population sources:1910-1930[17]
1930-1990[18] 2000[19][20] 2010[6][8][7]
View of the Galaxy Towers from the Hudson River.

[edit] 2010 Census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 11,176 people, 4,473 households, and 2,684 families residing in the town. The population density was 57,116.0 inhabitants per square mile (22,052.6 /km2). There were 4,839 housing units at an average density of 24,730.2 per square mile (9,548.4 /km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 67.44% (7,537) White, 4.80% (537) African American, 0.91% (102) Native American, 7.32% (818) Asian, 0.04% (4) Pacific Islander, 14.25% (1,593) from other races, and 5.23% (585) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 64.83% (7,245) of the population.[6]

There were 4,473 households out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.6% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.12.[6]

In the town the population was spread out with 20.5% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 34.7% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.4 years. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.[6]

[edit] 2000 Census

As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 10,807 people, 4,493 households, and 2,619 families residing in the town. The population density was 56,012.0 inhabitants per square mile (21,961.1/km2), making it the most densely populated municipality in The United States,with over twice the density of New York City.[21] There were 4,650 housing units at an average density of 24,100.7 per square mile (9,449.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 64.98% White, 3.81% African American, 0.38% Native American, 7.30% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 16.42% from other races, and 7.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 54.33% of the population.[19][20]

There were 4,493 households out of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.3% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.7% were non-families. 35.1% 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 2.38 and the average family size was 3.13.[19][20]

In the town the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 36.9% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.[19][20]

The median income for a household in the town was $44,515, and the median income for a family was $47,440. Males had a median income of $38,628 versus $33,154 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,931. About 11.1% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.7% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.[19][20]

The town is a bedroom community with about 36% of its employed residents working in New York City.

[edit] Government

The town hall of Guttenberg.

[edit] Local government

Guttenberg operates under the Town form of New Jersey municipal government, and is governed by a mayor and a five-member council. Town council members are elected at-large to two-year terms on a staggered basis in partisan elections.[1]

As of 2012, the Mayor of Guttenberg is Gerald Drasheff. Members of the Guttenberg Town Council are Alfonso "Al" Casoarrow, Donna Florio, Monica Fundora, John D. Habermann and Efrain Velez.[22]

[edit] Federal, state and county representation

Guttenberg is in the 13th Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 33rd state legislative district.[23] The borough was relocated to the 32nd state legislative district by the New Jersey Apportionment Commission based on the results of the 2010 Census.[8] The new district was in effect for the June 2011 primary and the November 2011 general election, with the state senator and assembly members elected in November 2011 taking office in the new district as of January 2012.[23]

New Jersey's Thirteenth Congressional District is represented by Albio Sires (D, West New York). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).

Guttenberg is in the The 33rd Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Brian P. Stack (D, Union City) and in the General Assembly by Sean Connors (D, Jersey City) and Ruben J. Ramos (D, Hoboken).[24]

The Hudson County Executive, elected at-large, is Thomas A. DeGise.[25]Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders District 7 comprises Weehawken, West New York, and Guttenberg[26] and is represented by Jose C. Muñoz.[27][28]

[edit] Public safety

North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue is a county fire department serving northern Hudson County.[29]

The first law officers of the town were township constables. They were occupied, in the early days of the town's history, mainly with the serving of official notices and the collection of delinquent taxes. One of the earliest, mentioned in 1860 records, was Peter Erlenbach. In 1876, the township constables were by ordinance also appointed by special officers of the town, charged especially with the enforcement of town ordinances. If the offender arrested by constable was found guilty and fined, the constable was entitled to fifteen per cent of the fine. If a jail sentence was imposed, the constable received fifty cents for the arrest and conviction, and $1.50 additional for conveying the defendant to the county jail. The first of these so-called "ordinance officers" of whom record is found were William Tallman, Van C. Short, Michael Waters, George Weitz, and Philip Gregory. The paid police department was organized in April 19, 1915. It has been headed by Captains Henry Baum and John Lawlor, Sr., and by Chief William F. Brunner.[citation needed]

Today the police department has 22 full time police officers, 5 class two special police officers, and two civilian dispatchers. The police department is overseen by a civilian police director (non-law enforcement officer). The police department currently has one police captain, one police lieutenant, five police sergeants, five police investigators, and 10 police officers.[citation needed]

[edit] Political scandal

Recent scandals include the convictions of the mayor, David Delle Donna, and his wife, a member of the town planning board, on federal extortion and mail fraud charges;[30] a former mayor, Peter LaVilla, who pleaded guilty in 2003 to misappropriating campaign funds and using the money for a private brokerage account; a councilman who resigned after being accused of receiving illegal advances on his salary; and a chief financial officer, who pleaded guilty in 2002 to misappropriation of funds.[31]

[edit] Education

For Pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade, 1,018 public school students from Guttenberg (as of 2009-10, per the National Center for Education Statistics[32]) attend the Anna L. Klein School as part of the Guttenberg Public School District.

For grades 9 - 12, public school students attend North Bergen High School in North Bergen, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the North Bergen School District.[33]

[edit] Commerce

Portions of Guttenberg are part of an Urban Enterprise Zone. In addition to other benefits to encourage employment within the Zone, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3½% sales tax rate (versus the 7% rate charged statewide).[34] The Guttenberg Urban Enterprise Zone covers business in the following areas:[35]

  • Bergenline Avenue – 68th Street to 71st Street
  • Park Avenue – 68th Street to 71st Street
  • 70th Street – Park Avenue to Bergenline Avenue
  • 69th Street – Park Avenue to Boulevard East
  • 69th Street to 71st Street – Boulevard East
  • 70th Street to 71st Street – Broadway

[edit] Transportation

Hudson County Transportation Network
Intermodal hubs
Train
Bus
Ferry
Airports
Vehicular bridges
and tunnels
Passenger seaports
Major thoroughfares
Highways

New Jersey Transit (NJT) bus service is available to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan and Bergen County destinations on the 128, 154, 156, 158, 159, 165, 166, 168 routes. Service north to Fort Lee and the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal is available the 181 and 188 routes. Hudson County local service is provided on the 22, 23, 84/86, 88 and 89 routes.[36] NJT bus lines are augmented by guagua (minibus) service.

[edit] Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Guttenberg include:

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 145.
  2. ^ 2011 New Jersey Mayors Directory, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. Accessed December 16, 2011.
  3. ^ Town Directory, Town of Guttenberg. Accessed December 16, 2011.
  4. ^ a b Gazetteer of New Jersey Places, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 7, 2012.
  5. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Town of Guttenberg, Geographic Names Information System. Accessed January 4, 2008.
  6. ^ a b c d e f DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 for Guttenberg town, Hudson County, New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 16, 2011.
  7. ^ a b Table DP-1. Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2010 for Guttenberg town, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed December 16, 2011.
  8. ^ a b c 2011 Apportionment Redistricting: Municipalities sorted alphabetically, New Jersey Department of State, p. 4. Accessed December 16, 2011.
  9. ^ "2010 Census Populations". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  10. ^ Look Up a ZIP Code for Guttenberg, NJ, United States Postal Service. Accessed December 16, 2011.
  11. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  12. ^ A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 14, 2008.
  13. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  14. ^ E. Assata Wright and Stephen LaMarca. "Some of this year's biggest stories: Hurricane, elections, scandals, and teacher tenure made local news this year". Year in Review: The Hudson Reporter, December 25, 2011, Page 16. Accessed January 7, 2012. "The Galaxy Towers, a luxury waterfront condominium complex that contains most of the population of Guttenberg, has continually made headlines in 2011."
  15. ^ "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. 
  16. ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 146.
  17. ^ "Fifteenth Census of the United States : 1930 - Population Volume I", United States Census Bureau, p. 716. Accessed December 16, 2011.
  18. ^ 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 December 16, 2011.
  19. ^ a b c d e Census 2000 Demographic Profile Highlights: Guttenberg town, New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 16, 2011.
  20. ^ a b c d e Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Guttenberg town, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 16, 2011.
  21. ^ Raghunathan, Abhi. "BRIEFING: CROWDS; IN THE CITIES", The New York Times, May 13, 2001. Accessed October 6, 2007.
  22. ^ Elected Officials, Town of Guttenberg. Accessed January 7, 2012.
  23. ^ a b 2010 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 58, backed up by the Internet Archive as of December 17, 2010. Accessed December 16, 2011.
  24. ^ Legislative Roster 2012-2013 Session, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 11, 2012.
  25. ^ Thomas A. Degise, Hudson County Executive, Hudson County, New Jersey. Accessed January 5, 2011.
  26. ^ Freeholder District 7, Hudson County, New Jersey. Accessed January 15, 2011.
  27. ^ Bichao, Sergio (June 03, 2008). "Hudson County results". nj.com. http://www.nj.com/elections/index.ssf/2008/06/hudson_county_results.html. Retrieved 2011-01-15. 
  28. ^ Freeholder Biographies, Hudson County, New Jersey. Accessed January 15, 2011.
  29. ^ About Us. North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  30. ^ Sampson, Peter. "Guttenberg mayor, wife charged", The Record (Bergen County), September 28, 2007. Accessed October 6, 2007. "The mayor of Guttenberg and his wife shook down a local bar owner for money they used to pay for cosmetic surgery, gambling in Atlantic City, and accessories for their dog, federal authorities said Friday after arresting the pair."
  31. ^ Miller, Johnathan. "F.B.I. Raids on the Mayor Make Him Topic A in a Small Town", The New York Times, February 16, 2007. Accessed October 6, 2007. "In 2003, the former mayor, Peter LaVilla, pleaded guilty to misappropriating campaign funds and using the money for a private brokerage account after an investigation by the United States attorney’s office. In 2002, a councilman accused of receiving illegal advances on his salary resigned, although he was never formally charged. The same year, the town’s chief financial officer pleaded guilty to misappropriation of funds."
  32. ^ Data for the Guttenberg School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 16, 2011.
  33. ^ Staff. "Schools and taxes: Vote on school board, budgets this Tuesday", Hudson Reporter, April 13, 2008. Accessed April 27, 2008. "In tiny Guttenberg, the race is actually more interesting, even though the town only has one school (Anna L. Klein School) and sends its high schoolers to North Bergen High."
  34. ^ Geographic & Urban Redevelopment Tax Credit Programs: Urban Enterprise Zone Employee Tax Credit, State of New Jersey, backed up by the Internet Archive as of January 10, 2010. Accessed December 16, 2011.
  35. ^ Guttenberg Urban Enterprise Zone Program, accessed March 15, 2007
  36. ^ Hudson County Bus/rail Connections, New Jersey Transit, backed up by the Internet Archive as of May 22, 2009. Accessed December 16, 20117.
  37. ^ Video interview. "Steve Carell On Fox 5" MyFoxNY.com 18 Sep 2009
  38. ^ Eurocup Basketball Accessed January 15, 2009.

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