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*The cultivation of roses played an important role in the local economy in the 1900s.<ref>[http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=18527 E-Podunk community profile]</ref>
*The cultivation of roses played an important role in the local economy in the 1900s.<ref>[http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=18527 E-Podunk community profile]</ref>
*New Providence is a semi-dry town. There are no bars, and no restaurants are permitted to sell alcoholic beverages. However, retail liquor sales are legal and restaurant-goers can [[BYOB|bring their own alcohlic beverages]].
*New Providence is a semi-dry town. There are no bars, and no restaurants are permitted to sell alcoholic beverages. However, retail liquor sales are legal and restaurant-goers can [[BYOB|bring their own alcohlic beverages]].
gerry polci is the man


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 05:53, 13 August 2006

File:NPSign.jpg
The New Providence sign which marks the borders of the town.

New Providence is a Borough in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 11,907.

Geography

New Providence is located at 40°42′2″N 74°24′11″W / 40.70056°N 74.40306°W / 40.70056; -74.40306Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (40.700501, -74.403096)Template:GR. It is on the edge of Union County, and borders Morris County via the Passaic River. New Providence resides its waste treatment plant on this river.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 9.5 km² (3.7 mi²), all land.

History

Map of New Providence in Union County

The history of New Providence originates back to 1664 when James, Duke of York and brother to King Charles II, purchased the land from the Lenni Lenape Native Americans. This acquisition was known as the Elizabethtown Tract. Its first settlers were in the form of a Puritan colony established in 1720, which was the first permanent settlement[1]. The settlement was originally called "Turkeytown", due to the presence of wild turkeys in the area. By 1737, the Presbyterian Church was formed and became the center of this growing community. In 1759, the balcony of the local Presbyterian Church collapsed. The lack of serious injuries was declared a Divine Providence, and the town was renamed. In 1793, a regional government was formed. It encompassed the area from present-day Springfield Township, Summit, New Providence and Berkeley Heights, and was called Springfield Township. Growth continued in the area, and by 1809, Springfield Township divided into Springfield Township and New Providence Township. New Providence Township included Summit, New Providence, and Berkeley Heights.

In 1869, Summit seceded from New Providence Township. The Borough of New Providence and the City of Summit both incorporated in 1899. Present day Berkeley Heights remained as New Providence Township, (a name it kept until 1952) but also chose to incorporate in 1899. With Boroughitis sweeping across the state, many sections within townships in New Jersey were separating into small, locally governed communities (mostly incorporating as boroughs) due to acts of the New Jersey Legislature that made it economically advantageous for communities so do so.

New Providence and the American Revolution

According to local legend, George Washington spent the night in a local home, which still stands to this day. The local Salt Brook is supposedly named for an incident when the local salt supply was dumped into the brook to prevent passing British soldiers from taking it. Ironically, the British Army never crossed the Watchung Mountains into this region. The Salt Brook winds through town, starting near the eponymous Salt Brook Elementary School.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 11,907 people, 4,404 households, and 3,307 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,249.3/km² (3,236.9/mi²). There were 4,485 housing units at an average density of 470.6/km² (1,219.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 89.77% White, 0.88% African American, 0.03% Native American, 7.60% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.68% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.50% of the population.

There were 4,404 households out of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.3% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the borough the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $90,964, and the median income for a family was $105,013. Males had a median income of $72,926 versus $46,948 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $42,995. About 1.3% of families and 1.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.0% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over. Currently, based on per-capita income, New Providence is ranked 48th among municipalities in the state.

Government

Local government

The Borough of New Providence is governed under the Borough system of municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprised of 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.

The Mayor of New Providence is Allen Morgan, whose term of office ends in 2006. Members of the New Providence Borough Council are Council President Terri Keller (term of office ends in 2008), J. Brooke Hern (2006), Julia MacDermott (2007), Dr. Bob Robinson (2008), John Thoms (2007) and Stephen Vengrow (2006)[2]

Federal, state and county representation

New Providence Borough is in the Seventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 21st Legislative District.

For the 118th United States Congress, New Jersey's 7th congressional district is represented by Thomas Kean Jr. (R, Westfield).[3] New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027)[4] and George Helmy (Mountain Lakes, term ends 2024).[5][6]

For the 2024-2025 session, the 21st legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Jon Bramnick (R, Westfield) and in the General Assembly by Michele Matsikoudis (R, New Providence) and Nancy Munoz (R, Summit).[7] Template:NJ Governor

Template:NJ Union County Freeholders

Education

Main article: New Providence School District

The New Providence School District serves students in Prekindergarten through twelfth grade. Students from Murray Hill share the New Providence school facilities.

New Providence has four public schools:

New Providence is also home to a private school, Our Lady of Peace Catholic School

2005 Racism lawsuit

In December of 2005, the school district was sued by a former student. The student, one of the few black students at New Providence High School, alleges that the school district failed to respond to racial incidents targeting the student. The lawsuit also names a handful of current and former High School students as codefendants. No date for trial has currently been set.

Allen W. Roberts

This school, built in 1962, was created in the style of a California high school; this means that students would have to venture outside in order to switch classes, go to the nurse, use the gym facility, etc. Unfortunately, the area does not have a climate that is ideal for this type of construction; most notably a wet and rainy fall, and occasional severe winters. In the early 1990s, a construction project was undertaken to transform the school from this style to be fully enclosed. Even at the conclusion of construction, there is still no internal means of traveling from the main building to the secondary building with gym and art facilities.

Population and expansion crisis

New Providence used to have another elementary school, Hillview. The building was being leased out, as student populations in the 1980s and 1990s did not necessitate a third elementary school. In the early 1990s, it was determined that it was no longer necessary to keep this school. Hillview was sold to private and public interests: a YMCA currently operates there, as does the Morris-Union Jointure Commission. With rising school populations in recent years, additions to both elementary schools have been planned and funded with the recent passage of a bond referendum.

Landmarks

  • The Presbyterian Church is a large, white, historic church in the center of town. Every couple of weeks the church hosts an event called "The Fire Escape", which is an event aimed at increasing youth participation in the church by drawing high school aged students in with a coffee lounge and G-rated dance party atmosphere. Every week, the church hosts an event called "The Zone" which is aimed at teenaged residents and is a gathering with a dance atmosphere. The event is relatively popular among its target audience.
  • The Village Shopping Center is a mini-mall in the center of downtown. The shopping center takes up the majority of space that comprises "downtown" New Providence. It has a variety of stores, including a large ACME supermarket, a jeweler, a Blockbuster Video, a few fast food establishments and a pharmacy.
  • Right outside of New Providence is the Bell Laboratories, in Murray Hill. New Providence School District currently links its buildings' computer networks together by using a wireless LAN which includes Yagi antennas at the two towers by the large copper pyramid-shaped roof.
  • Our Lady of Peace is a Roman Catholic church and school located on South Street. Once every spring, for 3 days, the parking lot at OLP is the home of the town's OLP fair. Complete with rides, games, great food, and an indoor auction/junk fest.

Transportation

Service on the New Jersey Transit Gladstone Branch of the Morristown Line is available at the New Providence and Murray Hill stations, offering service to Hoboken Terminal and to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan via the Secaucus Junction.

Famous New Providencians

  • Andrew Fastow, convicted CFO of Enron, went to NPHS and grew up in the borough on the same street as the Allen W. Roberts Elementary School.
  • Gerry Polci, drummer of The Four Seasons, is currently the middle school music teacher.

Trivia

  • The cultivation of roses played an important role in the local economy in the 1900s.[8]
  • New Providence is a semi-dry town. There are no bars, and no restaurants are permitted to sell alcoholic beverages. However, retail liquor sales are legal and restaurant-goers can bring their own alcohlic beverages.

gerry polci is the man

See also

References

  1. ^ Union County history
  2. ^ "Mayor & Council of New Providence, NJ". Retrieved April 28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help). As of the date of the reference, the web page listed in this reference incorrectly indicated a term end date for Keller and McDermott in 2009.
  3. ^ "Congressman Malinowski Fights For The Corporate Transparency Act", Tom Malinowski, press release dated October 23, 2019. Accessed January 19, 2022. "My name, Tom Malinowski. My address, 86 Washington Street, Rocky Hill, NJ 08553."
  4. ^ U.S. Sen. Cory Booker cruises past Republican challenger Rik Mehta in New Jersey, PhillyVoice. Accessed April 30, 2021. "He now owns a home and lives in Newark's Central Ward community."
  5. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/23/nyregion/george-helmy-bob-menendez-murphy.html
  6. ^ Tully, Tracey (August 23, 2024). "Menendez's Senate Replacement Has Been a Democrat for Just 5 Months". The New York Times. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  7. ^ Legislative Roster for District 21, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 18, 2024.
  8. ^ E-Podunk community profile

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