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West Paterson was formed as a borough by an Act of the [[New Jersey Legislature]] on March 25, 1914, from portions of [[Little Falls, New Jersey|Little Falls Township]], based on the results of a referendum held on May 1, 1914.<ref name=Story>"The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 211</ref>
West Paterson was formed as a borough by an Act of the [[New Jersey Legislature]] on March 25, 1914, from portions of [[Little Falls, New Jersey|Little Falls Township]], based on the results of a referendum held on May 1, 1914.<ref name=Story>"The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 211</ref>


On November 4, 2008, the citizens of West Paterson voted to change the official name of the borough to Woodland Park.<ref name=nomore>[http://www.northjersey.com/news/West_Paterson_no_more.html West Paterson no more], ''[[The Record (Bergen County)|The Record]]'', November 5, 2008. Accessed November 5, 2008</ref> The new name retains the initials "W.P." and is a reference to the community's semi-bucolic nature.<ref name=newpush>[http://www.northjersey.com/news/passaicpolitics/A_new_push_for_a_new_name.html?c=y&page=1 A new push for a new name], ''[[The Record (Bergen County)|The Record]]'', October 2, 2008. Accessed November 5, 2008</ref> The name change is now official.
On November 4, 2008, the citizens of West Paterson voted to change the official name of the borough to Woodland Park.<ref name=nomore>[http://www.northjersey.com/news/West_Paterson_no_more.html West Paterson no more], ''[[The Record (Bergen County)|The Record]]'', November 5, 2008. Accessed November 5, 2008</ref> The new name retains the initials "W.P." and is a reference to the community's semi-bucolic nature.<ref name=newpush>[http://www.northjersey.com/news/passaicpolitics/A_new_push_for_a_new_name.html?c=y&page=1 A new push for a new name], ''[[The Record (Bergen County)|The Record]]'', October 2, 2008. Accessed November 5, 2008</ref> The name change is now official.<ref></ref>
==Geography==
==Geography==
Woodland Park is located at {{coord|40|53|37|N|74|11|56|W|city}} (40.893698, -74.198904).{{GR|1}}
Woodland Park is located at {{coord|40|53|37|N|74|11|56|W|city}} (40.893698, -74.198904).{{GR|1}}
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[[pt:West Paterson]]
[[pt:West Paterson]]
[[vo:West Paterson]]
[[vo:West Paterson]]
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Revision as of 15:32, 13 November 2008

Woodland Park, New Jersey
Borough
Map of Woodland Park in Passaic County. Inset: Location of Passaic County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Map of Woodland Park in Passaic County. Inset: Location of Passaic County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Detailed Census Bureau map of Woodland Park in 2000
Detailed Census Bureau map of Woodland Park in 2000
CountryUnited States
StateNew Jersey
CountyPassaic
IncorporatedMay 1, 1914
Government
 • TypeFaulkner Act (Small Municipality)
 • MayorPat Lepore (2008)
Area
 • Total3.1 sq mi (8.0 km2)
 • Land3.0 sq mi (7.7 km2)
 • Water0.1 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation
[1]
344 ft (105 m)
Population
 (2006)[2]
 • Total11,234
 • Density3,715.5/sq mi (1,434.6/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
07424
Area code973
FIPS code34-79820Template:GR[3]
GNIS feature ID0885439Template:GR
Websitehttp://www.westpaterson.com

Woodland Park (formerly West Paterson) is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 10,987.

West Paterson was formed as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 25, 1914, from portions of Little Falls Township, based on the results of a referendum held on May 1, 1914.[4]

On November 4, 2008, the citizens of West Paterson voted to change the official name of the borough to Woodland Park.[5] The new name retains the initials "W.P." and is a reference to the community's semi-bucolic nature.[6] The name change is now official.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page without content in them (see the help page).

Geography

Woodland Park is located at 40°53′37″N 74°11′56″W / 40.89361°N 74.19889°W / 40.89361; -74.19889Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (40.893698, -74.198904).Template:GR

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8.0 km²), of which, 3.0 square miles (7.7 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (4.53%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
19303,101—
19403,3066.6%
19503,93118.9%
19607,60293.4%
197011,69253.8%
198011,293−3.4%
199010,982−2.8%
200010,9870.0%
2006 (est.)11,234[2]
Population 1930 - 1990.[7]

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 10,987 people, 4,397 households, and 3,025 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,715.5 people per square mile (1,433.1/km²). There were 4,497 housing units at an average density of 1,520.8/sq mi (586.6/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 86.53% White, 3.16% African American, 0.08% Native American, 3.83% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.17% from other races, and 3.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.06% of the population.

As of the 2000 census, 34.3% of Woodland Park residents were of Italian ancestry, the 18th-highest percentage of any municipality in the United States, and seventh-highest in New Jersey, among all places with more than 1,000 residents identifying their ancestry.[8]

There were 4,397 households out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% 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 3.01.

In the borough the population was spread out with 19.6% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 33.9% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $60,273, and the median income for a family was $67,292. Males had a median income of $47,389 versus $36,814 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $29,758. About 3.2% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

The Borough of Woodland Park was chartered by the State of New Jersey to function under a variation of the Faulkner Act's, Small Municipality Plan C of the Option Municipal Charter Law form of 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 three-year term of office. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with elections take place in a three-year cycle, with the mayor elected one year and three council seats up for election in years two and three.[9] A government reorganization takes place on January 1 of every year, at which time a mayor-elect or newly elected council members are sworn in.

The Mayor exercises executive power and appoints department heads with Council approval. The Council may adopt the municipal budget proposed by the Mayor, but revisions may be required by a majority of the governing body before final approval.

The Mayor of Woodland Park is Pat Lepore (D), whose current term of office ends December 31, 2008, and who also serves on the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Members of the Woodland Park Borough Council are Council President Keith Kazmark (D, 2010), Ruth Patterson (D, 2009), Tina Gatti (D, 2009), Rita Pascrell (D, 2010), Dominick Di Domenico (D, 2009), Joseph Spinelli (D, 2010).[10]

Federal, state and county representation

Woodland Park is in the Eighth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 34th Legislative District.[11]

For the 118th United States Congress, New Jersey's 8th congressional district is represented by Rob Menendez (D, Jersey City).[12][13] New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027)[14] and Bob Menendez (Englewood Cliffs, term ends 2025).[15][16]

For the 2024-2025 session, the 34th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Britnee Timberlake (D, East Orange) and in the General Assembly by Carmen Morales (D, Belleville) and Michael Venezia (D, Bloomfield).[17] Template:NJ Governor

Template:NJ Passaic County Freeholders

Borough renaming

Borough residents voted in November 2008 to change the community's name to Woodland Park. This close decision — the majorty was only 33 votes according to early results — marked the fourth attempt to change the borough's historic name of West Paterson: voters rejected the names "Woodland Park," "West Park," and "Garret Mountain" in 1989, 1995, and 2001 respectively.[6]

Such a change is not unique in recent New Jersey history: Dover Township in Ocean County became Toms River Township in November 2006,[18] and Washington Township in Mercer County became Robbinsville Township in November 2007.[19] Moreover, the Paterson vicinity has also seen a previous name change in recent decades, as the borough of East Paterson (located in adjacent Bergen County) changed its name to Elmwood Park in 1972[6]

Both East and West Paterson changed their names in hopes of dissociating themselves from the larger city of Paterson, which is significantly poorer and faces higher levels of crime. In Woodland Park, proponents of name change claimed that their proposal would improve the borough's reputation and thus property values within the borough, as outsiders would be less likely to confuse it with Paterson. Conversely, opponents of changing saw no need to change, with businesses and the fire department fearing the expense of changing and the consequences of forgetting the community's history as West Paterson. As well, some feared that a name change would be somewhat racist, as the borough is primarily white while the city is primarily black and Hispanic.[6][5]

Education

Students in public school for Kindergarten through eighth grade are educated by the Woodland Park School District. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[20]) is one K-2 elementary school — Beatrice Gilmore School with 232 students and the 3-4 Charles Olbon School with 321 students — and Memorial School with an enrollment of 396 students in grades 5-8.

For grades 9 - 12, public school students attend Passaic Valley Regional High School, which serves students from Little Falls Township, Totowa, and Woodland Park. The school facility is located in Little Falls Township.[21]

The Garret Mountain campus of Berkeley College is located in Woodland Park.

On November 7, 2008, 50+ West Paterson Students protested the town name change to Woodland Park. [22]

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Woodland Park include:

References

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Borough of Woodland Park, Geographic Names Information System. Accessed January 4, 2008
  2. ^ a b Census data for West Paterson borough, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 1, 2007
  3. ^ A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 14, 2008
  4. ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 211
  5. ^ a b West Paterson no more, The Record, November 5, 2008. Accessed November 5, 2008
  6. ^ a b c d A new push for a new name, The Record, October 2, 2008. Accessed November 5, 2008
  7. ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007
  8. ^ Italian Communities, Epodunk. Accessed July 15, 2008
  9. ^ 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 148
  10. ^ Woodland Park Mayor & Council, Borough of Woodland Park. Accessed March 28, 2008
  11. ^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 66. Accessed August 30, 2006
  12. ^ Directory of Representatives: New Jersey, United States House of Representatives. Accessed January 3, 2019.
  13. ^ Biography, Congressman Albio Sires. Accessed January 3, 2019. "Congressman Sires resides in West New York with his wife, Adrienne."
  14. ^ 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."
  15. ^ Biography of Bob Menendez, United States Senate, January 26, 2015. "Menendez, who started his political career in Union City, moved in September from Paramus to one of Harrison's new apartment buildings near the town's PATH station.."
  16. ^ Home, sweet home: Bob Menendez back in Hudson County. nj.com. Accessed April 30, 2021. "Booker, Cory A. - (D - NJ) Class II; Menendez, Robert - (D - NJ) Class I"
  17. ^ Legislative Roster for District 34, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 20, 2024.
  18. ^ Toms the Word in N.J., New York Post, November 12, 2006. Accessed November 5, 2008
  19. ^ Then there were five, South Jersey News Online, November 7, 2007. Accessed November 5, 2008
  20. ^ Educational statistics for the Woodland Park School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed March 28, 2008
  21. ^ District Information, Passaic Valley High School. Accessed June 20, 2007 "The regional district which is served by Passaic Valley High School is comprised of the communities of Little Falls, Totowa Borough and Woodland Park."
  22. ^ Students peacefully pretest town's name change
  23. ^ New Jersey Legislative Digest, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed October 23, 2007. "TO BE A MEMBER OF THE NEW JERSEY HALL OF FAME ADVISORY COMMISSION: Rick Cerone, of Woodland Park *NOT* Fort Lee."

External links

Template:Geolinks-US-cityscale

Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page without content in them (see the help page).

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