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Geography
Demographics
Government
Education
History
External Links
West
Orange is a township located in Essex County, New Jersey. As
of the United States 2000 Census, the township had a total
population of 44,943. Within its twelve square miles and eight
bordering municipalities, the Township of West Orange partially
consists of 12,870 owner occupied homes, 43 multifamily and
apartment complexes, 11 nursing or specialized care facilities,
four senior citizens complexes, 18 public and private schools,
five golf courses, 63 religious structures, 430 commercial
structures including four hotels, four cemeteries, 43 industrial
structures, the only equestrian center in Essex County and over
600 acres of open park land. Several major transportation arteries
run through the Township including Route 280, Route 10, Eagle Rock
Avenue, Pleasant Valley Way, Northfield Avenue and Prospect
Avenue. West Orange also shares a border with the South Mountain
Reservation.
Geography
West Orange is located at
40°47'19" North, 74°15'19" West (40.788650, -74.255416).
According to the United
States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 31.7 km²
(12.2 mi²). 31.4 km² (12.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1
mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.90% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000,
there are 44,943 people, 16,480 households, and 11,684 families
residing in the township. The population density is 1,431.7/km²
(3,708.7/mi²). There are 16,901 housing units at an average
density of 538.4/km² (1,394.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the
township is 67.55% White, 17.46% 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. 10.04% of the population
are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 16,480
households out of which 32.2% have children under the age of 18
living with them, 56.0% are married couples living together, 11.2%
have a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% are
non-families. 24.6% of all households are made up of individuals
and 11.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or
older. The average household size is 2.66 and the average family
size is 3.19. In the township the population is 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 are 65 years of age or
older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are
88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 84.0
males.
The median income for a
household in the township is $69,254, and the median income for a
family is $83,375. Males have a median income of $52,029 versus
$39,484 for females. The per capita income for the CDP is $34,412.
5.6% of the population and 4.6% of families are below the poverty
line. Out of the total population, 6.0% of those under the age of
18 and 7.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty
line.
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Government
The Township of West
Orange is governed under the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) system
of municipal government. Under the current form of government each
member of the Township Council serves in an At-Large and
Non-Partisan capacity representing the entire township instead of
a specified Ward and District as is practiced in some of the other
New Jersey communities.
Key personnel
in the West Orange Township are:
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John F. McKeon, Mayor -
Phone (973) 325-4100
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Susan McCartney,
Township Councilwoman - Phone (973) 325-4155
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Richard A. Giuditta,
Jr., Township Councilman - Phone (973) 325-4155
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Robert Parisi, Township
Councilman - Phone (973) 325-4155
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Renard Barnes, Township
Councilman - Phone (973) 325-4155
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John Skarbnik, Township
Council President - Phone (973) 325-4155
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Nancy O'Hara, Township
Clerk - Phone (973) 325-4155
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John Sayers, Business
Administrator / Director of the West Orange Police Department -
Phone (973) 325-4055
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James P. Abbott, Chief
of the West Orange Police Department - Phone (973) 325-4000
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Peter Smeraldo, Chief
of the West Orange Fire Department - Phone (973) 325-4175
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Edward Coleman,
Chief Financial Officer - Phone (973) 325-4070
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Richard Trenk, Township
Attorney - Phone (973) 243-8600
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Harry L Starrett,
Presiding Judge West Orange Municipal Court - Phone (973)
325-4082
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Margaret Padovano,
Municipal Judge, West Orange Municipal Court - Phone (973)
325-4082
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Amy Simon, Public
Information Officer - Phone (973) 325-4133
The West Orange
Municipal Building and Township Council Offices are located at
66 Main Street
The West Orange Police Department & Municipal Court is
located at
60 Main Street
The West Orange Fire Department is located at
415 Valley Road.
County and
State Legislators Representing West Orange
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Essex County Freeholder
Linda Lordi Cavanaugh (District 4)
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Essex County Freeholder
Blonnie R. Watson (At-Large)
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Essex County Freeholder
Albertus Jenkins (At-Large)
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New Jersey State
Senator Richard J. Codey
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New Jersey Assemblyman
John F. McKeon
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New Jersey Assemblyman
Mims Hackett
U.S. Senate and
U.S. House of Representatives Representing West Orange
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U.S. Senator Jon
Corzine
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U.S. Senator Frank
Lautenberg
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Congressman Bill
Pascrell, Jr. (Eighth District)
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Congressman Donald M.
Payne (Tenth District)
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Congressman Rodney
Frelinghuysen (Eleventh District)
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Education
West Orange has a total
of 11 public schools. 7 elementary schools, three middle schools
and a high school. West Orange has a very good and highly credited
school district, ranked among the top 1% of schools in the nation
by the Washington Post. The current Superintendent of Schools is
Mr. Jerry Tarnoff.
Elementary Schools
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Gregory Elementary
School
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Hazel Avenue Elementary
School
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Mount Pleasant
Elementary School
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Pleasantdale Elementary
School
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Redwood Elementary
School
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St. Cloud Elementary
School
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Washington Elementary
School
Middle Schools
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Edison Middle School
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Liberty Middle School
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Roosevelt Middle School
High School
Former Public Schools
and Board of Education Buildings in West Orange
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1 Municipal Plaza
(Board of Education headquarters) - Torn down converted into
parking lot for adjacent Township Hall.
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Abraham Lincoln Junior
High School - Converted and became part of the new West Orange
High School.
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Eagle Rock Elementary
School - Converted into new Board of Education headquarters.
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Fairmount Elementary
School - Sold and became Solomon Schechter Lower Campus Day
School (Jewish).
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Gaston Street
Elementary School - Torn down and is now the John P. Renna, Jr.
Senior Citizens Housing Complex.
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Mountain High School -
Became the new West Orange High School
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West Orange High School
(Northfield Avenue) - Sold and became Seton Hall Preparatory
School.
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History
The area that is now West
Orange broke from Orange in 1863 as the Township of Fairmount.
Thomas Edison bought a
property known as Glenmont in 1886 as a wedding gift for
his bride. It occupies 13.5 acres (55,000 m²) in the Llewellyn
Park district (first planned community in the United States). The
remains of Thomas and Mina Edison are now buried there.
Glenmont is maintained by the National Park Service as the
Edison National Historic Site.
The first ever movie
cinema opened in West Orange.
Famous Residents
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Brendan T. Byrne -
Governor of New Jersey from 1974 to 1982.
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Richard J. Codey -
Acting Governor of New Jersey in 2002 and again from 2004 until
2006.
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Ginny Duenkel - Winner
of a Gold and Bronze medal in two swimming events at the 1964
Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
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Charles Edison - United
States Secretary of the Navy 1940, Governor of New Jersey 1941
to 1944 and son of Thomas Edison.
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Thomas Alva Edison -
Invented the phonograph, the incandescent electric lightbulb and
created the first movie cinema.
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New Jersey Devils - NHL
team whose permanent practice rink is located at South Mountain
Arena.
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Peter Rodino - United
States Congressman from 1949 to 1989.
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Uncle Floyd Vivino -
Actor, Comedian, Kids TV Show Host, Musician and Radio Show
Host.
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Scott Wolf - Actor who
is best known as Bailey Salinger on the TV series Party
of Five.
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Ian Ziering - Actor who
is best known for the role of Steve Sanders on the TV
series Beverly Hills 90210.
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Abner Zwillman - Jewish
mobster. He was found hanging dead at his mansion home on
Beverly Road on February 27, 1959.
External links
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