BUTLER, NEW JERSEY

'Butler' is a Borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 7,420.
Butler was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 13, 1901, from portions of Pequannock Township."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 191.

Contents

Geography

History

Demographics

Government

Local government

Previous Mayors

Federal, state and county representation

Education

Transportation

References

External links

Geography

Butler is located at (40.999497, -74.346326).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 5.4 km² (2.1 mi²). 5.4 km² (2.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.96%) is water.

History

The area now known as Butler was originally called "West Bloomingdale" and was sparsely populated. Water power brought manufacturing entities to the area. In 1857, The Pequannock Valley Paper Company moved from Bergen County and in 1868 the Newbrough Hard Rubber Company built a factory, both based along the Pequannock River. These were two significant economic entities that contributed to the growth of the Borough. In 1869, the New Jersey Midland Railroad extended track through Butler from Paterson, making an important transportation connection for both passengers and freight. The northern terminus for the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway's passenger service was located at Butler until 1966. The railroad still carries freight through Butler.
The growing town was given the name "Butler" in 1881 after Richard Butler, who had taken ownership of the Hard Rubber Company. A Post Office was established and a larger railroad station was built. This station has been the Borough Museum since about 1977. The Hard Rubber Company eventually merged with other businesses and became the American Hard Rubber Company in 1898. A "Soft" Rubber Company built a factory just along Main Street. The town continued to grow as other factories and supporting businesses were established. The population in 1920 was 2,265 people. By 1950, it was 4,063.
Butler's largest fire began just after midnight, February 26, 1957, when one of the nation's largest rubber reclaiming mills (Pequanoc Rubber Company, Main Street) was destroyed by a $17 million blaze (a loss of about $100 million in today's dollars when adjusted for inflation). The mill occupied the site on upper Main Street, an irregular shaped complex 600 feet by 300 feet and 3 to 4 stories high; it produced over 100 tons of reusable sheet rubber daily from 200 tons of scrap. One Butler Heights resident remembers the fire being so bright she could read a newspaper in her yard at 3am at a distance of 1 mile. The glow reportedly was visible for 100 miles, mutual aid response was required by volunteer fire companies from 55 municipalities during the initial hours and then in shifts over the next week. New York City Fire Department, 30 miles away, offered help when observing the bright glow.
Numerous organizations exist in town and, along with the neighboring towns of Kinnelon and Bloomingdale, many "Tri-Boro" organizations serve the area, including the local Little League & Volunteer First Aid Squad.
Butler was the location of a Health Resort run by Benedict Lust called "Yungborn" that opened on September 15, 1896.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,420 people, 2,868 households, and 2,024 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,377.3/km² (3,568.9/mi²). There were 2,923 housing units at an average density of 542.6/km² (1,405.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 94.89% White, 0.62% African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.85% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.48% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.11% of the population.
There were 2,868 households out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the borough the population was spread out with 21.7% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $57,455, and the median income for a family was $66,199. Males had a median income of $45,975 versus $35,815 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $27,113. About 2.5% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

The Borough of Butler is governed under the Borough system of municipal government. The government consists of a Borough Council which has both Legislative and Executive powers, and is comprised of six councilmen and a Mayor, all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters. 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 Butler is Joseph P. Heywang, whose 4-year term of office ends on December 31, 2010. Members of the Butler Borough Council are^[1]:

★ Council President Robert Alviene (2008)

Previous Mayors

Jon Linder "Big Time Jon" (1992-2002)-Impeached

★ Roger Elliott (2007)

★ Robert Fox (2009)

★ Stephen Regis (2007)

★ Raymond Verdonik (2009)

★ Judith Woop (2008)

Federal, state and county representation

Butler is in the Eleventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 26th Legislative District.^[2]

Education

The Butler Public Schools serves students in Kindergarten through 12th grade. Aaron Decker School serves grades K-4, Richard Butler School serves grades 5-8, with high school students attending Butler High School. Students from Bloomingdale attend Butler High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Bloomingdale School District.

Transportation

New Jersey Transit bus service is provided on the 194 route to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan and on the 75 to Newark.^[3]

References

1. Butler Town Council, accessed May 25, 2007.
2. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 55. Accessed August 30, 2006.
3. Morris County Bus/Rail Connections, New Jersey Transit. Accessed June 21, 2007.

External links

★ Butler Borough website

★ Butler Public Schools

★

★ National Center for Education Statistics data for the Butler Public Schools

★ Regional area newspaper