CLIFTON, NEW JERSEY

'Clifton' is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 78,672.
Clifton was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 26, 1917, replacing Acquackanonk Township, based on the results of a referendum held two days earlier."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 209. Clifton is listed under five different zip codes (07011, 07012, 07013, 07014, 07015).^[1]

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Education

Popular culture references

Notable residents

References

External links

Geography

Clifton is located at (40.867899, -74.154520).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.5 km² (11.4 mi²). 29.3 km² (11.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.88%) is water.
Clifton is located 10 miles west of New York City off both Route 3 and Route 46. The city is also served by the Garden State Parkway, Route 19 and Route 21.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 78,672 people, 30,244 households, and 20,354 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,688.1/km² (6,965.2/mi²). There were 31,060 housing units at an average density of 1,061.3/km² (2,749.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 76.22% White, 2.89% African American, 0.24% Native American, 6.44% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 9.60% from other races, and 4.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.84% of the population.
There were 30,244 households out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.6% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $50,619, and the median income for a family was $60,688. Males had a median income of $40,143 versus $32,090 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,638. About 4.3% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.
The largest ancestry groups in Clifton are Italian American (17%), Polish American (13%), Irish American (9%) and German American (8%).^[2] Many Turkish, Albanian, and Ukrainian immigrants also live in Clifton. There are substantial numbers of various types of Hispanics, Arabs, Filipinos, Chinese, and Asian Indians as well. Recent demographic changes include a substantial influx of Orthodox Jews in the areas bordering Passaic, a major orthodox enclave.

Government

Local government

The City of Clifton is governed under the 1923 Municipal Manager Law.
The Mayor of Clifton is James Anzaldi. Members of the Town Council are Joseph Cupoli, Peter C. Eagler, Frank C. Fusco, Steven Hatala Jr., Gloria J. Kolodziej, and Matt Ward.^[3]

Federal, state and county representation

Clifton is in the Eighth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 34th Legislative District.^[4]

Education

The Clifton Public Schools serve nearly 11,000 students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district are fourteen elementary schools serving grades K-5 (
School One,
School Two,
School Three, School Four
[1],
School Five,
School Eight,
School Nine,
School Eleven,
School Twelve,
School Thirteen,
School Fourteen,
School Fifteen,
School Sixteen,
School Seventeen), two middle schools serving grades 6-8 (
Christopher Columbus Middle School and
Woodrow Wilson Middle School) and Clifton High School for grades 9-12.
Clifton High School's Marching Band, "The Showband of the Northeast", is well-known internationally.
With over 3,400 students enrolled at Clifton High School, it is the largest single facility high school in New Jersey; Elizabeth High School has more students, but they are spread over multiple campuses.^[5] The Board of Education of Clifton has an agreement with the Boys and Girls Club of Clifton which is located on Colfax Avenue as well to have students partake of gym class there. There is word of building onto the high school with a possible fifth wing, that would have construction onto the City Hall grounds.
The Clifton High School Mustangs were the North I, Group IV Football State Champs 2006, defeating Eastside High School (Paterson 26-0).^[6]

Popular culture references

★ The character of Rupert Pupkin in Martin Scorsese's film ''The King of Comedy'' comes from Clifton.^[7]

★ Nash Park is named after George Valentine Nash.

★ The movie ''Donnie Brasco,'' which starred Johnny Depp and Al Pacino, was filmed partially in Clifton in 1997.

★ The movie ''World Trade Center'' was filmed at the intersection of Huron and Van Houten Avenues and on Olympia Street in the Clifton home of 9/11 survivor Will Jimeno.

★ Many scenes from ''The Sopranos'' were filmed in town, including the parking lot of the Valley Regency on Valley Road, Main Memorial Park, and Clifton High School.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Clifton include:

★ Dow H. Drukker (1872-1963), represented New Jersey's 6th congressional district from 1914-1919.^[8]

★ Father Mychal F. Judge, FDNY Chaplain, who was the first official death of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

★ Chris Karcz, midfielder/forward for Red Bull New York.^[9]

★ Ernest Mario, pharmaceutical executive.^[10]

★ Ronald F. Maxwell - movie director

★ Chris Opperman - modern composer who performed on Steve Vai's Grammy-nominated composition "Lotus Feet" grew up in Clifton and attended CHS.^[11]

★ Giuseppe Rossi - Italian-American soccer player.^[12]

★ Dave Szott - former NFL offensive lineman for the New York Jets.^[13][14]

★ Mikey Way - bassist for the band My Chemical Romance worked at a Barnes & Nobles in Clifton. The band's name comes from the title of the book '', by Irvine Welsh, which he saw while working at the store.^[15]

References

1. The Official Web Site for The State of New Jersey | Zip Codes:
2. Clifton, NJ Ancestry & Family History, Epodunk, accessed April 21, 2007.
3. Mayor and Municipal Council, City of Clifton. Accessed April 21, 2007.
4. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 56. Accessed August 30, 2006.
5. Clifton High's hallway gridlock, ''The Record (Bergen County)'', December 6, 2006. Accessed August 26, 2007. "Clifton High School, circa 1962, is the largest single high school in the state. Only Elizabeth High School has more students, but they are spread out over five campuses."
6. 2006 Football Tournament - North I, Group IV, NJSIAA. Accessed December 4, 2006.
7. King Of Comedy Script - Dialogue Transcript, accessed December 1, 2006.
8. Dow Henry Drukker profile, United States Congress. Accessed July 16, 2007.
9. "Clifton's Karcz joining Red Bulls", ''The Record (Bergen County)'', July 3, 2007. Accessed July 28, 2007. "Clifton native Chris Karcz, who played at Rutgers, has been signed by the Red Bulls.... The midfielder/forward was a three-time All-Big East Conference selection at Rutgers and was a first-team All-American in his senior year at Clifton High School."
10. Ratish, Robert. "PHARMACY GRADUATE PLEDGES M SHOT IN ARM FOR RUTGERS -- SCHOOL TO BE RENAMED FOR FORMER CLIFTON MAN, ''The Record (Bergen County)'', December 16, 2001. Accessed May 13, 2007.
11. Chris Opperman: Present-Day Composer, Oppymusic.com 4.2. Accessed July 23, 2007. "Pianist/composer Chris Opperman grew up in Clifton, New Jersey and attended Berklee."
12. My Country, 'Tis of Thee, ESPN, November 30, 2005. "Flying under the radar of most is 18-year-old Giuseppe Rossi, a striker born in New Jersey, whose parents are from Italy. Rossi was brought up in the soccer hotbed of Clifton, N.J., where his father coached soccer."
13. Szott tears ACL in non-contact drill, New York Jets press release dated May 29, 2002.
14. 15-Year NFL Veteran Dave Szott Joins Local Advisory Board, press release dated October 8, 2004.
15. Mikey Way biography, TV.com, accessed March 25, 2007.

External links

★ City of Clifton website

★ Clifton Public Schools

★

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

★ Clifton National Little League Website