EDGEWATER, NEW JERSEY

'Edgewater' is a borough located on the Hudson River in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 7,677. As of the 2005 Census estimate, the borough had a population of 9,646.
Edgewater was originally formed on December 7, 1894, from portions of Ridgefield Township as the 'Borough of Undercliff', at the height of the "Boroughitis" phenomenon then sweeping through Bergen County. The name was changed to Edgewater on November 8, 1899."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 87.^[2]

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Politics

Education

Japantown

Notable residents

Sources

References

External links

Geography

Edgewater is located at (40.829893, -73.973911).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 6.3 km² (2.4 mi²). 2.2 km² (0.9 mi²) of it is land and 4.1 km² (1.6 mi²) of it (64.88%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,677 people, 3,836 households, and 1,971 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,487.2/km² (9,060.6/mi²). There were 4,277 housing units at an average density of 1,942.8/km² (5,047.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 67.12% White, 3.52% African American, 0.21% Native American, 23.12% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.94% from other races, and 3.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.45% of the population.
There were 3,836 households out of which 20.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.6% were non-families. 39.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 2.70.
In the borough the population was spread out with 15.4% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 46.7% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $63,455, and the median income for a family was $72,692. Males had a median income of $50,795 versus $49,238 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $42,650. About 6.2% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.
As of the 2000 census, 3.22% of Edgewater's residents identified themselves as being of Japanese ancestry, which was the third highest of any municipality in New Jersey — behind Fort Lee (6.09%) and Demarest (3.72%) — for all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.^[3]

Government

Local government

The Borough of Edgewater was chartered in 1894 under the Borough form of government in which the Mayor is elected to a four-year term and six council members are elected at large on a partisan basis to serve staggered three-year terms, with two seats coming up for election each year^[4]
The Mayor of Edgewater is Nancy Merse (D), whose term expires on December 31, 2007. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Maureen Holtje (D; 2007), James Delaney (D; 2009), Denis Gallagher (I; 2008), David Jordan (D; 2007), Beatrice Robbio (I; 2008) and Neda Rose (D; 2009).^[5]
On Election Day, November 7, 2006, in the race for two three-year seats on the Borough Council, Democratic Party newcomer James Delaney (1,224 votes) obtained his first term on the Council, followed by Democratic incumbent Neda Rose (1,180) who earned her fifth term in office. Independent incumbent Valory Bardinas was in third (1,134), falling short in her bid for re-election to a third term, and fellow Independent Mary Hogan came in fourth (1,123) in her attempt for office after previously serving three terms on the Council. Delaney's victory gives the Democrats control of the Council by a 4-2 margin, breaking a 3-3 deadlock.^[6][7][8]

Federal, state and county representation

Edgewater is in the Ninth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 38th Legislative District.^[9]

Politics

As of April 1, 2006, out of a 2004 Census estimated population of 9,358 in Edgewater, there were 4,829 registered voters (51.6% of the population, vs. 55.4% in all of Bergen County). Of registered voters, 1,463 (30.3% vs. 20.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 349 (7.2% vs. 19.2% countywide) were registered as Republicans and 3,016 (62.5% vs. 60.1% countywide) were registered as Undeclared. There was one voter registered to another party.^[10]
On the national level, Edgewater leans toward the Democratic Party. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 65% of the vote here, defeating Republican George W. Bush, who received around 34%.^[11]
On the local level, Edgewater has its own two-party system, split between the Democratic Party and the Independent Coalition for a Better Edgewater. The Republican Party has minimal presence and doesn't always run a slate in local elections. The perennial local political issue is managing growth.

Education

Public school students in grades K to 6 attend the Eleanor Van Gelder School which serves 406 students and is the lone school of the Edgewater Public Schools.
For grades 7 - 12, public school students are sent to the Leonia Public Schools as part of a sending/receiving relationship.^[12] Students attend Leonia Middle School for grades 7 and 8 (a school with a total of 452 students in grades 6 - 8), and Leonia High School which has 588 students in grades 9 - 12.

Japantown

The ''Japantown'' in Edgewater features, among other places of interest, a very useful strip mall containing a Mitsuwa Marketplace which features products aimed at the Japanese American market. Located in the building is a food court with stores such as Hide-chan's Ramen and Italian Tomato, with a convenient sitting area with a view of the Hudson River. The mall also features other business aimed at the Japanese consumer and those seeking Japanese products.
Shuttle buses run daily from Manhattan, bringing Japanese shoppers, as well as those just interested in Japanese products. Fort Lee also contains several Japanese (and Korean) oriented businesses.

Notable residents

★ Amerie, R&B singer.Weiner, Jonah. "Miss Thing: Boasting a smash single, a hit album and the finest legs in pop, Amerie is R&B’s It girl. What’s more, she’s lethal with an assault rifle", ''Blender (magazine)'', June 2005. Accessed July 3, 2007. "She says she dreams of starring in an action movie (“I’d love to play Angelina Jolie’s arch-nemesis in Tomb Raider 3”), but her real extracurricular obsession involves elves, faeries and codpieces. When she’s not playing 12-hour Sims marathons at her house in Edgewater, New Jersey—the tony suburb that is also home to Tyson Beckford and Q-Tip—she’s working on writing her own Lord of the Rings–style series. "

★ Tyson Beckford, model.

★ Jonas Brothers, musical group

★ Keith Bulluck, linebacker for the Tennessee Titans.^[13]

★ Robinson Cano, baseball player

★ JoJo, singer .^[14]

★ Q-Tip, rapper.

★ Geraldo Rivera, newsman.^[15]

★ Chien-Ming Wang, pitcher for the New York Yankees.^[16]

Sources

★ "History of Bergen County, New Jersey, 1630-1923;" by "Westervelt, Frances A. (Frances Augusta), 1858-1942."

★ "Municipal Incorporations of the State of New Jersey (according to Counties)" prepared by the Division of Local Government, Department of the Treasury (New Jersey); December 1, 1958.

References

1. , Geographic Names Information System, accessed April 16, 2007.
2. "History of Bergen County" Vol. 1, p. 353.
3. Japanese Communities, Epodunk. Accessed June 28, 2006.
4. GOVERNING BODY, Borough of Edgewater. Accessed August 23, 2006.
5. GOVERNING BODY: EDGEWATER COUNCIL, accessed June 13, 2007.
6. Edgewater election results, ''The Record (Bergen County)'', November 8, 2006.
7. Edgewater Election, ''The Record (Bergen County)'', November 8, 2006.
8. Bergen County 2006 General Election Results, accessed February 1, 2007.
9. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 56. Accessed August 30, 2006.
10. "County of Bergen: Voter Statistics by Municipality, Ward & District," dated April 1, 2006.
11. 2004 Presidential Election results: Bergen County New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety: Division of Elections, dated December 13, 2004.
12. Questions and Answers About Leonia Schools, Leonia Public Schools. Accessed July 8, 2007. "The district currently has 1730 students enrolled in three schools. Leonia is a receiving district for Edgewater students beginning in Grade 7."
13. Keith Bulluck player profile, National Football League Players Association. Accessed July 24, 2007. "Single, splits time between Nashville and Edgewater, New Jersey."
14. "This Week's Winners and Losers: JoJo", ''The Record (Bergen County)'', August 2, 2004. Accessed July 14, 2007. "At 13, the Edgewater resident is the youngest solo artist to receive an MTV Video Music Award nomination."
15. "Geraldo Rivera sues over housing dispute", ''USA Today'', September 13, 2004. Accessed July 3, 2007. "The Fox News senior correspondent owns two homes in the 26-acre Edgewater Colony, where residents own their homes but share ownership of the land.... 'I intend living here always, hopefully in peace and loving my neighbors.'"
16. Kinkhabwala, Aditi. "Wang at ease in two worlds", ''The Record (Bergen County)'', May 31, 2007. Accessed July 3, 2007. "He likes walking around New York City ('nobody knows me') and he loves living in Edgewater ('everything there')."

External links

★ Edgewater Borough web site

★ Eleanor Van Gelder School

★

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

★ Leonia Public Schools

★ Edgewater NJ Information, Resources and Community Links.

★ Community Forums for Edgewater

★ Independent Coalition for a Better Edgewater Political Organization

★ Edgewater Democratic Organization