GARWOOD, NEW JERSEY

'Garwood' is a borough in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 4,153.
Garwood was incorporated as a borough on March 19, 1903, from portions of Cranford Township and Westfield Town."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 239.
In the north side of Garwood, most of the streets are numbered, while in the south side of Garwood most of the streets are named after trees.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Education

Transportation

Notable residents

References

External links

Geography

Garwood is located at (40.650802, -74.323510).
The borough is bordered to the west by Westfield and to the east by Cranford.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.7 km² (0.7 mi²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,153 people, 1,731 households, and 1,125 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,429.5/km² (6,292.9/mi²). There were 1,782 housing units at an average density of 1,042.5/km² (2,700.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 95.91% White, 0.36% African American, 1.32% Asian, 1.54% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.98% of the population.
There were 1,731 households out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the borough the population was spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 35.6% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $52,571, and the median income for a family was $64,053. Males had a median income of $50,951 versus $36,538 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $26,944. About 3.5% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

The Borough of Garwood is governed under the Borough system of municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprised of six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. 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 Garwood is Dennis J. McCarthy, whose term of office ends December 31, 2010. Members of the Garwood Borough Council are Council President Kathleen Villaggio Charles Lombardo (2007), Victor DeFilippo (2007), Keith Sluka (2009), William Schadewald, III (2008), Walter Tucker (2008) and Kathleen Villaggio (2009).^[1]

Federal, state and county representation

Garwood Borough is in the Seventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 21st Legislative District.^[2]

Education

The Garwood Public Schools serve students in Kindergarten through eighth grade. Schools in the district (with enrollment data from the 2004-05 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education) are Washington School with 73 students in Kindergarten (full-day) and First Grade and Lincoln / Franklin School with 318 students in Pre-Kindergarten (half-day) and grades 2 - 8.
Students in public school for grades 9 - 12 attend Arthur L. Johnson High School in neighboring Clark as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Clark Public School District.

Transportation

The Garwood station offers limited New Jersey Transit rail service on the Raritan Valley Line. The station has limited service on weekdays only. New Jersey Transit also provides bus service along two different lines, the 113 route to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, and the the 59 bus to Newark.^[3]
Newark Liberty International Airport is approximately 15 minutes away and Linden Airport, a general aviation facility is in nearby Linden, New Jersey.

Notable residents

Notable current and former resident of Garwood include:

★ Barry Lubin, "Grandma" of the Big Apple Circus^[4]

★ Tom Perrotta, author^[5]

References

1. Members of the Governing Body, Borough of Garwood. Accessed March 12, 2007
2. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 57. Accessed August 30, 2006.
3. Union County Bus/Rail Connections, New Jersey Transit. Accessed August 2, 2007.
4. Beckerman, Jim. "Visiting Grandma - Barry Lubin's character is feisty, mischievous - and totally lovable", ''The Record (Bergen County)'', May 16, 2004. Accessed August 2, 2007. "That's part of the mystique of Grandma, 2002 International Clown Hall of Fame inductee, who is busy putting on her face in the kitchen of Lubin's Garwood home."
5. O' Sullivan, Eleanor. "THE ONE AND ONLY", ''Asbury Park Press'', February 25, 2007. Accessed August 2, 2007. "Still, says ''Little Children'' co-screenwriter nominee Tom Perrotta, who grew up in Garwood and spent summer weekends basking in the sun at the Jersey Shore, the Oscar is the award that people really, really want."

External links

★ Garwood's Official Website

★ Garwood Public Schools

★

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

★ Garwood Free Public Library

★ Hometown Memories - Garwood Page