PASSAIC, NEW JERSEY

'Passaic' is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 67,861. Located north of Newark on the Passaic River, it was first settled in 1678 by Dutch traders, as Acquackanonk Township. The city and river draw their name from the Lenape word "pahsayèk" meaning "valley".^[2]

Contents

History

Geography

The City

Demographics

Government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Education

Transportation

Communications

Noted Passaic natives

Popular culture references

References

External links

History

The city originated from a Dutch settlement on the Passaic River established in 1679 which was called Acquackanonk. Industrial growth began in the 19th century, as Passaic became a textile and metalworking center. Passaic was formed within Acquackanonk Township on March 10, 1869, and was incorporated as an independent village on March 21, 1871. Passaic was chartered as a city on April 2, 1873."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 210.
A famous strike in 1926 against reductions in wages involved the right of free assembly.

Geography

Passaic is located at (40.857384, -74.128997).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.3 km² (3.2 mi²). 8.1 km² (3.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (3.12%) is water. Passaic is bordered on the north, west and south by the City of Clifton, and to the east by the Passaic River.
Passaic is located 10 miles from New York City, and 12 miles from Newark Airport.

The City

Passaic has several business districts: Main Avenue begins in Passaic Park and follows the curve of the river to downtown. Broadway runs east - west through the center of the city, ending at Main Avenue in downtown. Monroe Street has many shops, restaurants and businesses reflecting the city's Latino and Eastern European populations.
The city is home to several architecturally notable churches, including St. John's Lutheran Church, First Presbyterian of Passaic, and St. John's Episcopal Church.
Southwest Passaic (known as Passaic Park) is a residential and institutional center of Orthodox Judaism, with 25-30 minyanim on Shabbos, and 1,300 families, as well as being home to numerous yeshivas, schools, other institutions. There are also kosher food and shopping establishments.^[3]
Passaic Park takes its name from Third Ward Park. This area is also noted for its large mansions and homes of various architectural styles, especially Victorian and Tudor. Several condominium and cooperative apartment complexes are also located here including: Carlton Tower (the city's tallest structure), The Towers, and Barry Gardens.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 67,861 people, 19,458 households, and 14,457 families residing in the city of Passaic, New Jersey. The population density was 8,424.8/km² (21,804.7/mi²). There were 20,194 housing units at an average density of 2,507.1/km² (6,488.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 35.43% White, 13.83% African American, 0.78% Native American, 5.51% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 39.36% from other races, and 5.04% from two or more races. The cultural groupings for Hispanic or Latino of any race were 62.46% of the population. Passaic is also known for its Ukrainian enclave.
There were 19,458 households out of which 42.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% were married couples living together, 21.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.46 and the average family size was 3.93. In the city the population was spread out with 30.8% under the age of 18, 12.5% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 16.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,594, and the median income for a family was $34,935. Males had a median income of $24,568 versus $21,352 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,874. About 18.4% of families and 21.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.6% of those under age 18 and 16.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

The City of Passaic is governed under the Mayor-Council system of municipal government under the Faulkner Act. Under this form of government, the Mayor is elected directly by the voters for a four-year term. Seven Council Members serve overlapping four year terms.
The Mayor of Passaic is Samuel Rivera.^[4] Mayor Rivera is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition^[5], a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Rivera was arrested by the FBI on September 6, 2007 in a Federal corruption probe that also included the arrests of Assemblymen Mims Hackett and Alfred E. Steele.^[6] The indictment alleges that Rivera accepted a $5,000 bribe to steer fake insurance business with the City of Passaic and with the Passaic Valley Water Commission, bragging that "I can get four votes easy, easy, easy," to a witness about his ability to obtain approval from the Passaic City Council.^[7]
Members of the City Council are Gary Schaer (Council President), Gerardo Fernandez, Jose Garcia, Marcellus Jackson, Chaim M. Munk, Daniel J. Schwartz and Jonathan Soto.^[8] Jackson and Soto were arrested on September 6, 2007 as well.⁶

Federal, state and county representation

Passaic is in the Eighth Congressional District is part of New Jersey's 36th Legislative District.^[9]

Education

The Passaic City School District is a type I school district, and is an independent legal entity administered by a nine-member Board of Education elected by the voters of the school district. The school district is not a part of any regional or consolidated school district, and neither receives nor sends students, except for a limited number of special education students. The school system is comprised of 2 early childhood centers, 12 elementary schools (grades K-6), 1 middle school (grades 7-8), and 1 high school (grades 9-12). The Passaic City School District is an Abbott District.
The Collegiate School is a private coeducational day school located in Passaic, serving students in prekindergarten through twelfth grade.
Passaic County Community College plans to open a new campus in the city of Passaic in Spring 2008. Construction commences on the new site in Spring 2007 at 2 Paulison Avenue. The new campus will allow PCCC to reach the 15% of its students who come from the city of Passaic. The college's nursing program will be relocated and expanded at the new campus to provide a qualified program to help fill the longstanding nursing shortage.
The Yeshiva Gedolah of Passaic is an institute of Jewish Learning.

Transportation

Passaic is well served by state roadways including Route 3 and Route 21. The Garden State Parkway and Interstate 80 are nearby.
Local bus transportation is provided by New Jersey Transit, with service to Paterson, Rutherford, Newark, Clifton, Garfield, and Wallington among other locations.
New Jersey Transit bus 190 provides local service and interstate service to Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City.
The Passaic New Jersey Transit rail station is located in the Passaic Park section, providing service on the Main Line southbound to Hoboken Terminal, Secaucus Junction for connections to several other rail lines, and to Pennsylvania Station in Midtown Manhattan. Northbound service is provided to Paterson, Ridgewood and New York stations in Suffern and Port Jervis.
Commuter jitney buses operate along Main Avenue providing service to Paterson, Union City, the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal in New York City, and points between. This service does not operate on an official schedule.

Communications

Passaic uses telephone area code 973.

Noted Passaic natives

Passaic is the birthplace of the following notables:

★ Mitch Albom, author of ''The Five People You Meet in Heaven''.^[10]

★ Terrence Boyle, judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.^[11]

★ George Breeman, sailor and Medal of Honor recipient.^[12]

★ Bob Butterworth, former Florida Attorney General.^[13]

★ Arthur K. Cebrowski, United States Navy admiral and senior U.S. Department of Defense official.^[14]

★ Alan N. Cohen, late co-owner of the Boston Celtics and the New Jersey Nets.^[15]

★ Cpl. Anthony Damiano, achieved fame on hit TV show ''COPS''

★ Mark DeRosa, Major League Baseball infielder.^[16]

★ Dow H. Drukker (1872-1963), represented New Jersey's 6th congressional district from 1914-1919.^[17]

★ Evelyn Dubrow, lobbyist and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient.^[18]

★ Charles Evered, playwright

★ Donald Fagen, musician with Steely Dan.^[19]

★ Jack Fina, musician

★ Paul Goldberger, Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic

★ Reed Gusciora, former minority leader of the New Jersey General Assembly

★ Robert Helps, pianist and composer (1928-2001)

★ Craig Heyward, late National Football League running back.^[20]

★ Mike Jorgensen, former Major League Baseball player

★ Martin Krugman, successful hair salon and wig shop proprietor who was a suspect in the 1978 Lufthansa heist and later allegedly murdered in 1979

★ Anthony Mason, actor.

★ Ray Malavasi, late National Football League head coach

★ William J. Martini, former Republican Congressman.^[21]

★ Michael Marisi Ornstein, filmmaker and actor

★ Bill Mokray (1907-1974), basketball historian and statistician enshrined to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1965 as a contributor to the sport.^[22]

★ David Packer, actor

★ Millie Perkins, actress

★ Kenneth Peterson (S/Sgt). Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple with Oak Leaf Cluster.

★ Joe Piscopo, comedian.

★ Gerry Polci, drummer and singer with Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.^[23]

★ Michael J. Pollard, actor

★ Stuart Rabner, Attorney General of New Jersey

★ Alan Rosenberg, Emmy Award-winning actor and activist, Donald Fagen's cousin

★ Paul Rudd, actor

★ Bob Russell, Hall of Fame songwriter

★ Bob Russell, entertainer

★ Sherwood Schwartz, TV producer

★ Victor Santos, Cincinnati Reds pitcher

★ The Shirelles, musicians

★ Robert Smithson, artist

★ Larry Storch, actor

★ Tyrone Stowe, NFL Player

★ Marcia Strassman, actress, grew up in Passaic, across the street from Alan Rosenberg.

★ Michael Stroka, actor

★ Loretta Swit, actress.Kaufman, Gail. "PASSAIC -- KIDS FIND TALENT IN THEIR OWN BACK YARD NEW BOOK LAUDS CITY'S ACHIEVERS", ''The Record (Bergen County)'', February 11, 1997. Accessed May 12, 2007. "What do Anthony Mason, Loretta Swit, and Joe Piscopo have in
common? Beside being nationally known, they hold the city of Passaic as part of their past."

★ Danny Szetela, Major League Soccer player

★ Dave Szott, National Football League player and coach

★ Franklin Stuart Van Antwerpen, judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

★ Jack Tatum, football player.^[24]

★ Dick Vitale, sportscaster.^[25]

★ Saul Zaentz, film producer

★ Michael Zager, musician and producer

Popular culture references

★ Passaic has been called "The Birthplace of Television".^[26] In 1931, experimental television station W2XCD began transmitting from DeForest Radio Corp. in Passaic. It has been called the first television station to transmit to the home, and was the first such station to broadcast a feature film. Allen B. Dumont, formerly DeForest's chief engineer, opened pioneering TV manufacturer Dumont Laboratories in Passaic in 1937. Dumont later started DuMont Television Network, the first television network, in 1946.

★ In the 1960s television sitcom ''F Troop'', the character, Cpl. Randolph Agarn (played by Larry Storch), hails from Passaic, Storch's home town. The city is occasionally mentioned - and featured - in episodes.

★ The short-lived Ellen Travolta sitcom ''Makin' It'' was set in Passaic, although, at the time of the disco-themed show, the city actually had little disco culture of its own. Ms. Travolta had an occasional role in Welcome Back Kotter, which starred Ms. Strassman as Mrs. Kotter.

★ Numerous music groups have performed at the Loop Lounge on Broadway. Performers have included: Faith No More. Dead Milkmen, They Might Be Giants, APB, Gang of Four, My Chemical Romance, and The Smithereens.

★ The city's name was mentioned in "Raging Cory," an episode of Boy Meets World.

★ Several scenes of ''Be Kind, Rewind'' starring Danny Glover, Mia Farrow, Jack Black, and Mos Def were filmed in Passaic.

★ On February 24, 1973, Passaic's Capitol Theatre was the site of the final live show by American rock 'n' roll band The Byrds.

★ In the 1920s, the Passaic High School basketball team, led by coach Ernest Blood, won 159 consecutive games, earning the nickname "Wonder Team".

★ The title character of the series ''Sledge Hammer!'' was said to be born in Passaic.

★ One of the mock Bialystock and Bloom musicals in ''The Producers'' was called South Passaic.

★ Passaic is mentioned in the HBO series ''Flight of the Conchords'' when the band goes on a warm-up tour by playing a club in Passaic and damaging the club's amplifier.

★ In the episode Total Re-Carl from ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force'', Frylock sends away for organs to help re-build Carl's body from the "Passaic Organ Bank".

References

1. , Geographic Names Information System, accessed April 17, 2007.
2. Lenape Language / Pronunciation, accessed September 20, 2006.
3. Rachel Berman, ''Passaic/Clifton - The New Jewish Boom Town'', ''The Jewish Press'', November 22, 2006.
4. Mayor of Passaic, City of Passaic. Accessed July 6, 2006.
5. Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Members
6. [Baldwin, Tom. "11 arrested in N.J. corruption probe", ''USA Today'', September 6, 2007. Accessed September 6, 2007. "Among the arrested were state Assemblymen Mims Hackett Jr. and Rev. Alfred Steele aides in their legislative offices acknowledged. Also reportedly arrested was Samuel Rivera, the mayor of Passaic, and Keith Reid, the chief of staff to Newark City Council President Mildred Crump."
7. Staff. "Who's who: Overview of the politicians charged in bribery scandal", ''The Record (Bergen County)'', September 7, 2007. Accessed September 7, 2007.
8. City Council Members, City of Passaic. Accessed July 6, 2006.
9. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 62. Accessed August 30, 2006.
10. Meet the Writers: Mitch Albom, accessed December 19, 2006.
11. "CLASS OF 1970 PROFILE ON ALUMNI - The Honorable Terrence Boyle" ''Reunion Times'', American University Washington College of Law, Summer 2005. Accessed May 13, 2007. "Terrence Boyle was born and raised in Passaic, New Jersey."
12. A site dedicated to George Breeman and the USS Breeman (DE-104), accessed December 19, 2006.
13. " Florida attorney general winds up in spotlight", Court TV, November 14, 2000. Accessed May 13, 2007. "A native of Passaic, N.J., Butterworth was particularly invincible in his 1998 re-election effort after playing a key role with former Gov. Lawton Chiles in helping Florida secure a billion settlement with tobacco companies."
14. Singer, Jeremy. "Military Transformation Pioneer Arthur Cebrowski Dies at 63", ''Space News'', November 21, 2005. Accessed May 13, 2007. "Cebrowski, a native of Passaic, N.J., graduated from Villanova University in Pennsylvania in 1964, and entered the Navy that same year."
15. "Sports exec also had stake in Nets, MSG", ESPN.com, August 11, 2004. Accessed May 13, 2007. "Cohen was born in Passaic, N.J., on Dec. 19, 1930."
16. Mark DeRosa player profile, accessed December 19, 2006.
17. Dow Henry Drukker profile, United States Congress. Accessed July 16, 2007.
18. "Garment Workers Lobbyist Dubrow Dies", ''San Francisco Chronicle'', June 21, 2006.
19. Robbins, Ira. "At long last, Fagen puts the 'Cat' out; Steely Dan founder releases first solo album in 13 years", ''Newsday'', March 1, 2006. Accessed September 8, 2007. ""Working in the off portions of Steely Dan's four decades of on-and-off-again existence, the Grammy-winning singer-keyboardist from Passaic, N.J., has come up with three albums in 24 years..."
20. "Heyward lived hard and died young", ''Taipei Times'', May 30, 2006.
21. Congressional biography of William J. Martini, United States Congress. Accessed December 26, 2006.
22. William G. "Bill" Mokray enshrined as a contributor in 1965, Basketball Hall of Fame. Accessed July 13, 2007. "Mokray's romance started while a student at Passaic High School during the era of the 'Passaic High School Wonder Teams.'"
23. Cowen, Richard. "CLASS OF '95 EXITS HALLS OF ACADEMIA", ''The Record (Bergen County)'', May 19, 1995. Accessed May 13, 2007. "Polci, 42, a Passaic native and former drummer with Frankie Valli..."
24. " Darryl Stingley, 55, dies", ''The Record (Bergen County)'', April 6, 2007. Accessed May 12, 2007. "He was only 26 when he clashed head-on with Passaic's Jack Tatum of the Raiders during an exhibition at the Oakland Coliseum as they leaped for a pass."
25. DREXLER, CALHOUN AND WOODARD HIGHLIGHT 16 FINALISTS FOR NAISMITH MEMORIAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME, Basketball Hall of Fame press release dated February 15, 2004. "'DICK VITALE, a native of Passaic, NJ.', has been synonymous with college basketball for more than 20 years as the lead color announcer for ESPN."
26. UCLA Film and Television Archive Television Programs Preserved 1988 - 2000. University of California, Los Angeles. Accessed February 18, 2007.

External links

★ Passaic City official website

★ Passaic Urban Enterprise Zone merchant directory

★ Passaic City School District

★

★ National Center for Education Statistics data for the Passaic City School District

★ The Loop Lounge

★ Message Group relating to the Passaic Jewish community