PEQUANNOCK TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY

'Pequannock Township' is a Township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 13,888.
Pequannock Township includes neighborhoods known as 'Pequannock' and 'Pompton Plains', each of which is served by their own separate post office.
Pequannock (in the name of the Township and of the Pequannock River) is thought to have been derived from the Lenni Lenape Native American word "Paquettahhnuake", meaning, "cleared land ready or being readied for cultivation".^[1] Pompton has been cited by some sources to mean "a place where they catch soft fish."^[2]

Contents

Geography

History

Demographics

Government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Education

Transportation

Notable residents

References

External links

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 18.7 km² (7.2 mi²). 18.3 km² (7.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.94%) is water.
The Township of Pequannock is located in eastern Morris County, along Route 23, approximately five miles north of the interchange of Route 23 with Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 46. Interstate 287 crosses the northwest corner of the Township, with a full interchange just north of the Township in the Borough of Riverdale.

History

Incorporated in 1740 as one of the largest townships in the region, this 6.96 square mile bedroom community composed of Pompton Plains in its northern portion and old Pequannock in its southern was once a vast 176-square-mile region of rural farmland settled by the Dutch after its purchase by Arent Schuyler and associates in 1695 & 1696. The name for the area goes back at least as far as 1720 when it was referred to as a "Precinct" in Hunterdon County.
Over time, towns were split off from the township:

★ Jefferson Township in 1804

★ Rockaway Township in 1844

★ Montville Township in 1867

★ Boonton Township in 1867

★ Butler Borough in 1901

★ Lincoln Park Borough in 1922

★ Kinnelon Borough in 1922

★ Riverdale Borough in 1923
During the American Revolutionary War, both Comte de Rochambeau & George Washington's troops camped on what is now the site of the Pequannock Valley Middle School. While Washington stayed at the Schuyler-Colfax House in nearby Pompton, unproven oral history states that he attended church services in the First Reformed Church located in Pompton Plains, also known as the Pompton Meeting House, which had been constructed in 1771. The Mandeville Inn, located on the site of where the soldiers had camped during the war, was built in 1788 and was once owned by Garret Hobart, later Vice President of the United States. The stone with the engraved date is now located inside the Pequannock Valley Middle School when the Inn was demolished and replaced with the school in 1950.
During the Civil War, Pequannock was a stop on the underground railroad. The Giles Mandeville House (also built in 1788), a field and quarry-stone structure located at 515 Newark-Pompton Turnpike, which served as a waypoint for many runaway slaves, still stands today in use as the Manse of the adjacent First Reformed Church since 1953.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 13,888 people, 5,026 households, and 3,829 families residing in the township. The population density was 758.4/km² (1,965.1/mi²). There were 5,097 housing units at an average density of 278.4/km² (721.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 96.60% White, 0.30% African American, 0.12% Native American, 1.91% Asian, 0.50% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.94% of the population.
There were 5,026 households out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.5% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.8% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the township the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $72,729, and the median income for a family was $84,487. Males had a median income of $61,093 versus $38,523 for females. The per capita income for the township was $31,892. About 2.5% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.4% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

The Township operates under a Council-Manager Plan E form of government under the Faulkner Act, which was instituted in 1957. The voters elect five councilpersons who in turn elect one of their number to serve as Mayor. The Township Council employs a professional public Manager to serve as the Township Manager; the Township Manager is the Chief Executive and Administrative Officer of the Township.^[3]
Pequannock's Township Council consists of Mayor Jay Vanderhoff, Edward G. Engelbart, Deputy Mayor Nick Kapotes, Joseph L. Jorgensen and Louis A. Skvarca.^[4]

Federal, state and county representation

Pequannock Township is in the Eleventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 26th Legislative District.^[5]

Education

The Pequannock Township School District serves public school students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district is made up of three K-5 elementary schools
(Stephen J. Gerace,
Hillview and
North Boulevard),one middle school grades 6-8
Pequannock Valley Middle School, and
Pequannock Township High School for grades 9-12.
One private Catholic school known as Holy Spirit exists in the township as well and serves grades K-8. In addition, there is a Netherlands Christian Reformed School and Chancellor Academy.

Transportation

Two major roadways exist within the township; Interstate 287 crosses the northwest corner and Route 23 runs near the eastern boundary.
The Mountain View and Lincoln Park New Jersey Transit stations both serve Pequannock, offering service on the Montclair-Boonton Line to Hoboken Terminal or on Midtown Direct trains to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan via the Secaucus Junction.
Bus service is provided by New Jersey Transit on the 193, 194 and 197 lines to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, the 75 line to Newark and local service on the 748 route.^[6]
Downtown Pompton Plains is 19.8 miles from Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark / Elizabeth, 14.1 miles from Teterboro Airport, 13.7 miles from Morristown Municipal Airport in Hanover Township, 11.5 miles from Greenwood Lake Airport in West Milford, 6.6 miles from Essex County Airport and 1.6 miles from Lincoln Park Airport in Lincoln Park Borough.

Notable residents

Some notable former and current residents include:

★ Jason Biggs - actor, ''American Pie'' - born in Pompton Plains.^[7]

★ Peter Cameron, author.^[8]

★ Derek Jeter - shortstop for the New York Yankees - born in Pequannock.^[9]

★ Danny Kass - Olympic snowboarder, born in Pompton Plains.^[10]

★ Davana Medina, figure competitor.^[11]

★ Susan Misner, actress who has appeared on films and television, including roles in ''The Bronx Is Burning'', ''Rescue Me'' and ''Chicago''.^[12]

★ Criss Oliva - Lead guitarist and co-founder of Savatage - born in Pompton Plains

★ Ryan Ward - actor, ''Far From Heaven'' - born in Pequannock

★ Karen Young, actress.^[13]

References

1. Morris County profile of Pequannock Township, accessed November 9, 2006.
2. Town Information - Pequannock, accessed November 9, 2006.
3. About Pequannock Township, Pequannock Township. Accessed July 8, 2006.
4. Township Council 2007, Pequannock Township. Accessed Jan 27, 2007.
5. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 62. Accessed August 30, 2006.
6. Passaic County Bus/Rail Connections, New Jersey Transit. Accessed July 19, 2007.
7. Kirkland, Bruce. "Jason Biggs proud of American Pie films", ''Toronto Sun'', August 6, 2001. Accessed July 21, 2007. "Biggs, who was born May 12, 1978, in Pompton Plains, N.J., is the son of Gary Biggs, the manager of a shipping firm, and Angela Biggs, a nurse."
8. Biography of Peter Cameron, accessed January 3, 2007.
9. The Derek Jeter File, ''USA Today'', September 17, 2002.
10. Danny Kass profile, United States Ski Team. Accessed June 3, 2007.
11. Pasquale, Don. "Pro advice: Davana Medina reveals her secret formula for sexy BI's and TRI's", ''Muscle & Fitness'', December 2005. Accessed June 3, 2007. "CURRENT RESIDENCE Pompton Plains, New Jersey"
12. Rohan, Virginia. "Pompton Plains native is having fun as risqué ex-nun", ''The Record (Bergen County)'', July 17, 2007. Accessed July 19, 2007. "'I loved growing up in Pompton Plains. It really was a lovely small town. It's not small anymore,' says Misner, who studied dance, from age 11 to 18, with Nancy King at the King Centre for the Performing Arts in Wanaque."
13. Dicker, Ron. "Young's Stae Rises in Midlife", ''San Francisco Chronicle'', August 27, 2006. Accessed July 21, 2007. "A Pequannock, N.J., native and graduate of Douglass College, the women's school at Rutgers University, Young got her start on a film called 'Deep in the Heart' (1983)."

External links

★ Pequannock Township Official Website

★ Pequannock Township School District

★

★ National Center for Education Statistics data for the Pequannock Township School District

★ Pequannock Lacrosse Club

★ Revolutionary Petition of Patriots (May 1776)

★ Pequannock Democratic Club

★ Pequannock Historical Society