RINGWOOD, NEW JERSEY

'Ringwood' is a Borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 12,396. It is the home of Ringwood State Park which contains the State Botanical Garden, the Shepherd Lake Recreation Area, and Skylands and Ringwood Manors.
The Borough of Ringwood was incorporated by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 23, 1918, from a "portion of the Township of Pompton", as one of three boroughs formed from Pompton Township, joining Bloomingdale and Wanaque."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 211. The first organizational meeting of the Borough Council took place in the existing Borough Hall on May 6, 1918

Contents

History

Geography

Demographics

Law and government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Education

Transportation

Notable residents

Points of interest

See also

References

External links

History

The original inhabitants of the area were the Lenape and Ramapough Native Americans.
Early in the 18th Century, iron was discovered in the area, and the Ogden family built a blast furnace in Ringwood in 1742. By 1765, Peter Hasenclever used Ringwood as the center of his ironmaking operations which included 150,000 acres (610 km²) in New Jersey, New York and Nova Scotia.
Iron mining was prominent in the area from the 1700s until the Great Depression. Mines such as the London Mine, Roomy Mine, Peters Mine and Hope mine were originally opened by Peter Hesenclever's London Company.
Ringwood Manor was home to a number of well-known ironmasters from the 1740s to the late 19th century. During the American Revolution, Robert Erskine managed ironmaking operations from Ringwood, and became George Washington's first geographer and Surveyor-General, producing maps for the Continental Army; Washington visited the Manor House several times. Ringwood iron was used in the famous Hudson River Chain, and for tools and hardware for the army. One of the Manor's last owners was Abram S. Hewitt, ironmaster, educator, lawyer, U.S. Congressman, and Mayor of New York City. The Manor is part of a National Historic Landmark District.

Geography

Ringwood is located at (41.096095, -74.260124).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 72.6 km² (28.0 mi²). 65.4 km² (25.2 mi²) of it is land and 7.2 km² (2.8 mi²) of it (9.92%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 12,396 people, 4,108 households, and 3,446 families residing in the borough. The population density is 189.5/km² (491.0/mi²). There are 4,221 housing units at an average density of 64.5/km² (167.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough is 93.87% White, 1.61% African American, 1.44% Native American, 1.19% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. 4.25% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 4,108 households out of which 42.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.5% are married couples living together, 7.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 16.1% are non-families. 12.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 3.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.00 and the average family size is 3.28.
In the borough the population is spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 95.3 males.
The median income for a household in the borough is $81,636, and the median income for a family is $85,108. Males have a median income of $60,097 versus $36,005 for females. The per capita income for the borough is $31,341. 2.8% of the population and 2.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 3.9% of those under the age of 18 and 2.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Law and government

Local government

Members of the Ringwood Borough Council are Mayor Joanne Atlas (term as Mayor and on council ends December 31, 2007), Deputy Mayor William E. Marsala (2007 as Deputy Mayor; 2009 in Council), Donna S. Anderson (2009), Thomas MacAllen (2007), Bill O'Hearn (2007), Linda M. Schaefer (2009) and Wenke Taule (2007).^[1]

Federal, state and county representation

Ringwood is in the Fifth Congressional District is part of New Jersey's 40th Legislative District.^[2]

Education

Students in Kindergarten through eighth grade attend the schools of the Ringwood Public School District, which serves a total of about 1,400 students. Theare are two K-3 schools in the district — Peter Cooper, which was built in 1963, and serves about 314 students in grades K-3, and Robert Erskine, which was built in 1960 and serves about 321 students — E. G. Hewitt which was built in 1937 (with an annex built in 1952 and trailers added in 1959) and serves about 335 students in grades 4 and 5, and M. J. Ryerson which was built in 1970 and serves about 480 students in grades 6 - 8.
Students in public school for grades 9 - 12 attend Lakeland Regional High School, which serves students from the Boroughs of Ringwood and Wanaque. The high school is located in Wanaque and is part of the Lakeland Regional High School District.
Private schools include St. Catherine of Bologna School, a regional Roman Catholic parochial school. Grades kindergarten through eighth grade attend, with part-time pre-school and pre-kindergarten sessions. Ringwood Christian School serves Kindergarteners all the way up through eighth graders, and pre-schoolers can receive part-time sessions.

Transportation

★ Skyline Drive

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Ringwood include:

★ Sonia Rosado, has served on the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders since 2001.^[3]

★ Randy Price - Graduate of Lakeland Regional High School Class of 1987; Mr. Price is known to drive a Lexus.

Points of interest

★ Skylands, the New Jersey State Botanical Garden

★ Highlands Natural Pool

See also

★ Ringwood, England

References

1. Ringwood Staff - Mayor & Council, Borough of Ringwood. Accessed March 8, 2007.
2. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 63. Accessed August 30, 2006.
3. Sonia Rosado biography, Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed [{September 6]], 2007.

External links

★ Ringwood Borough website

★ Ringwood Public Schools

★

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

★ Lakeland Regional High School

★ Ringwood Manor History

★ Ringwood Manor Association of the Arts

★ Plein Air Painters of the New Jersey Highlands

★ Historical Mines of Ringwood New Jersey

★ Skyline Lake Volunteer Fire Department, Ringwood New Jersey

★ Snake Den Road, Local community web site.

★ Abandoned mines of Ringwood & the NJ Highlands.