SCOTCH PLAINS, NEW JERSEY

'Scotch Plains' is a township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the township population was 22,732.
What is now Scotch Plains was originally incorporated as 'Fanwood Township' by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature from portions of Plainfield Township and Westfield Township. Portions of the city were taken to form Fanwood Borough on October 2, 1895. Fanwood Township was renamed to Scotch Plains as of March 29, 1917, based on the results of a referendum held that same day."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 238 re Fanwood Township. p. 241 re Scotch Plains.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Education

Transportation

Neighborhoods

Points of interest

Notable residents

References

External links

Geography

Scotch Plains is located at (40.638252, -74.373914).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 23.5 km² (9.1 mi²). 23.5 km² (9.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.11% is water.

Demographics

According to the census of 2000, there were 22,732 people, 8,349 households, and 6,295 families residing in the township . The population density was 966.6/km² (2,503.3/mi²). There were 8,479 housing units at an average density of 360.5/km² (933.7/mi²). The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.16.
The racial composition of the township :

★ 78.88% White

★ 11.30% African American

★ 7.25% Asian

★ 3.94% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

★ 0.95% from other races

★ 0.09% Native American

★ 0.01% Pacific Islander

★ 1.52% from two or more races
The median income for a household in the township was $81,599, and the median income for a family was $96,238. The per capita income for the township was $39,913. Males had a median income of $63,648 versus $43,714 for females. About 2.0% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.0% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

The Mayor of Scotch Plains is Martin L. Marks. The Deputy Mayor is Paulette Coronato. Council Members are Kevin Glover, Nancy Malool and Jeffrey Strauss.^[1]

Federal, state and county representation

Scotch Plains is in the Seventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 22nd Legislative District.^[2]

Union County Freeholders meet publicly on a monthly basis. Citizens have the ability to provide feedback and comment on issues that concern them.

Education

All of the schools of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Regional School District are located in Scotch Plains. Schools in the district (with 2003-04 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are:
'Elementary Schools'

★ Howard B. Brunner Elementary School (403 students)

★ J. Ackerman Coles School (511 students)

★ Evergreen School (292 students)

★ William J. McGinn School (457 students)

★ School One (335 students)
'Middle Schools'

★ Park Middle School (780 students)

★ Terrill Middle School (775 students)
'High School'

★ Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School (1,352 students)
Students from School One, Evergreen and Brunner pool into Park Middle School, whereas students from Coles and McGinn pool into Terrill. School One is the only elementary school that teaches English as a second language.
The Union County Vocational Technical Schools includes the Union County Magnet High School, the Academy for Information Technology, the Union County Academy for Allied Health Sciences, and the Vocational-Technical School. The grouping of different schools is for vocational as well as gifted students, publicly funded by the combined taxes of Union County municipalities.
Union Catholic Regional High School (often abbreviated UC), a private Roman Catholic school, brings in students from the far reaches of Union County and even some parts of Essex and Middlesex counties. A large number of students come from the Woodbridge/Colonia area, where the school had erected a billboard advertisement, now removed.
Union County College has a facility in Scotch Plains.
There is also a Catholic school, St. Bartholomew's Interparochial School, which offers education from Pre-Kindergarten to 8th grade.

Transportation

Scotch Plains is bisected by NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line, formerly the mainline of the Central Railroad of New Jersey. A passenger station is located in Fanwood. NJ Transit also provides bus service to New York City and New Jersey points. Another rail line, the Lehigh Valley Line, carries freight trains through the southernmost tip of the township.
Newark Liberty International Airport is approximately 14 miles east of Scotch Plains.

Neighborhoods

The following neighborhoods exist in Scotch Plains

'Sterling Chase'

★ New development located off Martine Avenue by Union Catholic.

★ Erected in the early 1990's, it used to be a cow farm.

★ It has its own tennis courts for residents.
'Berwyck Chase'

★ Located behind Coles School, it was built by the same development company that built Stirling Chase to be a more affordable place to live than Stirling.

★ It has its own swimming pool and two tennis courts for residents.
'Canturbury'

★ A small and quiet neighborhood located north of Route 22 completely and inconveniently isolated from the rest of Scotch Plains.
'Goodman's Crossing'

★ Complex of townhouses between Scotch Plains and Clark.

★ Robinson's Creek runs through it and has been tested by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and confirmed to be toxic. [1]
'Crestwood'

★ Built in the 1940's, a development of several small homes on the border of Westfield, many of which have been knocked down with newer and larger homes rebuilt.
'The Reserve'

★ K. Hovnanian recently build townhomes ranging from 2,000-2,500 square feet in size, located behind US 22, originally selling for up to $500,000.

Points of interest

★ 'Hillside Cemetery' is the burial site of Dudley Moore and Senator James Edgar Martine

★ 'Bowcraft Amusement Park' is an amusement park located in Scotch Plains on Route 22 East.

★ 'John's Meat Market' is the site of Mr. T's reality TV show for TV Land.^[3]

Notable residents

Notable current and former resident of Scotch Plains include:

★ Hank Beenders, early professional basketball player.^[4]

★ Donald DiFrancesco, former Governor of New Jersey and Senate President.^[5]

★ Pat DiNizio, singer/songwriter for ''The Smithereens''

★ John Gano, chaplain who baptized George Washington

★ Scott Goldblatt, Swimmer who won a Gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and a Silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, with both medals earned in the 4 x 200 m Freestyle Relay.^[6]

★ Jeffrey Hammonds, Olympian, 13 MLB seasons.^[7]

★ Jerome Hines, opera singer.^[8]

★ Nathan Jones, NFL Cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys.^[9]

★ Renaldo Nehemiah, track star and NFL wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers

★ Cynthia Sayer, jazz banjoist

★ Joe Scarpati, holder for Tom Dempsey's record 63 yard field goal in 1970.^[10]

★ Marc Shaiman, Music & Lyrics Composer, ''Hairspray'' and Music Composer for ''.^[11]

References

1. Township Officials, Scotch Plains Township. Accessed May 4, 2007.
2. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 63. Accessed August 30, 2006.
3. SP’s John’s Meat Market is Prime Location for New Reality TV Show, ''Westfield Leader'', September 14, 2006.
4. "Former Philadelphia Warriors player Hank Beenders dies at 87", ''Burlington County Times'', October 27, 2003. "born in Haarlem, Holland, he lived in Brooklyn, and in Scotch Plains before before moving to Bridgewater 36 years ago."
5. New Jersey Governor Donald T. DiFrancesco, National Governors Association, accessed May 4, 2007. "Donald T. DiFrancesco was born in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. He graduated from Penn State University in 1966 with a bachelor's degree in business."
6. "Swimmer ready for the race of his life", ''The Star-Ledger'', September 17, 2000. "Name: Scott Goldblatt Age: 21 Hometown: Summit Residence: Scotch Plains, until going away to college in Austin, Texas. Education: He attended Mcginn Elementary School, Coles Elementary School and Terrill Middle School in Scotch Plains and then the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, graduating in 1997."
7. "BASEBALL; Rookie Tips His Nervousness"m ''The New York Times'', June 26, 1993. Accessed May 4, 2007. "'I've never been that nervous before in my life,' said the 22-year-old center fielder, who played at Stanford and is from Scotch Plains, N.J. 'I would have swung at anything on that pitch. I'm just happy it dropped in. After that hit, it just carried on from there.'"
8. Portantiere, Michael. "Opera and Musical Theater Star Jerome Hines Dies at 81", Theatermania.com, February 5, 2003. Accessed July 15, 2007. "A resident of Scotch Plains, New Jersey, Hines appeared frequently at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn in recent years."
9. Nathan Jones prospect profile, NFL.com. Accessed July 15, 2007. "Education major … Born June 15, 1982 … Resides in Scotch Plains, N.J."
10. "Honoring Former High School Greats", ''The Times of Scotch Plains-Fanwood'', November 13, 1997. "Mayor Connelly presented a plaque to Mr. Scarpati, who lettered in football, basketball and track for the Raiders and served as the captain of the football team in 1959. Mr. Scarpati went on to play as a defensive back for the Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints professional football teams, and was the holder of the record-setting 63-yard field goal kicked by Tom Dempsey in 1970 during the game between the Saints and the Detroit Lions."
11. Callahan , Michael with Chmiel, David; Miller, Jen A.; and Weiss, Jennifer. "Best of Jersey", ''New Jersey Monthly'', January 2007. Accessed May 18, 2007. "COMPOSER Scotch Plains native Marc Shaiman, who has won an Emmy, a Grammy, and a Tony (the latter for the score to the Broadway smash Hairspray), crafts melodies you hum long after you leave the theater."

External links

★ Scotch Plains website

★ Scotch Plains-Fanwood Regional School District

★

★ National Center for Education Statistics data for the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Regional School District

★ Union Catholic Website

★ Scotch Plains Yahoo Group