Belleville, New Jersey
Encyclopedia : B : BE : BEL : Belleville, New Jersey
Belleville is a Township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 35,928.
Geography
Belleville is located at (40.793500, -74.161448)[Geographic references#1GR1].According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 8.8 km² (3.4 mi²). 8.7 km² (3.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (2.05%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 35,928 people, 13,731 households, and 9,089 families residing in the township. The population density was 4,153.3/km² (10,744.3/mi²). There were 14,144 housing units at an average density of 1,635.0/km² (4,229.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 69.44% White, 5.36% African American, 0.17% Native American, 11.31% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 9.83% from other races, and 3.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.68% of the population.There were 13,731 households out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the township the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 33.9% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $48,576, and the median income for a family was $55,212. Males had a median income of $38,074 versus $31,729 for females. The per capita income for the township was $22,093. About 6.3% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Local government
The members of the Belleville Township Council are[Belleville Elected Officials], accessed July 18, 2006:- Mayor [Ray Kimble]
- Deputy Mayor [John Notari]
- [Marie Strumolo Burke]
- [Kevin G. Kennedy]
- [Michael Nicosia]
- [George Ritacco]
- [Steven Rovell]
Federal, state and county representation
Belleville is in the Eighth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 28th Legislative District.New Jersey's Eighth Congressional District, covering the southern portion of Passaic County and northern sections of Essex County, is represented by Bill Pascrell Jr. (D, Paterson). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Robert Menendez (D, Union City).
The 28th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Ronald Rice (D, Newark) and in the Assembly by Craig A. Stanley (D, Irvington) and Oadline Truitt (D, Newark). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).
Essex County's County Executive is Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. The executive, along with the Board of Chosen Freeholders administer all county business. Essex County's Freeholders are Freeholder President Johnny Jones, Freeholder Vice President Patricia Sebold, Freeholder-At-Large Blonnie R. Watson, Freeholder-At-Large Donald M. Payne, Jr., Freeholder District 1 Samuel Gonzalez, Freeholder District 2 D. Bilal Beasley, Freeholder District 3 Carol Y. Clark, Freeholder District 4 Linda Lordi Cavanaugh and Freeholder District 5 Ralph R. Caputo.
Politics
On the national level, Belleville leans toward the Democratic Party. In 2004, Democrat John Kerry received 52 percent of the vote here, defeating Republican George W. Bush, who received around 47 percent.
Education
The Belleville School District serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district is comprised of seven K-6 elementary schools — [School 3], [School 4], [School 5], [School 7], [School 8], [School 9] and [School 10] — [Belleville Middle School] for grades 7&8, and Belleville High School [link] for grades 9-12.Trivia
- Originally known as "Second River," the inhabitants renamed the settlement "Belleville" in 1797. Today, the Second River forms much of the border between Belleville and Newark as it runs through Branch Brook Park, home to an annual [Cherry Blossom Festival].
- The township of Bellevile has given itself the nickname the Cherry Blossom Capital of America.
- Belleville is the hometown of the Post-Hardcore band My Chemical Romance. Gerard Way and his brother, Mikey Way attended Belleville High School.
- Musicians who have called Belleville home include Sarah Vaughan, Connie Francis, Tommy DeVito and Frankie Valli. Belleville is mentioned several times in the Tony Award-winning musical Jersey Boys.
References
External links
- [Township of Belleville]
- [Belleville School District]
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- [National Center for Education Statistics data for the Belleville School District]
- [Belleville Historical Website] History of Belleville, including famous residents
- [Belleville, NJ Yahoo Group]
- [Belleville, NJ History]
- [Belleville, NJ Historical Photos]
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