Phillipsburg, New Jersey
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Phillipsburg is a town in Warren County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the town population was 15,166.
The town is located in western New Jersey, on the border of Pennsylvania, and is generally considered the eastern border of the region's Lehigh Valley.
Geography
Phillipsburg is located at (40.689474, -75.185340)[Geographic references#1GR1].According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 8.7 km² (3.3 mi²). 8.3 km² (3.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (3.29%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 15,166 people, 6,044 households, and 3,946 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,818.5/km² (4,703.6/mi²). There were 6,651 housing units at an average density of 797.5/km² (2,062.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.84% White, 3.47% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.02% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.38% of the population.There were 6,044 households out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $37,368, and the median income for a family was $46,925. Males had a median income of $37,446 versus $25,228 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,452. About 9.9% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.6% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.
Economic Revival
Most of the manufacturing jobs have left Warren County's largest city. At the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers, Phillipsburg also used to have the advantage of being a major transportation hub. Long gone is the era of canal shipping and many of the important freight railways have shut down. In 1994, the New Jersey Legislature designated Phillipsburg as an Urban Enterprise Zone community. This zoning offers tax incentives as well as other benefits to businesses. These incentives have started to pay off, as businesses move into the center of the city. Rising real estate prices indicate that these legislative stimulants have been somewhat effective. Phillipsburg has been selected as the site of the future New Jersey Transportation Heritage Center, a large-scale theme park deigned to preserve the state's history.Government
Local government
Phillipsburg is governed under the Faulkner Act system of municipal government. The Mayor of Phillipsburg is Harry L. Wyant, Jr. (term ends December 2007). Town Council Members are Council President James P. Stettner (2007), Council Vice President James M. Shelly (2005), Diane S. Coopersmith (2005), John Damato (2005) and David DeGerolamo (2007).Federal, state and county representation
Greenwich Township is in the Fifth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 23rd Legislative District.New Jersey's Fifth Congressional District, covering the northern portions of Bergen County, Passaic County and Sussex County and all of Warren County, is represented by Scott Garrett (R, Wantage Township). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Robert Menendez (D, Union City).
The 23rd legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Leonard Lance (R, Flemington) and in the Assembly by Michael J. Doherty (R, Oxford) and Marcia A. Karrow (R, Raritan Township). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).
Warren County is governed by a three-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. Warren County's Freeholders are: Freeholder Director Richard D. Gardner (term ends 2006), Freeholder Deputy Director John DiMaio (2008) and Freeholder Everett A. Chamberlain (2007).
Education
The Phillipsburg School District serves students in Pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade.The elementary and middle schools of the district are [Green Street School] (Grades PreK-5), [Barber School] (Grades 1&2), [Freeman School] (Grades 1&2), [Andover-Morris School] (Grades 3-5) and [Phillipsburg Middle School] (Grades 6-8).
Students in grades 9-12 attend Phillipsburg High School, which serves students from the Town of Phillipsburg and from five sending communities at the secondary level: Alpha, Bloomsbury (in Hunterdon County), Greenwich Township, Lopatcong Township and Pohatcong Township.
Phillipsburg High School has an athletic rivalry with neighboring Easton, Pennsylvania's Easton High School.
Noted residents
- Wayne Dumont, former Governor of New Jersey.
- Pat "Mingus" Kays, bass player for the ska band Catch 22.
- Terry Kitchen, folk singer.
External links
- [Phillipsburg Official Website]
- [Warren County page for Phillipsburg]
- [Phillipsburg School District]
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- [National Center for Education Statistics data for the Phillipsburg School District]
- [Phillipsburg Area Chamber Of Commerce]
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