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South Orange, New Jersey

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South Orange is a Village in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the village population was 16,964. Seton Hall University is located in South Orange.

Of 566 municipalities statewide, South Orange is one of only four villages in New Jersey, joining Loch Arbour, Ridgefield Park and Ridgewood.

Contents

Geography

South Orange is located at [40°44′52″N, 74°15′32″W] (40.747650, -74.258811)[Geographic references#1GR1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 7.4 km² (2.9 mi²). 7.4 km² (2.8 mi²) of it is land and aside from the East branch of Rahway River, none of it is covered by water. One exception is a small man-made duck pond located near South Orange Middle School.

The East branch of the Rahway River flows through the entire length of the village. Most of the year it is a trickle but can be heavy at times. In the past it would occasionally overflow its banks and flood low-lying parts of town. United States Army Corps of Engineers flood control projects remediated that in the mid 1970s. Still, even including swimming pools, water probably accounts for less than .1% of the town's surface area.

Much of the town sits on the slope of South Mountain (elevation <660 feet (201 m)), leveling into a small valley near the central business district. The wealthy Newstead neighborhood sits highest on the slope, adjacent to the South Mountain Reservation.

Demographics

As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 16,964 people, 5,522 households, and 3,766 families residing in the township. The population density was 2,298.2/km² (5,945.3/mi²). There were 5,671 housing units at an average density of 768.3/km² (1,987.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 60.41% White, 31.30% African American, 0.09% Native American, 3.89% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.57% from other races, and 2.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.93% of the population.

There were 5,522 households out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the village the population was spread out with 22.3% under the age of 18, 17.5% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $83,611, and the median income for a family was $107,641. Males had a median income of $61,809 versus $42,238 for females. The per capita income for the township was $41,035. About 1.9% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

History

A main road through town, South Orange Avenue, was said to have been a native trail before the first European settlement of the area in the 17th century. The town, along with adjacent Orange, East Orange, and West Orange, was named for the ruler of England, William of Orange.

In the late nineteenth century, the town was a vacation resort for residents of New York City.

The [Orange Lawn Tennis Club] was founded in 1880, and in 1886 was the location of the first US national tennis championships. Major tournament events continued there throughout the grass court era, and even into the mid-1980s professional events would occasionally be held there.

A nationally famed hotel and recreational spa was also located in town, but was destroyed by fire sometime before World War II. A rock quarry operated until the mid-1980s.

In the 1920s, Thomas Edison inaugurated electric train service to Hoboken, and South Orange and other towns along the new line began their transformation into bedroom communities for New York, housing a sizeable number of commuters. This train line still operates today, and its extension directly into Manhattan's Penn Station in 1996 caused a surge in real estate prices as the commute time dropped from about an hour to approximately 30 minutes from platform to platform. Demand for commuter parking permits in lots adjoining the train and bus stations is quite high.

Local Character

The town is one of only a few in New Jersey to retain gas light street illumination (others include Riverton, Palmyra, Glen Ridge and some parts of Orange). The gaslight has become something of a symbol for the town--so much so that a bar/restaurant on South Orange Avenue is named for them. Larger streets do have modern mercury vapor streetlights.

Architecture is extremely varied. Most of the town is single-family wood framed houses, but there are a few apartment buildings from various eras as well as townhouse-style condominiums of mostly more recent vintage. Houses cover a range that includes every common style of the midatlantic US states since the late nineteenth century, and in sizes that range from brick English Cottages to giant Mansard-roofed mansions. Tudor, Victorian, Colonial, Ranch, Modern, and many others are all to be found. Most municipal government structures date from the 1920s, with a few being of more modern construction.

Many residents commute to New York City, but others work locally or in other parts of New Jersey. South Orange has a central business district with restaurants, banks, and other retail and professional services. There are a few small office buildings, but no large-scale enterprise other than Seton Hall University.

Government

South Orange provides the usual facilities for a municipality of this size; fire, police, a library of about 70,000 volumes, the municipal pool, a recreation center, parks, baseball diamonds, tennis courts, trash and yard waste removal provided by contractors, community access cable TV, and so on. As noted above, the school board is shared with adjacent Maplewood.

Local government

South Orange is governed by a six member board of trustees and a village president (equivalent to a mayor), all unpaid positions. Local political parties are formed on an ad-hoc basis, generally focused on key issues of local concern; national political parties do not participate in township elections.

The Village President of South Orange is [William R. Calabrese]. Members of the Board of Trustees are [Eric DeVaris], [Stacey Jennings], [Terriann Moore-Abrams], [Allan J. Rosen, Ph.D.], [Mark Rosner] and [Arthur Taylor][Village Government], accessed July 7, 2006.

Federal, state and county representation

South Orange is split between the Eighth and Tenth Congressional Districts and is part of New Jersey's 27th 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's Tenth Congressional District, covering portions of Essex County, Hudson County, and Union County, is represented by Donald M. Payne (D, Newark). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Robert Menendez (D, Union City).

The 27th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Richard Codey (D, West Orange) and in the Assembly by Mims Hackett (D, Orange) and John F. McKeon (D, West Orange). 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, South Orange leans strongly toward the Democratic Party. In 2004, Democrat John Kerry received 77 percent of the vote here, defeating Republican George W. Bush, who received around 22 percent.

Education

The township shares a common school system, the South Orange-Maplewood School District, with the adjacent town of Maplewood. The district has a single high school, Columbia High School, located in Maplewood (but nearly on the town border), and one middle school and several elementary schools in each town.

Other schools in the district (with 2003-04 school enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are:

Elementary Schools (K-5)

Middle Schools (6-8) Higher Education
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University

Seton Hall University is located in South Orange. The University was founded in 1856 by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark and named after Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American saint. South Orange has a college feel with this Division I university located along the east side of South Orange Avenue, the community's main boulevard. The school serves approximately 9,700 students.

Trivia

Notable residents

Various celebrities have resided in South Orange or Maplewood; see the Columbia High School page for a list of famous alumni. Other South Orange residents include:

References

External links

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