Little Falls is a Township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 10,855.
Little Falls was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 2, 1868, from portions of Acquackanonk Township. On March 25, 1914, portions of the township were taken to form the borough of West Paterson (now Woodland Park.[7]
The old Morris Canal, once an important artery of trade and transportation between the Delaware and Hudson Rivers, wound its way through the town, and vestiges of it still serve as a reminder of Little Falls' long history. Several well-maintained residences and other structures from the last century serve to further strengthen the town's sense of pride in its past.
Geography
Little Falls Township is located at 40°52′47″N 74°13′42″W / 40.879799°N 74.228422°W / 40.879799; -74.228422 (40.879799, -74.228422).[8]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km2), of which, 2.8 square miles (7.1 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km2) of it (2.47%) is water.
Little Falls has three township sub-divisions. Great Notch is the eastern most part of the township. The downtown area is frequently referred to as "The Center of Town" mainly by longtime residents. Otherwise, it is usually referred to as simply Little Falls. Singac is the western most portion of the township. Much of it borders the Passaic River.[9] There has been some debate about where exactly the division borders lie. If traveling towards the downtown area, Great Notch is believed to end where East Main Street ends and becomes Main Street. Singac is believed to begin near the corner of Union Avenue and Main Street, near the "Little Falls" on the Passaic River.
Little Falls is bordered by the communities of Montclair, Wayne, Cedar Grove, Woodland Park, Totowa, North Caldwell, Fairfield and Clifton.
Demographics
| Historical populations |
| Census |
Pop. |
|
%± |
| 1930 |
5,161 |
|
—
|
| 1940 |
5,368 |
|
4.0% |
| 1950 |
6,405 |
|
19.3% |
| 1960 |
9,730 |
|
51.9% |
| 1970 |
11,727 |
|
20.5% |
| 1980 |
11,496 |
|
−2.0% |
| 1990 |
11,294 |
|
−1.8% |
| 2000 |
10,855 |
|
−3.9% |
| Est. 2007 |
11,694 |
[3] |
7.7% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[10] |
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 10,855 people, 4,687 households, and 2,873 families residing in the township. The population density was 3,941.8 people per square mile (1,524.1/km2). There were 4,797 housing units at an average density of 1,742.0/sq mi (673.5/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 92.13% White, 0.65% African American, 0.06% Native American, 4.20% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.33% from other races, and 1.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.33% of the population.
There were 4,687 households out of which 22.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.7% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the township the population was spread out with 18.1% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $58,857, and the median income for a family was $70,223. Males had a median income of $49,136 versus $37,727 for females. The per capita income for the township was $33,242. About 2.8% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Local government
For most of its history, Little Falls was governed by a Township Committee consisting of five committee members elected by the voters. Under this system, a chairman (Mayor) and deputy-chair (Deputy Mayor) were selected annually by the Township Committee members. Effective January 1, 2005, this form of government was changed by a public referendum to a Mayor-Council form authorized by the Faulkner Act. Under the new government, the voters directly elect the Mayor to a four-year term, and the five Township Council members to four-year staggered terms.[1][11]
The Mayor of Little Falls is Michael DeFrancisci. Members of the Township Council are Council President Paul Huggins, Christie Y. Huh, William Liess, Joseph Sisco and Louis Fontana
Federal, state and county representation
Little Falls Township is in the Eighth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 40th Legislative District.[12]
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 Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
For the 2008-2009 Legislative Session, the 40th District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Kevin J. O'Toole (R, Cedar Grove) and in the Assembly by Scott Rumana (R, Wayne) and David C. Russo (R, Ridgewood).[13] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[14]
Passaic County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, who are elected to staggered three-year terms on an at-large basis, with two or three seats coming up for election each year.[15] As of 2008[update], Passaic County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Sonia Rosado (2009, Ringwood), Freeholder Deputy Director Tahesha Way (2009, Wayne), Terry Duffy (2010, West Milford), Elease Evans (2008, Paterson), James Gallagher (2009, Paterson) Bruce James (2008, Clifton) and Pat Lepore (2010, Woodland Park).[16]
Education
For public school, students in Kindergarten through eighth grade are educated by the Little Falls Township Public Schools. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[17]) are School #2, which has 272 students in grades K-2; School #3, with 191 students in grades 3-4; and School #1, which has 379 students in grades 5-8.
For grades 9 - 12, students in public school attend Passaic Valley Regional High School, which serves students from Little Falls, Totowa and Woodland Park. The school facility is located in Little Falls.[18]
Most of Montclair State University is located in Little Falls.
Transportation
Little Falls is criss-crossed by several major roadways, including U.S. Route 46 and Route 23. The Garden State Parkway and Interstate 80 run near the municipality.
The Little Falls, Montclair State University and Great Notch New Jersey Transit stations all serve Little Falls, offering service on the Montclair-Boonton Line to Hoboken Terminal or from Montclair State University Station on Midtown Direct trains to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan via Secaucus Junction.
NJ Transit bus transportation is offered to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 191, 194 and 195 routes. Newark is served by the 11, 28 (on Saturdays and Sundays) and on the 75 routes. Local routes are the 704 and 705.[19]
Little Falls is 20.7 miles from Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark / Elizabeth, and 27.3 miles from LaGuardia Airport in Flushing, Queens.
Sports
The New Jersey Jackals of the Can-Am League play here at Yogi Berra Stadium.[20]
Little Falls Locations in The Sopranos
A delicatessen on Main Street in Little Falls was featured in an episode from the second season of The Sopranos.[citation needed]
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Little Falls include:
- David Blaine (born 1973), illusionist.[21]
- Lois Utz (1932-1986), children’s book author, illustrator, poet, and artist.
- Marianne DeYoung-DeLorenzo Philanthropist and Granddaughter of former Mayor DeYoung.
References
- ^ a b 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 169.
- ^ USGS GNIS: Township of Little Falls, Geographic Names Information System, accessed January 4, 2008.
- ^ a b Census data for Little Falls township, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 14, 2008.
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 14, 2008.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 209.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Spiewak, Anna. "One hometown you won't want to leave", The Record (Bergen County), January 20, 2008. Accessed February 29, 2008. "The township is divided into three sections: Little Falls; Singac, off Route 23; and Great Notch, off Valley Road."
- ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
- ^ Elected Officials Township of Little Falls. Accessed June 20, 2007.
- ^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 59. Accessed August 30, 2006.
- ^ Legislative Roster: 2008-2009 Session, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed June 6, 2008.
- ^ "About the Governor". New Jersey. http://www.nj.gov/governor/about/. Retrieved on 6 June 2008.
- ^ The Role of The Freeholders, Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed April 21, 2008
- ^ 2008 Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed April 21, 2008
- ^ Data for the Little Falls Township Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 29, 2008.
- ^ District Information, Passaic Valley High School. Accessed June 20, 2007. "The regional district which is served by Passaic Valley High School is comprised of the communities of Little Falls, Totowa Borough and Woodland Park."
- ^ Passaic County Bus/Rail Connections, New Jersey Transit. Accessed June 20, 2007.
- ^ New Jersey Jackals, Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball. Accessed July 27, 2008.
- ^ Finn, Holly. "Through the Plexiglass darkly: David Blaine exposes Britain's nasty underbelly", The Times, September 25, 2003, p. 20. "Home to Blaine is Little Falls, New Jersey - where there is a museum honouring Yogi Berra, the legendary Yankee baseball player. He's the one who said 'It ain't over til it's over.' It sure ain't."
Frank DeCaro (born 1962), author, television personality
External links
