Pennington is a Borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 2,696.
Pennington was established as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on January 31, 1890, from portions of Hopewell Township, based on the results of a referendum held on January 21, 1890.[8]
Geography
Pennington is located at 40°19′30″N 74°47′32″W / 40.325057°N 74.792105°W / 40.325057; -74.792105 (40.325057, -74.792105).[9]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.5 km2), all of it land.
Pennington is an independent municipality surrounded by Hopewell Township.
Demographics
| Historical populations |
| Census |
Pop. |
|
%± |
| 1930 |
1,335 |
|
—
|
| 1940 |
1,492 |
|
11.8% |
| 1950 |
1,682 |
|
12.7% |
| 1960 |
2,063 |
|
22.7% |
| 1970 |
2,151 |
|
4.3% |
| 1980 |
2,109 |
|
−2.0% |
| 1990 |
2,537 |
|
20.3% |
| 2000 |
2,696 |
|
6.3% |
| Est. 2007 |
2,668 |
[4] |
−1.0% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[10] |
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 2,696 people, 1,013 households, and 761 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,801.0 people per square mile (1,084.3/km2). There were 1,040 housing units at an average density of 1,080.5/sq mi (418.3/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 94.96% White, 2.63% African American, 1.00% Asian, 0.41% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.19% of the population.
There were 1,013 households out of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.2% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the borough the population was spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $90,366, and the median income for a family was $107,089. Males had a median income of $84,912 versus $43,068 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $45,843. About 0.7% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Local government
Pennington is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office, but only participates in voting to break a tie. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.[1]
Like the other traditional forms of local government in New Jersey, a Borough may appoint an administrator and delegate all or a portion the executive responsibilities to the administrator. The Council may also adopt an administrative code which describes how the Council performs its duties.[11]
Anthony Persichilli was elected to fill the mayoral vacancy left by James Loper on November 7, 2006, in an election that saw council members Joseph Lawver and Eileen Heinzel reelected.[12] He will complete the unexpired term of office through December 31, 2007, that was previously held by interim mayor James E. Benton. James Loper, the previous elected Mayor of Pennington, had resigned from office effective February 1, 2006. The Pennington Republican Committee nominated three candidates to take his place and the Council selected Benton from the three candidates to fill Loper's vacancy.[13] That same procedure was repeated on December 4, 2006, when the members of the Pennington Borough met to decide that, of three Democratic candidates, Diane Zompa would fill the unexpired term left by Persichilli.[14]
The Mayor of Pennington is Anthony Persichilli (D, term ends December 31, 2011). Members of the Borough Council are Council President Edwin "Weed" Tucker (D, 2008), Catherine Chandler (D, unexpired term to 2010), Glen Griffiths (D, unexpired term to 2008), Eileen Heinzel (D, 2009), Joseph Lawver (D, 2009) and Thomas Ogren (D, unexpired term to 2010).[15]
Federal, state and county representation
Pennington is in the Twelfth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 15th Legislative District.[16]
New Jersey's 12th congressional district, covering portions of Hunterdon County (8 municipalities), Mercer County (9), Middlesex County (12), Monmouth County (14) and Somerset County (1), is represented by Rush D. Holt Jr. (D).[17] 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 15th District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Shirley Turner (D, Lawrenceville) and in the Assembly by Reed Gusciora (D, Borough of Princeton) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D, Ewing Township).[18] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[19]
Mercer County has a County Executive form of government, in which the County Executive performs executive functions and a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders acts in a legislative capacity. As of 2008[update], the County Executive is Brian M. Hughes.[20] Members of the Board of Chosen Freeholders are elected at-large to serve three-year staggered terms, with a Freeholder Chair and Vice-Chair selected on an annual basis from among its members.[21] County Freeholders are Freeholder Chair Lucylle R. S. Walter (term ends December 31, 2008; Ewing Township), Freeholder Vice Chair Elizabeth Maher Muoio (2009; Pennington Borough), Ann M. Cannon (2009; East Windsor Township), Anthony P. Carabelli (2010; Trenton), Pasquale "Pat" Colavita, Jr. (2009; Lawrenceville), Keith V. Hamilton (2010; Hamilton Township) and Tony Mack (2008; Trenton).[22]
Education
Public school students in grades K through 12 attend the Hopewell Valley Regional School District, a comprehensive regional public school district serving nearly 4,000 students from Hopewell Borough (371 students), Hopewell Township (2,998 students) and Pennington Borough (497 students).
Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[23]) include four Elementary Schools (K-5) — Bear Tavern Elementary School with 532 students, Hopewell Elementary School with 522 students, Stony Brook Elementary School with 522 students, Toll Gate Grammar School with 310 students — Timberlane Middle School with 952 students in grades 6 -8, and Hopewell Valley Central High School, which has an enrollment of 1,152 students in grades 9 - 12.
The Pennington School (1838) is located within Pennington.
Transportation
Route 31 passes through Pennington, providing access to Interstate 95 at Exit 4. Additionally, Exit 3B along I-95 will take you to Scotch Road N, which provides access to all of Hopewell Township, Mercer County, New Jersey.The town is also home to a newly designated NJ Transit bus stop at the corner of South Main Street and West Delaware Avenue.
Community
- Pennington Day - typically in the middle of May, an annual event where local organizations and businesses set up booths in a street-fair style on Main Street. Complete with local music and a parade early in the day, and lasts until 4 pm.
Points of interest
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Pennington include:
References
- ^ a b 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 73.
- ^ Administration and Finance, Borough of Pennington. Accessed June 3, 2007.
- ^ USGS GNIS: Pennington, Geographic Names Information System, accessed June 3, 2007.
- ^ a b Census data for Pennington borough, United States Census Bureau. Accessed November 1, 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. 194.
- ^ "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.
- ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
- ^ Pennington Borough Form of Government, Pennington Borough. Accessed March 18, 2007.
- ^ Pennington keeps council, changes mayor, Pennington Post, November 8, 2006.
- ^ Pennington Borough Mayor Resigns, Hopewell Valley News, February 2, 2006.
- ^ Council complete, Pennington Post, December 7, 2006.
- ^ 2008 Elected Officials, Borough of Pennington. Accessed March 11, 2008.
- ^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 55. Accessed August 30, 2006.
- ^ Municipalities, Congressman Rush D. Holt Jr. Accessed June 29, 2008.
- ^ 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.
- ^ County Executive, Mercer County, New Jersey. Accessed March 11, 2008.
- ^ What is a Freeholder?, Mercer County, New Jersey. Accessed March 11, 2008.
- ^ Meet the Freeholders, Mercer County. Accessed March 11, 2008.
- ^ Data for the Hopewell Valley Regional School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed March 11, 2008.
- ^ Hoffman, Jan. " Public lives; A League President in the Dreams Business", The New York Times, May 26, 2000. Accessed March 28, 2008. "As a girl, thinking about what she would be when she grew up, Val Ackerman just assumed she'd be an athletic director.... When she was a teenager in Pennington, N.J., playing field hockey, swimming butterfly and freestyle, competing in track and field, and emerging as a star small forward in basketball, her father was her high school's athletic director."
- ^ Hawtree, Christopher. "Peter Benchley: He was fascinated by the sea, but his bestselling novel tapped into a primeval fear of the deep", The Guardian, February 14, 2006. Accessed August 18, 2008. "In 1971, he was asked by Tom Congdon, an editor at the publishers Doubleday, if he had anything in mind for a book, and he pitched this as a "long story"; he produced a hundred pages, and, with a $1000 advance, he reworked it steadily, holing up to do so, during the winter, in a room above the Pennington Furnace Supply Co in Pennington, New Jersey, and, by summer, in an old turkey coop at Stonnington, Connecticut."
- ^ Gomes, Jay. NJ pair sign with Seton Hall, NJHoops.com, November 14, 2002. Accessed September 16, 2007.
- ^ a b Bell, Jack. " Soccer; Father-and-Son Quality Time Comes to the MetroStars", The New York Times, April 14, 2004. Accessed October 8, 2007. . "Michael lives with his family in Pennington, N.J., but goes to workouts with Eddie Gaven, another promising young midfielder, behind the wheel."
- ^ Rebecca Hamm. "Locals to jam with Seal in Las Vegas", Foster's Daily Democrat, January 16, 2008.
- ^ "Corzine appoints new members to the state ethics commission" Office of the Governor, February 23, 2006. Accessed March 12, 2008.
External links
