Belvidere is a Town in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the town population was 2,771. It is the county seat of Warren County[5].
Belvidere was incorporated as a town by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 7, 1845, from portions of Oxford Township, based on the results of a referendum held that day.[6]
Belvidere is located in the eastern section of the Lehigh Valley.
Geography
Belvidere is located at 40°49′42″N 75°04′35″W / 40.828299°N 75.076496°W / 40.828299; -75.076496 (40.828299, -75.076496).[7]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.5 km2), of which, 1.3 square miles (3.4 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2) of it (1.48%) is water.
Dildine Island is located in the Delaware River approximately four miles north of Belvidere.
Demographics
| Historical populations |
| Census |
Pop. |
|
%± |
| 1930 |
2,073 |
|
—
|
| 1940 |
2,060 |
|
−0.6% |
| 1950 |
2,406 |
|
16.8% |
| 1960 |
2,636 |
|
9.6% |
| 1970 |
2,722 |
|
3.3% |
| 1980 |
2,475 |
|
−9.1% |
| 1990 |
2,669 |
|
7.8% |
| 2000 |
2,771 |
|
3.8% |
| Est. 2007 |
2,645 |
[1] |
−4.5% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[8] |
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 2,771 people, 1,088 households, and 716 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,091.7 people per square mile (810.5/km2). There were 1,165 housing units at an average density of 879.4/sq mi (340.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.02% White, 0.51% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.25% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.31% of the population.
There were 1,088 households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $52,792, and the median income for a family was $62,212. Males had a median income of $41,800 versus $31,444 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,231. About 1.3% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.4% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Local government
The Mayor of Belvidere is Charles J. Liegel, Sr. (D; term ends December 31, 2011). Members of the Town Council are Council President Robert Claussen (R; term ends 2007), Sylvia Dixon-McInerney (D; 2007), Desmond Fitzgerald (R; 2007), Marianne Meyer-Garcia (D; 2009), Benjamin Ritter (D; 2008), A. Morris Scott (R; 2008) and Howard Thompson (R; 2009).[9]
Federal, state and county representation
Belvidere is in the Fifth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 23rd Legislative District.[10]
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 Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
For the 2008-2009 Legislative Session, the 23rd District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Michael J. Doherty (R, Oxford Township). He was sworn in on November 23, 2009, after winning an election to fill the seat that had been vacated by Marcia A. Karrow, who had earlier been selected by a party convention to succeed Congressman Leonard Lance, who resigned from the Senate after his election to the U.S. House of Representatives.[11] The district is represented in the Assembly by John DiMaio (R, Hackettstown), who won a special convention on February 21, 2009.[12] The vacant Assembly seat will be filled on December 5, 2009, by a special convention of the district's Republican Party county committee members.[11] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[13]
Warren County is governed by a three-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. As of 2009[update], Warren County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Richard D. Gardner (term expires January 1, 2012), Freeholder Deputy Director Everett A. Chamberlain (January 1, 2010), and Freeholder Angelo Accetturo (November 3, 2009). Accetturo was selected to serve the remainder of the term of John DiMaio after DiMaio won a seat in the New Jersey General Assembly.[14]
Education
The Belvidere School District serves students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[15]) are Third Street School (Grades K-3; 143 students), Oxford Street Elementary School (Grades 4-8; 246 students) and Belvidere High School (grades 9-12; 577 students).
Students from Harmony Township, Hope Township and White Township attend Belvidere High School as part of sending/receiving relationships. The Belvidere High School County Seaters athletic teams play in the Raritan Division of the Skyland Conference.
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Belvidere include:
Places of interest
- Belvidere Cemetery
- Charlie Berry (October 18, 1902–September 6, 1972) - Major League Baseball catcher from 1925-1938; MLB umpire; NFL linesman.[19]
- Henry S. Harris (December 27, 1850–May 2, 1902) - U.S. Representative from New Jersey's 4th congressional district, 1881-83.[20]
- John Patterson Bryan Maxwell (September 3, 1804–November 14, 1845) - U.S. Representative from New Jersey at-large, 1837-39, 1841-43.[21]
- George M. Robeson (March 16, 1829–September 27, 1897) - New Jersey lawyer and politician who served as a Union general during the Civil War, and then as Secretary of the Navy during the Ulysses S. Grant presidency.
- Foul Rift, Delaware River rapids just south of Belvidere, New Jersey
References
- ^ a b Census data for Belvidere town, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 22, 2008.
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 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 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 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. 245.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
- ^ Town of Belvidere, Warren County, New Jersey. Accessed July 13, 2007.
- ^ 2008 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Votersp. 54, Accessed September 30, 2009.
- ^ a b Wichert, Bill. "Michael Doherty sworn in as new state senator representing Warren, Hunterdon counties", Warren County News, November 23, 2009. Accessed November 24, 2009.
- ^ Legislative Roster: 2008-2009 Session, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed June 6, 2008.
- ^ "About the Governor". New Jersey. http://www.nj.gov/governor/about/. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
- ^ "Board of Chosen Freeholders". Warren County, New Jersey. http://www.co.warren.nj.us/freeholders.html. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
- ^ Data for the Belvidere School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed June 19, 2008.
- ^ Henry Schenck Harris, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed September 3, 2007.
- ^ Joseph Johnson biography, United States Congress. Accessed June 14, 2007.
- ^ George Whitfield Scranton biography, United States Congress. Accessed June 14, 2007.
- ^ Charley Berry, Find A Grave. Accessed September 3, 2007.
- ^ Henry Schenck Harris, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed August 14, 2007.
- ^ John Patterson Bryan Maxwell, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed August 14, 2007.
External links
