Cresskill is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 7,746. The town got its name from the watercress that grew in its streams, or "kills".[8]
Cresskill was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 8, 1894, from portions of Palisades Township at the height of the "Boroughitis" phenomenon then sweeping through Bergen County. A portion of the borough was annexed by Alpine in 1904.[9] [10]
Cresskill was the home of Camp Merritt, the major debarkation point for more than a million American troops being sent abroad to fight in World War I. A large obelisk memorial (referred to by locals as "The Monument"[11]) was dedicated in 1924, set in the middle of the Camp Merritt Memorial Circle at the intersection of Madison Avenue and Knickerbocker Road (CR 505), to commemorate the fact.[12]
Geography
Cresskill is located at 40°56′31″N 73°57′54″W / 40.942074°N 73.965049°W / 40.942074; -73.965049 (40.942074, -73.965049).[13]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.5 km2), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 7,746 people, 2,630 households, and 2,161 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,625.9 people per square mile (1,397.5/km2). There were 2,702 housing units at an average density of 1,264.8/sq mi (487.5/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 78.05% White, 0.92% African American, 0.04% Native American, 18.64% Asian, 0.65% from other races, and 1.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.99% of the population.
There were 2,630 households out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.1% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.8% were non-families. 15.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.26.
In the borough the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $84,692, and the median income for a family was $96,245. Males had a median income of $61,194 versus $38,990 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $41,573. About 1.7% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Local government
Cresskill 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. 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]
As of 2008[update], the Mayor of the Borough of Cresskill is Benedict Romeo (R, term ends December 31, 2011). Members of the Cresskill Borough Council are W. Keith Brassel (R, 2010), John Brennan (R, 2010), James Cleary (R, 2008), John McCann (R, 2008), Kathy Savas (R, 2009) and Thomas W. Thomasma (R, 2009).[2][16]
In the 2008 General Election, Republicans ran unopposed with incumbent James Cleary (1,724 votes) and his running mate, newcomer Hector Olmo (1,757), winning three-year terms of office.[17]
In elections held on November 6, 2007, voters filled an open mayoral seat and two seats on the borough council. Incumbent Republicans ran unopposed for all three seats, with Mayor Benedict Romeo (831 votes) and Councilmembers W. Keith Brassel (828) and John Brennan (800) all wining re-election.[18][19]
Election Day, November 7, 2006, saw very close results in initial returns for the two open seats on the now all-Republican Borough Council, with fewer than 100 votes separating the four candidates. In final voting results, Democratic Party challenger Kathleen W. Savas (1,194 votes) and incumbent Thomas W. Thomasma (1,170) won the seats. Incumbent Republican Carolyn Schultz came in third (1,115) and was in turn trailed by just nine votes by Savas' running mate, Louis M. Laurita (1,106). [20][21][22]
Federal, state and county representation
Cresskill is in the Fifth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 39th Legislative District.[23]
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 39th District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Gerald Cardinale (R, Demarest) and in the Assembly by John E. Rooney (R, Northvale) and Charlotte Vandervalk (R, Hillsdale).[24] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[25]
Bergen County's County Executive is Dennis McNerney (D).[26] The executive, along with the seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders administer all county business. As of 2008[update], Bergen County's Freeholders are Chairman James M. Carroll (D, Demarest), Vice-Chairwoman Julie O'Brien (D, Ramsey), Elizabeth Calabrese (D, Wallington), David L. Ganz (D, Fair Lawn), Bernadette P. McPherson (D, Rutherford), Tomas J. Padilla (D, Park Ridge) and Vernon Walton (D, Englewood).[27]
Other countywide elected officials are Sheriff Leo McGuire (D), Surrogate Court Judge Mike Dressler (D, Cresskill) and County Clerk Kathleen Donovan (R, Rutherford).[28]
Politics
As of Election Day, November 4, 2008, there were 4,684 registered voters. Of registered voters, 1,266 (27.0% of all registered voters) were registered as Democrats, 1,237 (26.4%) were registered as Republicans and 2,178 (46.5%) were registered as Undeclared. There were three voters registered to other parties.[29]
On the national level, Cresskill is almost evenly split. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 50.2% of the vote here, defeating Republican John McCain, who received 48.9% of the vote, with 78.5% of registered voters participating.[29] In the 2004 election, Republican George W. Bush received 50% of the vote in Cresskill, narrowly edging Democrat John Kerry, who received around 49%.[30]
Education
The Cresskill Public Schools serve students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[31]) are Edward H. Bryan School with 520 students grades K-5, Merritt Memorial School with 335 students in grades K-5 and Cresskill High School with 750 students in grades 6-12. St. Therese, a Catholic school, has 225 students. They serve grades from preschool to 8th grade.
Cresskill High School ranked 93rd in the nation according to Newsweek's 2005 rankings, and 15th statewide in 2006. Cresskill also has successful sports teams, notably in volleyball, football, softball, basketball, and girls soccer.
Transportation
The New Jersey Transit 166 bus route provides service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, and local service is available on the 753 route.[32]
Bus service to Rockland County and the George Washington Bridge and 42 st Terminals in NYC is also provided by Rockland Coaches routes 84, 20, and 14.[33]
County Route 505 and County Route 501 travel through Cresskill.
Famous residents and natives
Notable current and former residents and natives of Cresskill include:
- Mary J. Blige (born 1971), R&B singer [34][35]
- David Broza (born 1955), Israeli singer-songwriter.[36]
- Rick Cerone (born 1954), former catcher for the New York Yankees.[37]
- Lynn Chen (born 1976), actress, who has appeared on All My Children.[38]
- Halim El-Dabh (born 1921), Egyptian-born composer who made Cresskill his home in the early 1960s.[39]
- Bobby Hebb (born 1941), singer; recorded the hit song Sunny.
- Robert Bruce Merrifield (1921-2006), biochemist and winner of 1984 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.[40]
- Sherrill Milnes (born 1935), operatic baritone.[citation needed]
- Mike Piazza (born 1968), Baseball player.
- Gary Wright (born 1943), singer best known for his song "Dream Weaver".[41]
- Johnny Damon Left-field for the New York Yankees.
- Betsy Markey (born in Cresskill in 1956), U.S. House of Representatives (CO-4)
- Brendan Wengerter (born in Cresskill in 1991), High school football player
References
- ^ a b 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 165.
- ^ a b "County of Bergen: 2008 County and Municipal Directory", Bergen County, New Jersey, p. 38. Accessed July 3, 2008.
- ^ USGS GNIS: Cresskill, Geographic Names Information System, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ^ a b Census data for Cresskill, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 8, 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.
- ^ If You're Thinking of Living In/Cresskill; High-Cost Housing, Quality Services, The New York Times by Jerry Cheslow, October 16, 1994
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 80.
- ^ "History of Bergen County" Vol. 1, p. 347.
- ^ "Borough of Cresskill - Monument". http://www.cresskillboro.com/Cit-e-Access/webpage.cfm?TID=91&TPID=9131. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
- ^ Rondinaro, Gene. "Start-Up Buyer Oasis in Affluent Bergen", The New York Times, January 19, 1997. Accessed September 8, 2008. "Utilizing the newly built railroad connections to New York, more than one million American soldiers passed through the camp before it was disbanded in 1920. In 1924, the Camp Merritt Memorial Obelisk at the traffic circle connecting Knickerbocker Road and Madison Avenue -- better known to residents as the Monument -- was dedicated to those troops by Gen. John J. Pershing."
- ^ "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.
- ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
- ^ Historical Population Trends in Bergen County (1900 - 2000), Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed December 23, 2007.
- ^ Borough of Cresskill Public Officials, Borough of Cresskill. Accessed January 2, 2007.
- ^ Staff. "County, town races across Bergen County", The Record (Bergen County), November 5, 2008. Accessed November 6, 2008.
- ^ "Cresskill municipal elections", The Record (Bergen County), October 25, 2007. Accessed November 22, 2007.
- ^ Bergen County election results, The Record (Bergen County), November 7, 2007. Accessed November 10, 2007.
- ^ "Election 2006: Municipal Results", The Record (Bergen County), November 8, 2006.
- ^ Cresskill Election Guide, The Record (Bergen County), November 8, 2006.
- ^ Bergen County 2006 General Election Results, accessed February 1, 2007.
- ^ 2008 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 56. Accessed September 30, 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.
- ^ Bergen County Executive, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed January 11, 2009.
- ^ Freeholder Home Page, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed January 11, 2009.
- ^ Constitutional Officers, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed January 11, 2009.
- ^ a b 2008 General Election Results for Cresskill, The Record (Bergen County). Accessed November 7, 2008.
- ^ 2004 Presidential Election results: Bergen County New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety: Division of Elections, dated December 13, 2004
- ^ Data for the Cresskill Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed March 6, 2008.
- ^ Routes by County: Bergen County, New Jersey Transit. Accessed September 9, 2008.
- ^ Coach USA.com
- ^ Rappers making the move to Bergen County, The Record (Bergen County), October 10, 2005
- ^ Century, Douglas. "Alpine, N.J., Home of Hip-Hop Royalty", The New York Times, February 11, 2007
- ^ Leichman, Joseph. "A Chava Alberstein and David Broza experience: Israeli Megastars head for Englewood", Jewish Standard, March 1, 2007. Accessed November 28, 2007. "Broza lived in Cresskill for 17 years, and he will return to New Jersey when he plays with Alberstein at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood tomorrow night."
- ^ Smith, Claire. "Cerone Is Happy to Join Mets After Weak Year With Yanks", The New York Mets, January 22, 1991. Accessed January 2, 2008. "I wanted to play for the Mets ... I wanted to play for a contender. And I wanted to stay close to home."
- ^ Chang, Althea D. "Asian American and Female in American Television and Films: Lynn Chen from All My Children", Asian Diversity. Accessed September 30, 2007. "As a young student in Cresskill, NJ, she was defined by her acting, so she eventually wanted to try something new."
- ^ Seachrist, Denise A. (2003). The Musical World of Halim El-Dabh. Kent, Ohio, United States: Kent State University Press, p. 95.
- ^ Petkewich, Rachel. "Nobel Laureate R. Bruce Merrifield Dies At 84", Chemical & Engineering News, May 23, 2006. Accessed May 9, 2007. "Robert Bruce Merrifield, a biochemist who won the 1984 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for a method he named solid-phase peptide synthesis, died on May 14 at his home in Cresskill, N.J., after a long illness. He was 84."
- ^ "MUSIC NOTES", The Star-Ledger, November 16, 2000, p. 71. "Wright returns. Singer-songwriter-keyboardist Gary Wright, who grew up in Cresskill and went to Tenafly High School, will perform in New York tonight for the first time in 20 years."
Sources
- "History of Bergen County, New Jersey, 1630-1923;" by "Westervelt, Frances A. (Frances Augusta), 1858-1942."
- "Municipal Incorporations of the State of New Jersey (according to Counties)" prepared by the Division of Local Government, Department of the Treasury (New Jersey); December 1, 1958.
External links
