Oakland is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 12,466.
Oakland was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 8, 1902, from portions of Franklin Township.[7]
Geography
Oakland is located at 41°01′44″N 74°14′14″W / 41.028884°N 74.237274°W / 41.028884; -74.237274 (41.028884, -74.237274).[8][page needed]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 8.8 square miles (22.7 km2), of which, 8.6 square miles (22.3 km2) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km2) of it (1.71%) is water.
Demographics
| Historical populations |
| Census |
Pop. |
|
%± |
| 1900 |
479 |
|
—
|
| 1910 |
568 |
|
18.6% |
| 1920 |
497 |
|
−12.5% |
| 1930 |
735 |
|
47.9% |
| 1940 |
932 |
|
26.8% |
| 1950 |
1,817 |
|
95.0% |
| 1960 |
9,446 |
|
419.9% |
| 1970 |
14,420 |
|
52.7% |
| 1980 |
13,443 |
|
−6.8% |
| 1990 |
11,997 |
|
−10.8% |
| 2000 |
12,466 |
|
3.9% |
| Est. 2007 |
13,400 |
[3] |
7.5% |
| Population 1900 - 1990.[9][10] |
As of the census[4][page needed] of 2000, there were 12,466 people, 4,255 households, and 3,565 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,448.9 people per square mile (559.7/km2). There were 4,345 housing units at an average density of 505.0/sq mi (195.1/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 94.76% White, 0.78% African American, 0.06% Native American, 2.70% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.70% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.87% of the population.
There were 4,255 households out of which 39.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.4% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.2% were non-families. 12.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the borough the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $86,629, and the median income for a family was $93,695. Males had a median income of $62,336 versus $41,092 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $35,252. About 0.9% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Local government
Oakland 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 and only votes 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.[11]
The Mayor of the Borough of Oakland is John Szabo. The members of the Oakland Borough Council are Council President Frank DiPentima (R, 2008), Donald Burns (R, 2010), Karen Marcalus (R, 2010), Pat Pignatelli (R, 2009), Elizabeth Stagg (R, 2008) and Chris Visconti (R, 2009).[12][13]
In elections held on November 6, 2007, 39% of registered voters turned out to fill a four-year term for mayor and two three-year seats on the Borough Council, and voted on a local ballot proposal. Republican incumbent mayor John P. Szabo (1,672 votes) won a second term in office, defeating Democratic challenger Linda Schwager (1,567). Republican incumbents Karen F. Marcalus (1,780) and Donald T. Burns (1,636) were re-elected to the council, ahead of Democrats David Skoblar (1,439) and Pasquale Tirri (1,420). By a margin of 1,652 to 1,060, voters rejected a ballot initiative that would have doubled the Open Space Trust Fund contribution to 2 cents per $100 of assessed property value.[14][15][16]
On Election Day, November 7, 2006, voters filled two three-year seats on the Borough Council and a one-year unexpired term in office. As of Election Day, the Mayor and Council were all Republicans, in a community in which registered Republicans outnumbered Democrats by a 2-1 margin. Republican candidates swept the table, with Pasquale Pignatelli (2,446 votes) and Christopher Visconti (2,347) elected to three-year terms, defeating Democrats John P. Biale (2,056) and Cynthia Celentano Maguire (1,986). Incumbent Republican Karen Marcalus (2,527) was elected to serve the remaining year of the unexpired term, defeating Janet R. McPhee (1,863).[17][18][19]
There are three firehouses located in Oakland. The central station is located on Yawpo Avenue just off Ramapo Valley Road in downtown Oakland. There is one police station and it is located on Ramapo Valley Road across from the intersection with Walnut Street.
Federal, state and county representation
Oakland is in the Fifth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 40th Legislative District.[20]
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 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).[21] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[22]
Bergen County's County Executive is Dennis McNerney (D).[23] 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).[24]
Other countywide elected officials are Sheriff Leo McGuire (D), Surrogate Court Judge Mike Dressler (D, Cresskill) and County Clerk Kathleen Donovan (R, Rutherford).[25]
oakland has many nationalities like crackers, chocolates, yellows, rednecks, gingers and gianluigis.
Education
Students in grades K through 8 attend the Oakland Public Schools. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[26]) are three K-5 elementary schools — Dogwood Hill School (291 students), Heights Elementary School (433 students) and Manito Elementary School (413 students) — and Valley Middle School which serves grades 6 - 8 (559 students).
Public school students in grades 9 - 12 attend the schools of the Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District, a regional district consisting of two four-year public high schools serving students from Franklin Lakes, Oakland and Wyckoff. Students have the option to attend either Indian Hills High School in Oakland or Ramapo High School in Franklin Lakes.[27]
Private schools include Barnstable Academy, located in a business and industrial park off Long Hill Road; The New Jersey Japanese School, located next to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church; and The Gerrard Berman Day School (Solomon Schechter of North Jersey) located on Spruce Street.
Awards
Oakland was ranked by Business Week as #43 on its list of "Great Places to Raise Kids -- for Less", with only two places deemed better than Oakland: Matawan (12th) and Echelon near Philadelphia (4th). The criteria were test scores in math and reading, number of schools, cost of living, recreational and cultural activities, and risk of crime.[28]
Transportation
Major roads through Oakland include Interstate 287, Route 208 and U.S. Route 202. There is no commuter rail service in Oakland, though commuter bus service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City is available from Coach USA. New Jersey Transit bus service is also available on a limited basis via the 752 line (Oakland to Hackensack via Ridgewood).[29] A freight rail line does run through Oakland.
Newark Liberty International Airport provides scheduled air service.
Media
Radio station WVNJ is licensed to Oakland.
The Oakland Journal is an online hyper-local news source that covers local political, civic and social events.[30]
History
From the 1940s through the end of the 1960s a summer bungalow colony was developed in a valley in West Oakland on the Ramapo River. This was a refuge for a close-knit group of several score families from the summer heat of New York City and urban New Jersey. During the summer months the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad maintained a “West Oakland” passenger station. This colony was located on the road between Oakland and Pompton Lakes, near a training camp for boxers. In the early morning, it was not unusual to see Joe Louis or Sugar Ray Robinson, among others, running past the summer homes.
Corporate residents
Russ Berrie and Company, Inc., once headquartered in Oakland, is a major manufacturer of teddy bears and other gift products, including stuffed animals, baby gifts, soft baby toys and development toys as well as picture, candles, figurines and home fragrance products. There are a few industrial parks in Oakland, the biggest of which is off Long Hill Road near the Franklin Lakes border. Russ Berrie and Company has since moved to Wayne, NJ.
Commerce
Oakland offers a diverse amount of shopping. The downtown core is centered around Ramapo Valley Road (U.S. Route 202) in between Oak Street and Franklin Avenue. The Copper Tree Mall (a strip mall with a small indoor section) is one of the dominant retail locations. As part of the current Mayor's plan,(Szabo), to help the downtown,a Walgreens has opened. On the same location, a Columbia Bank and a Starbucks has opened recently. This new mini-mall is on the corner of Ramapo Valley road (Rt.202) and West Oakland Ave. These new locations have helped to increase traffic in what was once a more quiet community.
Recreation
There are a number of municipal recreational facilities in Oakland. The largest is a recreational area located off Oak Street, known to residents simply as the "Rec Field," which is home to nine baseball and softball fields, six tennis courts, a roller hockey rink, basketball courts, and other facilities. New Jersey's Ramapo Mountain State Forest is located in Oakland and can be accessed from Skyline Drive just north of its interchange with I-287.
References
- ^ Borough Hall, Borough of Oakland. Accessed November 29, 2007.
- ^ USGS GNIS: Borough of Oakland, Geographic Names Information System, accessed November 29, 2007.
- ^ a b Census data for Oakland, United States Census Bureau. Accessed October 9, 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.
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 82.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Historical Population Trends in Bergen County (1900 - 2000), Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed December 23, 2007.
- ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
- ^ 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 169.
- ^ Mayor & Council, Borough of Oakland. Accessed January 14, 2008.
- ^ "County of Bergen: 2008 County and Municipal Directory", Bergen County, New Jersey, p. 55. Accessed July 5, 2008.
- ^ "Oakland municipal elections", The Record (Bergen County), November 3, 2007. Accessed November 29, 2007.
- ^ "Oakland election results", The Record (Bergen County), November 6, 2007. Accessed November 29, 2007.
- ^ Bergen County election results, The Record (Bergen County), November 7, 2007. Accessed November 10, 2007.
- ^ Oakland Election Guide, The Record (Bergen County), November 1, 2006.
- ^ Oakland Election Results, The Record (Bergen County), November 8, 2006.
- ^ Bergen County 2006 General Election Results, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed February 1, 2007.
- ^ 2008 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 62. 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.
- ^ Data for the Oakland Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed May 23, 2008.
- ^ Van Dusen, Matthew. "Ramapo-Indian Hills schools chief to retire.", The Record (Bergen County), October 24, 2007. "Later, parents of Oakland students protested their lack of choice, and students in Wyckoff, Franklin Lakes and Oakland can now attend either school."
- ^ MacMillan, Douglas. "Great Places to Raise Kids -- for Less", Business Week, November 16, 2007. Accessed May 23, 2008.
- ^ Bergen County Bus/Rail Connections, New Jersey Transit. Accessed July 3, 2007.
- ^ The Oakland Journal. Accessed May 23, 2008.
External links
