Stockton is a Borough in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 560.
Stockton was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 14, 1898, from portions of Delaware Township.[8][9]
Geography
Stockton is located at 40°24′24″N 74°58′39″W / 40.406701°N 74.977546°W / 40.406701; -74.977546 (40.406701, -74.977546).[10]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2), of which, 0.6 square miles (1.4 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km2) of it (10.00%) is water.
Stockton borders Delaware Township in New Jersey. The Centre Bridge-Stockton Bridge, a free bridge over the Delaware River, owned and operated by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, connects Pennsylvania Route 32 and Pennsylvania Route 263 in Solebury Township, Pennsylvania to Route 29 in Stockton. The original bridge, constructed at the site formerly known as Reading's Ferry, was opened to traffic in the spring of 1814. The covered bridge was destroyed in a flood on January 8, 1841, striking the Lambertville Bridge on its way down the Delaware, as part of a flood that severely damaged every bridge between Easton, Pennsylvania and Trenton.[9]
Demographics
| Historical populations |
| Census |
Pop. |
|
%± |
| 1930 |
556 |
|
—
|
| 1940 |
478 |
|
−14.0% |
| 1950 |
488 |
|
2.1% |
| 1960 |
520 |
|
6.6% |
| 1970 |
619 |
|
19.0% |
| 1980 |
643 |
|
3.9% |
| 1990 |
629 |
|
−2.2% |
| 2000 |
560 |
|
−11.0% |
| Est. 2006 |
555 |
[4] |
−0.9% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[11] |
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 560 people, 246 households, and 148 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,026.5 people per square mile (393.1/km2). There were 258 housing units at an average density of 472.9/sq mi (181.1/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.57% White, 0.89% Asian, and 0.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.54% of the population.
There were 246 households out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the borough the population was spread out with 21.3% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 34.5% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $51,406, and the median income for a family was $65,000. Males had a median income of $42,083 versus $36,250 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $25,712. About 1.3% of families and 2.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 1.0% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Stockton 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]
The Mayor of Stockton Borough is Stephen Giocondo. Members of the Borough Council are Constance Bassett, Jeffrey Casaletto, Neal Esposito, Michael Hagerty and Craig Smith.[2]
Federal, state and county representation
Stockton Borough is in the Twelfth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 23rd Legislative District.[12]
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).[13] 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 Marcia A. Karrow (R, Raritan Township). She was sworn in on February 9, 2009 after winning a special election convention for the right to succeed Congressman Leonard Lance, who resigned from the Senate after his election to the U.S. House of Representatives. The district is represented in the Assembly by Michael J. Doherty (R, Oxford Township) and John DiMaio (R, Hackettstown), who won a special convention on February 21, 2009.[14] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[15]
Hunterdon County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, who serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis. As of 2008[update], Hunterdon County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Erik Peterson (Milford), Freeholder Deputy Director William Mennen (Tewksbury Township), Matt Holt (Clinton Town), George B. Melick (Tewksbury Township) and Ronald Sworen (Frenchtown).[16]
Education
The Stockton Borough School District serves public school students in preschool through eighth grade. The Stockton Borough School had an enrollment of 45 students as of the 2005-06 school year.[17]
Public school students in grade 7 - 12 attend the South Hunterdon Regional High School, part of the South Hunterdon Regional High School District, which serves over 300 students in southern Hunterdon County. Students from Lambertville, Stockton and West Amwell Township attend the high school, which is located in Lambertville.[18]
History
Stockton is located along the Delaware River north of Lambertville. The community was first known as Reading Ferry and laster as Howell's Ferry. The name was changed to Centre Bridge Station to match the name of the post office and hamlet on the Pennsylvania side of the river. The name became Stockton with the creation of a local post office in 1851. The Borough was incorporated in 1898, having been separated from Delaware Township.[2]
Historic locations and sightseeing
The Prallsville Grist Mill
The tiny town remains today as it was in the eighteenth century. for all its small size and charm, the town is presided over by an old inn. The Stockton Inn (formally known as Colligan's Stockton Inn), established in 1710, is the inn that was immortalized by Richard Rodgers in the song "There's a small hotel with a wishing well", sung in the Broadway play On Your Toes. The inn was first built as a private residence and is believed to have been converted in 1832. Now, The Stockton Inn is a restaurant with fireside dining in the Winter, and outdoor dining in the Spring and Summer. The Stockton Inn had been closed for quite some time during the past year or so because the inn was being sold, but was recently bought by Fred Strackhouse and is now up and running again.
The Delaware River Mill Society was formed to preserve and promote the buildings and site known as the Prallsville Mills. John Prall, Jr., became the owner of the site in 1794 and with his settlement the area became known as Prallsville. [19]
The Delaware River Mill Society is a private non- profit organization responsible for the restoration, maintenance, and operation of the historic John Prall Jr. House and the Prallsville Mills Complex, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The entire property became part of the D & R Canal State Park in 1973. In 1976 when the State of New Jersey was unable to fund the restoration of its newly acquired Prallsville Mills, local citizens formed Delaware River Mill Society, to “restore, preserve, operate, maintain and interpret” the historic site. The Mill Society's mission is to save a segment of our past and make it a part of today's community. The Mill has become a place of cultural and environmental events attracting wide spread participation. Concerts, art exhibitions, antique shows, holiday parties, school fund-raiser auctions, meetings, as well as private parties, are a source of income for restoration and maintenance of the site. The site currently includes artist Ty Hodanish's studio and gallery, known as The Art Colony, which is housed in the Linseed Mill. The Mill is also situated in the center of the Delaware River Scenic Byway.
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Stockton include:
- JP Miller (1919-2001), a leading writer of teleplays during the Golden Age of Television.[20]
References
- ^ a b 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 103.
- ^ a b c Stockton Borough, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Accessed July 31, 2008. Source lists only five council members as of date accessed.
- ^ USGS GNIS: Borough of Stockton, Geographic Names Information System, accessed April 16, 2007.
- ^ a b Census data for Stockton borough, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 5, 2007.
- ^ 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. 157
- ^ a b Stockton Borough History, accessed August 6, 2006
- ^ "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.
- ^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 64. 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.
- ^ Hunterdon County Board of Chosen Freeholders, accessed February 22, 2008.
- ^ Data for the Stockton Borough School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed June 18, 2008.
- ^ South Hunterdon Regional High School 2006 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 17, 2008. "Nestled in the lush, green fields of beautiful, historic southern Hunterdon County, South Hunterdon Regional High School is comprised of students in grades 7 – 12 from the municipalities of Lambertville, Stockton and West Amwell."
- ^ Buck's County Herald Area Guidebook, accessed November 11, 2007
- ^ J. P. Miller , James A. Michener Art Museum. Accessed September 5, 2007.
External links
