Totowa

Totowa, New Jersey
—  Borough  —
Map of Totowa in Passaic County. Inset: Location of Passaic County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Totowa, New Jersey
Coordinates: 40°54′17″N 74°13′19″W / 40.90472°N 74.22194°W / 40.90472; -74.22194
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Passaic
Incorporated	March 15, 1898
Government [1]
- Type	Borough (New Jersey)
- Mayor	John Coiro
Area
- Total	4.0 sq mi (10.5 km2)
- Land	4.0 sq mi (10.4 km2)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation [2]	295 ft (90 m)
Population (2007)[3]
- Total	10,602
- Density	2,474.8/sq mi (955.5/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	07511-07512
Area code(s)	973
FIPS code	34-73140[4][5]
GNIS feature ID	0885420[6]
Website	http://www.TotowaNJ.org

Totowa (pronounced /ˈtotəwə/) is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 9,892.

Totowa was formed as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 15, 1898, from portions of the now-defunct Manchester Township and Wayne Township.^[7]

Geography

Totowa is located at 40°54′12″N 74°13′3″W / 40.90333°N 74.2175°W / 40.90333; -74.2175 (40.903348, -74.217638)^[8].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 4.1 square miles (10.5 km²), of which, 4.0 square miles (10.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.23%) is water.

History

In 1696, George Willocks, a shrewd Scottish land speculator, purchased a tract of land kown as Willock's Patent, which included most of modern day Totowa Borough. Located in the western part of Manchester Township, Willocks Patent was resold to Anthony Brockholls and the Van Houtens. The land was titled the "Totowa Patent," and divided into three parcels. The "Totowa Patent" and land acquired through the "Garret Mountain Purchase" included modern day Totowa, Woodland Park (formerly West Paterson), and Little Falls. In 1895, residents of the Southern section of Manchester Township began to become disenchanted with governing officials, and following the election of 1896, many municipalites were formed. The formation of the Borough of Totowa was discussed at the Willard Park Hotel on Totowa Ave., and headed by brothers Joseph and Robert Boyle. On March 15, 1898, the Borough of Totowa was officially incorporated under Chapter 56 of the Laws of New Jersey, signed by Governor John Griggs. On April 12, 1898, the first election of the Borough of Totowa was held at the Willard Park Hotel, which would become the unofficial town hall, until the Municipal building was completed in 1910.^[9]

Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 9,892 people, 3,539 households, and 2,643 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,474.8 people per square mile (954.8/km²). There were 3,630 housing units at an average density of 908.2/sq mi (350.4/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 93.40% White, 1.12% African American, 0.02% Native American, 2.26% Asian, 1.97% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.37% of the population.

As of the 2000 census, 37.2% of town residents were of Italian ancestry, the seventh-highest percentage of any municipality in the United States, and second-highest in New Jersey (behind Hammonton, at 45.9%), among all places with more than 1,000 residents identifying their ancestry.^[11]

There were 3,539 households out of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.3% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the borough the population was spread out with 18.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $60,408, and the median income for a family was $69,354. Males had a median income of $44,462 versus $33,869 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $26,561. About 0.8% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Totowa 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 Totowa is John Coiro.^[12] Members of the Totowa Borough Council are Louis D’Angelo, Arlene Festa, Jim Niland, Philip Puglise, Hubert (Hughie) Vickerilla and Councilman John Waryas.^[13]

Federal, state and county representation

Totowa is part of New Jersey's 35th Legislative District and is in the Eighth Congressional District.^[14]

New Jersey's Eighth Congressional District, covering the southern portion of Passaic County and northern sections of Essex County, is represented by Bill Pascrell Jr. (D, Paterson). 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 35th District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by John Girgenti (D, Hawthorne) and in the Assembly by Elease Evans (D, Paterson) and Nellie Pou (D, North Haledon).^[15] The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham).^[16] The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).^[17]

Passaic County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, who are elected to staggered three-year terms on an at-large basis, with two or three seats coming up for election each year.^[18] As of 2008^[update], Passaic County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Sonia Rosado (2009, Ringwood), Freeholder Deputy Director Tahesha Way (2009, Wayne), Terry Duffy (2010, West Milford), Elease Evans (2008, Paterson), James Gallagher (2009, Paterson) Bruce James (2008, Clifton) and Pat Lepore (2010, Woodland Park).^[19]

Transportation

Totowa is located on several major roadways, including Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 46. Nearby roadways include New Jersey Route 23, New Jersey Route 3, and the Garden State Parkway. Totowa is also criss-crossed by several Passaic County Routes, including NJ 62, CR 632, CR 642, and CR 644

Education

Public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade are educated by the Totowa Borough Public Schools. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics^[20]) are Memorial School which houses students in prekindergarten through second grade (506 students) and Washington Park School for grades three through eight (437).

For grades 9 - 12, students in public school attend Passaic Valley Regional High School. The regional public high school serves students from Little Falls, Totowa, and Woodland Park (formerly West Paterson). The school facility is located in Little Falls Township.^[21]

Also located in Totowa is The Academy of St. Francis of Assisi, a Catholic school that is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson.

Emergency Services

Police

The Borough of Totowa Police Department (TBPD), located within the Totowa Municipal Building on Totowa Road, is responsible for law enforcement.

Fire

The Totowa Fire Department (TBFD) is an entirely volunteer fire department and was established in April, 1908 The TBFD consists of four "companies," which include; Volunteer Fire Company #1 (1908), Lincoln Fire Company (1908), Riverview Fire Company #3 (1925), and Fire Rescue Company #4 (1955). The TBFD currently consists of 98 volunteer firefighters.^[22]

Ambulance

The Borough of Totowa First Aid Squad was founded in 1951 to provide a free, volunteer based service to the residents of Totowa. The Borough of Totowa First Aid Squad Auxiliary was also formed to help raise funds to support and benefit the first aid squad.

Office of Emergency Management

The Borough of Totowa OEM is responsible for organizing, aiding, and providing emergency response units in the case of a "state of local disaster emergency." ^[23] The OEM recruits volunteers of various disciplines to respond to local disasters and collaborates with both county and state officials in the event of a disaster. Municipalites may also collaborate, and are in the process of instituting a mutli-town Incident Command System (ICS).^[24]

Sports

Recreational sports are offered through The Totowa Police Athletic League (P.A.L.), a volunteer organization that offers several sports to the children of Totowa from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade. Established in 1952, the P.A.L. strives to provide children throughout the borough with the fellowship of sports. These sports include baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, football, hockey, and cheerleading. Although the Totowa P.A.L. is independent from the Borough of Totowa, it uses fields and facilities owned by the municipality. Meetings, registrations, and events are held at the P.A.L. building, built in 1963 and located on Chamberlain Ave.

In 1961-62, the New York Gladiators of the ill-fated National Bowling League rolled its home matches at "Gladiator Arena", a converted movie theatre in Totowa.

Points of interest

• Annie's Road is a section of Riverview Drive between Totowa Road and Union Boulevard, which is said to be haunted by a "Lady in White".^{[citation needed]}
• Dey Mansion is a colonial house where General George Washington took residence during the Revolutionary War. The house gives tours of all the artifacts and furniture left there and has a genuine blacksmith shop that makes clothes hooks and horse shoes for visitors. It is located on 199 Totowa Road, Wayne. Even though located in Wayne, Totowa residents believe that it is truly located in Totowa because it is barely past the border of the two towns.^[25]
• Totowa is home to four major luxury home developments: Dey Hill Farms, Arlington Estates, Jeremy Heights, and Hickory Hill. Dey Hill Farms, the largest of the developments was started in 1974 and received its name from The Dey Mansion located down the road. The development has seen much enhancement since 1974, with the additions of Columbus Avenue, Flintlock Court, Liberty Ridge Extension, Centennial Court and Mountainview Court. A large tract of build-able land known as "The Boonstra Parcel" still remains undeveloped.
• Totowa is home to the North Jersey Developmental Center, which serves 400 developmentally disabled citizens on its 188-acre (0.76 km²) campus.
• There are more dead people than living in Totowa. This is due to the four major cemeteries in Totowa: Holy Sepulchre Roman Catholic Cemetery, Laurel Grove Cemetery,^[26] Laurel Grove Memorial Park, and Mount Nebo Jewish Cemetery. There is also a old, landlocked Jewish cemetery that is located on the side of Interstate 80 and owned by The Jewish Federation of North Jersey.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Totowa include:

• Plaxico Burress (born 1977), former wide receiver for the New York Giants.^[27]
• Lou Duva (born 1922), boxing trainer, along with his promoter sons, Dan and Dino, are from here.^[28] Their offices remain in town.
• David Diehl (born 1980), offensive lineman for the New York Giants.^{[citation needed]}
• Ralph J. Marra, Jr. (born 1953), Acting United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey since December 2008.^[29]
• John Spencer (1946-2005), actor best known for his work on The West Wing ^[30]
• Floyd Vivino (born 1951) Entertainer and Host of the Uncle Floyd Show

References

External links

• Totowa Borough web site
• Totowa Public Schools website
• Totowa Borough Public Schools's 2007–08 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
• Data for the Totowa Borough Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics
• Passaic Valley Regional High School
• Boro of Totowa First Aid Squad
• TotowaStuff.com: Totowa, New Jersey's First Interactive Community Website
• Photographic Memoir; The Totowa Book of the Dead, Laurie Giardino
• St. James of the Marches
• Totowa P.A.L. website
• Passaic Valley Today, Newspaper

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