Bergenfield, New Jersey

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Bergenfield, New Jersey
nickname =
motto =


imagesize =
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mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Map highlighting Bergenfield's location within Bergen County. Inset: Bergen County's location within New Jersey


mapsize1 = 250x200px
map_caption1 = Census Bureau map of Bergenfield, New Jersey
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_name1 = New Jersey
subdivision_name2 = Bergen
government_type = Borough
settlement_type = Borough
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Timothy J. Driscoll (2011)
leader_title1 = Administrator
leader_name1 = Catherine Navarro-Steinel
established_title = Incorporated
established_date = June 25, 1894
area_magnitude =
area_total_sq_mi = 2.9
area_total_km2 = 7.5
area_land_sq_mi = 2.9
area_land_km2 = 7.5
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_urban_sq_mi =
area_urban_km2 =
area_metro_sq_mi =
area_metro_km2 =
population_as_of = 2007
population_footnotes =
population_total = 25826
population_metro =
population_urban =
population_density_km2 = 3,494.5
population_density_sq_mi = 9,065.4
timezone = U.S. Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = U.S. EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
latd = 40 |latm = 55 |lats = 25 |latNS = N
longd = 73 |longm = 59 |longs = 56 |longEW = W
elevation_m = 20
elevation_ft = 66
elevation_footnotes = [Gnis|885157|Bergenfield, Geographic Names Information System, accessed April 16, 2007.]
postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 07621
area_code = 201
website = http://www.bergenfieldboro.com
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 34-05170GR|2 [ [http://mcdc2.missouri.edu/webrepts/commoncodes/ccc_nj.html A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey] , Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 14, 2008.]
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0874686GR|3
footnotes =

Bergenfield is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 26,247.

Bergenfield was formed on the basis of a referendum held on June 25, 1894, from portions of Englewood Township and Palisades Township at the height of the "boroughitis" phenomenon then sweeping through Bergen County. [ [http://www.bergenfieldboro.com/history.htm History of Bergenfield] , accessed January 4, 2007, states "Incorporated June 25, 1894"] "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 75.] ["History of Bergen County" p. 336 ff. shows an incorporation date of July 17, 1894.]

"New Jersey Monthly" magazine ranked Bergenfield as its 231st best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey. [ [http://njmonthly.com/articles/best_of/placestolive/best-places-to-live---the-complete-top-towns-list-.html "Best Places To Live - The Complete Top Towns List 201-300"] , "New Jersey Monthly", February 21, 2008. Accessed June 6, 2008.]

Geography

Bergenfield is located at coor dms|40|55|25|N|73|59|56|W|city (40.923748, -73.998795)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

USCensusPop
1900= 729
1910= 1991
1920= 3667
1930= 8816
1940= 10275
1950= 17647
1960= 27203
1970= 29000
1980= 25568
1990= 24458
2000= 26247
estimate=25826
estyear=2007
estref= [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=Search&geo_id=16000US3401090&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US34%7C16000US3401090&_street=&_county=bergenfield&_cityTown=bergenfield&_state=04000US34&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry= Census data for Bergenfield] , United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 7, 2008.]
footnote=Population 1930 - 1990 [ [http://www.wnjpin.net/OneStopCareerCenter/LaborMarketInformation/lmi01/poptrd6.htm New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990] , Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.] [ [http://www.co.bergen.nj.us/planning/data/HistoricalPop.pdf Historical Population Trends in Bergen County (1900 - 2000)] , Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed December 23, 2007.] Bergenfield is informally known as the Little Manila of Bergen County. [Stevens, Jean. [http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2MTUmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTcxOTQxNzYmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxNQ= " Popular roast pig finds a following in North Jersey"] , "Herald News", September 12, 2007. Accessed December 8, 2007. "One might find more lechon in Passaic these days. The city may be North Jersey's next so-called Little Manila, following Bergenfield, Bloomfield and Belleville."] Of the 14,224 Filipino population in the county as a whole, 3,133 (22% of the county total) live in Bergenfield. [ [http://www.rcan.org/planning/Asians.htm Filipino Population by County] , Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. Accessed April 10, 2006.] [ [http://bergenfield.areaconnect.com/statistics.htm Bergenfield 2000 Census Data] , areaconnect.com. Accessed April 10, 2006.]

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 26,247 people, 8,981 households, and 6,753 families residing in the borough. The population density was 9,065.4 people per square mile (3,494.5/km²). There were 9,147 housing units at an average density of 3,159.3/sq mi (1,217.8/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 62.90% White (16,509 Whites), 6.90% African American (1,811 African Americans), 0.24% Native American (63 Native Americans), 20.41% Asian (5,357 Asian), 0.02% Pacific Islander (5 Pacific Islander), 6.47% from other races (1,696 others), and 3.06% from two or more races (803 multiple races). Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.05% of the population.(4,475 Hispanic or Latino). (NOTE: Some races overlap.)

There were 8,981 households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.41.

In the borough the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $62,172, and the median income for a family was $71,187. Males had a median income of $42,074 versus $35,137 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $24,706. About 2.6% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Bergenfield 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."2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book", Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 157.]

The Mayor of Bergenfield is Timothy J. Driscoll (D, term ends December 31, 2011). Members of the Borough Council are Council President Bruce Carlson (D, 2010), Barry Doll (D, 2010), Robert Gilman (D, 2009), Thomas A. Lodato (D, 2009), Dennis Mulligan (D, 2008) and Elaine Rabbitt (D, 2008). [ [http://www.bergenfieldboro.com/government.htm Bergenfield Officials] , Borough of Bergenfield. Accessed September 11, 2007.] [http://co.bergen.nj.us/ParksPDF/CountyDirectory.pdf "County of Bergen: 2008 County and Municipal Directory"] , Bergen County, New Jersey, p. 36. Accessed July 3, 2008.]

In elections held on November 6, 2007, voters filled a four-year term for mayor and two three-year seats on the Borough Council. Democrat Timothy J. Driscoll (2,600 votes), outran Republican Patricia Walsh Di Rienzo (1,116), and write-in campaigns for Republican Mayor Richard Bohan (289) and Democratic Councilman Dennis Mulligan (167). Incumbent Democratic Councilmember Bruce Carlson (2,749) and newcomer running mate Barry Doll (2,623) won council seats, outpolling Republicans Costas Constantinou (1,361) and James P. Kneisler (1,297). With these election wins, the Democrats retained complete control in the 2008 Council. [ [http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3MjE4Mzc5 "Bergenfield election results"] , "The Record (Bergen County)", November 6, 2007. Accessed November 15, 2007.] [ [http://www.northjersey.com/dngmedia/media_server/tr/2007/11/06election/bergencounty2007.html Bergen County election results] , "The Record (Bergen County)", November 7, 2007. Accessed November 10, 2007.]

On Election Day, November 7, 2006, Democrats Thomas A. Lodato (3,294 votes) and Robert Gillman (3,161) swept the two open seats on the Borough Council, defeating Republicans Matthew G. Capizzi (2,952) and Mary S. Kirsch (2,823) and Independent Laurie Shestack (655). When the two took office on January 1, 2007, the council was all Democrats. Two ballot initiatives — one increasing salary ranges for borough officials and the other seeking a new reassessment of properties in the borough — both failed, by margins of 4,263-612 and 2,928-1,973 resepectively. [ [http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3MDE2NzIy Bergenfield election results] , "The Record (Bergen County)", November 8, 2006.] [ [http://151.198.187.55/countyclerk/2006%20General/2006_General.pdf Bergen County 2006 General Election Results] , Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed February 1, 2007.]

Federal, state and county representation

Bergenfield is in the Fifth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 37th Legislative District. [ [http://www.lwvnj.org/pubs/CG06.pdf 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government] , New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 54. Accessed August 30, 2006.]

Politics

As of April 1, 2006, out of a 2004 Census estimated population of 26,210 in Bergenfield, there were 13,261 registered voters (50.6% of the population, vs. 55.4% in all of Bergen County). Of registered voters, 3,023 (22.8% vs. 20.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 2,118 (16.0% vs. 19.2% countywide) were registered as Republicans and 8,115 (61.2% vs. 60.1% countywide) are registered as Undeclared. There were five voters registered to other parties. ["County of Bergen: Voter Statistics by Municipality, Ward & District," dated April 1, 2006.]

On the national level, Bergenfield leans strongly towards the Democratic Party. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 55% of the vote here, defeating Republican George W. Bush, who received around 45%. [ [http://www.nj.gov/lps/elections/2004results/04_Municipality_pdf%27s/presidential_bergen_co_2004.pdf 2004 Presidential Election results: Bergen County] , New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, Division of Elections, dated December 13, 2004.]

Education

Student's in grades Kindergarten through 12 are educated by the Bergenfield Public Schools which serve a total of 3,900 students. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics [ [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3401500 Data for the Bergenfield Public Schools] , National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed March 16, 2008.] ) are five elementary schools serving Kindergarten - 5th grade — [http://www.bergenfield.org/schools/franklin/index.html Franklin School] with 454 students, [http://www.bergenfield.org/schools/hoover/index.html Hoover School] with 239 students, [http://www.bergenfield.org/schools/jefferson/index.html Jefferson School] with 280 students, [http://www.bergenfield.org/schools/lincoln/index.html Lincoln School] with 417 students, [http://www.bergenfield.org/schools/washington/index.html Washington School] with 280 students — [http://www.bergenfield.org/schools/rwb/index.html Roy W. Brown Middle School] with 907 students in grades 6 - 8 and Bergenfield High School with 1,287 students.

"New Jersey Monthly" magazine ranked Bergenfield High School as its 192nd best New Jersey high school in its 2006 ranking of the "Top High Schools" in New Jersey. [ [http://njmonthly.com/articles/towns_and_schools/highschoolrankings/top-high-schools-in-new-jersey.html "Top New Jersey High Schools"] , "New Jersey Monthly", February 21, 2008. Accessed June 6, 2008.]

Transportation

New Jersey Transit bus service is available from Bergenfield to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 166, 167 routes and the George Washington Bridge Bus Station on the 186 route; and to other New Jersey communities served on the 753, 756 and 772 routes. [ [http://www.njtransit.com/sf/sf_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=BusRoutesBergenCountyTo Bus Routes by County: Bergen County] , New Jersey Transit. Accessed August 8, 2008.]

Main roads include Washington Avenue, Main Street, and New Bridge Road.

Community

On December 13, 2005, a gas main was nicked and started a leak at an apartment building under construction. The fire department responded and when they got there, the fire chief elected not to evacuate the building as there was no smell of gas. Moments later, the building exploded, killing three people and injuring around a dozen or so more. [ [http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=local&id=3722363 Powerful Explosion Rips Through an Apartment Building - Two Reported Dead And At Least Five Injured] , WABC-TV, December 13, 2005.] . Local fire departments and local EMS services were dispatched to put out the fire and give emergency care to the injured. A National Transportation Safety Board report issued on May 1, 2007, blamed PSE&G for failing to properly supervise excavation that led to damage of the gas main, and the Bergenfield Fire Department for its failure to evacuate the building, even after the smell of gas had been reported. [Holl, John. [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/02/nyregion/02gas.html?_r=1&oref=slogin "Utility Is Held Partly to Blame for Fatal Blast"] , "The New York Times", May 2, 2007. Accessed May 2, 2007.]

On May 4, 2006, the hit show on ABC, "" came to Bergenfield to build a home for the Llanes family. The episode aired as the pre-season two-hour special originally broadcast on September 17, 2006. [ [http://abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/bios/328.html Extreme Makeover: Home Division - Llanes Family; Season 3, Ep. 28] , accessed October 26, 2006.]

On July 22, 2007, the Team Bergenfield Roller Hockey Club, won the NARCh National Roller Hockey Championship defeating the Nor-Cal Patriots 6-5 in Estero, Florida. Team Bergenfield went 6-0-1 in the tournament en route to winning the Men's Silver Championship. The team formed in Bergenfield in 1994 and is currently one of the longest running roller hockey clubs in the United States. [ [http://www.narch.com/NARCh_Blogs/roller_hockey_0722077316.html In a Game with Action in Both Ends, Team Bergenfield Held on to Win the National Title 6 - 5.] July 22, 2007.]

Notable people

*Harry Basil, stand-up comic, frequent collaborator with Rodney Dangerfield, actor (Peggy Sue Got Married), director.Fact|date=September 2008
*Michelle della Fave, who was a member of The Golddiggers.Fact|date=September 2008
*Al Di Meola (born 1954), a highly technical, jazz fusion guitarist, attended Bergenfield High School. [ [http://www.telarc.com/biography/bios.asp?aid=25 Al Di Meola] , Telarc International Corporation. Accessed September 20, 2007. "“In the ‘60s, if you didn’t play like Eric Clapton or Jimi Hendrix or Jimmy Page, you weren’t accepted,” he recalls of his high school years in Bergenfield, New Jersey."]
*Frank Eufemia, Major League Baseball, pitcher. [Hertzel, Bob. [http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-22469592.html "EUFEMIA PLAYING FOR PUREST MOTIVES"] , "The Record (Bergen County)", March 2, 1995. Accessed June 24, 2007. "Frank Eufemia once was a major league pitcher. Today the right-hander from Bergenfield becomes a replacement pitcher."]
*Thom Fitzgerald (born 1968), filmmaker, "The Hanging Garden, "3 Needles". [Loos, Ted. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DEFD61631F933A25756C0A96E958260 "Where Death Shall (or Shall Not) Have Dominion"] , "The New York Times", May 10, 1998. Accessed April 5, 2008. "Mr. Fitzgerald grew up mostly in Bergenfield, N.J. He attended Cooper Union in Manhattan, but at the age of 19, he transferred to the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax."]
*George Gately (1928-2001), creator of the "Heathcliff" comic strip.Hernandez, Cava. [http://www.elmundo.es/2001/10/06/opinion/1056360.html "GEORGE GATELY : Creador del gato Heathcliff"] , "El Mundo (Spain)", October 6, 2001. Accessed November 20, 2007. "George Gately Gallagher nació en Queens Village, Nueva York, en 1928, meses antes de que estallase la Gran Depresión. Pero, a todos los efectos, hay que considerarle un habitante de New Jersey, en cuya localidad de Bergenfield es donde transcurrieron su infancia y su adolescencia."]
*Bob Gaudio (born 1942), from the Four Seasons. [Park, Eunnie. [http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk0NyZmZ2JlbDdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5NzEwMjUwOSZ5cmlyeTdmNzE3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTc= "An original 'Jersey Boy' returns to Bergenfield"] , "The Record (Bergen County)", March 31, 2007. Accessed October 9, 2007. "Before "Jersey Boys" and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Bob Gaudio was a 15-year-old musical whiz from Bergenfield who had to decide between staying in school and touring with Chuck Berry."] [Rotella, Mark. [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/02/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/02njBOYS.html "Straight Out of Newark"] , "The New York Times", October 2, 2005. Accessed October 9, 2007. "Originally from the Bronx, Mr. Gaudio had, at age 15, written the hit "Who Wears Short Shorts," which he made up while driving with friends along the main drag in Bergenfield."]
*Bob Guccione (born 1930), founder and former owner of "Penthouse". [ [http://www.penthouse.com/exclusives/caligula/cast_and_crew.html Bob Guccione (Producer)] , "Penthouse (magazine)" "Caligula" Cast and Crew. Accessed September 20, 2007. "Coming from a conventional background--he was born in Brooklyn, raised in Bergenfield, New Jersey, and educated at Blair Academy--Guccione became interested in less than conventional activities after he left school."] [ [http://www.medialifemagazine.com/news2003/aug03/aug11/1_mon/news2monday.html Mr. G, where might you be? Nary a peep on Penthouse publisher's eviction] , "Media Life" August 11, 2003, "Guccione, who is originally from Bergenfield, N.J., bought his 45-room, 20,000-square-foot mansion back in Penthouse’s 1970s heyday. Located on East 67th Street between Central Park and Madison Avenue, its décor includes a swimming pool modeled on a Roman bath and a collection of paintings by the likes of Picasso and Matisse."]
*The Knickerbockers, 1960s band took their name from Knickerbocker Avenue in Bergenfield.Fact|date=September 2008
*Jimmy Lydon (born 1923), who played Henry Aldrich in the movies, honored in the Bergenfield Hall of Fame.Fact|date=September 2008
*James Plotkin, musician, founded the bands O.L.D., Khanate, and Khlyst.Fact|date=September 2008
*Tom Reilly, actor who played Bobby Nelson on "CHiPs".Fact|date=September 2008
*Floyd James Thompson (1933-2002), America's longest held Prisoner of War. [Martin, Douglas. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0CE1D71339F93BA25754C0A9649C8B63 "F. J. Thompson, 69, Longtime P.O.W., Dies"] , "The New York Times", July 18, 2002. Accessed April 5, 2008. "Floyd James Thompson was born in Bergenfield, N.J., on July 8, 1933, the son of a bus driver. He worked in a grocery store and graduated from Bergenfield High School in 1951."]
*Ron Villone (born 1970), Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for the New York Yankees in the 2006 season. [ [http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-22635233.html MARINERS TAKE EX-BERGENFIELD STAR -- VILLONE PICKED 14TH OVERALL] . "The Record (Bergen County)", June 2, 1992. "The call came a little later than anticipated, but Ron Villone of Bergenfield got what he expected Monday afternoon."]
*Jacklyn Zeman (born 1953), actress who has played Barbara "Bobbie" Spencer on "General Hospital" since 1977. [ [http://www.wchstv.com/abc/genhosp/jacklynzeman.shtml Jacklyn Zeman: Bobbie Spencer on General Hospital] , WCHS-TV, accessed January 4, 2006.]

Popular culture

*Singer Tom Russell wrote a song called "Bergenfield", discussing the suicide via carbon monoxide of four teenagers in the borough in 1987. [Hanley, Robert. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE3D6163FF931A25750C0A961948260 " 4 JERSEY TEEN-AGERS KILL THEMSELVES IN DEATH PACT"] , "The New York Times", March 12, 1987. Accessed October 20, 2007. "All four, Mr. McClure said at a news conference, were "very troubled." The older three had dropped out of Bergenfield High School before graduation, and Lisa Burress had recently been suspended from classes."] [Schoemer, Karen. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE3DF1E3FF937A15754C0A964958260 "Sounds Around Town"] , "The New York Times", July 24, 1992. Accessed October 20, 2007. "Bergenfield," from his album "Poor Man's Dream"(Philo/ Rounder), is a look at suburban teen-age suicide."] There is also a book written about the teenage suicides called, "Teenage Wasteland".

References

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

* [http://www.bergenfieldboro.com/ Bergenfield Borough official website]
* [http://www.bergenfield.org/ Bergenfield Public Schools website]
*NJReportCard|03|0300|0|Bergenfield Public Schools
* [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3401500 Data for the Bergenfield Public Schools] , National Center for Education Statistics
* [http://www.bergenfieldfd.org/ Bergenfield Fire Department]
* [http://www.midbergen.com/ Midbergen Communities Website (unofficial)]
* [http://www.bergenfieldalumni.com/ Bergenfield Alumni Web site]