Blairstown, New Jersey

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Blairstown, New Jersey
settlement_type = Township
nickname =
motto =

imagesize =
image_caption =


image_

mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Map of Blairstown Township in Warren County. Inset: Location of Warren County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.


mapsize1 = 250x200px
map_caption1 = Census Bureau map of Blairstown, New Jersey

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = New Jersey
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Warren
government_footnotes =
government_type = Township (New Jersey)
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Frank Anderson (2009)
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
established_title = Incorporated
established_date = April 14, 1845

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 82.3
area_land_km2 = 80.3
area_water_km2 = 1.9
area_total_sq_mi = 31.8
area_land_sq_mi = 31.0
area_water_sq_mi = 0.8

population_as_of = 2006
population_footnotes =
population_total = 5982
population_density_km2 = 71.5
population_density_sq_mi = 185.3

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes = [Gnis|882317|Township of Blairstown, Geographic Names Information System. Accessed January 4, 2008.]
elevation_m = 153
elevation_ft = 502
latd = 40 |latm = 58 |lats = 45 |latNS = N
longd = 74 |longm = 59 |longs = 49 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 07825
area_code = 908
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 34-06160GR|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 = 0882317GR|3
website = http://www.blairstown-nj.org/
footnotes =

Blairstown is a Township in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 5,747. The township is located in the far eastern region of the Lehigh Valley.

Blairstown Township was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 14, 1845, from portions of Knowlton Township, based on the results of a referendum held that day."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 245.]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 31.8 square miles (82.3 km²), of which, 31.0 square miles (80.3 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (1.9 km²) of it (2.36%) is water.

Demographics

USCensusPop
1930=1416
1940=1449
1950=1571
1960=1797
1970=2189
1980=4360
1990=5331
2000=5747
estimate= 5982
estyear=2006
estref= [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=Search&geo_id=16000US3451930&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US34%7C16000US3451930&_street=&_county=blairstown&_cityTown=blairstown&_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 Blairstown township] , United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 21, 2007.]
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.] As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 5,747 people, 2,040 households, and 1,638 families residing in the township. The population density was 185.3 people per square mile (71.5/km²). There were 2,136 housing units at an average density of 68.9/sq mi (26.6/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 98.17% White, 0.26% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.98% of the population.

There were 2,040 households out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.6% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.7% were non-families. 15.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the township the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $64,809, and the median income for a family was $71,214. Males had a median income of $51,931 versus $33,646 for females. The per capita income for the township was $27,775. About 3.0% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Blairstown has a traditional Township form of government, with a five-member committee. Committee members serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year. Each year, the Committee members select one of their fellow members to serve as Mayor and another to serve as Deputy Mayor. [ [http://www.blairstown-nj.org Township of Blairstown] , accessed September 20, 2006.] ["2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book", Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 103.]

The Blairstown Township Committee consists of Mayor Stephen Lance (R, term ends December 31, 2011), Deputy Mayor Sal Lascari (R, 2011), Frank Anderson (R, 2009), Richard Mach (R, 2010), and Bill Seal (R, 2009). [ [http://www.blairstown-nj.org/towncommittee.htm Blairstown Township Committee: Our Elected Officials] , accessed May 5, 2008.] [ [http://www.warrennet.org/warrencounty/mun/blairstown.html Township of Blairstown] , Warren County, New Jersey. Accessed July 13, 2007.]

Federal, state and county representation

Blairstown Township is in the Fifth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 23rd Legislative District. [ [http://www.lwvnj.org/pubs/CG06.pdf 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government] , New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 55. Accessed August 30, 2006.]

Education

Public school students in grades K through 6 attend the Blairstown Elementary School, as part of the Blairstown Township School District. Blairstown Elementary School served 744 students in grades K-6, as of the 2005-06 school year. [ [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3401800 Data for the Blairstown Township School District] , National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed March 12, 2008.] Students from Hardwick Township, a non-operating school district, attend Blairstown Elementary School as part of a sending/receiving relationship. [ [http://education.state.nj.us/rc/rc07/narrative/41/0400/41-0400-000.html Blairstown Elementary School 2007 Report Card Narrative] , New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 5, 2008. "Students from Blairstown and Hardwick Townships form the nucleus of the student body."]

Students in grades 7 through 12 for public school attend the North Warren Regional High School (1,044 students) in Blairstown, a public secondary high school, serving students from the townships of Blairstown, Frelinghuysen, Hardwick, and Knowlton. [ [http://www.northwarren.org/aboutnwr/School_Profile.htm School Profile] , North Warren Regional High School. Accessed March 12, 2008. "North Warren Regional is a public secondary school district, serving students in grades 7-12 in the townships of Blairstown, Frelinghuysen, Hardwick, and Knowlton. The district covers convert|96.8|sqmi|km2 bordering the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in scenic Warren County."]

Children also have the choice of going to the Blair Academy, a private school, for grades 9-12 or Ridge and Valley Charter School, a K-8 charter school focused on Earth literacy and sustainable living.

Transportation

Interstate 80 and Route 94 pass through the township. Blairstown airport is located southwest of the central business district.

The Lackawanna Cut-Off, a 28.45-mile high-speed, double-track railway line was constructed by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad between 1908 and 1911, It ran west from Port Morris, New Jersey to Slateford, Pennsylvania and passed through Blairstown.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Blairstown include:
*Bennett Bean, studio potter. [Bischoff, Dan. [http://www.nj.com/entertainment/ledger/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-0/1207717224242350.xml&coll=1 "Jersey ceramics, from six different angles"] , "The Star-Ledger", April 9, 2008. Accessed May 5, 2008. "The headliner, as he is almost wherever he shows, is Bennett Bean, here displaying seven pit-fired and gilded ceramic compositions that exude the cool, Modernist, syncopated painted patterning for which he is so well known. Bean, of Blairstown, is no doubt the best-known artist in 'Uncommon Clay,' but his aesthetic does not dominate the show."]
*Cathy Bao Bean, writer, "The Chopsticks-Fork Principle: A Memoir and Manual".Fact|date=May 2008
*John Insley Blair, (1802-1899), entrepreneur, railroad magnate, and Blairstown's most famous citizen. Gravel Hill was renamed Blairstown after Blair in 1839. [ [http://blairstown-nj.org/aboutus.htm Blairstown, Past and Present] , Township of Blairstown. Accessed July 13, 2007. "The name of the village was officially changed to Blairstown by a vote of the citizens at a public meeting held Jan. 24, 1939. John I. Blair was only 36 years of age at the time."]
*DeWitt Clinton Blair, (1833 - 1915), son of John Insley Blair.
*Cecil Suwal, NY Governor Eliot Spitzer's Madam. ["Bergen odd couple ran high-priced hooker ring" http://www.northjersey.com/news/crimeandcourts/Odd_couple_ran_alleged_call-girl_ring.html]
*Isaac Wildrick (1803-1892), represented ushr|New Jersey|3 in the United States House of Representatives from 1849 to 1853. [ [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=W000464 Isaac Wildrick] , "Biographical Directory of the United States Congress". Accessed September 1, 2007.]
*Salvatore Simonetti, Warren County Sheriff.
*Patricia J Kolb, Warren County Clerk.

Popular culture

*Scenes from the film "Friday The 13th" were filmed in Blairstown; the local Boy Scout camp in neighboring Hardwick Township was the site for Camp Crystal Lake. [ [http://www.fridaythe13thfilms.com/bts/locations/part1.html Friday the 13th Filming Locations] , accessed November 14, 2006.]
*Historic [http://www.blairstowntheaterfestival.com/royshall.html Roy's Hall] (also known as Roy's Theater) was built in 1913 as a silent movie theater. The building, seen briefly in the film "Friday The 13th", was restored in 2005 and was the site of the [http://www.blairstowntheaterfestival.com Blairstown Theater Festival] in 2007.

References

External links

* [http://www.blairstown-nj.org/ Blairstown Township website]
* [http://www.co.warren.nj.us/mun/blairstown.html Warren County page for Blairstown Township]
* [http://www.blairstownelem.net/ Blairstown Township School District]
*NJReportCard|41|0400|0|Blairstown Township School District
* [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3401800 Data for the Blairstown Township School District] , National Center for Education Statistics
* [http://www.northwarren.org/ North Warren Regional School District]
*NJReportCard|41|3675|050|North Warren Regional High School
* [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3409550 Data for the North Warren Regional High School] , National Center for Education Statistics
* [http://history.rays-place.com/nj/war-blairstown.htm History of Blairstown, New Jersey]