East Rutherford is a
boroughA Borough in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....
in
Bergen CountyBergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 884,118, growing to 904,037 as of the Census Bureau's 2006 estimate. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
,
New JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, and to the east by the Hudson River, Upper New York Bay, the Kill Van Kull, Newark Bay, the Arthur Kill, Raritan Bay, Sandy Hook Bay, Westchester County, New York City, Long Island, and...
. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 8,716. It is an
inner-ring suburbInner suburbs can refer to neighbourhoods of the inner city in the Commonwealth countries , or to the innermost ring of suburbs that lie outside the city limits, as in the United States....
of
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
, located 7 miles west of
Midtown ManhattanMidtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
.
By an act of the
New Jersey LegislatureThe New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...
on April 17, 1889, a portion of the old Union Township was incorporated under the name of
Boiling Springs Township. The new township took its name from a spring in the community. On March 28, 1894, the Borough of East Rutherford was created, based on the results of a referendum held the previous day, and Boiling Springs Township was dissolved. While there was no change in its borders, the name and form of government were changed.
East Rutherford's claim to national fame is that it is the home of the
Meadowlands Sports ComplexThe Meadowlands Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority...
, which includes the Izod Center, where the
National Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is a professional basketball league, composed of thirty teams in North America . It is an active member of USA Basketball , which is recognized by the International Basketball Federation as the National Governing Body for basketball in the United States...
's
New Jersey NetsThe New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association that plays in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They are currently based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and play their home games at the Izod Center...
play their home games (and former home of the
NHLThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league as a joint venture for its self perpetuating membership of 30 franchised member clubs located in the United States and Canada...
New Jersey DevilsThe New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
), and
Giants StadiumGiants Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. It primarily serves as the home stadium for the New York Giants and New York Jets American football teams of the NFL, and the New York Red Bulls soccer team of MLS...
, home of the
National Football LeagueThe National Football League is the largest professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing its name to the National Football League in 1922. The league currently consists of...
's
New York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The team plays its home games at Giants Stadium, which also serves as its headquarters, and trains at an adjacent practice facility within the Meadowlands Sports Complex...
and
New York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the Northeastern New Jersey part of the tri-state New York metropolitan area. They are members of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays its home games in East...
, as well as
Red Bull New YorkThe New York Red Bulls is an American professional soccer club based in in the New York metropolitan area that participates in Major League Soccer . The team plays their home matches at Giants Stadium located at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey but is currently...
of
Major League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by United States Soccer Federation . The league comprises 15 teams, 14 in the U.S. and one in Canada...
(until 2010, when the Red Bulls will move to
HarrisonHarrison is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the town population was 14,424. The town is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark.-Geography:Harrison is located at ....
). This makes East Rutherford the only municipality with fewer than 10,000 residents to have been home to five professional sports teams simultaneously.
Geography
East Rutherford is located at (40.830158, -74.097079).
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the borough has a total area of 4.2 square miles (10.7 km
2), of which, 3.8 square miles (9.9 km
2) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.9 km
2) of it (8.19%) is water.
The Borough of East Rutherford is bounded on the north by the Boroughs of
CarlstadtCarlstadt is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 5,917.Carlstadt was originally formed as a village by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 12, 1860, within Lodi Township. It was named after Dr. Carl Klein,...
and
WallingtonWallington is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 11,583....
and to the south by the Borough of
RutherfordRutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 18,110. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located 8 miles west of Midtown Manhattan....
. The
Passaic RiverThe Passaic River is a river, approximately 80 mi long, in northern New Jersey in the United States. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburban northern New Jersey, called the Great...
is the western boundary and the
Hackensack RiverThe Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 mi long, in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The watershed of the river includes part of the suburban area outside New York City just west of the lower Hudson River,...
is the eastern boundary. The area in which East Rutherford is located is the valley of the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 8,716 people, 3,644 households, and 2,157 families residing in the borough. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 2,289.1 people per square mile (883.3/km
2). There were 3,771 housing units at an average density of 990.4/sq mi (382.1/km
2). The racial makeup of the borough was 79.68% White, 3.72% African American, 0.11% Native American, 10.69% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.21% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.65% of the population.
There were 3,644 households out of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the borough the population was spread out with 19.4% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 36.5% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $50,163, and the median income for a family was $59,583. Males had a median income of $40,798 versus $36,047 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the borough was $28,072. About 7.4% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.1% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.
Local government
East Rutherford is governed under the
BoroughA Borough in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....
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.
East Rutherford's
Mayor"Mayor" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government....
is James L. Cassella (
RThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
, term ends December 31, 2011). The Borough Council members are Joel Brizzi (R, 2010), Jeffrey J. Lahullier (R, 2009), George Perry (R, 2009), Edward Ravettine (R, 2010), Saverio "Sam" Stallone (R, 2011) and Thomas Banca (R, 2011). Perry and Stallone, elected as
DemocratsThe Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
, defected to the Republican Party in March 2008, giving the Republicans a 5-1 edge on a council that had been evenly split before the party changes.
In the 2008 General Election, the Republican Party candidates bucked the trend and swept the two seats up for election, which will leave an all-Republican council in 2009. Gary M. Viccaro, the lone Democrat on the Council, did not run for re-election. Republican incumbent Saverio Stallone (1,825 votes) was elected to a second term along with his running mate Thomas Banca (1,728), defeating Democratic Party challengers Carol Coronato (1,261) and Richard DeLauro (1,196).
In elections held on November 6, 2007, voters selected a mayor and filled two seats on the borough council. Incumbent Republican James L. Cassella (1,275 votes) won re-election to a fourth term as mayor over Democratic challenger Gary M. Viccaro (605). Republican Councilmembers Edward Ravettine (1,255) and Joel Brizzi (1,234) won reelection to a fourth and fifth term respectively, defeating Democrats Carol Coronato (619) and Rich DeLauro (598). Republicans retain narrow control on the 2008 council, with the Republican mayor breaking the 3-3 split.
On Election Day, November 7, 2006, the two parties split one seat each, on a council that at the time was evenly split with three Republicans and three Democrats. Jeffrey J. Lahullier (1,228 votes) was successful in his bid for a second term in office and
DemocraticThe Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
incumbent George E. Perry, Jr. (1,156) won his third term on the Council, defeating challengers Republican Thomas A. Banca (1,084) and Democrat Richard De Lauro (1,053). Voters rejected a ballot initiative to add a tax of 5ยข per $100 in assessed value that would have gone to an Open Space Trust Fund by an 801-628 margin.
Federal, state and county representation
East Rutherford is in the Ninth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 36th Legislative District.
Politics
As of Election Day, November 4, 2008, there were 4,152 registered voters. Of registered voters, 1,231 (29.6% of all registered voters) were registered as
DemocratsThe Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
, 1,210 (29.1%) were registered as
RepublicansThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
and 1,708 (41.1%) were registered as
UndeclaredUndeclared is a status for voters in New Jersey. Those voters who do not specify a party when they register to vote — Democrat, Republican, or one of the several other parties in New Jersey — are registered as Undeclared...
. There were three voters registered to other parties.
On the national level, East Rutherford leans slightly towards the Democratic Party. In the
2008 presidential electionThe 56th quadrennial United States presidential election was held on November 4, 2008. Outgoing Republican President George W. Bush's policies and actions and the American public's desire for change were key issues throughout the campaign, and during the general election campaign, both major party...
, Democrat
Barack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office, as well as the first president born in Hawaii...
received 52.2% of the vote here, defeating Republican
John McCainJohn Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
, who received 45.9% of the vote, with 82.8% of registered voters participating. In the
2004 presidential electionThe United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
, Democrat
John KerryJohn Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, and is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee....
received 50% of the vote here, edging Republican
George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush was the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 and the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000....
, who received around 49%.
Education
Public school students in grades K through 8 attend the
East Rutherford School DistrictThe East Rutherford School District is a community public school district that serves students in pre-school through eighth grade from East Rutherford, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. There is also a small annex building across the street which is used for fifth graders. Inside there...
. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the
National Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
) are
Alfred S. Faust School (421 students) and
McKenzie School (324 students), both of which serve students in Pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade.
For grades 9 to 12, public school students attend the
Henry P. Becton Regional High SchoolHenry P. Becton Regional High School, "Becton," is an American four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from two relatively small communities in Bergen County, New Jersey, as part of the Carlstadt-East Rutherford Regional School District...
in East Rutherford, which serves high school students from both
CarlstadtCarlstadt is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 5,917.Carlstadt was originally formed as a village by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 12, 1860, within Lodi Township. It was named after Dr. Carl Klein,...
and East Rutherford. The school is part of the
Carlstadt-East Rutherford Regional School DistrictThe Carlstadt-East Rutherford Regional School District is a regional public high school and school district serving students from both Carlstadt and East Rutherford , two relatively small communities in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States.The district's high school is the Henry P...
.
Police
The East Rutherford Police Department (ERPD) provides emergency and protective services to the borough of East Rutherford.
It consists of a Patrol Division, Detective Bureau, Traffic Division, Juvenile Division, and Records Bureau.
The current Chief of Police is Larry Minda.
Fire
The East Rutherford Fire Department (ERFD) is an
all-volunteer fire departmentSee also the Firefighter article and its respective sections regarding VFDs in other countries.A volunteer fire department is a fire department composed of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction...
. The ERFD was organized in 1894 and consists of one
ChiefFire Chief or Chief Fire Officer is a top executive rank in a fire department, either elected or appointed. The chief is responsible for carrying out the day-to-day tasks of running a firefighting organization, including supervising other officers and firefighters at an emergency scene, or in...
and three assistant chiefs. There are three
fire housesA fire station is a structure or other area set aside for storage of firefighting apparatus , personal protective equipment, fire hose, fire extinguishers, and other fire extinguishing equipment...
. The department is staffed by 80 fully-trained
firefighterFirefighters, or firemen, are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car accidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
s. The ERFD utilizes two Engines, a Ladder truck, a
Heavy RescueA heavy rescue vehicle, often referred to as a rescue company, rescue squad, heavy rescue, or simply, fire engine is a type of specialty firefighting or EMS apparatus...
, and a Quint. The ERFD also provides
emergency medical serviceEmergency medical services are a branch of emergency services dedicated to providing out-of-hospital acute medical care and/or transport to definitive care, to patients with illnesses and injuries which the patient, or the medical practitioner, believes constitutes a medical emergency.Emergency...
to the borough.
Public Transportation
New Jersey TransitThe New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the state of New Jersey, United States, and Orange and Rockland counties in New York...
's
Bergen County LineThe Bergen County Line is a commuter rail line and service owned and operated by New Jersey Transit in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The line loops off the Main Line between the Meadowlands and Glen Rock, with trains continuing in either direction along the Main Line...
serves
RutherfordRutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 18,110. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located 8 miles west of Midtown Manhattan....
, but the
Rutherford StationRutherford is a New Jersey Transit train station served by the Bergen County Line. It is located in Rutherford, New Jersey at the junction of Park Avenue, Union Avenue, Erie Avenue and Orient Way. The junction is known as Station Square. The rail tracks serve as a border between Rutherford and...
is right on the Rutherford - East Rutherford border. The
Meadowlands Rail LineMeadowlands Rail Line is an American limited-service New Jersey Transit rail line that travels between Hoboken Terminal and the Meadowlands Sports Complex, making one stop at Secaucus Junction. Upon its inauguration on July 20, 2009 it became the newest route of New Jersey Transit rail operations...
serves the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, but does not make a stop in the town itself.
New Jersey Transit buses include the 160, 163, 164 and 322 routes serving the
Port Authority Bus TerminalThe Port Authority Bus Terminal is the main gateway for interstate buses into Manhattan in New York City. It is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey....
in
Midtown ManhattanMidtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
; the 76 to
NewarkBrick City redirects here. For the township in Ocean County, see Brick Township, New Jersey.Newark is the largest city in New Jersey, and the county seat of Essex County. Newark has a population of 281,402, making it the largest municipality in New Jersey and the 65th largest city in the U.S...
; and local service on the 703 route.
Roads
Route 17, Route 120, Route 3 and the western spur of
New Jersey TurnpikeThe New Jersey Turnpike is a toll road in New Jersey and is one of the most heavily traveled highways in the United States...
serves East Rutherford.
Corporate Residents
East Rutherford is home to the
Hudson GroupThe Hudson Group is an East Rutherford, New Jersey, based retailer which operates a chain of newsstands, bookstores, fast food restaurants, and other retail stores chiefly at airports and train stations in the United States. It was founded in 1918 by Ike Cohen as a newspaper distributorship in...
, a
retailerRetailing consists of the sale of goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be individuals...
which operates a chain of
newsstandA newsagent is a person who a operates a newsagent's shop , newsagency or newsstand , often a small business that sells newspapers, magazines, stationery, snacks and often items of local interest such as postcards and clothing emblazoned with sports team mascots...
s,
bookstoreBookselling is the commercial trading of books, the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers or bookmen.-Bookstores today:...
s,
fast foodFast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with low quality preparation and served to the customer in a packaged form...
restaurants, and other retail stores chiefly at
airportAn airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
s and
train stationA railway station, train station, railroad station, or station yard is a facility at which passengers may board and alight from trains, and/or where rail-transported freight may be loaded or unloaded. Historically, the term depot has also been employed in North America...
s.
Management DynamicsManagement Dynamics, Inc. is a privately-owned software company, founded in 1990, that specializes in Global Trade Management software for importers, exporters, and third-party logistics service providers, and is based in East Rutherford, New Jersey....
, a global trade management and
supply chain management softwareSupply chain management software is a business term which refers to a range of software tools or modules used in executing supply chain transactions, managing supplier relationships and controlling associated business processes....
company, is also headquartered in East Rutherford.
Notable Residents
Notable current and former residents include:
- Henry Helstoski
Henry Helstoski was an American politician. Helstoski, a Democrat, represented New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives for twelve years, lasting from 1965 until 1977. He was the representative for New Jersey's 8th congressional district...
(1925-1999), represented , served as councilman of East Rutherford in 1956 and as mayor from 1957-1965.
- Harold C. Hollenbeck
Harold Capistran Hollenbeck is an American Republican Party politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1977-1983....
(born 1938), U.S. Representative.
- Henry Hook
Henry Hook is an American creator of crossword puzzles, widely credited with popularizing the cryptic crossword in North America. With Henry Rathvon and Emily Cox, he writes the crossword for the Boston Globe....
(born 1955), crosswordA crossword is a word puzzle that normally takes the form of a square or rectangular grid of black and white squares. The goal is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases, by solving clues which lead to the answers. In languages which are written left-to-right, the answer...
creator.
- Dick Vitale
Richard J. "Dick" Vitale is an American basketball sportscaster. A former head coach in the college and professional ranks, he is well-known as a college basketball broadcaster and for the enthusiastic and colorful remarks he makes during games...
(born 1939), sports broadcaster who attended high school and coached at his alma mater, East Rutherford High School. Inducted into the East Rutherford Hall of Fame in 1985.
- Houston Calls
Houston Calls was an American power pop/punk band, based in Rockaway, New Jersey. They formed in 2003 and were signed to Drive-Thru Records. On June 9, 2009 they announced their official breakup.-Formation :...
, a band on Drive-Thru Records, resides in E. Rutherford.
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