Jefferson Township, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Jefferson Township is the northern-most township
Township (New Jersey)
A township, in the context of New Jersey local government, refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government. As a political entity, a township is a full-fledged municipality, on par with any town, city, borough, or village, collecting property taxes and providing...

 in Morris County
Morris County, New Jersey
Morris County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about west of New York City. According to the United States 2010 Census, the population was 492,276. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Morristown....

, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 21,314.

Jefferson Township was formed as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature
New Jersey Legislature
The 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 February 11, 1804, from portions of Pequannock Township
Pequannock Township, New Jersey
Pequannock Township is a Township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 13,888....

 and Roxbury Township
Roxbury Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,883 people, 8,364 households, and 6,532 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,117.4 people per square mile . There were 8,550 housing units at an average density of 400.0 per square mile...

. The township was named after Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...

, the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

 at the time the Township was created.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The 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...

, the township has a total area of 43.04 square miles (111.5 km²), of which, 40.63 square miles (105.2 km²) of it is land and 2.41 square miles (6.2 km²) of it (5.60%) is water.

The township can be divided into two halves, Milton and Lake Hopatcong. Each half has its own first-aid squad, fire department substation, and set of elementary schools. Addresses in the Milton section of the township are classified under the Oak Ridge mailing city, which is shared with a portion of West Milford Township
West Milford, New Jersey
West Milford is a township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 25,850.-History:...

, or in the Newfoundland mailing area, shared with a portion of West Milford and Rockaway Township. Addresses in Lake Hopatcong use either Lake Hopatcong (not to be confused with the Hopatcong mailing city used in the Borough of Hopatcong
Hopatcong, New Jersey
Hopatcong is a Borough in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 15,147.The area had been called "Brookland" in the 19th century and the lake that was expanded to become Lake Hopatcong had been known as "Great Pond" or "Brookland...

) or Wharton
Wharton, New Jersey
Wharton is a Borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the borough population was 6,298.What is now Wharton was originally incorporated as the borough of Port Oram by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on June 26, 1895, from portions of Randolph...

 as their mailing city. The Jefferson Township Municipal Building, Middle School, High School, Recycling Center, and school bus depot are positioned at the boundary between the two halves of the township.

Lake Swannanoa is an unincorporated area located within Jefferson Township.

Transportation

A few major roads pass through Jefferson. CR 513
County Route 513 (New Jersey)
County Route 513 is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends from Kingwood Avenue in Frenchtown to Lakeside Road in West Milford...

 is the only major county road that passes through for a short stretch in the northeast section. State routes include Route 15 (part of the "Sparta Bypass") in the southwest, Route 23 in the northeast (as it crises-crosses along the Passaic county line
Passaic County, New Jersey
Passaic County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 501,226. Its county seat is Paterson...

) and Route 181 in the southwest.

I-80
Interstate 80 in New Jersey
Interstate 80 is a major Interstate Highway in the United States, running from the New York City Metropolitan Area westward to San Francisco, California...

 also passes through very briefly in the southern tip without any interchanges; the closest exits are 33 and 34 in neighboring Wharton
Wharton, New Jersey
Wharton is a Borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the borough population was 6,298.What is now Wharton was originally incorporated as the borough of Port Oram by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on June 26, 1895, from portions of Randolph...

.

Demographics

As of the 2010 Census, Jefferson Township had a population of 21,314. The median age was 40.9. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 90.6% White, 1.6% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 4.6% Asian, 1.5% some other race and 1.6% reporting two or more races. 6.5% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

As of the census
Census
A 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. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 19,717 people, 7,131 households, and 5,448 families residing in the township. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 485.3 people per square mile (187.4/km²). There were 7,527 housing units at an average density of 185.2 per square mile (71.5/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 96.14% White, 0.83% African American, 0.16% Native American, 1.07% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, 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 1.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.41% of the population.

As of the 2000 Census, 25.7% of residents identified their ancestry as Italian
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...

, 22.9% Irish
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...

, 21.7% German
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...

, 11.6% English
English American
English Americans are citizens or residents of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England....

 and 10.0% Polish
Polish American
A Polish American , is a citizen of the United States of Polish descent. There are an estimated 10 million Polish Americans, representing about 3.2% of the population of the United States...

.

There were 7,131 households out of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.6% were non-families. 18.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the township the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $68,837, and the median income for a family was $76,974. Males had a median income of $51,359 versus $37,849 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the township was $27,950. About 1.0% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Local government

Jefferson Township is governed under a Mayor-Council
Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council)
The Faulkner Act, or Optional Municipal Charter Law, provides for New Jersey municipalities to adopt a Mayor-Council government.This form of government provides for election of a mayor and five, seven, or nine council members...

 system of municipal government under the Faulkner Act
Faulkner Act (New Jersey)
The Optional Municipal Charter Law or Faulkner Act provides New Jersey municipalities with a variety of models of local government. This legislation is called the Faulkner Act in honor of the late Bayard H...

. The government consists of a Mayor and a five-member Township Council whose members are elected at-large in partisan elections to serve four-year terms on a staggered basis, with either three council seats or two council seats and the mayor coming up for election every other year.

, the Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of Jefferson Township is Russell Felter, whose term of office runs to December 31, 2014. Members of the Jefferson Township Council are
Council President Richard Yocum (term ends December 31, 2012),
Council Vice-President Jay Dunham (2012)
Robert Birmingham (2012),
Debi Merz (2014) and
Michael Sanchelli (2014).

In the 2010 race for mayor, Russell Felter defeated Democrat Horace Chamberlain. Township Council incumbents Debi Merz and Michael Sanchelli ran unopposed. In the race to fill the remaining portion of the term vacated by Brooke Hardy, incumbent Jay Dunham defeated independent Kim Finnegan.

Federal, state and county representation

Jefferson Township is in the 11th Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 25th state legislative district. The township was relocated to the 26th state legislative district by the New Jersey Apportionment Commission
New Jersey Apportionment Commission
The New Jersey Apportionment Commission is a constitutionally-created ten-member commission responsible for apportioning the forty districts of the New Jersey Legislature. The commission is convened after each decennial U.S. Census, and the districts are to be in use for the legislative elections...

 based on the results of the 2010 Census. The new district is in effect for the June 2011 primary and the November 2011 general election, with the state senator and assembly members elected taking office in the new district as of January 2012.




Education

The Jefferson Township Public Schools
Jefferson Township Public Schools
The Jefferson Township Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district, serving students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade from Jefferson Township, in Morris County, New Jersey, United States....

 serve students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2009-10 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics
National Center for Education Statistics
The 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
Milton School (PreK, 162 students - covers kindergarten as of 2010-11),
Robert F. Drummond School (K, 115 students - closed as of 2010-11),
Ellen T. Briggs School (1&2, 263 students - covers K-2 as of 2010-11),
Cozy Lake School (1&2, 276 students),
Arthur T. Stanlick school (3-5, 396 students),
White Rock Elementary School (3-5, 433 students),
Jefferson Township Middle School (6-8, 815 students) and
Jefferson Township High School
Jefferson Township High School (New Jersey)
Jefferson Township High School is a comprehensive community public high school, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Jefferson Township, in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Jefferson Township Public Schools....

 (9-12, 1,123 students).

Jefferson Township Day

Every year, the weekend following Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...

, The Jefferson Arts Committee hosts a day of celebration known as Jefferson Township Day (it is colloquially referred to as "Jefferson Day"). Throughout the entire day, entertainment and festivities at the Jefferson Township High School are provided. In the morning, a parade featuring the town’s fire trucks, high school marching band and other local groups march down Weldon Road. After the parade, there are a variety of activities set up on the Jefferson Township High School grounds for participants of Jefferson Day, including children's games, food and craft vendors, and performances at two stages. At night, the Jefferson Township Community Band, directed by Peter Tummillo Jr., performs before the display of fireworks.

The 21st annual Jefferson Township Day was held on July 14, 2007. The 22nd annual Jefferson Township Day was held on July 12, 2008. The 26th annual Jefferson Township day will be held on July 14, 2012

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Jefferson Township include:
  • Derek Drymon
    Derek Drymon
    Derek Drymon is an American writer and storyboard artist. He has worked on numerous animated cartoon productions of the 1990s and 2000s, best known for his work on Rocko's Modern Life and SpongeBob SquarePants.-Personal Background:...

     (born 1968), former creative director on SpongeBob SquarePants
    SpongeBob SquarePants
    SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...

    .
  • Mike Leach (born 1976), former tight end for the Denver Broncos
    Denver Broncos
    The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

    , presently long snapper
    Long snapper
    In American football and Canadian football, the term long snapper refers to a player who is a specialized center during punts, field goals, and extra point attempts. His job is to snap the ball as quickly and accurately as possible....

     for the Arizona Cardinals
    Arizona Cardinals
    The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

  • Vern Miller of The Remains
    The Remains
    The Remains were a mid-1960s rock group from Boston, Massachusetts, led by Barry Tashian, who later was harmony vocalist and guitarist for Emmylou Harris and part of the duo, Barry and Holly Tashian...

    , a mid-1960s rock group who opened for The Beatles
    The Beatles
    The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

     on their final US tour in 1966.

External links

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