Local government
North Caldwell 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.
The
MayorIn many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of North Caldwell is Joseph Alessi, whose term of office ends December 31, 2014. Members of the Borough Council (with council assignments and term-end dates in parentheses) are Council President Richard Hampson (Public Safety, 2009), Joseph Alessi (Finance, 2010), James Campbell (Public Works / Utilities, 2010), John Chiaia (Recreation, 2008), Cynthia Santomauro (Legal and Ordinance, 2008) and Susan Volkert (Personnel / Administration, 2009).
Federal, state and county representation
North Caldwell is part of the 11th Congressional district.
North Caldwell is in the
Politics
On the national level, North Caldwell leans toward the Republican Party. In 2008, 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....
received 57% of the votes, defeating 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. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, who received around 41%.
History
North Caldwell was part of the
Horseneck TractThe Horseneck Tract was an area in present-day Essex County, New Jersey, United States, that consisted of what are now the municipalities of Caldwell, West Caldwell, North Caldwell, Fairfield, Verona, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Roseland, and portions of Livingston and West Orange.On May 1, 1701...
, which was an area that consisted of what are now the municipalities of
CaldwellCaldwell is a borough located in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, about outside of New York. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,822....
,
West CaldwellWest Caldwell is an township located in the West Essex area in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey. It is located approximately west of Manhattan and six miles northwest of Newark...
, North Caldwell, Fairfield,
VeronaVerona is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 13,332.In 2008, New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Verona #1 in Essex County and #3 in New Jersey as "Top Places to Live in New Jersey".-History:Verona and several...
,
Cedar Grove-Climate:Cedar Grove has a humid subtropical climate, with warm/hot humid summers and cool/cold winters. The climate is slightly colder overall during the summer than in New York City because there is no urban heat island effect....
,
Essex FellsAs of 2010 Essex Fells had a population of 2,113. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 93.5% non-Hispanic white, 1.1% black or African-American, 1.0% Chinese, 1.2% other Asian, 1.9% reporting two or more races and 2.0% Hispanic or Latino....
,
RoselandRoseland is a borough in western Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,819...
, and portions of
LivingstonLivingston is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 29,366.Livingston was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 5, 1813, from portions of Caldwell Township and Springfield...
and
West OrangeWest Orange is a township in central Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 46,207...
.
In 1702, settlers purchased the 14000 acres (56.7 km²) Horseneck Tract — so-called because of its irregular shape that suggested a horse's neck and head — from the Lenni Lenape Native Americans for goods equal to $325. This purchase encompassed much of western Essex County, from the
First MountainThe Watchung Mountains are a group of three long low ridges of volcanic origin, between 400 ft. and 500 ft. high, lying parallel to each other in northern New Jersey in the United States...
to the
Passaic RiverThe Passaic River is a mature surface 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,...
.
Education
The
North Caldwell Public SchoolsThe North Caldwell Public Schools is a community public school district that serves students in Kindergarten through sixth grade from North Caldwell, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States....
serve students in Kindergarten through sixth grade. 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
Grandview School for grades K-3 (412 students; Michael Stefanelli, Principal) and
Gould School for grades 4-6 (319 students; Chris Checchetto, Principal).
North Caldwell is home to the
West Essex Regional School DistrictThe West Essex Regional School District is a regional public school district serving students in seventh through twelfth grade from four municipalities in western Essex County, New Jersey. Communities served by the district's schools are Essex Fells, Fairfield, North Caldwell and Roseland...
, which also serves public school students from Fairfield,
Essex FellsAs of 2010 Essex Fells had a population of 2,113. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 93.5% non-Hispanic white, 1.1% black or African-American, 1.0% Chinese, 1.2% other Asian, 1.9% reporting two or more races and 2.0% Hispanic or Latino....
and
RoselandRoseland is a borough in western Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,819...
in Grades 7-12. 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
West Essex Junior High School (grades 7-8; 833 students) and
West Essex High SchoolWest Essex High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in North Caldwell, New Jersey in the United States. The high school is part of the West Essex Regional School District, which serves students from four municipalities in western Essex County. Communities served by the district's...
(grades 9-12; 729 students).
Popular culture connections
- In 1994, the "Unabomber", Theodore Kaczynski
Theodore John "Ted" Kaczynski , also known as the "Unabomber" , is an American mathematician, social critic, anarcho-primitivist, and Neo-Luddite who engaged in a mail bombing campaign that spanned nearly 20 years, killing three people and injuring 23 others.Kaczynski was born in Chicago, Illinois,...
sent a mail bomb to Thomas J Mosser, an advertising executive who resided in North Caldwell, killing him. This incident put the small town on the national map for a brief moment in time.
- In the HBO television show The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
, Tony SopranoAnthony John "Tony" Soprano, Sr. is an Italian-American fictional character and the protagonist on the HBO television drama series The Sopranos, on which he is portrayed by James Gandolfini. The character was conceived by The Sopranos creator and show runner David Chase, who was also largely...
and his family reside in North Caldwell. Many scenes from the show were filmed in North Caldwell and other communities in North JerseyNorth Jersey is a colloquial term, with no precise consensus definition, for the northern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. A straightforward, noncolloquial term for the region is northern New Jersey.- Two-portion approaches :...
.
- Stuckeyville, the fictional town in the NBC television series Ed
Ed is an NBC television program co-produced by David Letterman's Worldwide Pants Incorporated, NBC Productions, and Viacom Productions that aired from 2000 to 2004....
, was said to be modeled after North Caldwell.
- The 1994 film North
North is an American 1994 comedy film directed by Rob Reiner, and starring Elijah Wood, Bruce Willis, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Dan Aykroyd, Reba McEntire, and Alan Arkin...
contained scenes which were filmed in North Caldwell.
- Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
filmed scenes from the movie Cop LandCop Land is a 1997 American drama film written and directed by James Mangold. It features an ensemble cast including Sylvester Stallone, Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel and Ray Liotta.-Plot:...
in 1997 at the Hilltop Reservations
- Jermaine Jackson
Jermaine La Jaune Jackson is an American singer, bassist, composer, a member of The Jackson 5, older brother of American pop stars Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson and occasional film director...
filmed the "Dynamite" music video at the Essex County Jail Annex in 1984
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of North Caldwell include:
- Martin Brodeur
Martin Pierre Brodeur is a French-Canadian ice hockey goaltender who has played his entire National Hockey League career with the New Jersey Devils. In his 19-year tenure with the Devils, he has won three Stanley Cup championships and has been in the playoffs every year but two...
(born 1972), goalie of the New Jersey DevilsThe New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
lived in North Caldwell up until 2003.
- David Chase
David Chase is an American writer, director, and producer of television series. Chase has worked in television for more than 30 years; he has produced and written for shows as The Rockford Files, I'll Fly Away, and Northern Exposure. He has created two original series; the first, Almost Grown,...
(born 1945), creator of The SopranosThe Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
.
- Ken Daneyko
Kenneth Stephen Daneyko is a retired Canadian ice hockey defenceman of Ukrainian origin who played his entire career with the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League, winning three Stanley Cup championships with the team. He has been affectionately nicknamed "Mr...
(born 1964), former New Jersey DevilsThe New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
player, previously lived in North Caldwell and still resides in New Jersey.
- Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
(born 1969), hip hop and R&B music artist.
- Jamie Langenbrunner
James Craig Langenbrunner is an American professional ice hockey player. He's an alternate captain of the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League . He was the captain of the 2010 United States Olympic Team...
(born 1975), winger who currently plays for the Dallas StarsThe Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...
.
- Jaime Lucero (born 1957), Mexican-American garment industry executive.
- Josh Saviano
Joshua David "Josh" Saviano is an American lawyer and former actor who played Kevin Arnold's best friend, Paul Joshua Pfeiffer, in the comedy-drama television show The Wonder Years.-Biography:...
(born 1976), starred as "Paul Pfeiffer" on The Wonder YearsThe Wonder Years is an American television comedy-drama created by Carol Black and Neal Marlens. It ran for six seasons on ABC from 1988 through 1993. The pilot aired on January 31, 1988 after ABC's coverage of Super Bowl XXII....
.
- Madame Ernestine Schumann-Heink
Ernestine Schumann-Heink was a celebrated Austrian, later American, operatic contralto, noted for the size, beauty, tonal richness, flexibility and wide range of her voice.- Early life:...
(1861–1936), opera singer.
- Richard Wilbur
Richard Purdy Wilbur is an American poet and literary translator. He was appointed the second Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1987, and twice received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, in 1957 and again in 1989....
(born 1921), poet, critic, and translator grew up in North Caldwell. He later won two Pulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
s and served as a U.S. Poet LaureateA poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
.
External links