Little Ferry, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Little Ferry is a borough
in Bergen County
, New Jersey
, United States
. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 10,626.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the borough has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²), of which 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²), or 9.47%, is water. The town lies near the confluence of the Hackensack River
and Overpeck Creek
in the New Jersey Meadowlands
.
" phenomenon then sweeping through Bergen County.
During the colonial era, the town was the site of an important ferry crossing between the region's towns at Bergen
and Hackensack
, which in 1804 was replaced by a bridge on the Bergen Turnpike.
Gethsemane Cemetery
, an African burial ground, was opened in 1860.
In the 1970s Rosie's Diner
became famous for the filming of Bounty paper towel
commercials.
New Jersey Monthly
magazine ranked Little Ferry 35th in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.
of 2000, there were 10,800 people, 4,366 households, and 2,785 families residing in the borough. The population density
was 7,075.2 people per square mile (2,725.4/km2). There were 4,449 housing units at an average density of 2,914.6 per square mile (1,122.7/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 68.76% White, 4.71% African American, 0.15% Native American, 17.10% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 5.75% from other races
, and 3.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.19% of the population.
There were 4,366 households out of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples
living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the borough the population was spread out with 20.2% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 36.3% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $49,958, and the median income for a family was $59,176. Males had a median income of $42,059 versus $34,286 for females. The per capita income
for the borough was $24,210. About 5.9% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
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 and only votes to break a tie. 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 Mayor
of Little Ferry is Mauro D. Raguseo (D
, term of office ends December 31, 2011). Members of the Borough Council are Council President George Muller (D, 2012), Ronald Anzalone (D, 2012), Roberta Henriquez (D, 2011), Thomas Sarlo (D, 2013), Sue Schuck (D, 2013) and Peggy Steinhilber (2011).
Little Ferry is in the
, 595 (11.9% vs. 19.2% countywide) were registered as Republicans
and 3,464 (69.1% vs. 60.1% countywide) are registered as Undeclared
. There was one voter registered to another party.
On the national level, Little Ferry leans toward 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 44%.
serve students in Kindergarten through eighth grade. The district has two schools that are located across the street from each other. Grades Pre-K & 1 reside in the Washington School building (with 197 students as of 2005-06). Memorial School (756 students) houses two units. Memorial Elementary School includes Pre-K and Grades 2 - 4, while Memorial Middle School includes grades 5 - 8 and the Board of Education Offices. Two principals administer nearly 1,000 students and 77+ teachers.
Since Little Ferry does not have its own high school, for grades 9-12, public school students attend Ridgefield Park High School
, in Ridgefield Park
only a couple of minutes away, as part of a sending/receiving relationship
with the Ridgefield Park Public Schools
that has been in place since 1953.
connects U.S. Route 46
and Bergen Turnpike. The circle was originally constructed in 1933. The circle was largely reconstructed in 1985, allowing vehicles traveling on Route 46 to pass directly through the circle. The circle has been a constant site of accidents, with 40-50 accidents per year at the circle each year from 2004 through 2006.
In March 2007, the New Jersey Department of Transportation
proposed its latest plan to address issues at the circle. The plan would realign the circle into a straight intersection, complete with turning lanes; prohibit left turns onto many residential streets; and would include construction of a pump station to move water off the oft-flooded highway and into the Hackensack River.
New Jersey Transit
bus routes 161, 165 and 772 serve Little Ferry.
The Little Ferry Seaplane Base
is a public-use seaplane
base located 1 miles (1.6 km) east of the borough's central business district
, on the Hackensack River
. The base is privately owned.
Borough (New Jersey)
A 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 County
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
, 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
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 10,626.
Geography
Little Ferry is located at 40.849338°N 74.040868°W (40.849338, -74.040868).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 borough has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²), of which 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²), or 9.47%, is water. The town lies near the confluence of the Hackensack River
Hackensack River
The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles 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,...
and Overpeck Creek
Overpeck Creek
Overpeck Creek is a tributary of the Hackensack River, approximately 8 miles long, in Bergen County in northern New Jersey in the United States. The upper creek flows through suburban communities west of New York City...
in the New Jersey Meadowlands
New Jersey Meadowlands
New Jersey Meadowlands, also known as the Hackensack Meadowlands after the primary river flowing through it, is a general name for the large ecosystem of wetlands in northeast New Jersey in the United States. The Meadowlands are known for being the site of large landfills and decades of...
.
History
Little Ferry was formed on September 18, 1894, from portions of Lodi Township and New Barbadoes Township, at the height of the "BoroughitisBoroughitis
Boroughitis was a political phenomenon that spread throughout the U.S. state of New Jersey in the late 19th century, which led groups of residents to unite to form boroughs from within and among the many townships that were the prevalent form of local government at the time. This phenomenon was...
" phenomenon then sweeping through Bergen County.
During the colonial era, the town was the site of an important ferry crossing between the region's towns at Bergen
Bergen, New Netherland
Bergen was a part of the 17th century province of New Netherland, in the area in northeastern New Jersey along the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers that would become contemporary Hudson and Bergen Counties...
and Hackensack
Hackensack, New Jersey
Hackensack is a city in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States and the county seat of Bergen County. Although informally called Hackensack, it was officially named New Barbadoes Township until 1921. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 43,010....
, which in 1804 was replaced by a bridge on the Bergen Turnpike.
Gethsemane Cemetery
Gethsemane Cemetery
The Gethsemane Cemetery, is located in Little Ferry, New Jersey on an acre on a sandy hill just off U.S. Route 46 and Liberty Street. The cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 20, 1994.-Name:...
, an African burial ground, was opened in 1860.
In the 1970s Rosie's Diner
Rosie's Diner
Rosie's Diner is located in Rockford, Michigan. The dining car originally opened in the 1940s in Little Ferry, New Jersey, as the Silver Dollar Diner. After multiple commercials were filmed in the diner for Bounty paper towels with fictional character Rosie the Waitress, the diner was renamed Rosie's...
became famous for the filming of Bounty paper towel
Bounty (brand)
Bounty is a paper towel product manufactured by Procter & Gamble in the United States. It was introduced in 1965.- Sale of British rights :...
commercials.
New Jersey Monthly
New Jersey Monthly
New Jersey Monthly is a monthly glossy publication featuring issues of possible interest to residents of the United States state of New Jersey...
magazine ranked Little Ferry 35th in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
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 10,800 people, 4,366 households, and 2,785 families residing in the borough. 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 7,075.2 people per square mile (2,725.4/km2). There were 4,449 housing units at an average density of 2,914.6 per square mile (1,122.7/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 68.76% White, 4.71% African American, 0.15% Native American, 17.10% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 5.75% 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 3.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.19% of the population.
There were 4,366 households out of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% 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, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the borough the population was spread out with 20.2% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 36.3% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $49,958, and the median income for a family was $59,176. Males had a median income of $42,059 versus $34,286 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 borough was $24,210. About 5.9% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
Local government
Little Ferry is governed under the BoroughBorough (New Jersey)
A 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 and only votes to break a tie. 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 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 Little Ferry is Mauro D. Raguseo (D
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, term of office ends December 31, 2011). Members of the Borough Council are Council President George Muller (D, 2012), Ronald Anzalone (D, 2012), Roberta Henriquez (D, 2011), Thomas Sarlo (D, 2013), Sue Schuck (D, 2013) and Peggy Steinhilber (2011).
Federal, state and county representation
Little Ferry is in the 9th Congressional district.Little Ferry is in the
Politics
As of April 1, 2006, out of a 2004 Census estimated population of 10,840 in Little Ferry, there were 5,016 registered voters (46.3% of the population, vs. 55.4% in all of Bergen County). Of registered voters, 956 (19.1% vs. 20.7% countywide) were registered as DemocratsDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, 595 (11.9% vs. 19.2% countywide) were registered as Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The 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 GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and 3,464 (69.1% vs. 60.1% countywide) are registered as Undeclared
Undeclared (New Jersey)
Unaffiliated is a status for registered voters in New Jersey. Those voters who do not specify a political party affiliation when they register to vote are listed as unaffiliated....
. There was one voter registered to another party.
On the national level, Little Ferry leans toward the Democratic Party. In the 2004 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2004
The 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 Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
received 55% of the vote here, defeating Republican George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, who received around 44%.
Education
The Little Ferry Public SchoolsLittle Ferry Public Schools
The Little Ferry Public Schools are a community public school district that serves kindergarten through eighth-grade students from Little Ferry in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States....
serve students in Kindergarten through eighth grade. The district has two schools that are located across the street from each other. Grades Pre-K & 1 reside in the Washington School building (with 197 students as of 2005-06). Memorial School (756 students) houses two units. Memorial Elementary School includes Pre-K and Grades 2 - 4, while Memorial Middle School includes grades 5 - 8 and the Board of Education Offices. Two principals administer nearly 1,000 students and 77+ teachers.
Since Little Ferry does not have its own high school, for grades 9-12, public school students attend Ridgefield Park High School
Ridgefield Park High School
Ridgefield Park High School is a six-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grade from Ridgefield Park, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Ridgefield Park Public Schools...
, in Ridgefield Park
Ridgefield Park, New Jersey
Ridgefield Park is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The population was 12,729 at the 2010 United States Census. Of 566 municipalities statewide, Ridgefield Park is only one of three with a village type of government in New Jersey, along with Loch Arbour and Ridgewood.The...
only a couple of minutes away, as part of a sending/receiving relationship
Sending/receiving relationship
A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts have grown as part of a historical relationship...
with the Ridgefield Park Public Schools
Ridgefield Park Public Schools
The Ridgefield Park Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade from the Village of Ridgefield Park, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States....
that has been in place since 1953.
Transportation
The Little Ferry CircleLittle Ferry Circle
The Little Ferry Circle is a traffic circle connecting U.S. Route 46 and Bergen Turnpike in Little Ferry, New Jersey.The circle was originally constructed in 1933...
connects U.S. Route 46
U.S. Route 46
U.S. Route 46 is an east–west U.S. Highway, running for , completely within the state of New Jersey. The west end is at an interchange with Interstate 80 and Route 94 in Columbia, Warren County on the Delaware River...
and Bergen Turnpike. The circle was originally constructed in 1933. The circle was largely reconstructed in 1985, allowing vehicles traveling on Route 46 to pass directly through the circle. The circle has been a constant site of accidents, with 40-50 accidents per year at the circle each year from 2004 through 2006.
In March 2007, the New Jersey Department of Transportation
New Jersey Department of Transportation
The New Jersey Department of Transportation is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey. It is headed by the Commissioner of Transportation...
proposed its latest plan to address issues at the circle. The plan would realign the circle into a straight intersection, complete with turning lanes; prohibit left turns onto many residential streets; and would include construction of a pump station to move water off the oft-flooded highway and into the Hackensack River.
New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...
bus routes 161, 165 and 772 serve Little Ferry.
The Little Ferry Seaplane Base
Little Ferry Seaplane Base
Little Fairy Seaplane Base is a public-use seaplane base located one nautical mile east of the central business district of the borough of Little Ferry on the Hackensack River in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The base is privately owned....
is a public-use seaplane
Seaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
base located 1 miles (1.6 km) east of the borough's central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
, on the Hackensack River
Hackensack River
The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles 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,...
. The base is privately owned.
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
- Little Ferry official website
- Little Ferry Public Schools
- Data for the Little Ferry Public Schools, National Center for Education StatisticsNational 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...
- Ridgefield Park High School