Washington, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Washington is a borough in Warren County
, New Jersey
, United States
. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 6,461. The borough is located in the eastern most region of the Lehigh Valley
.
Washington was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature
on February 20, 1868, from portions of Washington Township
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the borough has a total area of 2 square miles (5.2 km²), all land.
Pohatcong Mountain
is a ridge, approximately 6 mi (9.7 km) long, in the Appalachian Mountains
that extends from west Phillipsburg
northeast approximately to Washington. Upper Pohatcong Mountain
extends northeast of Washington approximately 6 mi (9.7 km) to the vicinity of Hackettstown
. The two ridges are sometimes called "Pohatcong Mountain" collectively.
of 2000, there were 6,712 people, 2,724 households, and 1,686 families residing in the borough. The population density
was 3,429.9 people per square mile (1,322.2/km2). There were 2,876 housing units at an average density of 1,469.6 per square mile (566.5/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 91.45% White, 3.89% African American, 0.12% Native American, 1.45% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.61% from other races
, and 1.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.17% of the population.
There were 2,724 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples
living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the borough the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $47,000, and the median income for a family was $61,379. Males had a median income of $41,436 versus $31,880 for females. The per capita income
for the borough was $23,166. About 5.0% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.
form of municipal government.
, members of the Washington Borough Council are Mayor
Scott McDonald (D
, term ends December 31, 2012), Deputy Mayor
Deputy Mayor Patrick Boyle (R
, 2012), Jeanine Gleba (R, 2014), David Higgins (R, 2014), Justin Jewell (R, 2014), Robert Torres (R, 2014) and John Valentine (D, 2012).
Washington is in the
ran along the north end of town and two rail lines of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
crossed within the borough. Intersecting in the center of the borough are two major roadways, which today are Route 31 and Route 57. The "Washington House", a tavern built by Revolutionary War Col. William McCollough in 1811 and destroyed by fire in 1869, would give the borough its name.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the borough became a mecca of musical instruments manufacturers, the manufacture of organs in particular. A bustling downtown developed around these businesses. Many of the Victorian style houses in the borough, as well as Taylor Street School and Warren Hills Middle School (formerly Washington High School) were built during this period.
The advent of the automobile brought Washington closer to both the Lehigh Valley
and New York City
. In the years following World War II
, the population increased, and there were many new houses and apartment complexes built. A portion of the Downtown area was devastated by a major fire in 1962. Education at the Middle and High School level was regionalized in 1968, and a new elementary school was also built (Memorial School).
The 1990s saw a population boom in Warren County, which continues today, as high real estate prices and property taxes in New Jersey’s northeastern counties push buyers to look further west. Although the borough itself does not have much room to grow, it has benefited from the growth of the nearby townships. Efforts are underway to revitalize the downtown with new residential and retail properties.
. Schools in the district (with 2008-09 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics
) are
Taylor Street School with 247 students in grades K - 2 and
Memorial School, with 293 students in grades 3 - 6.
Students in public school for grades 7 and up attend the schools of the Warren Hills Regional School District
. Warren Hills is a Grade 7-12 district that serves students from the municipalities of Washington Borough, Washington Township
, Mansfield Township
, Franklin Township
and Oxford Township
(for 9-12 only). Schools in the district (with 2008-09 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics
are
Warren Hills Regional Middle School (grades 7 and 8; 643 students) located in Washington Borough and
Warren Hills Regional High School (grades 9 - 12; 1,387 students) located in Washington Township.
Warren County, New Jersey
Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 108,692. Its county seat is Belvidere...
, 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 United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 6,461. The borough is located in the eastern most region of the Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
.
Washington was incorporated as a borough 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 20, 1868, from portions of Washington Township
Washington Township, Warren County, New Jersey
Washington Township is a Township in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population was 6,651. It is part of the eastern most region of the Lehigh Valley. It is one of six municipalities in New Jersey under the name Washington...
.
Geography
Washington is located at 40.760532°N 74.979231°W (40.760532, -74.979231).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 2 square miles (5.2 km²), all land.
Pohatcong Mountain
Pohatcong Mountain
Pohatcong Mountain is a ridge, approximately 6 mi long, in the Appalachian Mountains of northwestern New Jersey in the United States. It extends from west Phillipsburg northeast approximately to Allamuchy Township, NJ. The ridge continues on north past Washington as Upper Pohatcong Mountain....
is a ridge, approximately 6 mi (9.7 km) long, in the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
that extends from west Phillipsburg
Phillipsburg, New Jersey
Phillipsburg, known locally as P'burg, is a town in Warren County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 14,950....
northeast approximately to Washington. Upper Pohatcong Mountain
Upper Pohatcong Mountain
Upper Pohatcong Mountain is a ridge in the Appalachian Mountains of northwestern New Jersey in the United States. It is located in eastern Warren County, and extends northeast of Washington approximately 6 mi to the vicinity of Hackettstown...
extends northeast of Washington approximately 6 mi (9.7 km) to the vicinity of Hackettstown
Hackettstown, New Jersey
Hackettstown is a town in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 9,724. The town is located in the eastern most region of the Lehigh Valley....
. The two ridges are sometimes called "Pohatcong Mountain" collectively.
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 6,712 people, 2,724 households, and 1,686 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 3,429.9 people per square mile (1,322.2/km2). There were 2,876 housing units at an average density of 1,469.6 per square mile (566.5/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 91.45% White, 3.89% African American, 0.12% Native American, 1.45% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.61% 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 1.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.17% of the population.
There were 2,724 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% 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, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the borough the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $47,000, and the median income for a family was $61,379. Males had a median income of $41,436 versus $31,880 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 $23,166. About 5.0% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.
Local government
Washington operates under the Faulkner Act (Council-Manager)Faulkner Act (Council-Manager)
The Faulkner Act, or Optional Municipal Charter Law, provides for New Jersey municipalities to adopt a Council-Manager government.The council consists of 5, 7, or 9 members elected by the public...
form of municipal government.
, members of the Washington Borough Council are Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Scott McDonald (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 ends December 31, 2012), Deputy Mayor
Deputy Mayor
Deputy mayor is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official in many local governments. Many elected deputy mayors are members of the city council who are given the title and serve as acting mayor in the mayor's absence...
Deputy Mayor Patrick Boyle (R
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...
, 2012), Jeanine Gleba (R, 2014), David Higgins (R, 2014), Justin Jewell (R, 2014), Robert Torres (R, 2014) and John Valentine (D, 2012).
Federal, state and county representation
Washington Borough is in the 5th Congressional district.Washington is in the
History
Washington Borough separated from Washington Township, which completely surrounds it, in 1868. The community grew during the 19th century as a result of the transportation routes that ran through or near the borough. The Morris CanalMorris Canal
The Morris Canal was an anthracite-carrying canal that incorporated a series of water-driven inclined planes in its course across northern New Jersey in the United States. It was in use for about a century — from the late 1820s to the 1920s....
ran along the north end of town and two rail lines of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company was a railroad connecting Pennsylvania's Lackawanna Valley, rich in anthracite coal, to Hoboken, New Jersey, , Buffalo and Oswego, New York...
crossed within the borough. Intersecting in the center of the borough are two major roadways, which today are Route 31 and Route 57. The "Washington House", a tavern built by Revolutionary War Col. William McCollough in 1811 and destroyed by fire in 1869, would give the borough its name.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the borough became a mecca of musical instruments manufacturers, the manufacture of organs in particular. A bustling downtown developed around these businesses. Many of the Victorian style houses in the borough, as well as Taylor Street School and Warren Hills Middle School (formerly Washington High School) were built during this period.
The advent of the automobile brought Washington closer to both the Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In the years following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the population increased, and there were many new houses and apartment complexes built. A portion of the Downtown area was devastated by a major fire in 1962. Education at the Middle and High School level was regionalized in 1968, and a new elementary school was also built (Memorial School).
The 1990s saw a population boom in Warren County, which continues today, as high real estate prices and property taxes in New Jersey’s northeastern counties push buyers to look further west. Although the borough itself does not have much room to grow, it has benefited from the growth of the nearby townships. Efforts are underway to revitalize the downtown with new residential and retail properties.
Education
Students in grades K - 6 attend the schools of the Washington Borough Public SchoolsWashington Borough Public Schools
The Washington Borough Public Schools is a community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through sixth grade from Washington Borough, in Warren County, New Jersey, United States....
. Schools in the district (with 2008-09 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
Taylor Street School with 247 students in grades K - 2 and
Memorial School, with 293 students in grades 3 - 6.
Students in public school for grades 7 and up attend the schools of the Warren Hills Regional School District
Warren Hills Regional School District
The Warren Hills Regional School District is a Grade 7-12 comprehensive public school district located in Warren County, New Jersey that serves approximately 2,100 students from the municipalities of Washington Borough, Washington Township, Mansfield Township and Franklin Township, along with...
. Warren Hills is a Grade 7-12 district that serves students from the municipalities of Washington Borough, Washington Township
Washington Township, Warren County, New Jersey
Washington Township is a Township in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population was 6,651. It is part of the eastern most region of the Lehigh Valley. It is one of six municipalities in New Jersey under the name Washington...
, Mansfield Township
Mansfield Township, Warren County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 6,653 people, 2,334 households, and 1,750 families residing in the township. The population density was 222.3 people per square mile . There were 2,415 housing units at an average density of 80.7 per square mile...
, Franklin Township
Franklin Township, Warren County, New Jersey
- Local government :Franklin Township is governed under the Township form of government with a five-member Township Committee. The Township Committee is elected directly by the voters in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for...
and Oxford Township
Oxford Township, New Jersey
Oxford Township is a Township in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population was 2,514...
(for 9-12 only). Schools in the district (with 2008-09 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
Warren Hills Regional Middle School (grades 7 and 8; 643 students) located in Washington Borough and
Warren Hills Regional High School (grades 9 - 12; 1,387 students) located in Washington Township.
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Washington include:- Johnston CornishJohnston CornishJohnston Cornish was an American Democratic Party politician who represented in the U.S. Representative from 1893 to 1895.-Biography:...
(1858–1920), former U.S. Member of Congress and Mayor of Washington.
External links
- Washington Borough website
- Warren County page for Washington Borough
- Washington Borough Public Schools
- Data for the Washington Borough 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...
- Warren Hills Regional School District
- Warren County Technical School
- Warren County Community College