Cliffside Park, New Jersey

Cliffside Park was formed based on the results of a referendum held on January 15, 1895, from portions of Ridgefield Township at the start of the second year of the Boroughitis phenomenon then sweeping through Bergen County.^[9]^[10]

Geography

Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 23,007 people, 10,027 households, and 6,036 families residing in the borough. The population density was 23,847.7 people per square mile (9,253.2/km²). There were 10,375 housing units at an average density of 10,754.1/sq mi (4,172.7/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 77.85% White, 1.83% African American, 0.25% Native American, 12.05% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 4.97% from other races, and 3.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.16% of the population.

As of the 2000 census, 3.6% of Cliffside Park's residents identified themselves as being of Armenian-American ancestry. This was the highest percentage in New Jersey, and the seventh highest percentage of Armenian American people in any place in the United States with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.^[12]

There were 10,027 households out of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the borough the population was spread out with 16.9% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 33.6% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $46,288, and the median income for a family was $54,915. Males had a median income of $40,114 versus $36,100 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $28,516. About 8.5% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Cliffside Park is governed under the Borough 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.^[13]

As of 2008, the Mayor of Cliffside Park is Gerald A. Calabrese (D, term ends December 31, 2011). Calabrese has been mayor of Cliffside Park since 1965. Members of the Borough Council are Larry Bongard (D, 2008), Thomas Calabrese (D, 2010), Kenneth Corcoran (D, 2010), Bernard J. Fontana (D, 2009), Dana Martinotti (D, 2008) and Donna M. Spoto (D, 2009).^[14]^[15]

In elections held on November 6, 2007, voters filled an open mayoral seat and two seats on the borough council. Incumbent Democrats ran unopposed for all three seats, with Mayor Gerald A. Calabrese (2,350 votes) and Councilmembers Thomas Calabrese (2,275) and Kenneth Corcoran (2,251) all winning re-election.^[16]^[17]

On Election Day, November 7, 2006, Democratic Party incumbents Bernard J. Fontana (3,904 votes) and Donna M. Spoto (3,909) won reelection unopposed to three-year terms on the Borough Council. Kenneth Corcoran (3,829), who had been appointed to the unexpired term of the late Richard Spadaccini, also ran unopposed, winning his bid to serve the one year remaining on the seat.^[18]^[19]^[20]

Federal, state, and county representation

Cliffside Park is in the Ninth Congressional District is part of New Jersey's 38th Legislative District.^[21]

Other countywide elected officials are Sheriff Leo McGuire (D), Surrogate Court Judge Mike Dressler (D, Cresskill) County Clerk Kathleen Donovan (R, Rutherford).^[26]

Politics

As of April 1, 2006, out of a 2004 Census estimated population of 23,012 in Cliffside Park, there were 10,730 registered voters (46.6% of the population, vs. 55.4% in all of Bergen County). Of registered voters, 3,271 (30.5% vs. 20.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 944 (8.8% vs. 19.2% countywide) were registered as Republicans and 6,515 (60.7% vs. 60.1% countywide) were registered as Undeclared. There were no voters registered to other parties.^[27]

On the national level, Cliffside Park leans strongly toward the Democratic Party. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 60% of the vote here, defeating Republican George W. Bush, who received around 39%.^[28]

Education

Transportation

Popular culture

Notable residents

Sources

References

^ Municipal Clerk's Office, accessed May 8, 2007.
^ USGS GNIS: Cliffside Park, Geographic Names Information System, accessed April 16, 2007.
^ ^a ^b Census data for Cliffside Park, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 30, 2007.
^ ^a ^b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
^ A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 14, 2008.
^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
^ Historical Population Trends in Bergen County (1900 - 2000), Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed December 23, 2007.
^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 76.
^ "History of Bergen County" p. 342
^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
^ Armenian Communities, Epodunk. Accessed June 28, 2006.
^ 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 160.
^ Mayor and Council, Borough of Cliffside Park. Accessed July 3, 2008.
^ "County of Bergen: 2008 County and Municipal Directory", Bergen County, New Jersey, p. 37. Accessed July 3, 2008.
^ "Cliffside Park municipal elections", The Record (Bergen County), November 3, 2007. Accessed November 22, 2007.
^ Bergen County election results, The Record (Bergen County), November 7, 2007. Accessed November 10, 2007.
^ "Election 2006: Municipal Results", The Record (Bergen County), November 8, 2006.
^ Cliffside Park Election Guide, The Record (Bergen County), November 8, 2006.
^ Bergen County 2006 General Election Results, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed February 1, 2007.
^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 56. Accessed August 30, 2006.
^ Legislative Roster: 2008-2009 Session, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed June 6, 2008.
^ About the Governor, New Jersey. Accessed June 6, 2008.
^ Bergen County Executive, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed March 25, 2008.
^ Freeholder Home Page, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed March 25, 2008.
^ Constitutional Officers, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed March 25, 2008.
^ "County of Bergen: Voter Statistics by Municipality, Ward & District," Bergen County, New Jersey, dated April 1, 2006.
^ 2004 Presidential Election results: Bergen County, New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety: Division of Elections, dated December 13, 2004.
^ Data for the Cliffside Park School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed March 6, 2008.
^ Cliffside Park High School Profile, Cliffside Park High School. "The neighboring town of Fairview is a K – 8 district and Cliffside Park is the receiving district for Fairview’s 9 – 12 students."
^ Routes by County: Bergen County, New Jersey Transit. Accessed September 9, 2008.
^ Turner, Rob. "6 Affordable Neighborhoods - Cliffside Park: Across the river and into the trees.", New York (magazine). Accessed July 11, 2007. "Remember the scene in Big where Tom Hanks morphs back into little Josh Baskin as he walks down the sun-speckled leafy streets on his return to kid-dom? That's Cliffside."
^ Ross, Michale E. "State Seeks Bigger Role In Making Of Movies", The New York Times, August 7, 1998. Accessed April 11, 2008. "Big, one of this summer's box-office comedy successes, starring Tom Hanks and Elizabeth Perkins. Parts of the 20th Century-Fox film were shot in Cliffside Park and Fort Lee."
^ Lipson, Karin. "For Oksana Baiul, a Role Close to Life", The New York Times, May 13, 2007. Accessed March 6, 2008. "Ms. Baiul, now 29 and living in Cliffside Park, N.J., was “competing” only in her starring role as Maya Propova, one of six fictional skaters jockeying for medals in “Cold as Ice,” a new musical about the sacrifices and rivalries of the sport."
^ Died. Joseph Dunninger, 82, magician and mentalist; of Parkinson's disease; in Cliffside Park, N.J., Time (magazine), March 24, 1975, accessed April 26, 2007.
^ ^a ^b ^c Hsu, Eric. "Cliffside Park, this is your life", The Record (Bergen County), March 22, 2007, accessed April 26, 2007. "One section includes a list of the town's famous residents, including telepathist Joseph Dunninger; boxer Gus Lesnevich;and Otto Messmer, an animator sometimes credited as the creator of Felix the Cat."
^ "DUNNINGER DIES; MAGICIAN WAS 82; Billed Himself as 'Master Mind of Mental Mystery'", The New York Times, March 10, 1975. "Joseph Dunninger, who mystified millions as a magician and mind-reader for more than half a century, died yesterday of Parkinson's disease at his home in Cliffside Park, N.J."
^ "Bruce Elia, Former Cliffside Park and NFL Linebacker", The Record (Bergen County), December 29, 1990. "It's not that Elia, 37, the former All-Bergen County football and basketball star from Cliffside Park, has aspirations of playing."
^ Gloria Gaynor: She Has Survived, Road & Travel, accessed March 9, 2007. "Gaynor, who won’t divulge her age (“Just as old as my tongue and a little older than my teeth,” is all she’ll say) and lives in Cliffside Park, New Jersey, with her manager/husband of 20 years, Linwood Simon, always knew she’d be a singer."
^ Jaeger, Barbara. "Solos at Home Lead to a Career in Rock", The Record (Bergen County), August 14, 1991. Accessed July 11, 2007. "Ray Gillen remembers those late-Seventies afternoons as if they were yesterday. 'I'd get home from school, turn on the stereo or radio, and sing along,' says the former Cliffside Park resident."
^ Heidi Groskreutz contestant profile from So You Think You Can Dance, accessed December 30, 2006.
^ Dems pick Lautenberg to replace Torricelli, CNN.com, October 2, 2002.
^ ^a ^b Randy Neumann profile, New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame, accessed March 3, 2007.
^ Dr. Mehmet C. Oz, M.D. Speaker Profile, accessed March 3, 2007.
^ LG ELECTRONICS SALUTES PUBLIC EDUCATION EXCELLENCE, BRINGS CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY TO SCHOOLS, LG Electronics press release dated July 7, 2005.
^ Buckley, Cara. "After Shooting in Manhattan, a Rapper Is Arrested", The New York Times, July 15, 2007. Accessed March 17, 2008. "Ms. Smith, who lives in Cliffside Park, N.J., grew up in the Castle Hill Houses in the Bronx and used to perform as Remy Martin."
^ Franks, Tim. " Jerusalem Diary: Monday 7 July", BBC News, July 7, 2008. Accessed July 9, 2008.
^ Heydarpour, Roja. "The Comic Is Palestinian, the Jokes Bawdy", The New York Times, November 21, 2006. Accessed July 9, 2008. "Ms. Zayid, who has a home in Cliffside Park, N.J., recently returned from Hollywood, where she lived while working on developing her one-woman show."

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