Berkeley Heights is a census-designated place located in Union County, New Jersey. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a total population of 13,407.
Geography
Berkeley Heights is located at 40°40'39" North, 74°25'47" West (40.677405, -74.429711)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 16.2 km² (6.3 mi²). 16.2 km² (6.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.16% is water.
Berkeley Heights is located in partially on the crest of the Second Watchung Mountain (of the Watchung Mountains) and also located in the Passaic River Valley, aptly named as the Passaic River forms the township's northern border.
Berkeley Heights is the western-most town in Union County, at the confluence of Union, Morris, and Somerset Counties.
Berkeley Heights is bordered by New Providence and Summit to the east, Chatham to the north, Watchung to the south, and Warren to the west.
History of Berkeley Heights
The earliest construction in Berkeley Heights began in an area that is now part of the 1,960-acre Watchung Reservation, a Union County park that includes 305 acres of the township.
The first European settler was Peter Willcox, who received a 424-acre land grant in 1720 from the Elizabethtown Associates, a group that bought much of northern New Jersey from the Lenni Lenape Indians in the late 17th century. Mr. Willcox built a grist and lumber mill across Green Brook.
In 1793, a regional government was formed. It encompassed the area from present-day Springfield, Summit, New Providence, and Berkeley Heights, and was called Springfield Township. Growth continued in the area, and by 1809, Springfield Township divided into Springfield Township and New Providence Township. New Providence Township included Summit, New Providence, and Berkeley Heights.
In 1845, Mr. Willcox's heirs sold the mill to David Felt, a paper manufacturer from New York, who built a small village called Feltville around the mill. It included homes for workers and their families, dormitories, orchards, a post office and a general store with a church above it.
In 1860, Feltville was sold to sarsaparilla makers, after which it was used for a number of manufacturing operations, before going into bankruptcy in 1882. When residents moved away, it became known as Deserted Village, the remains of which consist of 130 acres on which there are seven houses, the store, the mill and a barn.
The site, on the National and State Registers of Historic Places, is under restoration by the Union County Parks Department, with grants of almost $2 million from various state agencies. Deserted Village, in the Watchung Reservation, is open daily for unguided walking tours during daylight hours. Please note that if you would like to learn more about Feltville, you may be able to join the "Friends of Feltville" Yahoo! group by requesting membership from Matt Tomaso, MA, RPA, ABD Acting Director, Center for Archaeological Studies, Montclair State University.
In 1869, Summit seceded from New Providence Township. The Borough of New Providence and the City of Summit both incorporated in 1899. Present day Berkeley Heights remained as New Providence Township, (a name it kept until 1952) but also chose to incorporate in 1899. Many of the townships and regional areas in New Jersey were separating into small, locally governed communities at that time due to acts of the New Jersey legislature that made it economically advantageous for the communities to due so.
Another early Berkeley Heights community of note is the 67-acre Free Acres, established in 1910 by Bolton Hall, a New York entrepreneur and reformer. Mr. Hall believed in the idea of Henry George, the economist, of single taxation, under which residents pay tax to the community, which, in turn, pays a lump sum to the municipality. Among the early residents of Free Acres were the actor James Cagney and his wife, Billie.
To this day, residents of Free Acres pay tax to their association, which maintains its streets and swimming pool, approves architectural changes to homes and pays a lump sum in taxes to the municipality.
Early life in Berkeley Heights is documented in the Littell-Lord Farmhouse Museum & Farmstead (31 Horseshoe Road in Berkeley Heights), an 18-acre museum surrounding two houses, one of which was built in the 1750's and the other near the turn of the century. The museum is open 2-4 p.m. on the third Sunday of each month from April through December, or by appointment. Call (908) 464-0961 for more information.
Among the exhibits are a Victorian master bedroom and a Victorian children's room, furnished with period antiques. The children's room also has reproductions of antique toys, which visitors can play with. The museum, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, also includes an outbuilding that was used as a summer kitchen, a corncrib dating to the 19th century and a spring house, built around a spring and used for refrigeration.
Although the origin of the township's name has never been completely established, it is believed that the name Berkeley refers to Lord John Berkeley, one of the two proprietors who jointly held all of New Jersey by grant. The term "Heights" probably refers to the hilly section of the township. The township owes its rural character to its late development. Until 1941, when the American Telephone and Telegraph Company built its Bell Laboratories research facility in the township, it was a sleepy farming and resort community. According to a history compiled by the League of Women Voters in 1963, the population mushroomed to 9,500 in 1962 from 2,194 in 1940.
Some of the information found above was previously described in a New York Times article published on October 11, 1998.
(Source: Berkeley Heights Online)
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 13,407 people, 4,479 households, and 3,717 families residing in the CDP. The population density is 826.9/km² (2,140.7/mi²). There are 4,562 housing units at an average density of 281.4/km² (728.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP is 89.65% White, 1.11% African American, 0.08% Native American, 7.87% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.61% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. 3.68% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 4,479 households out of which 41.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.1% are married couples living together, 6.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 17.0% are non-families. 14.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.89 and the average family size is 3.21.
In the CDP the population is spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.4 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP is $107,716, and the median income for a family is $118,862. Males have a median income of $83,175 versus $50,022 for females. The per capita income for the CDP is $43,981. 2.1% of the population and 1.5% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 1.8% of those under the age of 18 and 3.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Education
The Berkeley Heights Public School District provides a high-quality education to over 2,815 students in six district schools:
Early Childhood Center at Hamilton Terrace --- Grades pre-K through 1
Mountain Park Elementary School --- Grades 2 through 5
Thomas P. Hughes Elementary School --- Grades 2 through 5
William Woodruff Elementary School --- Grades 2 through 5
Columbia Middle School --- Grades 6 through 8
Governor Livingston High School --- Grades 9 through 12
In addition to serving the public school students of Berkeley Heights Township , high school students from the neighboring Borough of Mountainside, New Jersey are educated at Governor Livingston High School.
Government
New Providence Township was incorporated in 1899, and later changed its name to Berkeley Heights Township in 1952.
Local Government
Berkeley Heights operates under the Township Committee form of government as per New Jersey statute. A Business Administrator manages the day-to-day functions of the Township. The Township Committee is made up of five members elected to staggered, three-year terms. At the Committee's organizational meeting each January, one member is elected to serve as chairman for a twelve-month term and another is chosen to serve as vice chairman. The chairman of a Township Committee also holds the title of mayor.
The current mayor of Berkeley Heights is David Cohen. The deputy mayor is Elaine Perna. The remaining three committeemen are Michael Chait, Louis DiPasquale, and David Ronner.
The Berkeley Heights Municipal Building is located at 29 Park Avenue.
New Jersey and U.S. Elected Legislators
Berkeley Heights is located in twenty-first legislative district of the N.J. General Assembly and state Senate. The representing N.J. State Senator is Republican Thomas Kean. The N.J. State Representatives of this district are Republicans Eric Munoz and Jon Bramnick.
Berkeley Heights is located in the seventh U.S. Congressional legislative district. Representing this district is Republican Representative Mike Ferguson.
Public Transportation
The Berkeley Heights Train Station is on the Gladstone Branch of the New Jersey Transit commuter rail system, serving major cities such as Hoboken, Newark, and New York City. Berkeley Heights is also in close proximity of the Summit Train Station, which provides frequent commuter rail service to New York City.
Lakeland Bus Lines also provides commuter bus service to New York City.
Trivia
Berkeley Heights is home to the Murray Hill Bell Labs headquarters of Lucent Technologies. The transistor and laser were invented in this facility when it was previously under AT&T.
The late Al Aronowitz, pioneer rock journalist, claims that Bob Dylan wrote his famous "Mr. Tambourine Man" in Aronowitz's former Berkeley Heights home.
Former Yankee Steve Balboni and former NBA Hall-of-famer Earl Monroe both call Berkeley Heights their home.
External links
Berkeley Heights Public Schools
Berkeley Heights Public Library