Passaic County, New Jersey
Passaic County is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is part of the New York metropolitan area.
As of the 2010 census, the population was 501,226, an increase of 12,177 from the 489,049 counted in the 2000 Census, As of the 2019 Census estimate, the county's population was 501,826, making it the state's ninth-most populous county, and marking an increase of 2.3% from 2010. Its county seat is Paterson. The most populous place was Paterson, with 146,199 residents at the time of the 2010 Census, more than 29% of the county's population, while West Milford covered, the largest total area of any municipality and more than 40% of the county's area.
Passaic County was created on February 7, 1837, from portions of Bergen County and Essex County.
Geography
The landscape of Passaic County, near the north edge of New Jersey, spans some hilly areas and has dozens of lakes. The county covers a region about. The region is split by major roads, including portions of Interstate 287 and I-80, near Paterson ''. The Garden State Parkway cuts across the southern end, near Clifton. The Passaic River winds northeast past Totowa into Paterson, where the river then turns south to Passaic town, on the way to Newark, further south.The highest point is any one of six areas on Bearfort Ridge in West Milford at approximately above sea level. The lowest elevation is approximately along the Passaic River in Clifton.
The southeastern, more populous half of the county is either flat near the river or mildly hilly. The northwestern section is rugged and mountainous.
According to the 2010 Census, the county had a total area of, including of land and of water.
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Paterson have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1961 and a record high of was recorded in September 1953. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in September. The county has a humid continental climate which is hot-summer except in higher areas to the north where it is warm-summer.Demographics
2010 Census
headed one in 149 households in 2010.2000 Census
As of the 2000 United States Census there were 489,049 people, 163,856 households, and 119,614 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,639 people per square mile. There were 170,048 housing units at an average density of 918 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 62.32% White, 13.22% Black or African American, 0.44% Native American, 3.69% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 16.24% from other races, and 4.05% from two or more races. 29.95% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Among those who reported their ancestry, 16.6% were of Italian, 9.5% Irish, 8.1% German and 6.2% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000.There were 163,856 households out of which 35.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.50% were married couples living together, 16.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.00% were non-families. 22.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.42.
In the county, the population was spread out with 26.10% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 31.30% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $49,210, and the median income for a family was $56,054. Males had a median income of $38,740 versus $29,954 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,370. About 9.40% of families and 12.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.30% of those under age 18 and 9.20% of those age 65 or over.
Law, government, policing
The Passaic County Court House and Administrative Building complex is located at the county seat in Paterson.In Passaic County's commission form of government, the Board of Chosen Freeholders discharge both executive and legislative responsibilities. Seven Freeholders are elected at-large for three-year terms on a staggered basis. A Freeholder Director and Freeholder Deputy Director are elected from among the seven Freeholders at an annual reorganization meeting in January. Passaic County operates through six standing committees of the Board of Chosen Freeholders. They are Administration & Finance; Health, Education and Community Affairs; Public Works and Buildings & Grounds; Law & Public Safety; Human Services and Planning and Economic Development. The Freeholders also appoint individuals to departments, agencies, boards and commissions for the effective administration of county government. In 2016, freeholders were paid $28,500 and the freeholder director was paid an annual salary of $29,500. The Freeholders select a County Administrator who, in the role of chief administrative officer, supervises the day-to-day operation of county government and its departments; Anthony J. DeNova III is the County Administrator.
, Passaic County's Freeholders are:
- Freeholder Director John W. Bartlett
- Freeholder Deputy Director Cassandra "Sandi" Lazzara
- Assad Akhter
- Theodore O. Best Jr.
- Terry Duffy
- Bruce James
- Pat Lepore
- County Clerk Danielle Ireland-Imhof
- Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik
- Surrogate Bernice Toledo
Passaic County constitutes Vicinage 11 of the New Jersey Superior Court and is seated at the Passaic County Courthouse in Paterson; the Assignment Judge for Vicinage 11 is Ernest M. Caposela. Law enforcement at the county level is provided by the Passaic County Sheriff and the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office.
Three federal Congressional Districts cover the county, with most of the northern portion of the county in the 5th District, most of the southern portion of the county in the 9th District and the central portion of the county in the 11th District.
The county is part of the 26th, 34th, 35th, 36th, 38th, 39th and 40th Districts in the New Jersey Legislature.
Policing
The Passaic County sheriff's department provides law enforcement functions throughout entire Passaic County plus unincorporated county area police patrol, detective, crime scene investigation, SWAT, K-9 function, operation of the Passaic County Jail, and the security of all county owned facilities, including the Passaic County Courthouse/Administration Complex. The incorporated cities within the county: Paterson, Passaic City, Clifton, Bloomingdale, Pompton Lakes, Prospect Park have separate municipal police departments.Politics
As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 266,617 registered voters in Passaic County, of which 82,529 were registered as Democrats, 49,852 were registered as Republicans and 134,152 were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 84 voters registered to other parties. Among the county's 2010 Census population, 53.2% were registered to vote, including 70.8% of those ages 18 and over.In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 58.8% of the vote here, ahead of Republican John McCain with 37.7% and other candidates with 0.8%, among the 192,558 ballots cast by the county's 273,483 registered voters, for a turnout of 70.4%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 53.9% of the vote here, outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 42.7% and other candidates with 0.5%, among the 176,303 ballots cast by the county's 254,569 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 69.3.
In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 50.8% of the vote here, ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 43.2%, Independent Chris Daggett with 3.8% and other candidates with 0.9%, among the 112,278 ballots cast by the county's 262,723 registered voters, yielding a 42.7% turnout.
Municipalities
Municipalities in Passaic County are: Other, unincorporated communities in the county are listed next to their parent municipality. Most of these areas are census-designated places that have been created by the United States Census Bureau for enumeration purposes within a Township. Other communities and enclaves that exist within a municipality are also listed next to the name.| Municipality | Mun. type | Pop. | Housing units | Total area | Water area | Land Area | Pop. density | Housing density | School district | Unincorporated communities / notes |
| Bloomingdale | borough | 7,656 | 3,089 | 9.17 | 0.45 | 8.71 | 878.6 | 354.5 | Butler Bloomingdale | |
| Clifton | city | 84,136 | 31,946 | 11.40 | 0.14 | 11.26 | 7,472.0 | 2,837.1 | Clifton | |
| Haledon | borough | 8,318 | 2,932 | 1.16 | 0.00 | 1.15 | 7,203.9 | 2,539.3 | Manchester Haledon | |
| Hawthorne | borough | 18,791 | 7,756 | 3.36 | 0.03 | 3.33 | 5,635.3 | 2,326.0 | Hawthorne | |
| Little Falls | township | 14,432 | 4,925 | 2.81 | 0.07 | 2.74 | 5,276.2 | 1,800.5 | Passaic Valley Little Falls | Great Notch Singac CDP |
| North Haledon | borough | 8,417 | 3,213 | 3.50 | 0.04 | 3.45 | 2,436.8 | 930.2 | Manchester North Haledon | |
| Passaic | city | 69,781 | 20,432 | 3.24 | 0.10 | 3.15 | 22,179.6 | 6,494.2 | Passaic | |
| Paterson | city | 146,199 | 47,946 | 8.70 | 0.28 | 8.43 | 17,346.3 | 5,688.7 | Paterson | |
| Pompton Lakes | borough | 11,097 | 4,341 | 3.19 | 0.28 | 2.91 | 3,809.1 | 1,490.1 | Pompton Lakes | |
| Prospect Park | borough | 5,865 | 1,931 | 0.48 | 0.00 | 0.48 | 12,347.2 | 4,065.2 | Manchester Prospect Park | |
| Ringwood | borough | 12,228 | 4,331 | 28.17 | 2.96 | 25.21 | 485.0 | 171.8 | Lakeland Ringwood | |
| Totowa | borough | 10,804 | 3,918 | 4.07 | 0.07 | 3.99 | 2,704.9 | 980.9 | Passaic Valley Totowa | |
| Wanaque | borough | 11,116 | 4,184 | 9.25 | 1.26 | 7.99 | 1,391.2 | 523.7 | Lakeland Wanaque | Haskell |
| Wayne | township | 54,717 | 19,768 | 25.17 | 1.45 | 23.73 | 2,306.0 | 833.1 | Wayne | Packanack Lake Pines Lake Preakness |
| West Milford | township | 25,850 | 10,419 | 80.32 | 5.23 | 75.09 | 344.3 | 138.8 | West Milford | Cooper Hewitt Macopin Newfoundland Oak Ridge |
| Woodland Park | borough | 11,819 | 4,835 | 3.11 | 0.15 | 2.96 | 3,987.9 | 1,631.4 | Passaic Valley Woodland Park | |
| Passaic County | county | 501,226 | 175,966 | 197.11 | 12.51 | 184.59 | 2,715.3 | 953.3 | - |
Economy
- Toys "R" Us' former US corporate headquarters was in Wayne, NJ
- Valley National Bank's corporate headquarters is in Wayne, NJ.
- Linens ‘n Things's headquarters office was in Clifton, NJ and employed 17,500 before closing in 2009.
- JVC has their US office in Wayne and employ approximately 19,040.
Education
- Passaic County Community College, founded in 1971, serves students from Passaic County at campuses in Paterson, Wanaque and Wayne.
- William Paterson University, established in 1855, is a public university located in Wayne.
- Montclair State University, founded in 1908, is a public university located in Montclair, as well as portions of Little Falls and Clifton.
Media
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Points of interest
- Dey Mansion, in Preakness, Wayne, served as Washington's Headquarters on several occasions during the American Revolutionary War.
- Garret Mountain Reservation in Paterson and Woodland Park is a National Natural Landmark covering.
- Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park in Paterson
- High Mountain Park Preserve in Wayne
- Lambert Castle in Paterson
- Long Pond Ironworks State Park in West Milford
- Paterson Museum, housed in the Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works in Paterson
- Ringwood State Park in Ringwood
- Skylands, the New Jersey State Botanical Garden in Ringwood, are formal gardens that are open to the public year-round. Originally constructed for Clarence MacKenzie Lewis in the 1920s, the entire property was acquired by the State of New Jersey in 1966 to form a State Botanical Garden covering which include a Lilac Garden, Magnolia Walk, the Wild Flower Garden, the Crab Apple Vista, an allée of 166 trees extending almost a half-mile, and the Perennial Garden.
- Yogi Berra Stadium in Little Falls - Located on the campus of Montclair State University, the stadium is home to the New Jersey Jackals of the independent Can-Am League as well as Montclair State's baseball team. The stadium has a capacity of 5,000 persons with permanent seating of 3,784 people and lawn seating which holds an additional 1,500.