Township of Teaneck, New Jersey
—  Township  —
Official seal of Township of Teaneck, New Jersey Seal
Map highlighting Teaneck's location within Bergen County. Inset: Bergen County's location within New Jersey
Census Bureau map of Teaneck, New Jersey Census Bureau map of Teaneck, New Jersey
Coordinates: 40°53′25″N 74°00′41″W / 40.890317°N 74.011478°W / 40.890317; -74.011478Coordinates: 40°53′25″N 74°00′41″W / 40.890317°N 74.011478°W / 40.890317; -74.011478
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Bergen
Incorporated	February 19, 1895
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
• Mayor	Mohammed Hameeduddin (term ends June 30, 2012)[1][2]
• Manager	William Broughton (effective May 13, 2009)[3][4][5]
Area[6]
• Total	6.226 sq mi (16.127 km2)
• Land	6.006 sq mi (15.557 km2)
• Water	0.220 sq mi (0.570 km2)  3.54%
Elevation[7]	108 ft (33 m)
Population (2010 Census)[8][9]
• Total	39,776
• Density	6,622.2/sq mi (2,556.8/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	07666[10]
Area code(s)	201/551
FIPS code	34-72360[11][12]
GNIS feature ID	0882227[13][6]
Website	http://www.TeaneckNJ.gov

Teaneck ( /ˈtiːnɛk/) is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776,^[8] making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County.

Teaneck was created on February 19, 1895 by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature. Teaneck was formed from portions of Englewood Township and Ridgefield Township, both of which are now defunct (despite existing municipalities with similar names), along with portions of Bogota and Leonia.^[14] Independence followed the result of a referendum held on January 14, 1895, in which voters favored incorporation by a 46–7 margin.^[15] To assuage the concerns of Englewood Township's leaders, the new municipality was formed as a township, rather than succumbing to the borough craze sweeping across Bergen County at the time.^[15] On May 3, 1921, and June 1, 1926, portions of what had been Teaneck were transferred to Overpeck Township.^[16]

Teaneck lies at the junction of Interstate 95 and the eastern terminus of Interstate 80.^[17] It is bisected into north and south portions by Route 4 and east and west by the CSX Transportation River Subdivision. Commercial development is concentrated in four main shopping areas, on Cedar Lane, Teaneck Road, DeGraw Avenue, West Englewood Ave. and Queen Anne Road, more commonly known as "The Plaza".^[18]

Teaneck's location at the crossroads of river, road, train and other geographical features has made it a site of many momentous events across the centuries. After the American defeat at the Battle of Fort Washington, George Washington and the troops of the Continental Army retreated across New Jersey from the British Army, traveling through Teaneck and crossing the Hackensack River at New Bridge Landing, which has since been turned into a state park and historic site commemorating the events of 1776 and of early colonial life. In 1965, Teaneck became the first community in the nation with a white majority to voluntarily desegregate its public schools, after the Board of Education approved the plan by a 7–2 vote on May 13, 1964.^[19][20] Teaneck has a diverse population, with large Jewish and African American communities, and growing numbers of Hispanic and Asian residents.^[21]

History[link]

Early history[link]

The origin and meaning of the name "Teaneck" is not known, but speculation is that it could come from various Dutch or English words, or it could be Native American in origin, meaning "the woods".^[22] An alternative is from the Dutch "Tiene Neck" meaning "neck where there are willows" (from the Dutch "tene" meaning willow).^[16]

When Europeans first entered the area, "Teaneck" referred to the north-south ridge that runs along present-day Queen Anne Road, with Lenni Lenape Native Americans having established camps on either side of the ridge. The Lenape in the area were led by a chief named Oratam, who led a group that lived in a village called Achikinhesacky, on the banks of the Tantaqua (Overpeck Creek), on the eastern slope of Teaneck Ridge near today's Fycke Lane. Conflicts between Europeans and Native Americans continued into the mid-17th century.^[23]

The first mention of permanent structures within the boundaries of present-day Teaneck dates to 1704. In subsequent years, houses and farm buildings were built on the west bank of the Hackensack River, along the route of a Native American trail. The neighborhood that grew here came to be known as East Hackensack or New Hackensack. Another small group of Dutch farm houses was constructed along the eastern slope of the Teaneck ridge along modern Teaneck Road. There are several of these early stone houses still standing that date back to Teaneck's 17th and 18th century Dutch farm heritage.^[24]

Revolutionary War period[link]

During November 1776, General George Washington passed through Teaneck during the withdrawal of Colonial forces from nearby Fort Lee on the Hudson River. Early on the morning of November 20, 1776, Washington rode by horseback from his headquarters in Hackensack through Teaneck and across Overpeck Creek to Fort Lee. There he watched as 6,000 British troops made their way by boats up the Hudson River. He had his troops abandon their position on the Palisades. They hastily made their way from their encampment, leaving behind their camp and most of their supplies, traveling across Overpeck Creek and through Teaneck to New Bridge Landing (today's Brett Park). They crossed the bridge, marching barefoot, two abreast, their garments so worn that they were exposed to the cold rain that fell that day. Throughout the war, both British and American forces occupied local homesteads at various times, and Teaneck citizens played key roles on both sides of the conflict.^[24]

After the war, Teaneck returned to being a quiet farm community. Fruits and vegetables grown locally were taken by wagon to busy markets in nearby Paterson and New York City. New growth and development were spurred in the mid-19th century by the establishment of railroads throughout the area. Wealthy New Yorkers and others purchased large properties on which they built spacious mansions and manor houses. They traveled daily to work in New York City, thus becoming Teaneck's first suburban commuters.^[24]

Phelps Estate[link]

William Walter Phelps

The largest estate built in Teaneck belonged to William Walter Phelps, the son of a wealthy railroad magnate and New York City merchant. In 1865, Phelps arrived in Teaneck and enlarged an old farmhouse into a large Victorian mansion on the site of the present Municipal Government Complex. Phelps' "Englewood Farm" eventually encompassed nearly 2,000 acres (8.1 km²) of landscaped property within the central part of Teaneck, on which some 600,000 trees were planted.^[21] Subsequent development and house construction were focused along the perimeters of the township, with the central part of the community remaining a large property crisscrossed by roads and trails.

Township formed[link]

The Township of Teaneck was established on February 19, 1895 and was composed of portions of Englewood Township, Ridgefield Township and Bogota. Teaneck's choice to incorporate as a township was unusual in an era of "Boroughitis", in which a flood of new municipalities were being formed using the borough form of government.^[15]

At a referendum held on January 14, 1895, 46 of 53 voters approved incorporation as a Borough. Citizens of Englewood Township challenged the creation of the borough, but accepted the new municipality as a township, given its more rural character. A bill supporting the creation of the Township of Teaneck was put through the New Jersey General Assembly on February 18, 1895, and the New Jersey Senate on the next day. Governor of New Jersey George Werts signed the bill into law, and Teaneck was an independent municipality.^[15]

At its incorporation, Teaneck's population was 811. William W. Bennett, overseer of the Phelps Estate, was selected as chairman of the first three-man Township Committee, which focused in its early years on "construction of streets and street lamps (originally gaslights), trolley lines (along DeGraw Avenue), telephones and speeding traffic."^[25]

Growth in early 20th century[link]

The opening of the Phelps Estate in 1927 led to substantial population growth in subsequent years.^[26] The George Washington Bridge was completed in 1931,^[27] and its connection to Teaneck via Route 4 brought thousands of new home buyers. From 1920 and 1930, Teaneck's population nearly quadrupled, from 4,192 to 16,513.^[28]

Rapid growth led to financial turmoil, and inefficiencies in the town government resulted in the adoption of a new nonpartisan Council-Manager form of government under the 1923 Municipal Manager Law in a referendum on September 16, 1930. A full-time Town Manager, Paul A. Volcker, Sr. (father of future Chairman of the Federal Reserve Paul A. Volcker, Jr.), was appointed to handle Teaneck's day-to-day business affairs. Volcker's 20-year term, from 1930 to 1950, provided Teaneck with economic stability, zoning and long-term development plans, a paid fire department and civil service for Township employees. It also established a model for future administrations.^[24]

The New Jersey Supreme Court issued a ruling in 1942 upholding a Teaneck ordinance that had banned pinball machines on the grounds that they were gambling devices rather than a form of amusement.^[29]

Development after World War II[link]

Teaneck was selected in 1949 from over 10,000 communities as America's model community. Photographs were taken and a film produced about life in Teaneck, which were shown in Occupied Japan as a part of the United States Army's education program to show democracy in action.^[30]

After World War II, there was a second major spurt of building and population growth. The African American population in the northeast corner of Teaneck grew substantially starting in the 1960s, accompanied by white flight triggered by blockbusting efforts of township real estate agencies.^[31] In 1965, after a struggle to address de facto segregation in housing and education, Teaneck became the first community in the nation where a white majority voted voluntarily for school integration. The sequence of events was the subject of a book titled Triumph in a White Suburb written by township resident Reginald G. Damerell (New York: William Morrow & Company, Inc., 1968).^[32][33]

As de facto racial segregation increased, so did tensions between residents of the northeast and members of the predominantly white male Teaneck Police Department. On the evening of April 10, 1990, the Teaneck Police Department responded to a call from a resident complaining about a teenager with a gun. After an initial confrontation near Bryant School and a subsequent chase, Phillip Pannell, an African American teenager, was shot and killed by Gary Spath, a white Teaneck police officer. Spath said he thought Pannell had a gun and was turning to shoot him. Witnesses said Pannell was unarmed and had been shot in the back. Protest marches, some violent, ensued; most African Americans believed that Pannell had been killed in cold blood, while other residents insisted that Spath had been justified in his actions. Testimony at the trial claimed that Pannell was shot in the back, and that he was carrying a gun. A fully loaded .22 caliber pistol was recovered from Pannell's jacket pocket. The gun, originally a starter's pistol, had been modified into an operable weapon that was loaded with eight cartridges.^[34] Spath was ultimately acquitted on charges of reckless manslaughter in the shooting. Some months after Spath had been cleared, he decided to retire from law enforcement. The incident was an international news event that brought Reverend Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson to the community and inspired the 1995 book Color Lines: The Troubled Dreams of Racial Harmony in an American Town, by Mike Kelly.^[35]

Teaneck, and the neighboring communities of Bergenfield and New Milford, has drawn a large number of Modern Orthodox Jews who have established at least fourteen synagogues and four yeshivas (three high schools and one for young men).^[36][37] It is the functional center of the northern New Jersey Orthodox community, with nearly twenty kosher shops (restaurants, bakeries and supermarkets).^[38] It is within ten minutes' driving time of Yeshiva University in New York City. This community tends to be involved with Religious Zionist causes and offers strong support of Israel.

Historic homes[link]

Zabriskie-Kipp-Cadmus House

Several homes in Teaneck date back to the colonial era or the period after the American Revolutionary War and have been preserved and survive to this day. Teaneck sites on the National Register of Historic Places and (other historic homes) include:^[39][40][41]

• John Ackerman House - 1286 River Road (constructed 1734-87)^[42]
• Banta-Coe House - 884 Lone Pine Lane (c. 18th century, added 1983)^[43]
• Brinkerhoff-Demarest House - 493 Teaneck Road (c. 1728, added 1983)^[44]
• Christian Cole House - 1617 River Road, constructed c. 1860^[45]
• Draw Bridge at New Bridge - Main Street and Old New Bridge Road over Hackensack River (constructed 1888, added 1989)^[46]
• Adam Vandelinda House - 586 Teaneck Road (constructed 1830, added 1983)^[47]
• James Vandelinda House - 566 Teaneck Road (constructed 1805-20, added 1983)^[48]
• Caspar Westervelt House - 20 Sherwood Road (constructed 1763, added 1983)^[49]
• Zabriskie-Kipp-Cadmus House - 664 River Road (c. 1751, added 1978)^[50]

Geography[link]

A view of the Hackensack River taken from the shore in Teaneck

Teaneck is located at 40°53′25″N 74°00′41″W / 40.890317°N 74.011478°W / 40.890317; -74.011478 (40.890317,-74.011478). According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 6.226 square miles (16.127 km²), of which, 6.006 square miles (15.557 km²) of it is land and 0.22 square miles (0.57 km²) of it (3.54%) is water.^[51][6]

Teaneck is bordered to the west by River Edge and Hackensack which lie across the Hackensack River, to the north by New Milford and Bergenfield, to the east by Englewood and Leonia, and to the south by Ridgefield Park and Bogota.

Teaneck has 24 municipal parks, of which 14 are developed.^[52] Overpeck County Park, along the shores of Overpeck Creek, a tributary of the Hackensack River, is more than 8,000 acres (32 km²) in size, of which about 500 were donated by Teaneck, and which is also in portions of Englewood, Leonia, Ridgefield Park and Palisades Park.^[53]

Climate[link]

Like New York City, Teaneck has a humid subtropical climate according to the Köppen climate classification. The climate in Teaneck is moderated by its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, resulting in cooler summers and warmer winters than inland areas, though this moderating effect isn't as strong as it is in nearby coastal areas.

Demographics[link]

2010 Census[link]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 39,776 people, 13,470 households, and 10,129 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,622.2 inhabitants per square mile (2,556.8 /km²). There were 14,024 housing units at an average density of 2,334.8 per square mile (901.5 /km²). The racial makeup of the township was 53.33% (21,214) White, 27.69% (11,013) African American, 0.28% (113) Native American, 9.11% (3,622) Asian, 0.06% (25) Pacific Islander, 6.04% (2,403) from other races, and 3.48% (1,386) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.53% (6,575) of the population.^[8]

There were 13,470 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.0% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.37.^[8]

In the township the age distribution of the population shows 25.0% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.3 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males.^[8]

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $92,107 (with a margin of error of +/- $3,556) and the median family income was $108,777 (+/- $5,024). Males had a median income of $74,055 (+/- $5,587) versus $54,959 (+/- $4,129) for females. The per capita income for the township was $42,335 (+/- $2,061). About 5.7% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.^[55]

2000 Census[link]

As of the census^[11] of 2000, there were 39,260 people, 13,418 households, and 10,076 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,486.2 people per square mile (2,505.5/km²). There were 13,719 housing units at an average density of 2,266.5 per square mile (875.5/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 56.3% White, 28.8% African American, 0.2% Native American, 7.1% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.2% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.5% of the population.^[56][57]

There were 13,418 households out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.34.^[56][57]

In the township the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.^[56][57]

The median income for a household in the township was $74,903, and the median income for a family was $84,791. Males had a median income of $53,327 versus $40,085 for females. The per capita income for the township was $32,212. About 2.4% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.^[56][57]

Ancestry information reported in the 2000 Census reflects the diversity of Teaneck residents, with no single country accounting for more than a small fraction of the population. Residents listed Italian (6.2%), German (6.0%), Russian (5.3%), Irish (5.1%) and Polish (4.2%) as the most common countries of ancestry, and an additional 4.3% listed United States. 6.3% of residents identified themselves as being of West Indian ancestry, of which 3.4% were from Jamaica.^[58]

English is spoken by 74.3% of residents. Other languages (accounting for more than 1% of residents) include Spanish (10.5%), Hebrew (2.8%), Tagalog (1.9%), Urdu (1.2%) and Russian (1.1%).^[59]

Historical population data[link]

After its founding as a township, Teaneck saw rapid growth in its population during the first half of the 20th century. As Teaneck changed from a sparsely populated rural area into a suburb, particularly after development of property that had been part of the Phelps estate started in the late 1920s, Teaneck's population grew rapidly, far outpacing the growth of Bergen County.

After World War II, the 1950 Census showed growth in Teaneck (33.6%) pacing Bergen County overall (31.6%). Starting in 1960, a substantial decline in the rate of growth compared to Bergen County occurred as Teaneck reached the limits of developable land, and the township neared its peak population. Population growth in the 1970 Census was small, but positive, with Teaneck reaching its historical maximum of 42,355. Absolute declines in population followed in both the 1980 (−7.9%) and 1990 (−3.0%) data. The 2000 Census showed recovery in Teaneck's population to 39,260, though growth (3.8%) was smaller than in Bergen County overall (7.1%).^[56]

With almost no land left to develop for housing, Teaneck's population is likely to remain stable for the foreseeable future. A reluctance to permit high-rise development as a means to increase population density also places a limit on growth. Changes in family size are one of the few influences that may affect population over time.

Crime[link]

As of 2007^[update], Teaneck had a violent crime rate of 187 incidents per 100,000 people, compared to a rate of 391 in New Jersey as a whole and 596 nationwide. Teaneck's property crime rate is 1860.6 incidents per 100,000 people, compared to an average of 2533.8 in New Jersey and 4296 nationally.^[61]

Gang violence hit Teaneck in July 2006 with the death of Ricky Lee Smith, Jr., a teenager shot outside a house party by a member of the Bloods gang who had attended the party. In June 2007, the Township Council approved the hiring of five additional officers after the Chief of Police had requested the addition of 14 new officers to Teaneck's existing 98-member police force to establish a gang unit.^[62][63][64]

Teaneck has received attention in the media due to sexual crimes committed against minors by New Jersey educators. Joseph White, former principal of Teaneck High School, pleaded guilty to official child endangerment in June 2006 and was sentenced to one year in prison. White had been charged in 2002 with fondling a 17-year-old student and was subsequently acquitted.^[65] James Darden, an award-winning former eighth grade teacher at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, was charged with sexual assault and misconduct in June 2007. He pleaded guilty on December 2007 to a charge of aggravated sexual assault and faces up to 8½ years in prison when sentenced on January 18, 2008.^[66]

The December 1975 murder of Jean Diggs and her four children has never been solved.^[67] Police reported in 1977 that they had been unable to identify a perpetrator after two years and thousands of hours spent investigating the crime.^[68]

A pair of killings hit Teaneck in 2010, with council watcher Joan Davis and software engineer Robert Cantor both killed in their homes, in cases that had not been solved in more than a year after the incidents.^[69]

Economy[link]

Major institutions in Teaneck include Holy Name Medical Center and the Metropolitan Campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University, the largest private university in the state.^[70] The Teaneck Armory is the home of the New Jersey National Guard's 50th Main Support Battalion.^[71]

Teaneck has four main commercial districts: Cedar Lane, north Teaneck Road, West Englewood Avenue/The Plaza and Queen Anne Road/DeGraw Avenue.^[72] Cedar Lane underwent a $3.9 million Streetscape project, completed in 2006, designed to attract additional business to the area through new sidewalk paving with brick edging, bump-outs to allow easier pedestrian crossing, old-fashioned lamp posts and street plantings.^[73]

Teaneck's largest single group of commercial ratables is the Glenpointe Centre, completed in the 1980s, which includes a 350-room Marriott hotel and 650,000 square feet (60,000 m²) of Class A office space at the intersection of Interstate 95 and Interstate 80.^[74] As of 2007, 150,000 square feet (14,000 m²) of space was vacant, including 100,000 vacated by Eisai Pharmaceuticals earlier in the year.^[75]

The Givaudan Fragrances Corp Creative Fragrances Centre, a division of Givaudan, was constructed in 1972 from a design by Der Scutt, architect of the Trump Tower.^[76] Givaudan Roure vacated the building in 2009 and the facility was acquired by World of Wings, which intends to use the building for a butterfly exhibition aimed at children.^[77]

Government[link]

Local government[link]

Teaneck Municipal Building

Following its founding in 1895, Teaneck used the traditional township form of government, led by a three-member Township Committee (later expanded to five seats) elected on a partisan basis. On September 16, 1930, Teaneck residents voted to establish a nonpartisan Council-Manager form of government under the terms of the 1923 Municipal Manager Law, with five members elected concurrently on an at-large basis. In 1962, the Council expanded to its current size of seven members and the position of Deputy Mayor was created. In 1987, a referendum to alter the form to a Faulkner Act Council-Manager form of government was approved, providing for staggered terms for the Council. With this change, Council elections now take place in even years on the second Tuesday in May. The Council's seven members are elected at-large in nonpartisan elections to serve staggered, four-year terms of office. The four seats elected in 2006 will expire in 2010 and the seats of the three who took office in 2008 will expire in 2012, etc.^[78][79]

The Township Council serves as Teaneck's governing body, setting policies and passing ordinances. It adopts an annual budget and approves contracts and agreements for services. The Council appoints the Manager, Clerk, Auditor, Attorney, Magistrate and Assessor. The Council appoints seven members of the Planning Board, the members of the Redevelopment Agency, Board of Adjustment, and all other statutory and advisory boards.

As of 2010^[update] Members of the Teaneck Township Council are:^[80][81]

• Mayor Mohammed Hameeduddin (term ends June 30, 2012)
• Deputy Mayor Adam Gussen (2014)
• Monica Honis (2012)
• Elie Y. Katz (2014)
• Lizette Parker (2014)
• Yitz Stern (2014)
• Barbara Ley Toffler (2012)

On May 13, 2008, the township voted to re-elect Monica Honis to the council (with 2,981 votes). Elnatan Rudolph (2,852) lost his bid for re-election, falling 38 votes behind his running mate. Barbara Toffler (leading the voting with 3,356 votes) and Mohammed Hameeduddin (2,890) were elected and took office on July 1, 2008, filling the seats left by Rudolph and former-mayor Jackie Kates, who did not run for re-election.^[82]

In the 2010 municipal elections, Adam Gussen, Elie Katz and Lizette Parker were re-elected to office, with former councilmember Yitz Stern taking the seat vacated by former-mayor Kevie Feit, who did not run for a second term. At its July 1, 2010, reorganization meeting the council selected Mohammed Hameeduddin to serve as mayor, making him one of the state's first Muslim mayors, while Adam Gussen was chosen as deputy mayor.^[83][84]

On July 1, following a municipal election, the Township Council holds an Organizational Meeting where the candidates elected (or re-elected) to serve on the Council are sworn in and begin their terms of office. The newly inducted council selects one of its members to serve as Mayor, and another to serve as Deputy Mayor, who presides in the absence of the Mayor.^[85]

The Mayor, elected by the Council from among its members after each biennial election, serves for a two-year term of office which expires upon the selection of a mayor at the subsequent reorganization meeting. The Mayor presides over all meetings and votes on every issue as a regular member. The Mayor is a member of the Planning Board and the Library Board. The Mayor appoints the members of the Library Board, and one member of the Planning Board. The Mayor executes bonds, notes, contracts and written obligations of the Township and is empowered by State Law to perform marriages.^[85]

The Municipal Manager is appointed by the Council to serve as a full-time professional chief executive officer. The Manager implements Council policies, enforces ordinances and coordinates the activities of all departments and employees and is responsible for preparing and submitting a budget to the Council. The Manager makes recommendations to the Council on relevant matters, appoints and removes Township employees and investigates and acts on complaints. The Manager appoints the Municipal Courts Prosecutor and Public Defender, members of the Rent Board and one member of the Teaneck Economic Development Corporation, and one member of the Civilian Complaint Review Board.^[3]

Federal, state and county representation[link]

Teaneck is part of the 9th Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 37th state legislative district.^[86][87] In redistricting following the 2010 Census, Teaneck was split between New Jersey's 5th congressional district and 9th district, one of 14 municipalities (and the only one in Bergen County) to be split across districts, down from the 29 that were split after the 2000 Census. The new district boundaries will be in effect for the June 2012 primaries and the November 2012 general election, with the representatives chosen in the new districts taking office in January 2013.^[88] About 80% of Teaneck residents will be in the new 5th District, with the remaining portion of the Township, primarily covering the area east of Teaneck Road and south of Bedford Avenue (with some exceptions), located in the 9th District.^[89]

New Jersey's Ninth Congressional District is represented by Steve Rothman (D, Fair Lawn). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).

The 37th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Loretta Weinberg (D, Teaneck) and in the General Assembly by Valerie Huttle (D, Englewood) and Gordon M. Johnson (D, Englewood).^[90] The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham).^[91] The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).^[92]

Bergen County's County Executive is Kathleen Donovan (R, Rutherford; term ends December 31, 2014).^[93] The Board of Chosen Freeholders is the county's legislative body and its seven members are elected at-large in partisan elections on a staggered basis, with two or three seats coming up for election each year.^[94] As of 2012^[update], Bergen County's Freeholders are Freeholder Chairman John D. Mitchell (R, 2013; Cliffside Park),^[95] Freeholder Vice Chairman John A. Felice (R, 2013; River Edge),^[96] Maura R. DeNicola (R, 2013; Franklin Lakes),^[97] John Driscoll, Jr. (R, 2012; Paramus),^[98] David L. Ganz (D, 2014; Fair Lawn),^[99] Robert G. Hermansen (R, 2012; Mahwah)^[100] and Joan Voss (D, 2014; Fort Lee).^[101] Other countywide constitutional officials are Sheriff Michael Saudino (R), Surrogate Michael R. Dressler (D, Cresskill) and County Clerk John S. Hogan (D, Northvale).^[102]

Politics[link]

As of Election Day, November 4, 2008, there were 23,445 registered voters. Of registered voters, 12,586 (53.7% of all registered voters) were registered as Democrats, 2,198 (9.4%) were registered as Republicans and 8,651 (36.9%) were registered as Undeclared. There were 10 voters registered to other parties.^[103]

On the national level, Teaneck leans strongly toward the Democratic Party. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 72% of the vote, defeating Republican John McCain, who received around 27%, with 82% of registered voters participating.^[103] In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 69.4% of the vote in Teaneck (13,254 cast), ahead of Republican George W. Bush, who received around 29.7% (5,672 votes), with 19,088 ballots cast among the borough's 24,466 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.0%.^[104]

Taxation[link]

The Tax Foundation determined that Bergen County had the third-highest median property tax burden in the nation ($8,708 vs. a New Jersey median of $6,579 and a national median of $1,917) and the fourth-highest level of property taxes as a percentage of median income (8.59% vs. 7.45% statewide and 3.03% nationally), based on an analysis of data from the 2009 American Community Survey conducted by the United States Census Bureau for all 792 counties in the United States with more than 20,000 residents.^[105] As of 2010, Teaneck's effective tax rate of $2.314 per $100 of equalized value was the fifth highest of the 70 municipalities in Bergen County, which had a countywide median effective rate of $1.882 per $100.^[106]

As of 2011^[update], just over 55% of a Teaneck property owner's tax goes to support the local school system, 36% goes to municipal taxes (including an open space tax) and the remaining 9% to county services (which also assesses an open space tax). In the decade from 2001 to 2011, municipal taxes have risen at an annual rate of nearly 5.4% and school taxes by 3.5%, while the Consumer Price Index for the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island area has gone up about 2.8% during that time span.^[107]

The 2011 tax rate was set at $2.405 per $100 of assessed value (an increase of 3.3% from 2010), which is composed of school taxes of $1.342 (up almost 3.5%), municipal taxes of $0.848 (an increase of 2.9%) and county taxes of $0.201 (up 3.6%), plus a municipal open space tax of $0.010 and a county open space tax of $0.003.^[108] The owner of a median-valued home in Teaneck, assessed at $465,300, would pay 2011 property taxes of $11,190, which would include $6,244 in school taxes, $3,992 in municipal taxes and $949 to the county (including open space levies).^[109][110]

The Teaneck Public Schools had a Budgetary Per Pupil Cost of $16,746 in the 2010-11 budget compared to the average of $13,609 budgeted that year by comparable districts, ranked as the 100th highest among the 105 K-12 districts in the state with more than 3,500 students.^[111]

At the April 2006 school elections, voters rejected the proposed $84.8 million budget for the Teaneck Public Schools for the 2006–07 school year by a 1,644 to 1,336 margin. Based on recommendations specified by the Township Council, the Board of Education approved $544,391 in cuts.^[112] The school budget was rejected again in 2009, with the Council cutting $1 million from the $94.8 million originally proposed.^[113] After the 2010 school budget failed, the Township Council removed $6.1 million from the $95 million budget proposed by the school district, zeroing out what would have been an 8.2% increase in the school tax levy.^[114] The school board eliminated 77 positions to meet the cuts approved by the council.^[115]

Education[link]

Public schools[link]

During the 2009-10 school year, the Teaneck Public Schools served pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade with an enrollment of 4,129 students and 371 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.13. The district had 282 other staff members (on an FTE basis), for a total staff of 653.^[116] Schools in the district (with 2009-10 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics^[117]) are Bryant School (367 students; pre-K and Kindergarten), Hawthorne School (347; 1-4), Lowell School (321; 1-4), Whittier School (406; 1-4), Benjamin Franklin Middle School (576; 5-8), Thomas Jefferson Middle School (624; 5-8) and Teaneck High School, which has an enrollment of 1,407 students in grades 9–12.

Longfellow Elementary school was discontinued in 1998. Other elementary schools that closed prior to 1998 included Emerson and Eugene Field School, which is used by the Board of Education for its Central Administrative Offices.

2009-10 total spending for the district was $95,495,096, a Total Spending per Pupil of $22,942 based on 4,126.4 students, ranking 101st highest of the 105 K-12 districts statewide with more than 3,500 students, with the average district spending $17,836 per pupil. Based on the 2010-11 budget, the district planned to spend a Budgetary Per Pupil Cost of $16,746 (a measure that excludes out-of-district tuition payments for special education, transportation costs, legal judgments and certain other expenditures), ranking 100th highest among the 105 districts, compared to a statewide average of $13,609. Of the 2010-11 Budgetary Per Pupil Cost, $9,674 per student goes to classroom instruction (99th highest of K–12 districts in the state with more than 3,500 students, with a statewide average of $8,004), $2,842 per student to Total Support Services (ranked 95th, average of $2,116), $1,688 to Total Administrative Costs (ranked 98th, average of $1,453) and $2,533 to Total Operations and Maintenance of Plant (ranked 97th, average of $1,698). The district's 2010-11 Median Classroom Teacher Salary of $85,550 is ranked 104th in the state in its grouping, the Median Support Service Salary is $104,734 (106th), while the Median Administrator Salary is $132,397 (88th).^{[111][118][119]}

As of the 2010 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Report, Teaneck High School had satisfied the Adequate Yearly Progress measure and had a graduation rate of 97.0% for the class of 2009-10, compared to a statewide average of 94.7%. On the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA), 9.4% were partial proficient, 79.5% proficient and 11.1% advanced proficient in Language Arts Literacy (vs. statewide averages of 10.3% partial, 75.7% proficient and 14% advanced). In Mathematics, 24.8% were partial proficient, 61.8% proficient and 13.4% advanced proficient (vs. statewide averages of 18.4% partial, 57.9% proficient and 23.7% advanced).^[120]

The Teaneck Community Charter School (TCCS) had a 2009-10 enrollment of 304 students in kindergarten through eighth grade with 27 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.26. The school had 17 other staff members (on an FTE basis), for a total staff of 44.^[121] TCCS is a charter school that operates independently of the Teaneck Public Schools under a charter granted by the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education, which was renewed for five years in 2012.^[122] Admission is open to the public for available slots (after returning students and siblings of existing students are entered) and offers an after school program and summer camp. As the school is a public school, no tuition is charged. Funding comes from the Teaneck Public Schools (and the home districts of non-resident students), which provides 90% of its cost per pupil in the district; the balance of funding comes directly from the state of New Jersey.^[123] The school moved to a new building at 563 Chestnut Avenue in the school year of 2009–10 from a space it had rented on Palisade Avenue.^[124]

2009-10 total spending for the TCCS was $5,050,613, a Total Spending per Pupil of $16,614 based on 304 students, ranking 51st highest of the 77 charter schools statewide, with the average district spending $17,836 per pupil. Based on the 2010-11 budget, the TCCS planned to spend a Budgetary Per Pupil Cost of $14,210, ranking 54th highest among the 77 districts, compared to a statewide average of $13,609. Of the 2010-11 Budgetary Per Pupil Cost, $8,112 per student goes to classroom instruction (57th highest of charter schools in the state, with a statewide average of $8,004), $1,124 per student to Total Support Services (ranked 14th, average of $2,116), $1,690 to Total Administrative Costs (ranked 4th, average of $1,453) and $3,282 to Total Operations and Maintenance of Plant (ranked 70th, average of $1,698). The district's 2010-11 Median Classroom Teacher Salary of $55,860 is ranked 57th in the state in its grouping, the Median Support Service Salary is $82,433 (54th), while the Median Administrator Salary is $103,750 (56th).^{[118][119][125]}

Private and parochial schools[link]

Teaneck is home to the Metropolitan Campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University, which straddles the Hackensack River, in Teaneck and Hackensack. The campus served 4,114 undergraduates and 2,350 graduate students.^[126]

Private Orthodox Jewish day schools include the Torah Academy of Bergen County (for boys)^[127] and Ma'ayanot Yeshiva High School (for girls), both high schools (grades 9–12).^[128]

Teaneck was home to the Metropolitan Schechter High School, a co-ed Conservative Jewish high school, which closed its doors in August 2007 due to fundraising problems.^[129]

The Al-Ghazaly High School is a co-ed religious day school founded in 1984 (grades 7 through 12) primarily serving the Muslim community from the greater Teaneck area.^[130]

The Community School is a private school, founded in 1968 to serve the bright child with learning and attentional disabilities. Both the lower school and high school are in Teaneck.^[131]

Public services[link]

The Teaneck Police Department has 99 uniformed officers as of 2008, out of a total of 106 authorized uniformed positions. Robert Wilson was named Chief as of July 2008, filling the acting chief role previously held by Deputy Chief Fred Ahearn, who had been serving in that position after the departure of Paul Tiernan in 2007.^[132] The department hired its first two officers in 1914; Freddie Greene, its first African-American officer, joined the department on September 15, 1962, and its first female on January 4, 1981.^[133][134]

The firehouse on Cedar Lane.

The Teaneck Fire Department is a career fire department that has 93 uniformed members as of January 2010, out of a total 99 authorized uniformed positions. Teaneck's four fire stations are staffed around the clock by paid full-time fire fighters. Teaneck is one of four municipalities in Bergen County with a paid fire department, joining Englewood, Hackensack and Ridgewood.^[135] Robert J. Montgomery was named Chief of Department as of June 1, 2006, and retired in March 2010, when he was succeeded by Anthony Verley.^[136] The department operates four Engine Companies out of four strategically placed firehouses. Additionally, a Tower Ladder, Rescue Truck and Command vehicle responds out of the main Fire Headquarters on Teaneck Road. Reserve apparatus include two Engines, a Rescue and a Ladder Truck that can be manned as required during high service demands. The department responds to approximately 4,000 calls per year involving structure fires, vehicle fires, electrical emergencies, natural gas releases, carbon monoxide incidents, explosions, rescues, outside fires,vehicle extrications and first responder medical calls.^[137]

The Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps (TVAC)^[138] was created by just a few men in 1939 to serve the residents of Teaneck, NJ. TVAC has always been Teaneck's only emergency ambulance service, and has since grown to include over 100 members and 4 ambulances in their organization. All of TVAC's members are volunteers, serving the township 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, without pay. In 2011, TVAC responded to over 4,300 emergency calls, routinely saving lives and reducing suffering with their rapid response and application of Basic Life Support skills. Throughout the last 70 years, TVAC has never charged a patient nor the patient's family for service. The services of the Corps are entirely free of charge, whether the patients are residents of Teaneck, visitors, or individuals who need medical service while passing through the town. The Corps also renders service in nearby towns as part of a mutual aid system, again without charge.^[139]

The Richard Rodda Community Center, located near Route 4 at the south end of Votee Park, is a 50,000-square-foot (4,600 m²) community and recreation center completed in 1998. The facility includes two full sized gyms, a dance studio, a kitchen and several multipurpose rooms of different sizes. The Teaneck Recreation Department offers educational, sports and arts programs throughout the year. The Rodda center is home to the Senior Citizens Service Center, which offers educational and fitness activities for adults ages 55 and up, and serves hot lunch daily, provided by the Bergen County Division of Senior Services.^[140]

Arts and culture[link]

The Puffin Foundation and its Puffin Cultural Forum have been leading supporters and producers of art in Teaneck, sponsoring plays and art exhibitions at it location on Puffin Way.^[141]

Teaneck is home to the Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County, founded in 1953. The Bergen Society is a member organization of the American Ethical Union.^[142]

The Teaneck Community Band presents a series of five outdoor summer band concert each summer. The 69th annual series, in 2009, was sponsored by the Puffin Foundation.^[140]

The now-defunct Teaneck Cultural Arts Coalition had organized many community-wide cultural events, including an annual First Night community celebration of the arts held for several years through New Year's 2005.^[143]

The Garage Theatre Group, Bergen County's first non-profit, professional theatre company, stages fully professional productions, with members of Actors Equity, as well as youth conservatory productions at the Becton Theatre on the campus of Farleigh Dickinson University.^[144]

Teaneck New Theatre, founded in 1986, performs productions at St. Mark's Church in Teaneck and at the Hackensack Cultural Arts Center, across the river in Hackensack, New Jersey.^[145]

Cedar Lane Cinema is the township's lone movie theater, and hosts live performances on its stage by local performance groups. Teaneck has been the site of many films, including The Family Man, the 2000 film starring Nicolas Cage.^[146] The Teaneck Armory has been used for films including Sweet and Lowdown, and for interior scenes of You've Got Mail.^[147][148]

In 2007, two non-fiction volumes appeared dealing, inter alia, with Teaneck's Orthodox Jewish community. In Foreskin's Lament, writer Shalom Auslander describes living in Teaneck and finding the Jewish community stifling and claustrophobic.^[149] In contrast, Rifka Rosenwein, in Life in the Present Tense, describes the close-knit community as a gift she couldn't imagine when living in Manhattan.^[150]

Media[link]

Although licensed to Oakland, a community in Western Bergen County, radio station WVNJ operating at 1160 kHz on the AM dial maintains its studios at 1086 Teaneck Road.^[151] WFDU FM-89.5 operates from studios at Fairleigh Dickinson University, and there was a defunct AM Carrier Current version of WFDU on 640 through some time in the 1980s.^[152]

Athletics[link]

The New Jersey Nets NBA pro basketball team were founded as the New Jersey Americans in Teaneck for the 1967–68 season, as charter members of the American Basketball Association. The team played their home games at the Teaneck Armory for that one season, and was scheduled to play a one-game playoff at the armory. However, the circus had been booked for the week, and the game was relocated to a court in Commack, New York that was unplayable, and the game had to be forfeited. After the one season in Teaneck, the team relocated to Long Island and was renamed the New York Nets.^[153]

Portions of Fairleigh Dickinson University's Metropolitan Campus are located in Teaneck, with most of the school's athletic facilities are located across the river in Hackensack. The school's University Stadium, home for its men's and women's soccer teams, lies on the Hackensack River, just north of Route 4. The 1,000-seat stadium has hosted NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament games in recent years.^[154] The natural grass field was resurfaced with FieldTurf in 2004.^[155]

The Naimoli Family Baseball Complex is situated between Route 4 and University Stadium. Fairleigh Dickinson received a $1 million bequest from FDU alumnus Vince Naimoli, founding owner of the Tampa Bay Rays, to establish a 500-seat stadium with artificial turf and lighting on the site of the current facility.^[156]

Transportation[link]

Highways[link]

Teaneck is situated along a number of major transportation routes, including the New Jersey Turnpike (a portion of Interstate 95) and Interstate 80. Teaneck is the eastern terminus of Interstate 80, which stretches over 2,900 miles (4,700 km) west to downtown San Francisco, California.

Route 4 runs east-west through Teaneck, where, unlike all other towns situated along the highway, there is no commercial development. Route 4 narrows from three lanes on the eastbound section between Belle Avenue and Englewood, causing rush-hour traffic backups that may extend all the way back into Hackensack. The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) has discussed a series of proposed replacement projects for bridges over the highway, which could start in 2011, pending completion of feasibility studies and design work. While the township has indicated its willingness to cede space along the Greenbelt for a third lane, the lack of space for a shoulder may preclude the creation of a full three-lane route through Teaneck, due to safety concerns by the NJDOT.^[157]

New Jersey's other main trunk route, the Garden State Parkway, can be reached just a few miles west of Teaneck.

Access to New York City is available for motorists across the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee which can be reached by highway via Route 4 or Interstate 95, and (via the Turnpike) through the Lincoln Tunnel in Hudson County into Midtown Manhattan.

Public transportation[link]

New Jersey Transit bus service is available in Teaneck, with frequent service on Teaneck Road, Route 4 and Cedar Lane, and less frequent service on other main streets. NJTransit bus service is offered to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 155, 157, 165, 167 and 168 routes; to the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal on the 171, 175, 178, 182 and 186 routes; and to other New Jersey communities served on the 751, 753, 755, 756, 772 and 780 routes.^[158] Scheduled bus service is also available from Rockland Coaches to the Port Authority Bus Terminal on the 21T from New Milford through Teaneck and on the 11T/11AT from Stony Point, New York through Teaneck.^[159] A number of jitney services provide unscheduled service along Route 4 between Paterson, New Jersey and the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal.

While there is no passenger train operation in Teaneck, train service is available on New Jersey Transit on the Pascack Valley Line at the New Bridge Landing station (in River Edge) and the Anderson Street station (in Hackensack). This line runs north-south to Hoboken Terminal with connections to the PATH train from the Hoboken PATH station and New Jersey Transit connecting service to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan via the Secaucus Junction transfer station. Connections are also available at Hoboken Terminal to NY Waterway ferry service to the World Financial Center and other destinations and for the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail system, serving routes along the Hudson River in Hudson County.

Teaneck is split east and west by railroad tracks, which currently provide freight service by CSX Transportation. Until 1959, passenger train service was provided on these same tracks by the West Shore Railroad, with Teaneck stations at Cedar Lane and West Englewood Avenue. Commuter service was available from these stations, with 44 passenger trains operating to and from Weehawken, with ferry service available across the Hudson River to New York City at 42nd Street and at the Financial District in lower Manhattan.^[160] Service was also available north along the west shore of the river to Albany. Efforts are continuing to restore passenger train service on this line for the commuters heading into New York City, including extension of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail service via the Northern Branch to Tenafly.^[161]

The closest airport in New Jersey with scheduled passenger service is Newark Liberty International Airport, 19.7 miles (31.7 km) away (about 27 minutes) in Newark / Elizabeth.^[162] New York City's LaGuardia Airport is 14.7 miles (23.7 km) away in Flushing, Queens via the George Washington Bridge, an estimated 22 minutes (in ideal conditions).^[163] John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens is 25.7 miles (and 34 minutes) from Teaneck.^[164] Teterboro Airport offers general aviation service, and is a 9.2-mile (14.8 km) drive (about 13 minutes) away.^[165]

Notable residents[link]

See List of people from Teaneck, New Jersey

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Teaneck, New Jersey

• Township of Teaneck official website
• Historical Population Trends in Bergen County 1990 – 2000
• Teaneck Chamber of Commerce – Demographics
• Census 2000 Demographic Profile Highlights for Teaneck
• Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps

v t e Municipalities and communities of Bergen County, New Jersey, United States County seat: Hackensack Cities Englewood Garfield Hackensack Boroughs Allendale Alpine Bergenfield Bogota Carlstadt Cliffside Park Closter Cresskill Demarest Dumont East Rutherford Edgewater Elmwood Park Emerson Englewood Cliffs Fair Lawn Fairview Fort Lee Franklin Lakes Glen Rock Harrington Park Hasbrouck Heights Haworth Hillsdale Ho-Ho-Kus Leonia Little Ferry Lodi Maywood Midland Park Montvale Moonachie New Milford North Arlington Northvale Norwood Oakland Old Tappan Oradell Palisades Park Paramus Park Ridge Ramsey Ridgefield River Edge Rockleigh Rutherford Saddle River Tenafly Teterboro Upper Saddle River Waldwick Wallington Westwood Wood-Ridge Woodcliff Lake Townships Lyndhurst Mahwah River Vale Rochelle Park Saddle Brook South Hackensack Teaneck Washington Township Wyckoff Villages Ridgefield Park Ridgewood Unincorporated communities Radburn

State of New Jersey
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): The Garden State[1]
Motto(s): Liberty and prosperity
Official language(s)	None
Demonym	New Jerseyan,[2] New Jerseyite[3]
Capital	Trenton
Largest city	Newark
Area	Ranked 47th in the U.S.
- Total	8,721 sq mi (22,608 km2)
- Width	70 miles (112 km)
- Length	170 miles (273 km)
- % water	14.9
- Latitude	38° 56′ N to 41° 21′ N
- Longitude	73° 54′ W to 75° 34′ W
Population	Ranked 11th in the U.S.
- Total	8,821,155 (2011 est)[4]
- Density	1189/sq mi  (459/km2) Ranked 1st in the U.S.
- Median household income	$70,378 (2nd)
Elevation
- Highest point	High Point[5][6] 1,803 ft (549.6 m)
- Mean	250 ft  (80 m)
- Lowest point	Atlantic Ocean[5] sea level
Before statehood	Province of New Jersey
Admission to Union	December 18, 1787 (3rd)
Governor	Chris Christie (R)
Lieutenant Governor	Kim Guadagno (R)
Legislature	New Jersey Legislature
- Upper house	Senate
- Lower house	General Assembly
U.S. Senators	Frank Lautenberg (D) Bob Menendez (D)
U.S. House delegation	7 Democrats, 6 Republicans (list)
Time zone	Eastern: UTC -5/-4
Abbreviations	NJ N.J. US-NJ
Website	www.nj.gov

New Jersey State symbols
The Flag of New Jersey.
The Seal of New Jersey.
Animate insignia
Bird(s)	Eastern Goldfinch
Fish	Brook trout
Flower(s)	Viola sororia
Grass	None
Insect	European honey bee
Reptile	None
Tree	Quercus rubra
Inanimate insignia
Beverage	None
Colors	Buff and Blue
Dance	Square Dance
Fossil	duck-billed dinosaur
Gemstone	None
Mineral	None
Soil	Honeoye
Song(s)	None
Tartan	None
Route marker(s)
State Quarter
Released in 1999
Lists of United States state insignia

The New Jersey Botanical Garden at Skylands in Ringwood State Park, Passaic and Bergen Counties.

New Jersey (ⁱ/nuː ˈdʒɜrzi/) is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the U.S. state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania, and on the southwest by Delaware. New Jersey is the 4th least extensive, but the 11th most populous and the most densely populated of the 50 United States. New Jersey lies mostly within the sprawling metropolitan areas of New York City and Philadelphia. It is also the third wealthiest by 2009–2010 median household income.^[7]

The area was inhabited by Native Americans for more than 2,800 years, with historical tribes such as the Lenape along the coast. In the early 17th century, the Dutch and the Swedes made the first European settlements.^[8] The British later seized control of the region,^[9] naming it the Province of New Jersey. It was granted as a colony to Sir George Carteret and John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton. At this time, it was named after the largest of the British Channel Islands, Jersey, Carteret's birthplace.^[10] New Jersey was the site of several decisive battles during the American Revolutionary War.

In the 19th century, factories in cities such as Elizabeth, Paterson, and Trenton helped to drive the Industrial Revolution. New Jersey's position at the center of the Northeast megalopolis, between Boston and New York City to the northeast, and Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. to the southwest, fueled its rapid growth through the process of suburbanization in the 1950s and beyond.

Geography[link]

High Point Monument as seen from Lake Marcia at High Point, Sussex County, the highest elevation in New Jersey at 1803 feet above sea level.^[11]

New Jersey shares the Delaware Water Gap with neighboring Pennsylvania.

Sunset at Cape May on the Jersey Shore.

Part of the Palisades Interstate Park, the New Jersey Palisades overlook the Hudson River.

New Jersey is bordered on the north and northeast by New York (parts of which are across the Hudson River, Upper New York Bay, the Kill Van Kull, Newark Bay, and the Arthur Kill); on the east by the Atlantic Ocean; on the southwest by Delaware across Delaware Bay; and on the west by Pennsylvania across the Delaware River.

New Jersey can be thought of as five regions, based on natural geography and population. Northeastern New Jersey, the Gateway Region, lies within the New York City Metropolitan Area, and some residents commute into the city to work. Northwestern New Jersey, or the "Skylands", is, compared to the northeast, more wooded, rural, and mountainous. The "Shore", along the Atlantic Coast in the central-east and southeast, has its own natural, residential, and lifestyle characteristics owing to its location by the ocean. The Delaware Valley includes the southwestern counties of the state, which reside within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area. The fifth region is the Pine Barrens in the interior of the southern part. Covered rather extensively by mixed pine and oak forest, it has a much lower population density than much of the rest of the state.

New Jersey also can be broadly divided into three geographic regions: North Jersey, Central Jersey, and South Jersey. Some New Jersey residents do not consider Central Jersey a region in its own right, but others believe it is a separate geographic and cultural area from the North and South.

The federal Office of Management and Budget divides New Jersey's counties into seven Metropolitan Statistical Areas, including sixteen counties in the New York City or Philadelphia metro areas. Four counties have independent metro areas, and Warren County is part of the Pennsylvania-based Lehigh Valley metro area. (See Metropolitan Statistical Areas of New Jersey for details.)

It is also at the center of the Northeast megalopolis.

Additionally, the New Jersey Commerce, Economic Growth, & Tourism Commission divides the state into six distinct regions to facilitate the state's tourism industry. The regions are:

• Gateway Region, encompassing Middlesex County, Union County, Essex County, Hudson County, Bergen County, and Passaic County.
• Skylands Region, encompassing Sussex County, Morris County, Warren County, Hunterdon County, and Somerset County.
• Shore Region, encompassing Monmouth County and Ocean County.
• Delaware River Region, encompassing Mercer County, Burlington County, Camden County, Gloucester County, and Salem County.
• Greater Atlantic City Region, encompassing Atlantic County.
• Southern Shore Region, encompassing Cumberland County and Cape May County.

High Point, in Montague Township, Sussex County, is the highest elevation, at 1,803 feet (550 m). The Palisades are a line of steep cliffs on the lower west side of the Hudson River.

Major rivers include the Hudson, Delaware, Raritan, Passaic, Hackensack, Rahway, Musconetcong, Mullica, Rancocas, Manasquan, Maurice, and Toms rivers.

Sandy Hook, along the eastern coast, is a popular recreational beach. It is a barrier spit and an extension of the Barnegat Peninsula along the state's Atlantic Ocean coast.

Long Beach Island ("LBI"), a barrier island along the eastern coast, has popular recreational beaches. The primary access point to the island is by a single bridge connection to the mainland. Barnegat Lighthouse is on the northern tip.

Areas managed by the National Park Service include:

• Appalachian National Scenic Trail
• Delaware National Scenic River
• Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
• Ellis Island National Monument
• Gateway National Recreation Area in Monmouth County
• Great Egg Harbor River
• Morristown National Historical Park in Morristown
• New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route
• New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve
• Thomas Edison National Historical Park in West Orange

Prominent geographic features include:

• Delaware Water Gap
• Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
• The Highlands
• New Jersey Meadowlands
• Pine Barrens
• South Mountain

Climate[link]

As with many other geographic features, New Jersey's climate divides into regions. The south, central, and northeast parts of the state have a humid mesothermal climate, while the northwest has a humid continental climate (microthermal), with slightly cooler temperatures due to higher elevation. New Jersey receives between 2,400 and 2,800 hours of sunshine annually.^[12]

Summers are typically hot and humid, with statewide average high temperatures of 82–88 °F (28–31 °C) and lows of 60–70 °F (16–21 °C); however, temperatures exceed 90 °F (32 °C) on average 25 days each summer, though rarely exceed 100 °F (38 °C). Winters are usually cold, with average high temperatures of 38–46 °F (3–8 °C) and lows of 26–32 °F (-3–0 °C) for most of the state, but temperatures could, for brief interludes, be as low as 10–20 °F (-12–-7 °C) and sometimes rise to 50–60 °F (10–16 °C). Northwestern parts of the state have slightly colder winters with average temperatures just below freezing. Spring and autumn may feature wide temperature variations, with lower humidity than summer.^[13]

Average annual precipitation ranges from 43 to 51 inches (1,100 to 1,300 mm), uniformly spread through the year. Average snowfall per winter season ranges from 10–15 inches (25–38 cm) in the south and near the seacoast, 15–30 inches (38–76 cm) in the northeast and central part of the state, to about 40–50 inches (1.0–1.3 m) in the northwestern highlands, but this varies from year to year. Precipitation falls on an average of 120 days a year, with 25 to 30 thunderstorms, most of which occur during the summer.

During winter and early spring, New Jersey can in some years experience "nor'easters", which are capable of causing blizzards or flooding throughout the northeastern United States. Hurricanes and tropical storms (such as Tropical Storm Floyd in 1999^[14]), tornadoes, and earthquakes are rare.

History[link]

Around 180 million years ago, during the Jurassic Period, New Jersey bordered North Africa. The pressure of the collision between North America and Africa gave rise to the Appalachian Mountains. Around 18,000 years ago, the Ice Age resulted in glaciers that reached New Jersey. As the glaciers retreated, they left behind Lake Passaic, as well as many rivers, swamps, and gorges.^[16]

New Jersey was originally settled by Native Americans, with the Lenni-Lenape being dominant at the time Europeans arrived. The Lenape were loosely organized groups that practiced small-scale agriculture (mainly based on corn) in order to increase their largely mobile hunter-gatherer society in the region surrounding the Delaware River, the lower Hudson River, and western Long Island Sound. The Lenape society was divided into matrilinear clans that were based upon common female ancestors. These clans were organized into three distinct phratries identified by their animal sign: Turtle, Turkey, and Wolf. They first encountered the Dutch in the early 17th century, and their primary relationship with the Europeans was through fur trade.

Colonial era[link]

New Jersey was first claimed by the Dutch. The Dutch colony of New Netherland consisted of parts of modern Middle Atlantic states. Although the European principle of land ownership was not recognized by the Lenape, Dutch West India Company policy required their colonists to purchase land which they settled. The first to do so was Michiel Pauw who established a patronship named Pavonia along the North River which eventually became the Bergen. Peter Minuit's purchase of lands along the Delaware River establish the colony of New Sweden. The entire region became a territory of England in 1664, when an English fleet under the command of Colonel Richard Nicolls sailed into what is today New York Harbor and took control of Fort Amsterdam, annexing the entire province.

During the English Civil War the Channel Island of Jersey remained loyal to the Crown and gave sanctuary to the King. It was from the Royal Square in St. Helier that Charles II of England was first proclaimed King in 1649, following the execution of his father, Charles I. The North American lands were divided by Charles II, who gave his brother, the Duke of York (later King James II), the region between New England and Maryland as a proprietary colony (as opposed to a royal colony). James then granted the land between the Hudson River and the Delaware River (the land that would become New Jersey) to two friends who had remained loyal through the English Civil War: Sir George Carteret and Lord Berkeley of Stratton. The area was named the Province of New Jersey.

The campuses of Rutgers University (originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766) include buildings of a variety of architectural styles.

Since the state's inception, New Jersey has been characterized by ethnic and religious diversity. New England Congregationalists settled alongside Scots Presbyterians and Dutch Reformed migrants. While the majority of residents lived in towns with individual landholdings of 100 acres (40 ha), a few rich proprietors owned vast estates. English Quakers and Anglicans owned large landholdings. Unlike Plymouth Colony, Jamestown and other colonies, New Jersey was populated by a secondary wave of immigrants who came from other colonies instead of those who migrated directly from Europe. New Jersey remained agrarian and rural throughout the colonial era, and commercial farming only developed sporadically. Some townships, such as Burlington on the Delaware River and Perth Amboy, emerged as important ports for shipping to New York and Philadelphia. The colony's fertile lands and tolerant religious policy drew more settlers, and New Jersey boasted a population of 120,000 by 1775.

Settlement for the first 10 years of English rule was along Hackensack River and Arthur Kill and settlers came primarily from New England. Unlike other colonies that were settled by immigrants from Europe, New Jersey was populated by a secondary wave of settlement from communities already established on the North American continent. March 18, 1673, Berkeley sold his half of the colony to Quakers in England, who settled the Delaware Valley region as a Quaker colony. (William Penn acted as trustee for the lands for a time.) New Jersey was governed very briefly as two distinct provinces, East and West Jersey, for 28 years between 1674 and 1702, at times part of the Province of New York or Dominion of New England.

In 1702, the two provinces were reunited under a royal, rather than a proprietary, governor. Edward Hyde, Lord Cornbury, became the first governor of the colony as a royal colony. Lord Cornbury was an ineffective and corrupt ruler, taking bribes and speculating on land, so in 1708 he was recalled to England. New Jersey was then ruled by the governors of New York, but this infuriated the settlers of New Jersey, who accused those governors of favoritism to New York. Judge Lewis Morris led the case for a separate governor, and was appointed governor by King George II in 1738.^[17]

Revolutionary War era[link]

New Jersey was one of the Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution. The New Jersey Constitution of 1776 was passed July 2, 1776, just two days before the Second Continental Congress declared American Independence from Great Britain. It was an act of the Provincial Congress, which made itself into the state Legislature. To reassure neutrals, it provided that it would become void if New Jersey reached reconciliation with Great Britain.

George Washington rallying his troops at the Battle of Princeton

New Jersey representatives Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, and Abraham Clark were among those who signed the United States Declaration of Independence.

During the American Revolutionary War, British and American armies crossed New Jersey numerous times, and several pivotal battles took place in the state. Because of this, New Jersey today is often referred to as "The Crossroads of the Revolution." The winter quarters of the revolutionary army were established there twice by General George Washington in Morristown, which was called the military capital of the revolution.

On December 25, 1776, the Continental Army under George Washington crossed the Delaware River. After the crossing, he surprised and defeated the unprepared Hessian troops in the Battle of Trenton. Slightly more than a week after victory at Trenton, on January 3, 1777, American forces gained an important victory by stopping General Cornwallis's charges at the Second Battle of Trenton. By evading Cornwallis's army, Washington made a surprise attack on Princeton and successfully defeated the British forces there. Emanuel Leutze's painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware became an icon of the Revolution.

American forces under Washington met the forces under General Henry Clinton at the Battle of Monmouth in an indecisive engagement in June 1778. Washington attempted to take the British column by surprise; when the British army attempted to flank the Americans, the Americans retreated in disorder. The ranks were later reorganized and withstood the British charges.

In the summer of 1783, the Continental Congress met in Nassau Hall at Princeton University, making Princeton the nation's capital for four months. It was there that the Continental Congress learned of the signing of the Treaty of Paris (1783), which ended the war.

On December 18, 1787, New Jersey became the third state to ratify the United States Constitution, which was overwhelmingly popular in New Jersey, as it prevented New York and Pennsylvania from charging and keeping tariffs on goods imported from Europe. On November 20, 1789, the state became the first in the newly formed Union to ratify the Bill of Rights.

The 1776 New Jersey State Constitution gave the vote to "all inhabitants" who had a certain level of wealth. This included women and blacks, but not married women, because they could not own property separately from their husbands. Both sides, in several elections, claimed that the other side had had unqualified women vote and mocked them for use of "petticoat electors" (entitled to vote or not); on the other hand, both parties passed Voting Rights Acts. In 1807, the legislature passed a bill interpreting the constitution to mean universal white male suffrage, excluding paupers. (This was less revolutionary than it sounds: the "constitution" was itself only an act of the legislature.)^[18]

19th century[link]

On February 15, 1804, New Jersey became the last northern state to abolish new slavery and enacted legislation that slowly phased out existing slavery. This led to a gradual scale-down of the slave population. By the close of the Civil War about a dozen African Americans in New Jersey were still apprenticed freedmen. New Jersey voters initially refused to ratify the constitutional amendments banning slavery and granting rights to the United States' black population.

In 1844, the second state constitution was ratified and brought into effect. Counties thereby became districts for the State Senate, and some realignment of boundaries (including the creation of Mercer County) immediately followed. This provision was retained in the 1947 Constitution, but was overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1962 by the decision Baker v. Carr. While the Governorship was stronger than under the 1776 constitution, the constitution of 1844 created many offices that were not responsible to him, or to the people, and it gave him a three-year term, but he could not succeed himself.

Unlike the Revolutionary War, no Civil War battles took place within the state. However, throughout the course of the Civil War, over 80,000 from New Jersey enlisted in the Northern army to defeat the Southern Confederacy.

Thomas Edison in his laboratory, West Orange, New Jersey, 1901

New Jersey was one of the few Northern states (the others being Delaware and Kentucky) to select a candidate other than Abraham Lincoln twice in national elections, and sided with Stephen Douglas (1860) and George B. McClellan (1864) during their campaigns. McClellan later became governor (1878–81). During the Civil War, the state was led first by Republican Governor Charles Smith Olden, then by Democrat Joel Parker.

In the Industrial Revolution, cities like Paterson grew and prospered. Previously, the economy had been largely agrarian, which was problematically subject to crop failures and poor soil. This caused a shift to a more industrialized economy, one based on manufactured commodities such as textiles and silk. Inventor Thomas Edison also became an important figure of the Industrial Revolution, having been granted 1,093 patents, many of which for inventions he developed while working in New Jersey. Edison's facilities, first at Menlo Park and then in West Orange, are considered perhaps the first research centers in the U.S. Christie Street in Menlo Park was the first thoroughfare in the world to have electric lighting. Transportation was greatly improved as locomotion and steamboats were introduced to New Jersey.

Iron mining was also a leading industry during the middle to late 19th century. Bog iron pits in the Southern New Jersey Pinelands were among the first sources of iron for the new nation.^[19] Mines such as Mt. Hope, Mine Hill and the Rockaway Valley Mines created a thriving industry. Mining generated the impetus for new towns and was one of the driving forces behind the need for the Morris Canal. Zinc mines were also a major industry, especially the Sterling Hill Mine.

20th century[link]

The Statue of Liberty and Jersey City

Through both World Wars, New Jersey was a center for war production, especially in naval construction. Battleships, cruisers, and destroyers were all made in this state. In addition, Fort Dix (1917) (originally called "Camp Dix"),^[20] Camp Merritt (1917)^[21] and Camp Kilmer (1941)^[22] were all constructed to house and train American soldiers through both World Wars. New Jersey also became a principal location for defense in the Cold War. Fourteen Nike Missile stations were constructed, especially for the defense of New York City and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. PT-109, a motor torpedo boat commanded by Lt. (j.g.) John F. Kennedy in World War II, was built at the Elco Boatworks in Bayonne. The aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) was briefly docked at the Military Ocean Terminal in Bayonne in the 1950s before she was sent to Kearney to be scrapped.^[23] In 1962, the world's first nuclear-powered cargo ship, the NS Savannah, was launched at Camden.

New Jersey prospered through the Roaring Twenties. The first Miss America Pageant was held in 1921 in Atlantic City, the first drive-in movie was shown in 1933 in Camden, and the Holland Tunnel opened in 1927. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the state offered begging licenses to unemployed residents,^[24] the zeppelin airship Hindenburg crashed in flames over Lakehurst, and the SS Morro Castle beached itself near Asbury Park after going up in flames while at sea.

In 1951, the New Jersey Turnpike opened, permitting fast travel by car and truck between North Jersey (and metropolitan New York) and South Jersey (and metropolitan Philadelphia).

In the 1960s, race riots erupted in many of the industrial cities of North Jersey. The first race riots in New Jersey occurred in Jersey City on August 2, 1964. Several others ensued in 1967, in Newark and Plainfield. Other riots followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in April 1968, just as in the rest of the country. A riot occurred in Camden in 1971.

As a result of an order from the New Jersey Supreme Court to fund schools equitably, the New Jersey legislature reluctantly passed an income tax bill in 1976. Prior to this bill, the state had no income tax.^[25]

21st century[link]

Originally competing at Giants Stadium before moving to adjacent MetLife Stadium in 2010, the Giants and Jets franchises felt the Meadowlands and its sports venues were outdated by today's professional sports standards. This also led to the Devils' relocation from the Izod Center to the Prudential Center in Newark at the start of the 2007–08 season. The Brooklyn Nets, also formerly based at the Izod Center, left for the Prudential Center in 2010 for two NBA seasons. The team then relocated to Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center for the 2012–13 season.

Demographics[link]

New Jersey population distribution

State population[link]

The United States Census Bureau estimates that the population of New Jersey was 8,821,155 on July 1, 2011, a 0.33% increase since the 2010 United States Census.^[4] Residents of New Jersey are most commonly referred to as "New Jerseyans" or "New Jerseyites". As of the census^[27] of 2010^[update], there were 8,791,894 people residing in the state. The racial makeup of the state was 68.6% White, 13.7% African American, 0.3% Native American, 8.3% Asian, 6.4% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. 17.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino. Non-Hispanic Whites were 59.3% of the population in 2010,^[28] down from 85% in 1970.^[29]

The United States Census Bureau, as of July 1, 2009 (2009 -07-01)^[update], estimated New Jersey's population at 8,707,739,^[30] which represents an increase of 268,301, or 3.2%, since the last census in 2000.^[31] This includes a natural increase since the last census of 343,965 people (that is, 933,185 births minus 589,220 deaths) and a decrease due to net migration of 53,930 people out of the state.^[31] Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 384,687 people, and migration within the country produced a net loss of 438,617 people.^[31] As of 2005^[update], there were 1.6 million foreign-born living in the state (accounting for 19.2% of the population).^[32]

As of 2010, New Jersey is the eleventh-most populous state in the United States, and the most densely populated, at 1,185 residents per square mile (458 per km²), with most of the population residing in the counties surrounding New York City, Philadelphia, and along the eastern Jersey Shore, while the extreme southern and northwestern counties are relatively less dense overall. It is also the second wealthiest state according to the U.S. Census Bureau.^[33]

The center of population for New Jersey is located in Middlesex County, in the town of Milltown, just east of the New Jersey Turnpike.^[34]

New Jersey is home to more scientists and engineers per square mile than anywhere else in the world.^[35]

New Jersey is one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse states in the country. It has the second largest Jewish population by percentage (after New York);^[36] the second largest Muslim population by percentage (after Michigan); the largest population of people from Costa Rica in the United States; the largest population of Cubans outside of Florida; the third highest Asian population by percentage; and the third highest Italian population by percentage according to the 2000 Census. African Americans, Hispanics and Latinos, and Arabs are also high in number. It has the third highest Indian population of any state by absolute numbers.^{[37][38][39][40]} It has the third largest Korean population, fourth largest Filipino population, and fourth largest Chinese population, per the 2000 U.S. Census. The five largest ethnic groups are: Italian (17.9%), Irish (15.9%), African (13.6%), German (12.6%), Polish (6.9%).

Newark is the fourth poorest city in America,^[41] but New Jersey as a whole has the second highest median household income.^[42] This is largely because so much of New Jersey consists of suburbs, most of them affluent, of New York City and Philadelphia. New Jersey is also the most densely populated state, and the only state that has had every one of its counties deemed "urban" as defined by the Census Bureau's Combined Statistical Area.^[43]

Broad Avenue, Koreatown in Palisades Park, Bergen County,^[44] where Koreans comprise the majority (52%) of the population.^[45]

India Square in Jersey City, Hudson County.

Metropolitan statistical areas and divisions of New Jersey; counties shaded in blue hues belong to the New York City Metropolitan Area; counties shaded in green hues are in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area. Mercer County is located in the Greater New York Metropolitan Area. Atlantic, Cape May, and Cumberland Counties are located in the Greater Philadelphia Metropolitan Area. Warren County is considered part of the Lehigh Valley.

The state has very sizable enclaves of different non-English-speaking communities. Some of these languages include:

• Spanish – spoken throughout the state.
• Italian – spoken throughout the state.
• Polish – spoken throughout the state.
• Gujarati – spoken throughout the state.
• Hindi – spoken throughout the state.
• Tagalog – spoken throughout the state.
• Mandarin Chinese – spoken throughout the state, most prominently in the northern and central counties.
• Korean – spoken prominently in Bergen County.
• Telugu – spoken prominently in Middlesex County and Hudson County.
• Tamil – spoken prominently in Middlesex County and Hudson County.
• Malayalam – spoken prominently in Bergen County.
• Portuguese – spoken prominently in the Ironbound section of Newark.
• Turkish – spoken prominently in the Little Istanbul section of Paterson.
• Russian – spoken prominently in the Fair Lawn borough of Bergen County.

Each county's largest ethnic group, according to the 2000 Census, is:

• Italian — Passaic, Bergen, Union, Hudson, Morris, Somerset, Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, Cumberland^[40]
• Irish — Sussex, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Cape May^[40]
• German — Warren, Hunterdon, Salem^[40]

6.7% of its population was reported as under age 5, 24.8% under 18, and 13.2% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 51.5% of the population.

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 12.31% of the population aged 5 and over speak Spanish at home, while 1.12% speak Italian, 1.03% speak Portuguese, and 1.02% speak Tagalog (Filipino).^[46]

In 2010, illegal immigrants constituted an estimated 6.4% of the population. This was the fourth highest percentage of any state in the country.^[47][48]

Religion[link]

 *Less than 0.5%

Economy[link]

The New Jersey State Quarter, released in 1999, with a depiction of Washington Crossing the Delaware.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that New Jersey's gross state product in 2010 was $487 billion.^[50][51] As of January 2012^[update], the state's unemployment rate is 9%.^[52][53][54]

Affluence[link]

Its per capita gross state product in 2008 was $54,699, 2nd in the U.S. and above the national per capita gross domestic product of $46,588.^[55] Its per-capita income was the third highest in the nation with $51,358.^[55] The state also has the highest percentage of millionaire households.^[56] It is ranked 2nd in the nation by the number of places with per capita incomes above national average with 76.4%. Nine of New Jersey's counties are in the wealthiest 100 of the country.

Fiscal policy[link]

New Jersey has seven tax brackets for determining income tax rates. The rates range from 1.4 to 8.97%. The standard sales tax rate is 7%, applicable to all retail sales unless specifically exempt by law. Exemptions include most food items for at-home preparation, medicines, clothing (except fur items), footwear, and disposable paper products for use in the home. Approximately 30 New Jersey municipalities are designated as Urban Enterprise Zones and shoppers are charged a 3½% tax rate, half of the rate charged outside the UEZs. Sections of Elizabeth and Jersey City are examples of communities that are subject to the lower sales tax rate. New Jersey has the highest tax rate of all 50 states with residents paying a total of $68 billion in state and local taxes annually with a per capita burden of $7,816 at a rate of 12.9% of income.^[57] All real property located in the state is subject to property tax unless specifically exempted by statute. New Jersey does not assess an intangible personal property tax, but it does impose an inheritance tax.

Federal taxation disparity[link]

New Jersey has the highest disparity of any state in the United States between what it gives to the federal government and what it receives. In fiscal year 2005, New Jersey taxpayers gave the federal government $77 billion, while only receiving $55 billion. This difference is higher than any other state and means that for every $1 New Jersey taxpayers send to Washington, the state only receives $0.61 in return. This calculation is applied correctly after making the federal government deficit neutral, as sometimes the federal government spends more than it receives.^[58] As of 2005^[update], New Jersey has never been above 48th in rank for per capita federal spending (with a rank of 50th for the majority of that time) since 1982, while being second or third in per capita federal taxes paid to Washington.

New Jersey runs into deficits frequently and has one of the highest tax burdens in the nation.^[59] Factors for this include the large federal tax liability which is not adjusted for New Jersey's higher cost of living and Medicaid funding formulas. As shown by the study, incomes tend to be higher in New Jersey, which puts those in higher tax brackets especially vulnerable to the alternative minimum tax.

Industries[link]

Cranberry harvest.

New Jersey's economy is centered on the pharmaceutical industry, the financial industry, chemical development, telecommunications, food processing, electric equipment, printing and publishing, and tourism. New Jersey's agricultural outputs are nursery stock, horses, vegetables, fruits and nuts, seafood, and dairy products. New Jersey ranks second among states in blueberry production, third in cranberries and spinach, and fourth in bell peppers, peaches, and head lettuce.^[60] New Jersey harvests the fourth-largest number of acres planted with asparagus.^[61]

Although New Jersey is home to many energy-intensive industries, its energy consumption is only 2.7% of the U.S. total, and its carbon dioxide emissions are only 0.8% of the U.S. total. Its comparatively low greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to nuclear power. According to the Energy Information Administration, nuclear power dominates New Jersey’s electricity market, typically supplying more than one-half of State generation. New Jersey has three nuclear power plants, including the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station, which came online in 1969 and is the oldest operating nuclear plant in the country.^[62]

New Jersey has a strong scientific economy. New Jersey is home to major pharmaceutical firms such as Johnson and Johnson, Sanofi-Aventis, Novartis, Pfizer, Merck, Hoffman-LaRoche, and Bristol-Myers Squibb. New Jersey is home to major telecommunications firms such as Verizon Wireless, Avaya, Alcatel-Lucent and AT&T Communications. Furthermore, New Jersey draws upon its large and well-educated labor pool which also supports the myriad of industries that exist today.

New Jersey is the ultimate bedroom community since the state is right next to New York City and Philadelphia. Thus, there is a strong service economy in New Jersey serving residents who work in New York City or Philadelphia. Some of these industries include retail sales, education and real estate. Newark Liberty International Airport is ranked seventh among the nation's busiest airports and among the top 20 busiest airports in the world.

Shipping is a strong industry in New Jersey because of the state's strategic location, the Port of New York and New Jersey the busiest on the East Coast. The Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal was the world's first container port and is one of the world's largest container ports. New Jersey also has a strong presence in chemical development, refining, and food processing operations.

New Jersey hosts several business headquarters, including twenty-four Fortune 500 companies.^[63] Paramus is noted for having one of the highest retail sales per person ratios in the nation. Several New Jersey counties such as Somerset (7), Morris (10), Hunterdon (13), Bergen (21), Monmouth (42) counties are ranked among the highest-income counties in the United States. Four others are also in the top 100.

Natural resources[link]