City of Hackensack | |
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— City (New Jersey) — | |
Nickname(s): A City in Motion[1] | |
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Coordinates: | |
Country | United States |
State | New Jersey |
County | Bergen |
Settled | 1665 (as New Barbadoes) |
Incorporated | October 31, 1693 (as New Barbadoes Township) |
Incorporated | November 21, 1921 (as a city under current name) |
Government[2] | |
- Type | 1923 Municipal Manager Law |
- Mayor | Michael R. Melfi |
- City manager | Stephen Lo Iacono[3] |
Area | |
- Total | 4.3 sq mi (11.2 km2) |
- Land | 4.1 sq mi (10.7 km2) |
- Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2) 4.41% |
Elevation[4] | 20 ft (6 m) |
Population (2009)[5] | |
- Total | 42,839 |
- Density | 10,358.3/sq mi (3,999.4/km2) |
Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
- Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
ZIP code | 07601 |
Area code(s) | 201 |
FIPS code | 34-28680[6][7] |
GNIS feature ID | 0876855[8] |
Website | http://www.hackensack.org |
Hackensack is a city in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States and the county seat of Bergen County.[9] Although informally called Hackensack, it was officially named New Barbadoes Township until 1921. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city population was 42,677. The Census Bureau's 2006 population estimate projects a population of 43,671. An inner-ring suburb of New York City, Hackensack is located approximately 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Midtown Manhattan, and about 7 miles from the George Washington Bridge. From a number of locations one can see the New York City skyline.
The city is known for a great diversity of neighborhoods and land uses existing in very close proximity to each other. Within its borders are a massive medical center, a trendy high-rise district about a mile long, classic suburban neighborhoods of single-family houses, stately older homes on acre-plus lots, older two-family neighborhoods, large garden apartment complexes, industrial areas, a jail, a tidal river, two County-owned nature preserves, various city parks, large office buildings, a major college campus, a small-city downtown district with a Courthouse, and various small neighborhood business districts. With so many land uses, establishing a single identity for the city is difficult.
Hackensack is notable among the urban centers of New Jersey as being relatively vibrant economically and with an exceptionally low crime rate. Zoning and property mainenance are high priorities, and abandoned houses are virtually non-existent. Hackensack is not an Abbott district, and the performance of its public schools is more comparable with older suburban towns than to other cities in New Jersey. The City is very attractive as a residential location due in part to its location. Rents are high, and all buildings built after about 1975 are exempt from rent control.
The Metropolitan campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University straddles the Hackensack River in both Hackensack and Teaneck. Hackensack is also the home of the New Jersey Naval Museum and the World War II submarine USS Ling. Astronaut Walter Schirra is perhaps Hackensack's most famous native son.
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Hackensack is located at (40.887797, -74.047978).[10]
It is bordered by Paramus, River Edge, Teaneck, Bogota, Ridgefield Park, Little Ferry, South Hackensack, Hasbrouck Heights, Lodi, and Maywood.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.3 square miles (11.2 km2), of which, 4.1 square miles (10.7 km2) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km2) of it (4.41%) is water.
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 42,677 people, 18,113 households, and 9,545 families residing in the city. The population density was 10,358.3 people per square mile (3,999.4/km2). There were 18,945 housing units at an average density of 4,598.2/sq mi (1,775.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 52.61% White, 24.65% African American, 0.45% Native American, 7.45% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 9.71% from other races, and 5.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25.92% of the population.
The Hispanic population of Hackensack draws largely from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and the Dominican Republic, but includes immigrants from most or all Spanish-speaking countries. In some portions of central Hackensack such as the city's housing project on Newman Street, neighborhoods are transitioning from African-American to Latino. Census data from 2010 has not yet been released, but based on enrollment changes in the school system, the city's Hispanic population is likely to be at least 33%. The highest concentration of Hispanics are in the areas within a few blocks south and west of the Courthouse, and around Anderson Park, with some blocks being majority Hispanic.
The city's Asian population is about 10%, with the largest representation from India, the Philippines, China, and Korea. The area between Hackensack University Medical Center and the Maywood border, south of Beech Street, has the highest concentration of Asian population.
The White population is extremely diverse and largely mainstream in character. Persons of Italian, Irish, German, Jewish, English, and Polish background exist in substantial numbers, but every European nation is represented in Hackensack. A great many persons of white background either don't identify strongly with an ethnic ancestry or have ancestry from two or more European countries. The northern and western portions of the city, and the area southeast of Route 80, have the highest numbers of white persons. New construction of apartments and condominiums near the downtown center has rebounded the white population there to some degree, and this trend is likely to continue.
Areas that are majority African-American occupy approximately 5% of the City of Hackensack by land area. These areas are located entirely in the geographic center of the city. They comprise of well-kept older homes and a few small apartment buildings. The vicinity of Carver Park, 99% black as recently as 1990, is still over 80% African-American despite significant immigrant influx. Most of the residential neighborhoods of the city vary from less than 5% African-American to around 15%. The city's black population also includes immigrants from Jamaica, other Caribbean islands, and Africa. The city's African-American population has become more middle-class over the past 30 years, and less concentrated geographically.
Historical populations | |||
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Census | Pop. | %± | |
1850 | 2,265 |
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1860 | 3,558 | 57.1% | |
1870 | 4,929 | 38.5% | |
1880 | 4,248 | −13.8% | |
1890 | 6,004 | 41.3% | |
1900 | 9,443 | 57.3% | |
1910 | 14,050 | 48.8% | |
1920 | 17,667 | 25.7% | |
1930 | 24,568 | 39.1% | |
1940 | 26,279 | 7.0% | |
1950 | 29,219 | 11.2% | |
1960 | 30,521 | 4.5% | |
1970 | 36,008 | 18.0% | |
1980 | 36,039 | 0.1% | |
1990 | 37,049 | 2.8% | |
2000 | 42,677 | 15.2% | |
Est. 2009 | 42,839 | [5] | 0.4% |
Sources [11][12][13][14][15] |
There were 18,113 households out of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.8% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.3% were non-families. 39.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city the population was spread out with 18.2% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 38.4% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $49,316, and the median income for a family was $56,953. Males had a median income of $39,636 versus $32,911 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,856. About 6.8% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.
Hackensack operates under the 1923 Municipal Manager Law form of New Jersey municipal government. The City Council consists of five members who are elected to four-year terms on a concurrent basis in non-partisan elections.[2] This form of government separates policy making (the work of the Mayor and City Council) from the execution of policy (the work of the City Manager). This maintains professional management and a City-wide perspective through: nonpartisan election, at-large representation, concentration of executive responsibility in the hands of a professional manager accountable to the Mayor and Council, concentration of policy making power in one body: a five-person Mayor and Council. In the several decades in which the City has used the Municipal Manager Form of Government, Hackensack has had only nine City Managers.
The Mayor of the City of Hackensack is Marlin Townes(term of office ends June 30, 2013).[16] Other members of the Hackensack City Council are Deputy Mayor Karen Sasso(2013), John Labrosse(2013), Jorge E. Meneses (2013) and Michael Melfi(2013).[17][18]
Mayor candidate Joseph DeFalco died suddenly of heart failure on the morning of the election in 2005, creating shocking news throughout the community. DeFalco was also the Principal of Hackensack High School. He was elected despite the news. His running mates agreed to create a rotation under which each of the four surviving members of the New Visions for Hackensack slate would serve for a year as Mayor, creating a series of firsts for the City. Townes took office in 2005 as the city's first black mayor, and Sasso became the first female mayor in 2006. Meneses became Hackensack's first Hispanic mayor when he was sworn in on July 1, 2007, and Melfi took the reins as mayor in 2008.[19]
Frank Zisa served as Mayor from 1977 to 1981, Fred Cerbo from 1981 to 1989, and John F. "Jack" Zisa from 1989 to 2005.
Former Assemblyman Charles "Ken" Zisa served as Chief of the Hackensack Police Department from his 1995 appointment to replace John Aletta until May 2010 when he was suspended without pay on charges of official miconduct and insurance fraud.Tomas Padilla has been appointed the acting officer in charge while the police department is being monitored by the Bergen County Prosecutors office; Chief .[20][21][22]
Hackensack is part of New Jersey's 37th Legislative District and is in the Ninth Congressional District.[23]
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 New Jersey Senate by Loretta Weinberg (D, Teaneck) and in the New Jersey General Assembly by Valerie Huttle (D, Englewood) and Gordon M. Johnson (D, Englewood).[24] The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham).[25] The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).[26]
Bergen County's County Executive is Dennis McNerney (D).[27] The executive, along with the seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders administer all county business. As of 2010[update], Bergen County's Freeholders are Chairman James M. Carroll (D, Demarest), Vice-Chairwoman Elizabeth Calabrese (D, Wallington), John Driscoll, Jr. (R, Paramus), David L. Ganz (D, Fair Lawn), Robert G. Hermansen (R, Mahwah), Bernadette P. McPherson (D, Rutherford) and Tomas J. Padilla (D, Park Ridge).[28] Other countywide elected officials are Sheriff Leo P. McGuire (D), Surrogate Court Judge Michael R. Dressler (D, Cresskill) and County Clerk Kathleen Donovan (R, Rutherford).[29]
As of April 1, 2006, out of a 2004 Census estimated population of 43,681 in Hackensack, there were 17,933 registered voters (41.1% of the population, vs. 55.4% in all of Bergen County). Of registered voters, 4,838 (27.0% vs. 20.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,945 (10.8% vs. 19.2% countywide) were registered as Republicans and 11,142 (62.1% vs. 60.1% countywide) were registered as Undeclared. There were eight voters registered to other parties.[30]
On the national level, Hackensack leans strongly toward the Democratic Party. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 71% of the vote here, defeating Republican George W. Bush, who received around 28%.[31]
The Hackensack Public Schools serve students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[32]) are four K-4 elementary schools — Fairmount Elementary School (540 students), Fanny Meyer Hillers School (452), Jackson Avenue Elementary School (407) and Nellie K. Parker Elementary School (445) — 5ive 6ix School serves grades 5 and 6 (647), Hackensack Middle School serves grades 7 and 8 (715) and Hackensack High School for grades 9-12 (1,854).
The high school serves students from Hackensack, Maywood, Rochelle Park and South Hackensack.[33] Students from Teterboro may attend either Hackensack High School or Hasbrouck Heights High School.
The Bergen County Academies, a public magnet high school located in Hackensack, serves the high-school population of Bergen County, as part of the Bergen County Technical Schools district.
The Metropolitan campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University straddles the Hackensack River in both Hackensack and Teaneck.
The First Baptist Church runs a large K-12 school called Hackensack Christian School at Union Street and Conklin Place. It attracts Christian families from all over Hackensack and Bergen County. There is only one Catholic K-8 school left in Hackensack, St. Francis. Two others have been closed down, along with Our Lady Queen of Peace in Maywood.
The YCS George Washington School is a fully accredited, nonprofit, private school for classified students ages 5–14 who are experiencing behavioral and/or emotional difficulties. Its population consists of students who reside at the YCS Holley Child Care and Development Center in Hackensack and students within the surrounding communities whose needs cannot be adequately met in special education programs within their districts.
The city is served by three train stations on New Jersey Transit's Pascack Valley Line, two of them in Hackensack. Anderson Street Station serves central Hackensack while Essex Street Station serves southern portions of the city. The New Bridge Landing Station, located adjacent to the city line in River Edge also serves the northernmost parts of Hackensack, including The Shops at Riverside.
New Jersey Transit buses include lines 144, 157, 162, 163, 164, 165 and 168 serving the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan; the 175, 178 and 182 to the George Washington Bridge Bus terminal; the 76 to Newark; the 83 route to Jersey City; and local service on the 709, 712, 751, 752, 753, 755, 756, 762, 770, 772 and 780 lines.[34] Many of the bus routes stop, originate and terminate at the Hackensack Bus Terminal, a regional bus station.
Interstate 80, Route 17, Route 4, and County Route 503 serve Hackensack, while there are many other main roads in Hackensack.
The Passaic-Bergen Rail Line is a planned rail system that will have two stops in Hackensack.[35]
The Hackensack Volunteer Ambulance Corps Inc. provides emergency medical services to Hackensack and other nearby towns through mutual aid agreements. The Corps operates nightly 6pm-6am, and 24 hours on Saturday and Sundays[36]. Daytime EMS is provided by the Hackensack University Medical Center's ambulance service seven days a week (overlapping volunteer coverage on weekends). Both the Hackensack University Medical Center and Hackensack Volunteer Ambulance Corps are dispatched by MICCOM, the Northern New Jersey Mobile Intensive Care Communications. MICCOM provides dispatch and emergency medical call taking with pre-arrival instructions and updates.
The first inhabitants of the area were the Lenni Lenape, an Algonquian people (later known as the as the Delaware Indians) who lived along the valley of what they called the Achinigeu-hach, or "Ackingsah-sack", (today the Hackensack River) [37] A representation of Chief Oratam of the Achkinhenhcky appears on the Hackensack municipal seal.[38][39]
Settlement by the Dutch West India Company in New Netherland on west banks of the North River (Hudson River) across from New Amsterdam (present-day lower Manhattan) began in the 1630s at Pavonia, eventually leading to the establishment of Bergen (at today's Bergen Square in Jersey City) in 1660.[40]
Oratam, sagamore of the Lenni Lenape, deeded the land along mid-Hackensack River to the Dutch in 1665. The area was soon taken by the English in 1667, but kept its Dutch name. Philip Cartaret, governor of what became the proprietary colony of East Jersey granted land to Captain John Berry in the area of Achter Kol[41] and soon after took up residence and called it "New Barbadoes," after having resided on the island of Barbadoes. In 1669, a deed was confirmed for the large tract (2260 acres) given earlier to Sarah Kiersted in gratitude for her work as emissary and interpreter by Oratam.[42] [43]Other grants were given at the English Neighborhood.[44][45][46]
In 1675, the East Jersey Legislature established the admistrative districts: (Bergen, Essex, Middlesex, and Monmouth). In 1683, Bergen (along with the three other counties) was officially recognized as an independent county by the Provincial Assembly.[47] The seal of Bergen County bearing this date includes an image of an agreement between the settlers and the natives.
New Barbadoes Township, together with Acquackanonk Township, were formed by Royal Charter on October 31, 1693.[48][49]
The neighborhood that came to be known as the village of Hackensack (today the area encompassing Bergen County's municipal buildings in Hackensack) was a part of Essex County until 1710, when Bergen County, by royal decree of Queen Anne of Great Britain, was enlarged and the Township of New Barbadoes was removed from Essex County and added to Bergen County.
In 1710, the village of Hackensack in the newly formed Township of New Barbadoes was designated as being more centrally located and more easily reached by the majority of the Bergen County’s inhabitants, and hence was chosen as the county seat of Bergen County (as it remains today). During the American Revolutionary War, George Washington headquartered in the village of Hackensack in November 1776 during the retreat from Fort Lee via New Bridge Landing and camped on 'The Green' across from the First Dutch Reformed Church.
The New Jersey Legislature passed a school act in 1894. Each village, borough, town, or city in New Jersey was delegated responsibility for its own public schools through the office of the county superintendent. One result of the 1894 Act was the formation of Hackensack High School in the village of Hackensack in the Township of New Barbadoes.
Over the centuries, after many departures, secessions, and de-annexations due to what is now referred to as Boroughitis, all that was left of New Barbadoes Township was the village of Hackensack and its surrounding neighborhoods (Fairmount, Red Hill, Cherry Hill). In 1898, former State Senator Johnson was instrumental in efforts for New Barbadoes to acquire the southwestern portion of what is now the City of Hackensack from Lodi Township. This area is south of Essex Street from the bend of Essex Street to the Maywood border. The final parcel lost by New Barbadoes Township was the northeastern corner of what is now Little Ferry.
An act of the State Legislature incorporated the Fairmount Section of New Barbadoes with the Hackensack Improvement Commission, and eliminating New Barbadoes Township as a political entity.
On November 21, 1921, based on the results of a referendum held on November 8, 1921, New Barbadoes Township received its charter to incorporate as a city and officially took on its name “Hackensack,” a name derived from its original inhabitants, the Lenni-Lenape, who named it "Ackingsah-sack."[48].
In 1933, Hackensack adopted the Strong Manager form of government, with 5 Council persons all elected at-large. The council then chooses the mayor from among themselves.
First Dutch Reformed Church (“Church on The Green”); built 1696. In 1696 Major Berry donated land for the First Dutch Reformed Church,[50] erected in that same year, (which still stands in Hackensack today as the oldest church in Bergen County and the second oldest church in New Jersey). The following is list of notable people buried in the Church's adjoining cemetery:
North Jersey Media Group. Bergen County’s largest newspaper, The Record, called Hackensack its home until just a few years ago. Its enormous 33-acre campus is now largely abandoned and likely to be redeveloped for mixed use office/retail/residential, in associated with the river walkway project. The North Jersey Media Group (NJMG) publishes two daily newspapers; 41 local newspapers; a magazine, (201) The Best of Bergen; and operates several local web sites. Scheduled tours of their printing facility are available to groups.
New Jersey Naval Museum[55] and the World War II submarine USS Ling, a Balao class submarine, and several smaller water vessels and artifacts. The museum is open select weekdays for group tours.
Other points of interest within the city include the Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack River County Park, Borg's Woods Nature Preserve, the Church on the Green, the Ice House rink, and the Bergen County Courthouse.
The Shops at Riverside (formerly known as Riverside Square Mall), is an upscale shopping center located at the intersection of Route 4 and Hackensack Avenue at the northern edge of the city along the Hackensack River. The mall, which is in the process of a fairly significant expansion, is anchored by a number of high-end department stores and restaurants, including Bloomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany & Co., Pottery Barn and Barnes & Noble. The mall is known for its marble floors, and attracts a great many upper income shoppers from Manhattan and Northern Bergen County.
Bergen County Jail is a detention center for both sentenced and unsentenced prisoners. It is located on South River Street. The County is in the process of moving the County Police from the northern end of the city to a new site across from the Jail. The former site will be redeveloped as a "transit village" complex associated with the New Bridge Landing rail station.
Radio station WNYM at 970 AM, is licensed to Hackensack and has its transmitter in the city. The station is currently owned by Salem Communications with a Conservative Talk format. During the 1970s, it played a Top 40 music format for several years, competing (unsuccessfully) with Top 40 powerhouse 77 WABC (AM).
Hackensack has been mentioned in the lyrics of songs by several musical artists, many of whom have lived in New Jersey or New York City. The town was home to the original Van Gelder recording studio at 25 Prospect Avenue[56] where the jazz musicians Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk recorded some of their landmark work. Monk recorded a tribute to Rudy Van Gelder entitled "Hackensack". Other notable examples of Hackensack in songs include:
Furthermore, the Danish rockband Hackensack has taken their name from the town.
Hackensack also appears in movies, books and television.
Notable current and former residents of Hackensack include:
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