Leonia, New Jersey
Leonia is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 8,914. It is located near the western approach to the George Washington Bridge.Leonia was formed as the result of a referendum passed on December 5, 1894, from portions of Ridgefield Township. Portions of Leonia were taken on February 19, 1895, to form the Township of Teaneck.New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Leonia as its 31st best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the 'Best Places To Live' in New Jersey.
Geography
Leonia is located at 40°51′48″N 73°59′18″W / 40.863413°N 73.988273°W / 40.863413; -73.988273 (40.863413, -73.988273).According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.2 km2), of which, 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km2) of it (7.41%) is water. Different parts of the borough have different elevations. While the town center's elevation is 105 feet, the western part of the town can reach 5 feet and the eastern part of the town can reach 318 feet. Leonia is designated as a Tree City USA.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,914 people, 3,271 households, and 2,436 families residing in the borough. The population density was 5,921.3 people per square mile (2,279.3/km2). There were 3,343 housing units at an average density of 2,220.6/sq mi (854.8/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 65.74% White, 2.27% African American, 0.09% Native American, 26.06% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 3.20% from other races, and 2.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.73% of the population.There were 3,271 households out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.20.In the borough the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.The median income for a household in the borough was $72,440, and the median income for a family was $84,591. Males had a median income of $55,156 versus $38,125 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $35,352. About 5.0% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.As of the 2000 census, 17.24% of Leonia's residents identified themselves as being of Korean ancestry, which was the fourth highest in the United States and second highest of any municipality in New Jersey — behind neighboring Palisades Park (36.38%) — for all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry. Additionally, 3.07% of Leonia's residents identified themselves as being of Japanese ancestry, which was the fourth highest of any municipality in New Jersey — behind Fort Lee (6.09%), Demarest (3.72%) and Edgewater (3.22%) — for all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.
Local government
Leonia is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office and only votes to break a tie. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.By state statute, the Mayor is the head of the municipal government. He or she makes all appointments (most are subject to Council confirmation), and is an “ex officio” member of all Council Committees. In addition, the Mayor has the authority to veto all or part of a new ordinance if it is adopted by the Council. The Mayor presides at all meetings of the Council, but does not vote except in the event of a tie.The Council is Leonia's legislative body, creating and passing the annual operating and capital budgets, and can enact local ordinances that create or change laws within Leonia. Council members attend two Council meetings each month and serve on Council committees and as liaison and / or Commissioner to various Borough organizations. The Mayor and Council members in Leonia receive no compensation for their efforts in governing the town.The Mayor of Leonia is Mary Heveran (D, term ends December 31, 2011). The current members of the Leonia Borough Council are Philip Choi (D, 2012), Gil Hawkins (D, 2011), Karl Norgaard (D, 2010), Ingrid Brennan(D, 2010), Peter Knott(D, 2012) and Frank Raucci (D, 2011).In elections held in November, 2009, voters re-elected Councilman Philip Choi (D) and elected Peter Knott (D).In elections held in November, 2008, voters re-elected Councilman Gil Hawkins (D) and Councilman Frank Raucci (D).In elections held on November 6, 2007, voters filled an open mayoral seat and two seats on the borough council. Democrats ran unopposed for all three seats, with Council President Mary Heveran (1,002 votes) elected mayor, and incumbent Anthony Puzzo (1,027) and newcomer Karl Norgaard (993) elected to the council.On Election Day, November 7, 2006, voters filled two seats on the Borough Council, which at the time had five Democrats and an Independent. Neither of the two incumbents — independent Barbara Mitrani and Democrat Charles Ryan — ran for reelection. In a community in which registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a nearly 4-1 margin, Democrats Philip Y. Choi (1,855 votes) and Joyce Raspa-Gore (1,804) were uncontested in their bids for office and took their seats on the council as of January 1, 2007.
Federal, state and county representation
Leonia is in the Ninth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 37th Legislative District.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). The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham). The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).Bergen County's County Executive is Dennis McNerney (D). 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). 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).
Politics
As of April 1, 2006, out of a 2004 Census estimated population of 8,911, there were 4,677 registered voters (52.5% of the population, vs. 55.4% in all of Bergen County). Of registered voters, 1,999 (42.7% vs. 20.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 540 (11.5% vs. 19.2% countywide) were registered as Republicans and 2,138 (45.7% vs. 60.1% countywide) were registered as Undeclared. There were no voters registered to other parties.On the national level, Leonia leans strongly toward the Democratic Party. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 64% of the vote here, defeating Republican George W. Bush, who received around 35%.
Education
The Leonia Public Schools serve students from kindergarten through the twelfth grade. Student from Edgewater attended the district's schools for grades 7-12 as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Edgewater Public Schools. Enrollment in the district is 1,752, of which, 289 are from Edgewater. An Early Childhood Learning Center is available for 4-year olds. This tuition-based program provides a half-day of academic activities to prepare children for kindergarten.The district has 175 classroom teachers and 23 educational support personnel. The cost per pupil in 2003-2004 was $10,730 as compared to a state average of $10,621. Average class size in all 3 schools is 21 students. The budget for the 2005-2006 school year was $21,454,000.Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment from the National Center for Education Statistics are Anna C. Scott Elementary School for grades K-5 (662 students), Leonia Middle School for grades 6-8 (443 students) and Leonia High School for grades 9-12 (630 students)St. John the Evangelist School is a Catholic school for students in grades Pre-K-8 within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.
History
The original inhabitants of Leonia were Ashkineshacky Indians. The population was about 1,000 before the Europeans came and took over the town. During the Revolutionary War, Leonia was called the English Neighborhood; this name survives in neighboring Englewood. It was settled in 1668 mainly by Dutch and English farmers, making it one of the oldest towns in the state and county. A third of the population was African slaves. It was located on the western slope of the Palisades, started as a quiet farming community. Leonia’s location influenced much of its history. For example, the close proximity to New York City is notable, with major universities, theatres, performing venues contributing to Leonia’s growth of art and academics. Many twentieth-century artists emerged from Leonia.The sleepy farming community persisted until there was a sudden burst of economic and cultural growth at around the late nineteenth century. After the arrival of the train in 1859, it was known as West Fort Lee. In 1865, in order to establish a unique identity and prevent confusion, some town fathers such as J. Vreeland Moore agreed on the name 'Leonia' (Leonia mean 'at the foot of Lee,' Lee being General Charles Lee of Revolutionary War fame). During the early part of the twentieth century, many noted academics arrived, attracted to Leonia's small size, culture, and location, earning the town's nickname of the 'Athens of New Jersey'. In the 1930s, it had the highest number of residents, per capita, in Who's Who in America. Another example is the opening in 1915 of the Leonia School of Illustration by Harvey Dunn, and the artists' colony that subsequently emerged over the next decade. Transportation through the town was enhanced with access to ferries and trolley systems. Leonia became a refuge for many of America's creative thinkers which include five Nobel Prize winners.For two hundred years, one of the two major avenues that run north-to-south through Leonia, Grand Avenue, (the other one is Broad Avenue,) was called the English Neighborhood Road. In colonial times, this road served as the main inland between Paulus Hook, Bergen, and the English Neighborhood. Leonia is famous for being a crossroads of the American Revolution and a training ground for American Civil War soldiers.Historic places in this town include the Civil War Drill Hall and Armory, the Cole-Allaire House, and the Vreeland House.Leonia celebrates 'Leonia Day' annually on the third Sunday in May.
Recreation
Leonia is home to the Players Guild of Leonia, which operates as the oldest continuing theatre troupe in the state of New Jersey, and is one of the oldest theatre guilds in the United States with continuous performances since 1919. Performances have included comedies, tragedies, classics, and musicals. The Guild's production of One Mad Night in 1940 was the first three act play performed on television, when it was broadcast on WPTZ, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1963, the Children's Show was instituted and continues each spring. Between 1968 and 1998, the Guild produced Theatre in the Park. Since 2002, the Players' Guild of Leonia has produced a Playwright's Showcase featuring original scripts. The Guild presently operates out of the historic Civil War Drill Hall Theatre on Grand Avenue which is leased from the borough.In addition to the Players Guild of Leonia, Leonia has five public recreational areas in its square-mile town. Of the five areas, only the Leonia Swim Club requires membership fee. The recreation areas include Wood Park, located on the corner of Broad Avenue and Fort Lee Road; Sylvan Park and the Leonia Swim Club, both are on Grand Avenue, near Sylvan Avenue; the Recreational Center on Broad Avenue that offers an indoor basketball court; and lastly, Overpeck Park, which is a Bergen County park that is located in Leonia, also home of the Bergen County 9/11 Memorial.
Parks
Overpeck County Park, aBergen Countypark
Sylvan Park
Wood Park
Highwood Hills
Fireman's Park
Station Park
Dudley Allen Park
Transportation
Leonia is served by New Jersey Route 93 (also known as Grand Avenue), U.S. Route 46, U.S. Route 1, U.S. Route 9, and Interstate 95 (the New Jersey Turnpike). New Jersey Transit bus routes 166, 182, 751, 755 and 756 also serve Leonia, though there are plans to reopen the Northern Branch, a dormant passenger line that once ran through the town (and still sees occasional freight service).
Notable Leonians
Some notable people who lived in Leonia during part or all of their career:Alan Alda(born 1936), actor.
Samuel Ball(born 1935), educator.[citation needed]
Freddie Bartholomew(1924–1992), child actor.
Pat Boone(born 1934), singer.
Carolee Carmello, actress.
Arlene Croce(born 1934), dance critic.[citation needed]
Sammy Davis, Jr.(1925–1990), entertainer
Harvey Dunn(1884–1952), illustrator.
Gregg Edelman(born 1958), actor.
Emme(born 1963), plus-size supermodel.
Enrico Fermi(1901–1954), physicist.
Buddy Hackett(1924–2003), comedian.
Marvin Harris(1927–2001), anthropologist.
Phil Jackson(born 1945), basketball coach.
Willard Libby(1908–1980), scientist.
Robert Ludlum(1927–2001), author.
John C. McCloy(1876–1945), sailor awarded theMedal of Honor.
Bob McFadden(1923–2000), voiceover actor.
Robert F. Murphy(1924–1990), anthropologist
James Noble(born 1922), actor
Carmel Quinn,(born 1925) singer.
Gene Shalit(born 1932), television film critic.[citation needed]
Wilfrid Sheed(born 1930), novelist and critic.[citation needed]
Ed Sullivan(1901–1974), television show host.[citation needed]
Robert F. Vodde, Director of the School of Criminal Justice at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Harold Urey(1893–1981), chemist.
Some notable people who grew up in Leonia:Anthony Bourdain(born 1956), chef.
Dan Colen(born 1979), artist.
Paul Collins(born 1954), musician.[citation needed]
Toomas Hendrik Ilves(born 1953),President of Estonia.
Judy Irving(born 1946), documentary filmmaker, director ofThe Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill.[citation needed]
Bob Klapisch, sportswriter.
Dick Kryhoski(1925–2007), was a first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for five different teams between 1949 and 1955.
Philip Maneval(born 1956), composer.
David Mansfield(born 1956), musician.[citation needed]
Christiane Noll, singer and actress known for her work inmusicalsand on the concert stage.
Frank C. Osmers, Jr.(1907–1977), representedNew Jersey's 9th congressional districtfrom 1939–1943 and 1951-1965.
Ivory Sully (born 1957), football player.
Paris Themmen(born 1959), child actor.[citation needed]
Al B. Sure(born 1968), singer, songwriter and producer.
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^Beckerman, Jim.'PLAYING STRONG-WILLED WOMEN',The Record (Bergen County), March 31, 2002. Accessed May 27, 2008. 'After starring in such New York shows asKiss Me Kate,1776,Parade,andCity of Angels,Leonia resident Carolee Carmello wanted to do something closer to home.'
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