Totowa (pronounced /ˈtotəwə/) is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 9,892.
Totowa was formed as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 15, 1898, from portions of Manchester Township and Wayne Township.[6]
Geography
Totowa is located at 40°54′12″N, 74°13′3″W (40.903348, -74.217638)[7].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 4.1 square miles (10.5 km²), of which, 4.0 square miles (10.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.23%) is water.
Demographics
| Historical populations |
| Census |
Pop. |
|
%± |
| 1930 |
4,600 |
|
—
|
| 1940 |
5,130 |
|
11.5% |
| 1950 |
6,045 |
|
17.8% |
| 1960 |
10,897 |
|
80.3% |
| 1970 |
11,580 |
|
6.3% |
| 1980 |
11,448 |
|
−1.1% |
| 1990 |
10,177 |
|
−11.1% |
| 2000 |
9,892 |
|
−2.8% |
| Est. 2006 |
10,634 |
[2] |
7.5% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[8] |
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 9,892 people, 3,539 households, and 2,643 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,474.8 people per square mile (954.8/km²). There were 3,630 housing units at an average density of 908.2/sq mi (350.4/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 93.40% White, 1.12% African American, 0.02% Native American, 2.26% Asian, 1.97% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.37% of the population.
As of the 2000 census, 37.2% of town residents were of Italian ancestry, the seventh-highest percentage of any municipality in the United States, and second-highest in New Jersey (behind Hammonton, at 45.9%), among all places with more than 1,000 residents identifying their ancestry.[9]
There were 3,539 households out of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.3% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the borough the population was spread out with 18.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $60,408, and the median income for a family was $69,354. Males had a median income of $44,462 versus $33,869 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $26,561. About 0.8% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Local government
Totowa 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. 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.[10]
The Mayor of Totowa is John Coiro.[11] Members of the Totowa Borough Council are Louis D’Angelo, Arlene Festa, Jim Niland, Philip Puglise, Hubert (Hughie) Vickerilla and Councilman John Waryas.[12]
Federal, state and county representation
Totowa is part of New Jersey's 35th Legislative District and is in the Eighth Congressional District.[13]
New Jersey's Eighth Congressional District, covering the southern portion of Passaic County and northern sections of Essex County, is represented by Bill Pascrell Jr. (D, Paterson). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
For the 2008-2009 Legislative Session, the 35th District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by John Girgenti (D, Hawthorne) and in the Assembly by Elease Evans (D, Paterson) and Nellie Pou (D, North Haledon).[14] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[15]
Passaic County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, who are elected to staggered three-year terms on an at-large basis, with two or three seats coming up for election each year.[16] As of 2008, Passaic County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Sonia Rosado (2009, Ringwood), Freeholder Deputy Director Tahesha Way (2009, Wayne), Terry Duffy (2010, West Milford), Elease Evans (2008, Paterson), James Gallagher (2009, Paterson) Bruce James (2008, Clifton) and Pat Lepore (2010, West Paterson).[17]
Education
Public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade are educated by the Totowa Borough Public Schools. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[18]) are Memorial School which houses students in prekindergarten through second grade (506 students) and Washington Park School for grades three through eight (437).
For grades 9 - 12, students in public school attend Passaic Valley Regional High School. The regional public high school serves students from Little Falls, Totowa and West Paterson. The school facility is located in Little Falls Township.[19]
Also located in Totowa is The Academy of St. Francis of Assisi, a Catholic school that is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson.
Points of interest
- Annie's Road is a section of Riverview Drive between Totowa Road and Union Boulevard, which is said to be haunted by a "Lady in White".citation needed
- Dey Mansion is a colonial house where General, at the time, George Washington took residence during the Revolutionary War. The house gives tours of all the artifacts and furniture left there and has a genuine blacksmith shop that makes clothes hooks and horse shoes for visitors. It is located on 199 Totowa Road, Wayne. Even though located in Wayne, Totowa residents believe that it is truly located in Totowa because it is barely past the border of the two towns.[20]
- Totowa is home to four major luxury home developments: Dey Hill Farms, Arlington Estates, Jeremy Heights, and Hickory Hill. Dey Hill Farms, the largest of the developments was started in 1974 and received its name from The Dey Mansion located down the road.
- Totowa is home to the North Jersey Developmental Center, which serves 400 developmentally disabled citizens on its 188-acre (0.76 km2) campus.
- There are more dead people than living in Totowa. This is due to the four major cemeteries in Totowa: Holy Sepulchre Roman Catholic Cemetery, Laurel Grove Cemetery, Laurel Grove Memorial Park, and Mount Nebo Jewish Cemetery. There is also a very old cemetery that is located on the side of Interstate 80.
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Totowa include:
References
- ^ USGS GNIS: Borough of Totowa, Geographic Names Information System. Accessed January 4, 2008.
- ^ a b Census data for Totowa borough, United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 25, 2007.
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 14, 2008.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 211.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
- ^ Italian Communities, Epodunk. Accessed June 9, 2007.
- ^ 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 151.
- ^ A LETTER OF WELCOME FROM MAYOR JOHN COIRO, Borough of Totowa. Accessed April 21, 2008.
- ^ Totowa Borough Council, Borough of Totowa. Accessed April 21, 2008.
- ^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 65. Accessed August 30, 2006.
- ^ Legislative Roster: 2008-2009 Session, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed June 6, 2008.
- ^ About the Governor, New Jersey. Accessed June 6, 2008.
- ^ The Role of The Freeholders, Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed April 21, 2008
- ^ 2008 Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Passaic County, New Jersey. Accessed April 21, 2008
- ^ Data for the Totowa Borough Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 21, 2008.
- ^ District Information, Passaic Valley High School. Accessed June 20, 2007. "The regional district which is served by Passaic Valley High School is comprised of the communities of Little Falls, Totowa Borough and West Paterson."
- ^ Dey Mansion, Passaic County, New Jersey.
- ^ Nash, Margo. "Memories Linger Of a 'Baaad Boy' From Paterson", The New York Times, March 24, 2002. Accessed April 21, 2008. "I tell you, he loved this town, said Mr. Duva, who now lives in Totowa. He loved his people, and he loved good people."
- ^ Lee, Jennifer. " Obituary: John Spencer, 'West Wing' actor", International Herald Tribune, December 19, 2005. Accessed June 9, 2007. "Spencer was born on Dec. 20, 1946, in New York City to John and Mildred Speshock, a truck driver and a waitress, and grew up in Totowa, N.J."
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