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Emerson, New Jersey
Borough
Borough of Emerson
NJ Transit station in Emerson
NJ Transit station in Emerson
Nickname(s): 
"The Family Town"
Map highlighting Emerson's location within Bergen County. Inset: Bergen County's location within New Jersey
Map highlighting Emerson's location within Bergen County. Inset: Bergen County's location within New Jersey
Census Bureau map of Emerson, New Jersey
Census Bureau map of Emerson, New Jersey
Country  United States
State  New Jersey
County Bergen
Incorporated April 8, 1903 (as Etna)
Name changed March 9, 1909 (to Emerson)
Named for Ralph Waldo Emerson
Government
 • Type Borough
 • Body Borough Council
Area
 • Total 2.42 sq mi (6.27 km2)
 • Land 2.23 sq mi (5.78 km2)
 • Water 0.19 sq mi (0.49 km2)  7.85%
Area rank 379th of 565 in state
40th of 70 in county
Elevation
49 ft (15 m)
Population
 • Total 7,401
 • Estimate 
(2019)
7,596
 • Rank 308th of 566 in state
51st of 70 in county
 • Density 3,358.9/sq mi (1,296.9/km2)
 • Density rank 194th of 566 in state
39th of 70 in county
Time zone UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code
07630
Area code(s) 201
FIPS code 3400321450
GNIS feature ID 0885208

Emerson is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, a suburb in the New York City metropolitan area. Emerson is the most southern town in an area of the county referred to as the Pascack Valley. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 7,401, reflecting an increase of 204 (+2.8%) from the 7,197 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 267 (+3.9%) from the 6,930 counted in the 1990 Census.

What is now Emerson was originally formed on April 8, 1903, from portions of Washington Township as the Borough of Etna, the name of a railroad station in the community. The name was changed to Emerson as of March 9, 1909. The name came from author Ralph Waldo Emerson. The borough calls itself "The Family Town".

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.399 square miles (6.214 km2), including 2.203 square miles (5.707 km2) of land and 0.196 square miles (0.507 km2) of water (8.16%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Old Hook.

The borough borders the Bergen County municipalities of Closter, Harrington Park, Haworth, Oradell, Paramus, River Vale, Washington Township and Westwood.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1900 456
1910 767 68.2%
1920 973 26.9%
1930 1,394 43.3%
1940 1,487 6.7%
1950 1,744 17.3%
1960 6,849 292.7%
1970 8,428 23.1%
1980 7,793 −7.5%
1990 6,930 −11.1%
2000 7,197 3.9%
2010 7,401 2.8%
2019 (est.) 7,596 2.6%
Population sources:
1910-1920 1910
1910-1930 1900-2010
2000 2010

Census 2010

As of the census of 2010, there were 7,401 people, 2,480 households, and 1,967 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,358.9 per square mile (1,296.9/km2). There were 2,552 housing units at an average density of 1,158.2 per square mile (447.2/km2)*. The racial makeup of the borough was 87.31% (6,462) White, 1.08% (80) Black or African American, 0.04% (3) Native American, 8.55% (633) Asian, 0.11% (8) Pacific Islander, 1.15% (85) from other races, and 1.76% (130) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.36% (619) of the population.

There were 2,480 households out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.7% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.7% were non-families. 18.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.29.

In the borough, the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.3 years. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and old there were 86.0 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $99,292 (with a margin of error of +/- $12,946) and the median family income was $108,300 (+/- $12,689). Males had a median income of $71,868 (+/- $16,071) versus $69,271 (+/- $15,233) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $39,501 (+/- $4,093). About 0.7% of families and 1.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

Same-sex couples headed 17 households in 2010, an increase from the 14 counted in 2000.

Census 2000

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 7,197 people, 2,373 households, and 1,964 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,216.3 people per square mile (1,240.5/km2). There were 2,398 housing units at an average density of 1,071.7 per square mile (413.3/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 89.62% White, 0.85% African American, 0.06% Native American, 7.89% Asian, 0.88% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.61% of the population.

As of the 2000 Census, 2.2% of Emerson's residents identified themselves as being of Armenian-American ancestry. This was the 20th highest percentage of Armenian American people in any place in the United States with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.

There were 2,373 households, out of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.5% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no partner present, and 17.2% were non-families. 14.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $75,556, and the median income for a family was $83,521. Males had a median income of $52,450 versus $36,818 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $31,506. About 1.3% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

Parks in the borough include:

  • Ackerman Park, located on Ackerman Avenue. It has a playground, basketball courts, a bocci court, and picnic area.
  • Centennial Park, located on Main Street. It has a gazebo and walking path. It was named Centennial Park in 2003 in honor Emerson's 100th Anniversary.
  • Hillman Park, located on Thomas Street, was created on land donated by borough resident Richard Hillman. It has baseball fields such as, Ken Benkovic Jr. Memorial Field, which is formerly a majors field that is fenced in and a lighted field and Babes Field which is also a lighted field behind the firehouse but is also located on Thomas Street. There is also a soccer field, and a playground.
  • Rosengart Park, sometimes referred as "Sunset Park", is a park located on Sunset Place. It has a playground.
  • Veterans' Park, a memorial park located on High Street, with monuments honoring veterans from Emerson.
  • Washington Park, a park located on Washington Avenue. It has a playground and a picnic area.
  • Emerson Woods covers approximately 19 acres (7.7 ha) of woodland along Main Street east of the high school, and is located in the buffer area of the Oradell Reservoir. The property was slated for townhouse development, but local opposition resulted in the parcel being purchased by the borough in 2001, with the aid of grants from the county and state. It remains in its natural state, with the addition of trails to make the property accessible to visitors.

Transportation

2018-07-20 15 22 37 View east along Bergen County Route 502 (Old Hook Road) just east of Main Street in Emerson, Bergen County, New Jersey
View east along County Route 502 in Emerson

Roads and highways

As of May 2010, the borough had a total of 30.87 miles (49.68 km) of roadways, of which 28.54 miles (45.93 km) were maintained by the municipality and 2.33 miles (3.75 km) by Bergen County.

The most significant roads serving Emerson are County Route 502 (Old Hook Road) and County Route 503 (Kinderkamack Road).

Public transportation

The Emerson station, located at the intersection of Linwood Avenue and Kinderkamack Road, provides service on NJ Transit's Pascack Valley Line. This line runs north–south to Hoboken Terminal with connections via the Secaucus Junction transfer station to NJ Transit one-stop service to New York Penn Station and to ten other NJ Transit rail lines. Connections are available at the Hoboken Terminal to other NJ Transit rail lines, the PATH train at the Hoboken PATH station, New York Waterways ferry service to the World Financial Center and other destinations and Hudson-Bergen Light Rail service.

NJ Transit provides bus service on the 165 route to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan.

Rockland Coaches routes 11A/11AT provide service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal and to Rockland County, New York. Saddle River Tours / Ameribus provides service to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station on route 11C.

Bomb threat

On September 19, 2007, there was a threat made to the Emerson School System. A letter addressed to Emerson Mayor Lou Lamatina was received around 10:30 a.m. in a small envelope, along with what appeared to be a computer-printed address pasted onto the front, authorities said. The note inside appeared to also be computer-generated, and was pasted on a blank piece of paper; it read, "All three schools will be blown out on Thursday, Sept. 20th at 11:30 a.m., with two other schools in nearby towns." The note was later sent to the Bergen County Sheriff's Office for forensic examination.

All three Emerson Schools were immediately evacuated by a fire drill around 11:00, and neither students nor teachers were allowed to collect any of their belongings, including backpacks, cell phones, and purses. Seniors were allowed to retrieve their cars later that day, but nobody else was allowed near the school.

Members of the Bergen County bomb squad were sent to Emerson on Wednesday morning; however, a search of the district's schools revealed nothing dangerous or extraordinary. The bomb squad also searched Oradell and Washington Township schools, and searched Emerson's Assumption Academy on Thursday morning.

Thirteen districts closed their schools for September 20, 2007, including Emerson, Westwood, Washington Township, Oradell, River Edge, Closter, River Vale, Demarest, Haworth, Harrington Park, Northvale, Norwood, and Old Tappan. Some selected Catholic grammar and high schools were closed. The bomb threat affected 12-14,000 students, including 1,200 from Emerson alone. The schools were closed for two days until they were deemed safe.

Points of interest

  • Cedar Park Cemetery
  • Emerson Public Library was formed in 1957 and moved to its current facility in 1974.

Economy

Pascack Valley Shopping Center is a shopping center located on Kinderkamack Road. It had a movie theater and bowling alley.

Education

The Emerson School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 1,139 students and 98.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.5:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Memorial Elementary School with 302 students in PreK-2, Patrick M. Villano Elementary School with 316 students in grades 3-6 and Emerson Jr./Sr. High School with 496 students in grades 7-12.

Public school students from the borough, and all of Bergen County, are eligible to attend the secondary education programs offered by the Bergen County Technical Schools, which include the Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, and the Bergen Tech campus in Teterboro or Paramus. The district offers programs on a shared-time or full-time basis, with admission based on a selective application process and tuition covered by the student's home school district.

Assumption Academy is a parochial early childhood school that operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. Assumption Academy closed its elementary school program for grades 1–8 in June 2012 due to declining enrollment, which it had been struggling to keep up for several years prior.

Notable people

See also (related category): People from Emerson, New Jersey

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Emerson include:

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Emerson (Nueva Jersey) para niños

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