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West Orange is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 44,943. West Orange shares a border with the South Mountain Reservation. Geography West Orange is located at (40.788650, -74.255416). According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 31.7 km² (12.2 mi²). 31.4 km² (12.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.90%) is water. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 44,943 people, 16,480 households, and 11,684 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,431.7/km² (3,708.7/mi²). There were 16,901 housing units at an average density of 538.4/km² (1,394.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 67.55% White, 17.46% African American, 0.14% Native American, 8.09% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.52% from other races, and 3.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.04% of the population. There were 16,480 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.19. In the township the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males. The median income for a household in the township was $69,254, and the median income for a family was $83,375. Males had a median income of $52,029 versus $39,484 for females. The per capita income for the township was $34,412. About 4.6% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over. Government The Township of West Orange is governed by the Mayor-Council system of municipal government under the Faulkner Act. Within this form of government, each member of the Township Council is elected in nonpartisan elections and serves on an at-large basis, representing the entire township. The Mayor and members of the Township Council are: Municipal Court Key personnel Township facilities Federal, state and county representation West Orange is split between the Eighth and Tenth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 27th Legislative District West Orange is represented on the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders by Freeholders Linda Lordi-Cavanaugh (District 4), Donald M. Payne, Jr. (At-Large) and Freeholder Blonnie R. Watson (At-Large). Politics On the national level, West Orange leans toward the Democratic Party. In 2004, Democrat John Kerry received 65 percent of the vote there, as opposed to Republican George W. Bush, who received around 34 percent. Education The West Orange Public Schools serves students in Kindergarten through 12th grade. The district consist of a total of 10 school facilities: 7 elementary schools, three middle schools(of late December of 2005) and one high school. The West Orange school district has been ranked among the top 1% of schools in the nation by The Washington Post. History West Orange was initially a part of the city of Newark, and remained such until November 27, 1806, when the territory now encompassing all of The Oranges was detached. On April 13, 1807, the first government was elected, but not until March 13, 1860, was Orange officially incorporated as a city. Almost immediately, the new city began fragmenting into smaller communities, primarily because of local disputes about the costs of establishing paid police, fire, and street departments. South Orange was organized on January 26, 1861, Fairmount (later to become part of West Orange) on March 11, 1862 and East Orange on March 4, 1863. West Orange (including what had been the independent municipality of Fairmount) was formed on March 14, 1863. Thomas Edison bought a property known as Glenmont in 1886 as a wedding gift for his bride. It occupies 13.5 acres (55,000 m²) in the Llewellyn Park district. The remains of both Thomas and Mina Edison are now buried there. Glenmont is maintained by the National Park Service as part of the Edison National Historic Site. The first motion picture studio, The Black Maria, was located on the grounds of Edison's factory in West Orange. The first Linens 'n Things store, now closed, was located in West Orange. Turtle Back Zoo, founded in 1963 and currently one of only four zoos in New Jersey, is located in the township in the South Mountain Reservation. Famous residents See also | |||||||
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