Kearny, New Jersey

Kearny is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. It was named after Civil War general Philip Kearny. As of the United States 2000 Census, the town population was 40,513.

Kearny was originally formed as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 8, 1867, from portions of Harrison Township. Portions of the township were taken on July 3, 1895, to form East Newark. Kearny was incorporated as a town on January 19, 1899, based on the results of a referendum held two days earlier.

Geography

Kearny is located at (40.763051, -74.137187).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 10.2 square miles (26.4 km²), of which, 9.1 square miles (23.7 km²) of it is land and 1.0 square miles (2.7 km²) of it (10.30%) is water.

Kearny distinguishes itself from neighboring towns in its balanced use of space; a blend of residence, business, industrial, educational, and park. Main thoroughfares include the eponymous Kearny Avenue (the local segment of Ridge Road / Frank E. Rodgers Boulevard), Bergen Avenue, Midland Avenue, Schuyler Avenue and Passaic Avenue.

A number of small memorial parks running along Passaic Ave (adjacent to the Passaic River) are collectively called River Bank Park. The largest, located on the colloquial "Bunny Hill", is a gift from Kearny's veterans. It is named after a small zoo named Bunnyland, which was maintained by the local Kiwanis Club, that occupied part of the present Bunny Hill in the 20th century. During Kearny's Fourth of July celebrations (which include a fireworks display), Bunnyland Hill is the primary gathering spot for celebrants and observers.

The largest park in Kearny is West Hudson Park, shared with Harrison, which contains a variety of sports fields, recreational areas, and an artificial pond. The next largest recreational zone is the Kearny Playground at Gunnel Oval.

The town is bordered by East Newark, Harrison and North Arlington. The Passaic River separates it from Newark and Belleville, and the Hackensack River separates it from Jersey City.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 40,513 people, 13,539 households, and 9,802 families residing in the town. The population density was 4,433.2 people per square mile (1,711.4/km²). There were 13,872 housing units at an average density of 1,518.0/sq mi (586.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 75.75% White, 3.97% African American, 0.37% Native American, 5.50% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 10.04% from other races, and 4.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27.34% of the population.

There were 13,539 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.28.

In the town the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 35.7% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 106.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $97,757, and the median income for a family was $154,596. Males had a median income of $68,672 versus $50,620 for females. The per capita income for the town was $85,886. About 2.1% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Kearny is governed under the Town form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and Town Council comprising eight council members. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Town Council is elected by the voters in partisan elections, two from each of the four wards, on a staggered basis for two-year terms, with one seat from each ward coming up for election each year.

The Mayor and Council operate on a legislative basis, with the Mayor having veto power. The day-to-day operations fall within the jurisdiction of the Town Administrator whose duties are specified by local ordinance, and who generally carries out the policies adopted by the Mayor and Council.

The Mayor of Kearny is Alberto G. Santos, who has been Mayor of Kearny since January 1, 2000. Before his election as mayor, Santos served as councilman of Kearny's Second Ward for one year.

Members of the Town Council are:

• Council members 1st Ward: Alexa Arce and David Krusznis
• Council members 2nd Ward: Barbara Cifelli Sherry and Laura Cifelli-Pettigrew
• Council members 3rd Ward: Carol Jean Doyle and Eileen Eckel
• Council members 4th Ward: Michael D. Landy and Susan McCurrie

Federal, state and county representation

Kearny is split between the Ninth and Thirteenth Congressional Districts and is part of New Jersey's 32nd Legislative District.

Education

The Kearny School District is dedicated to the education of the more than 5,000 culturally diverse students in the district. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are four Pre Kindergarten-8 schools; Franklin School 927 students), Lincoln School (765), Schuyler School (475) and Washington School (593); two Pre-K to 6 schools: Garfield School (530) and Roosevelt School (443) and Kearny High School for grades 9 - 12 (1,737).

Commerce

Portions of Kearny are part of an Urban Enterprise Zone. In addition to other benefits to encourage employment within the Zone, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3½% sales tax rate (versus the 7% rate charged statewide).

Transportation

New Jersey Transit offers bus service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan and to other New Jersey communities. Bus service to Newark is available on the 1, 39, 40, 43, 76 and 80 routes.

The Belleville Turnpike (Route 7) forms the northern border of the town with North Arlington. Kearny Avenue passes through the town and continues north as Route 17. The Essex Freeway (I-280) passes through the boro and ends at Interstate 95(W)/New Jersey Turnpike at Exit 15W. A toll gate (the 15W toll gate) is located in Kearny, with a total of 14 lanes at the gate.

The closest airport with scheduled passenger service is Newark Liberty International Airport, located 6.5 miles away in Newark / Elizabeth.

History

The 9.3 square mile (24 km²) area of Kearny Township, created in 1867, had been part of the original Crown Grant of 30,000 acres (120 km²) obtained by Major William Sandford of Barbadoes Island on July 4, 1668. Major Sandford named it “New Barbadoes Neck” after his old home. As was the custom of the times, the Major paid Chief Tantaqua of the Hackensack Indians 20 English Pounds Sterling for all their reserve rights and titles. It would seem these transactions made Major Sandford Kearny's first citizen and founder. William Sandford died in 1690.

In 1708, his friend Major Nathaniel Kingsland took over the upper western tract of the Grant. In 1710 he sold it for 300 English Pounds Sterling to Captain Arent Schuyler, a former Dutch trader and Indian Agent. The new purchase included present-day Kearny, North Arlington, Lyndhurst and Kingsland.

Shortly after Schuyler's purchase of his new homestead, a peculiar green stone was uncovered. It was sent to England for analysis and he learned that that it contained 80% copper. His opening of a copper mine brought the first steam engine to America from England; it was used to pump out the deep mine shaft. The engine was secretly delivered by its engineer, Josiah Hornblower. The engine and mines were destroyed by fire in 1772 and remained idle for some years.

Schuyler Mansion played a role during the American Revolutionary War Era. When Lord Howe of England took possession of New York Harbor, the nearness of Schuyler Mansion drew many of his officers. They generally traveled over a road that today is referred to as the Belleville Turnpike. It was originally made of cedar logs from the nearby swamps in 1759.

During September 1777, General Henry Clinton, head of the British Expeditionary Forces in America, selected Schuyler Mansion for his headquarters during one of his more important raiding operations which included the famed Battle of Second River. The Mansion stood until 1924, a period of 214 years, when it was torn down by a land development company.

In the middle 1800s, Kearny was the upper, or northern, section of the Township of Harrison. A prominent citizen and resident of the upper section, General N. M. Halsted, felt it was impossible under these political conditions for his section to obtain proper recognition. He engaged an energetic campaign for an independent township. He succeeded when the NJ Legislature of 1867 on March 14 th, adopted “an act creating the Township of Kearny”. The town was named to honor Major General Phil Kearny, Commander of the New Jersey Forces in the Civil War and the late resident of well-known “Belle Grove”, locally called Kearny Castle.

On April 8, 1867, the first election of town officers was held. Every office in the new Township had to be filled. General N. M. Halsted was elected Chairman. The first official seat of Government was three rooms in the old Lodi Hotel, on the northeast corner of Schuyler and Harrison Avenues.

In the early 1870s, Kearny erected its first Town Hall, on the corner of Kearny and Woodland Avenues, the present site of the Knox Presbyterian Church Parish Hall. This served as a Town Hall, Court House, and Schoolhouse. When the town's growth demanded larger quarters, the present Kearny Town Hall, built of Indiana Limestone, was erected in 1909. It is located in almost the exact center of own.

The Minute Book of the Township states on August 16, 1870, the first step toward establishing Kearny's present public school system was taken. The first schoolhouse was housed in the Town Hall built at Kearny and Woodland Avenues.

Factory town

The early influx and development of industry in Kearny dates back to 1875 when the Clark Thread Company of Scotland extended its activities to this country by erecting two large mills in Kearny, and adding two others in 1890. These mills brought to Kearny thousands of Scots immigrants.

In 1876, the Mile End Thread Mills started operating, giving employment to several hundred operators.

In 1883, the Marshall Flax Spinning Company of England erected a large plant in Kearny, known as the Linen Thread Company. Their need for experienced flax spinners brought an influx of workers from other sections of the British Isles. Families of those early textile workers were the nucleus of Kearny's present population.

The Puraline Manufacturing Company, later called the Arlington Company, which became a subsidiary of E. I. DuPont de Nemours Company, had purchased a large tract of land east of the Arlington Station on the Erie Railroad extending well out, north of the railroad embankment, into the meadowland.

In 1887, Sir Michael Nairn established the Nairn Linoleum Company, now the Congoleum Nairn Company of Kearny, giving further impetus to local industrial growth.

In 1902, the Lovell-Dressel Company, manufacturers of marine and railway lamps and fixtures, located in Kearny adjacent to the Erie Railroad.

Other industries which located in Kearny include: Swift & Company, Koppers Company, Theobald Industries, Standard Tool & Manufacturing, Wilkata Box Company, Harris Steel Company and L & R Manufacturing. Between 1926 and 1986 the Kearny Works of Western Electric employed thousands in producing a variety of hardware and supplies for the Bell System and was the home of the "Kearny Standard" for tools and equipment.

Cargo ships were built at Kearny Yards during World War I, and warships during WWII.

Popular culture

• The HBO hit drama series The Sopranos used to film frequently in Kearny. The location of the fictitious Satriale's Pork Store, which houses Tony Soprano's office in the show was at 101 Kearny Avenue. The pig was placed back on the roof when The Sopranos was filming in Kearny for exterior shots. Condominiums named "The Soprano" are being built on the site.
• Famous 1960s pop music station, WMCA AM 570, "The Home Of The Good Guys", used to broadcast from a 3-tower transmitter site on the Hackensack River, in Kearny. The transmitters were visible from the New Jersey Turnpike. The towers were demolished in January, 2007.

Notable residents

• Ownie Carroll (1902-1975), Major League Baseball pitcher who played nine seasons in the major, from 1925 to 1934.
• Ted Gillen (born 1968), former professional soccer player.
• Ed Halicki (born 1950), former professional baseball pitcher with one no-hitter to his credit. Kearny's main street, Kearny Avenue, was briefly renamed in his honor after he threw his no-hitter.
• Frank Iero (born 1981), rhythm guitarist and backup vocalist for My Chemical Romance.
• Kathryn Minner (1892-1969), an elderly character actress best known as The Little Old Lady from Pasadena in a series of television commercials for Dodge which aired in Southern California from 1964 to 1969, once lived in Kearny.
• Shamus O'Brien (1907-1981), soccer player inducted in 1990 into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
• Sean O'Rourke, born in Kearny, drummer of Sugarland.
• Matt Pelissier, ex-drummer of My Chemical Romance.
• Tab Ramos (born 1966), retired soccer midfielder.
• Ray Toro (born 1977), My Chemical Romance lead guitarist.
• Professional soccer players John Harkes, Tab Ramos, and Tony Meola all grew up in Kearny, giving the town the moniker of "Soccertown, U.S.A.", especially after they played together on the United States team at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Harkes became the first American to score at Wembley Stadium when he played for Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in the 1993 League Cup Final.
• Laura Anne Vukov (born 1956), Former International Federation of BodyBuilders professional bodybuilder and actress; National Physique Committee Ms. New Jersey 1987 Heavyweight and Overall; 1993 Ms. Olympia contestant.
• James and Alex Webster (born 1931) played professional football in the 1950s and 1960s. James played halfback for Marquette University earning MVP in 1959, and professionally for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and for the UFL Grand Rapids Shamrocks/Blazers (1960-1964). Alex Webster played halfback for North Carolina State University and began playing professionally for the Montreal Alouettes earning MVP and was an All-Star in 1954. In 1955 he was drafted into the NFL and played for the New York Giants (1955-1964). Alex Webster eventually became assistant coach under Allie Sherman, later being promoted to head coach (1967-1973) where he won NFL Coach of the year in 1970.

References

External links

• Town of Kearny website
• Data for the Kearny School District, National Center for Education Statistics
• A recent article about the Kearny School District
• Kearny School District
• Kearny High Alumni web site
• Kearny On The Web web site
• EKearny.com | Kearny Top Headlines & More
• KearnySoccer.com | A website dedicated to Kearny Soccer