Rockaway

[rok-uh-wey]

Rockaway, narrow peninsula, c.10 mi (16 km) long, SW Long Island, SE N.Y., in Queens borough of New York City. Separating Jamaica Bay from the Atlantic Ocean and isolated from the rest of New York City, the densely populated peninsula owes its growth to road and rail connections across the bay. There are fine sand beaches on Rockaway's southern side. A section of Gateway National Recreation Area, including Rockaway Beach, Fort Tilden, and Jacob Riis Park, is there.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004.
Licensed from Columbia University Press

Rockaway, New Jersey

Geography

Rockaway is located at (40.900365, -74.513557).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.5 km²), of which, 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.95%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,473 people, 2,445 households, and 1,709 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,098.9 people per square mile (1,195.8/km²). There were 2,491 housing units at an average density of 1,192.5/sq mi (460.2/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 87.75% White, 1.41% African American, 0.20% Native American, 6.36% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.98% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.39% of the population.

There were 2,445 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the borough the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 33.6% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $61,002, and the median income for a family was $66,997. Males had a median income of $44,673 versus $35,956 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $26,500. About 3.0% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

The Mayor of Rockaway Borough is Kathyann Snyder. Rockaway Borough Council Members are Council President John "Jay" L. Willer, Melissa Burnside, John Mirabella, Anthony Perruso, Robert Schaefer and Joseph A. Vicente.

Federal, state, and county representation

Rockaway is in the Eleventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 25th Legislative District.

Education

The Rockaway Borough Public Schools are a Pre-Kindergarten through Eighth grade district. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Lincoln Elementary School for grades K - 3 (259 students) and Thomas Jefferson Middle School for grades 4 - 8 (352 students). Approximately 60 professional staff members provide educational services to students of the district.

Public school students in grades 9 - 12 attend Morris Hills High School, located in Rockaway Borough, and which also serves the residential communities of Rockaway Township and Wharton. The current enrollment is 1,087 students. The high school is part of the Morris Hills Regional High School District, which also includes students from Denville Township.

Sacred Heart School an Saint Cecilia School are Catholic schools operated under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson.

In pop culture

Many scenes (the train tracks, Main Street and The Old Mill Tavern) from the 2003 movie, The Station Agent, were filmed in Rockaway.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Rockaway include:

Bruce Bannon (born 1951), former NFL linebacker.
Lieutenant General Raymond T. Odierno, Commanding General of U.S. III Corps. As III Corps uncased its colors at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Odierno also assumed responsibility as the Commanding General of the Multi-National corps in Baghdad.