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Dover, New Jersey

Dover is a Town in Morris County, New Jersey on the Rockaway River. Dover is 39 miles (63 km) west of New York City and west of Newark, New Jersey. As of the United States Census, 2000, the town's population was 18,188. In 1900, 5,938 people lived in Dover; in 1910, 7,468; and in 1940, 10,491.

Geography

Dover is located at (40.885899, -74.558241).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km²), of which, 2.7 square miles (6.9 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.11%) is water.

Hedden County Park, a Morris County park, is partly located in Dover, with park entrances in Randolph.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 18,188 people, 5,436 households, and 3,919 families residing in Dover. The population density was 6,788.2 people per square mile (2,620.3/km²). There were 5,568 housing units at an average density of 2,078.1/sq mi (802.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 69.45% White, 6.83% African American, 0.34% Native American, 2.47% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 15.99% from other races, and 4.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 57.94% of the population.

11.27% of Dover residents identified themselves as being of Colombian American ancestry in the 2000 Census, the second highest percentage of the population of any municipality in the United States (behind neighboring Victory Gardens, New Jersey which had 15.27% of residents so identified) with 1,000 residents identifying their ancestry.

There were 5,436 households out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.29 and the average family size was 3.55.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 36.0% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 106.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $53,423, and the median income for a family was $57,141. Males had a median income of $31,320 versus $27,413 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,056. About 8.2% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

History

On May 31, 1722, Joseph Latham and his wife Jane deeded over to John Jackson of Flushing, New York. Joseph Latham was deeded the land in 1713 by virtue of land purchased from the Indians by the Proprietors of West Jersey.

The of land rested mostly in what is today’s Mine Hill Township, however, the eastern portion of the land included today’s Hurd Park, Park Heights Avenue to the foot of the mountain and Granny’s Brook, which was later renamed to Jackson’s Brook.

Historical records show that a small Indian village was settled at the site of Hurd Park and thus the reason for the naming of the nearby Indian Falls. Jackson settled on the eastern portion of his land along Granny’s Brook at the site of what would later become the Ross Ribbon Factory on Park Heights Avenue.

Iron ore at the time was so plentiful that it was easily picked off the surface of the ground at the nearby Dickerson Mine in Mine Hill. Horse back saddles would bring the ore to Jackson’s Forge and he would process the ore into bars that would then be transported to points eastward, namely the factories at Paterson.

It is believed that Jackson had a pretty good business until hard time hits in 1750 by an Act of the British Parliament known as the “Iron Act.” It stated that all iron ore processing and manufacturing of iron products would cease in the colonies and that all raw iron was to be shipped to England for manufacturing and then the finished products sold back to the colonies.

By 1753 John Jackson went bankrupt and all his property and belongings were sold off at a Sheriff’s sale. Quaker Hartshorne Fitz Randolph purchased his property and annexed to his existing property to become part of Randolph Township.

Dover was incorporated as a village in 1826 and on April 1, 1869 as a town. The town charter was amended in 1875. In its past, Dover has had extensive iron and mill works, machine shops, stove, furnace, and range works, boiler and bridge works, rolling mills, drill works, knitting and silk mills, and a large hosiery factory (MacGregors).

Today, Dover has a large Hispanic population with the largest concentrations being of Mexican, Colombian ,Dominican and Puerto Rican ancestry, Hispanics have been a demographic majority since 1980, and are growing quickly. As of the 2000 Census, Dover's population was 57.9% Hispanic, making it the municipality with the fifth highest Hispanic population percentage in New Jersey and one of eight New Jersey municipalities with a Hispanic majority. The surrounding Morris County area is predominantly non-Hispanic (9.8% Hispanic or Latino, of any race).

While Dover is not currently financially disadvantaged in comparison to average towns nationwide, it is considerably less affluent (with a median household income of $53,423) than Morris County as a whole (with a median household income of $84,010), thus giving the town a reputation of being poor.

Government

Local government

Dover Town operates using the Town form of government and is governed by a Mayor and Board of Aldermen. The Mayor is elected at large. The Board of Aldermen consists of eight members, with two Aldermen elected to two-year terms from each of the four wards on a staggered basis, with one Aldermanic seat coming up for election each year in each ward.

The Mayor of Dover Town is James P. Dodd, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2011.

Members of the Board of Aldermen are:

1st Ward: Michael Picciallo (2008) and Frank Poolas (2009)
2nd Ward: Patrick Donofrio (2008) and Cindy Romaine (2009)
3rd Ward: Patrick Fahy (2008) and James Visioli (2009)
4th Ward: Dominic Timpani (2008) and Jack Delaney (2009)

HISTORY OF THE MAYORS OF DOVER 1869 – 1871 Hon. George Richards; 1871 – 1873 Hon. Anson G. P. Segur; 1873 – 1887 Hon. George Richards; 1887 – 1891 Hon. Sedgewick R. Bennett; 1891 – 1993 Hon. Horace L. Dunham; 1893 – 1895 Hon. George McCracken; 1895 – 1896 Hon. Ferdinand V. Wolfe; 1897 – 1899 Hon. George Pierson; 1899 – 1899 Hon. Ferdinand V. Wolfe; 1899 – 1901 Hon. Frederick H. Beach; 1901 – 1903 Hon. Harry S. Peters; 1903 – 1906 Hon. Isaac W. Searing; 1906 – 1910 Hon. George Pierson; 1910 – 1914 Hon. John Mulligan; 1914 – 1916 Hon. William L. R. Lynd; 1916 – 1920 Hon. Richard W. Whitham; 1920 – 1922 Hon. William L. R. Lynd; 1922 – 1926 Hon. William H. Hosking; 1926 – 1930 Hon. Thomas O. Bassett; 1930 – 1961 Hon. John Roach Jr. (died Nov. 26, 1961); 1961 – 1962 Hon. Richard B. Woodhull (interim); 1962 – 1963 Hon. Dr. Leslie P. Stringer (interim); 1963 – 1966 Hon. Dr. Leslie P. Stringer; 1966 – 1968 Hon. Willard M. Hedden; 1968 – 1972 Hon. Edward R. Horan; 1972 – 1974 Hon. Willard M. Hedden; 1974 – 1974 Hon. L. William Newkirk (resigned); 1974 – 1975 Hon. Richard M. Newman (interim); 1975 – 1978 Hon. Richard M. Newman; 1978 – 1982 Hon. Jack Rice; 1982 – 1992 Hon. Aldo Cicchetti; 1992 – 2000 Hon. Stephen Shukailo; 2000 – 2002 Hon. Richard M. Newman; 2002 – 2004 Hon. Javier Marin; 2004 – present Hon. James Dodd

Federal, state and county representation

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

Education

The Dover School District serves students in Prekindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Academy Street Elementary School (K-5, 551 students), East Dover Elementary School (3-6, 188 students), North Dover Elementary School (PreK-5, 815 students), Dover Middle School (7&8, 511 students) and Dover High School (9-12, 888 students).

Students in grades K - 12 from Victory Gardens attend the Dover Public School system as part of a sending/receiving relationship. Students in grades 7-12 from Mine Hill Township also participate in the Dover district as part of a sending/receiving relationship.

Sacred Heart School is a Catholic school operated under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson.

Transportation

Roads and highways traveling in or near Dover include County Route 513, Interstate 80, U.S. Route 46, New Jersey Route 10 and New Jersey Route 15. The Dover exit off Route 80 (Exit 35) is a popular stop for highway travelers, being that it is halfway between the Delaware Water Gap and New York City. The Rockaway Townsquare Mall, located in neighboring Rockaway Township, is right off the exit, and offers a multitude of shopping centers, restaurants, sporting goods stores and entertainment venues.

Bus & Rail service

Dover is also served by Morris County Metro routes 2 & 10 regularly as well as NJ Transit's Morristown Line and Montclair-Boonton Line at the Dover train station on Dickerston Street. Lakeland Bus Lines maintains a garage & terminal on Blackwell Street near the border with Rockaway Township and has regular service to Sparta, Mount Olive, Rockaway, Boonton, Montclair, Newark and New York City.

Taxi

Dover is served by numerous local taxi services within the town. Taxis can be found waiting outside of the supermarkets, bars, bus stations and the train station. The town has made efforts to control the amount of taxis operating in the town and passed an ordinance limiting the number of taxis in the town to 60. However some companies are now setting up in neighboring towns to avoid the ordinance.

Air

Dover is located approximately 15 minutes west of Morristown Municipal Airport, and approximately 25 minutes west Liberty International Airport in Newark, NJ. Taxis, trains and buses provide regular service to Liberty, La Guardia, and John F. Kennedy International Airport. Trains to NYC airports require transfers in NY Penn Station and buses require a transfer at NY Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Community

The community of Dover is centered around a developed downtown area that is filled with many eateries. A vast percentage of these are owned and run by Hispanics of different countries, and feature their ethnic food. Dover is a haven for all kinds of eating experiences, from sushi to pizza and coffee shops to renowned Irish and Italian food places. The majority of these eateries are located on and around the Blackwell Street business district.

Every Sunday from April to December, there is a flea market downtown.

Dover has been described as a walking town as most parts of town are within about a 1/2 mile of the downtown area and most streets have sidewalks.

DOVER CIVIC CREED I believe in Dover and its possibilities; and I shall do my part to make it a better place in which to live. I believe in good government for Dover, and I shall assume my share of the Civic responsibility that rests on the shoulders of all our citizens. I believe in supporting local enterprises that make for Community development; and shall contribute my moral support and energy to any worthy cause Championed by them. I believe in patronizing home merchants, for they are greatly responsible for our having good schools and churches, better roads and promotion of the general welfare of this community. I believe in making Dover clean and attractive, for a healthy atmosphere is an inducement to honest and right-thinking citizens. I believe in boosting my home town at every possible opportunity; that thinking, talking and acting progress is the quickest and surest way to bring permanent prosperity to Dover -- the Best Town in America -- because it is MY HOME TOWN.

(Sponsored by a group of local businessmen, January 3, 1927)

Parks

Hamilton Field is one of Dover's recreation centers, featuring a football field with bleachers, soccer fields, and a historic cinder track that is used by walkers and joggers. It is located at Route 46 and McFarlan Street.
JFK Commons Park consists of several walking / jogging trails, a children's play park, and the towns Gazebo. JFK Park plays host to the town's annual Christmas tree lighting. It is located at Route 46 and Bergen Street.
Crescent Field boasts a new turf soccer field and is also the site for many of the town's events, including the Colombian Festival. It is located on Second Street.
Water Works Park consists of a baseball field, picnic area, and accessible banks of the Rockaway River. It is located off Princeton Avenue.
Overlook Park consists of a basketball court, plain field, and a large play area. It is located on Overlook Ave.
Hurd Park. A passive park with no playgrounds or ballfields. Ideal location for wedding and graduation photographs with its Greek style pavilion having fluted columns and a circular gazebo-like center with a red-tiled roof and a scenic background. Donated to the town in 1911 by John Hurd, the park is also host to the 1922 WWI Doughboy Statue, one of a few found around the country. The park also displays a Civil War Memorial, a Spansish American War Memorial and a brick-walk memorial naming those on stone bricks who served in the Armed Forces. The park is also adjacent to India Falls, a scenic walk along the Jackson Brook to Hedden Park.
Hedden Park on Reservoir Avenue. An active park, mostly in Randolph Township, with a picnic pavilion and tables, stone cooking grills for picnics in the woods, paddle boats in season, playrounds, ball fields and hiking trails.
Triangle Park. In downtown Dover at the foot of Prospect Street, the small park is maintained by Dover's Renaissance Club and the home of Hudson Favell's "Story Poles." Most recently a wood carved replica of the World Trade Towers were added along with two steel beams from the original collapsed building.
King Field. A north Dover sports complex hosting three little league baseball fields, one with lights, and a medium sized soccer field used mostly for practices when in season.

Health care

Dover is served by St. Clare's Dover General Hospital, located on Route 46. It is the local medical facility for Dover and other communities in western Morris County. Saint Clare's Denville Hospital is located east of Dover in Denville, and Morristown Memorial Hospital is located east of Dover in Morristown. The Zufall Health Center is located on Warren Street and provides basic medical and dental services to low-income residents of Dover and neighboring towns.

Popular culture

Dover was the town Metallica had their first show with guitarist Kirk Hammett.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Dover include:

William F. Birch (1870-1946) represented New Jersey's 5th congressional district from 1918 to 1919, was a member of the Dover Common Council for several years and city recorder from 1904 to 1909.
Joshua Butterworth (1830), inventor of the bank combination lock.http://books.google.com/books?id=GmgSAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA23&lpg=PA23&dq=joshua+butterworth+new+jersey&source=web&ots=uNpPedXp2c&sig=Fs5CiuGvKU_Bo8q6T75BxheEmuc&hl=en
Paul Guenther (1860), inventor of the ladies seamless silk stockings.
Thomas Jefferson Halsey (1863-1951), represented Missouri's 6th congressional district from 1929 to 1931.
Joseph Kekuku (1874-1932), inventor of the steel guitar.
X. J. Kennedy (born 1929), writer and poet.
Jacque MacKinnon (born 1938), tight end for the San Diego Chargers 1961-1969.
Dennis Ray, singer who toured with the Doo Wop group "The Five Satins" in the 1980s, who sang the hit single In the Still of the Night.
Edwin J. Ross (1885) Descendant of Betsy Ross and founder of the Ross Silk Mill.
Jyles Tucker (born 1983), linebacker for the San Diego Chargers.
General William Winds (1727-1789) Revolutionary War commander.