Closter, New Jersey

Closter is a Borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 8,383.

Closter, settled in 1704, was formed by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on January 1, 1904, from portions of Harrington Township. On March 29, 1904, Harrington Park was created from portions of Closter, Harrington Township and Washington Township.

Geography

Closter is located at (40.971896, -73.964368).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.5 km²), of which, 3.2 square miles (8.2 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (3.65%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,383 people, 2,789 households, and 2,320 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,644.3 people per square mile (1,021.0/km²). There were 2,865 housing units at an average density of 903.7/sq mi (349.0/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 75.32% White, 0.93% African American, 0.10% Native American, 21.56% Asian, 0.81% from other races, and 1.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.09% of the population.

As of the 2000 census, 12.75% of Closter's residents identified themselves as being of Korean ancestry, which was the seventh highest in the United States and fifth highest of any municipality in New Jersey, for all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.

There were 2,789 households out of which 43.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.9% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.8% were non-families. 14.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.30.

In the borough the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $83,918, and the median income for a family was $94,543. Males had a median income of $65,848 versus $39,125 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $37,065. About 1.7% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Closter is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.

The Mayor of Closter Borough is Sophie Heymann (Republican Party, term ends December 31, 2010). Members of the Closter Borough Council are John C. Glidden, Jr. (R, 2010), Victoria Amitai (R, 2010), David Barad (R, 2008), Thomas Hennessey (R, 2009), Council President John Kashwick (R, 2008) and Cynthia L. Tutoli (R, 2009).

In elections held on November 6, 2007, voters filled two seats on the Borough Council. Incumbent Republicans Victoria R. Amitai (915 votes) and John C. Glidden, Jr. (910) were easily re-elected to second terms defeating former mayor Fred Pitofsky (650) and newcomer Raj Rane (613).

Federal, state and county representation

Closter is in the Fifth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 39th Legislative District.

Politics

As of April 1, 2006, out of a 2004 Census estimated population of 8,623 in Closter, there were 4,855 registered voters (56.3% of the population, vs. 55.4% in all of Bergen County). Of registered voters, 799 (16.5% vs. 20.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,031 (21.2% vs. 19.2% countywide) were registered as Republicans and 3,024 (62.3% vs. 60.1% countywide) are registered as Undeclared. There was one voter registered to another party.

On the national level, Closter leans slightly toward the Democratic Party. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 53% of the vote here, defeating Republican George W. Bush, who received around 46%.

Education

The Closter Public Schools serve students in Kindergarten through eighth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Hillside Elementary School, located on 340 Homans Avenue (with 619 students in grades K-4) and Tenakill Middle School located on 275 High Street (with 589 students in grades 5-8).

Public school students in grades 9-12 attend Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest in Demarest, together with students from Demarest and Haworth. The high school is part of the Northern Valley Regional High School District, which also serves students from Harrington Park, Northvale, Norwood and Old Tappan.

Transportation

The New Jersey Transit 167 bus route provides service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan.

County Route 501, County Route 502 and County Route 505 travel through Closter.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Closter include:

Abram Belskie (1907-1988), artist.
George DiBouno (born 1940), art educator and photographer.
Emme (born 1963), plus-size model.
Helen Jepson (1904-1997), lyric soprano.
Richard Hunt (1951-1992) puppeteer best known for his association with The Muppets.
Robert Lipsyte (born 1938) sports journalist and author.

Sources

"History of Bergen County, New Jersey, 1630-1923;" by "Westervelt, Frances A. (Frances Augusta), 1858-1942."
"Municipal Incorporations of the State of New Jersey (according to Counties)" prepared by the Division of Local Government, Department of the Treasury (New Jersey); December 1, 1958.