| Chatham Township, New Jersey |
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Information AboutChatham Township, New Jersey |
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GEOGRAPHY According to the United States Census Bureau , the township has a total area of 24.2 Km&2 (9.4 Mi&2 ). 24.2 km&2 (9.3 mi&2) of it is land and 0.1 km&2 (0.04 mi&2) of it is water. The total area is 0.21% water. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census 2 of 2000, there were 10,086 people, 3,920 households, and 2,771 families residing in the township. The Population Density was 417.4/km&2 (1,081.0/mi&2). There were 4,019 housing units at an average density of 166.3/km&2 (430.8/mi&2). The racial makeup of the township was 93.71% White , 0.45% African American , 0.06% Native American , 4.81% Asian , 0.01% Pacific Islander , 0.15% from Other Races , and 0.81% from two or more races. 1.95% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 3,920 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.4% were Married Couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 26.3% 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 2.54 and the average family size was 3.11. In the township the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males. The median income for a household in the township was $106,208, and the median income for a family was $131,609. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $58,750 for females. The Per Capita Income for the township was $65,497. 2.7% of the population and 1.9% of families were below the Poverty Line . 3.0% of those under the age of 18 and 2.9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. GOVERNMENT Local government The Township Form of government used by Chatham Township is the oldest form of municipal government in New Jersey. The original act of 1798 incorporated 104 towns. Under the current township government laws, the township committee remains the backbone of the municipality's government. Voters elect the township committee's five members. The elections are partisan and the committee members serve three-year staggered terms. The Township Committee elects the mayor from among its members for a one-year term. The Mayor serves as the chair of the Township Committee and has powers vested in the mayor's office by general law. The Township Committee is the Legislative Branch of our government and establishes policies for the administration of the various departments. The Committee appoints the Township Administrator who is responsible for carrying out those policies and overseeing the day to day operations. Subcommittees of the Township Committee are Public Safety; Public Works; Planning, Engineering and Land Use; Parks and Recreation; General Administration and Finance. Two Members of Township Committee serve on each and provide oversight to the departments. Members of the Chatham Township Committee are Mayor William O'Connor, Deputy Mayor Bailey Brower, Jr., Nicole Hagner, Jack Hartford and Kevin R. Tubbs. Federal, state and county representation Chatham Township is in the Eleventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 21at Legislative District. HISTORY The first white settlers arrived around 1710, attracted by the fertility of the soil and the rich iron ore deposits in the region. During the American Revolutionary War , the entire area shared in the activity of the Morristown encampment. In 1806, the Township of Chatham was incorporated and included the areas that are now the Boroughs of Chatham , Madison and Florham Park . It was named Chatham in honor of Sir William Pitt , the elder Earl of Chatham, who had spoken in favor of the colonists in Parliament . These areas were connected by turnpikes and toll roads originally built by private corporations to transport their goods to market. Local residents later built Shunpike Road to avoid paying tolls. The most important transportation development was the coming of the Morris And Essex Railroad in 1837. This led to sharp increases in the population, which resulted in incorporating Chatham, Madison and Florham Park as separate boroughs. In the late 1870s and 1880s Chatham Township became a center of the rose-growing industry. The speciality of the Louis M. Noe Greenhouses was the American Beauty Rose with a stem five feet long. At Christmas, he sent them to European royalty. Queen Victoria received 50 of them on her golden anniversary. After a five-year construction ban during World War II , home-hungry families invaded the township, and large farms gave way to luxurious home sites. Former rose farms became two major shopping centers at the corner known as Hickory Tree, named for a hickory tree planted during President James Madison 's term. EDUCATION Chatham Borough and the Township of Chatham held an election in November, 1986 to consider joining the two school districts. This proposal was supported by the voters and since then, the two municipalities have ahared a regionalized school district, the School District Of The Chathams . Elementary Schools
Middle School
High School
The Darcy School , founded in 1998, is a private Coeducation al Day School located in Chatham Township, serving students in preschool through eighth grade. The school has a total enrollment of 115 students. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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