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Verona is a Township located in Essex County , New Jersey . As of the United States 2000 Census , the township had a total population of 13,533. GEOGRAPHY Verona is located at 40°49'57" North, 74°14'32" West (40.832449, -74.242276). Verona lies between two mountains, with a small river, the Peckman , flowing at the bottom of the valley. According to the United States Census Bureau , the township has a total area of 7.2 Km&2 (2.8 Mi&2 ). 7.1 km&2 (2.8 mi&2) of it is land and 0.1 km&2 (0.04 mi&2) of it is water. The total area is 0.72% water. HISTORY Verona and several neighboring towns were all originally one town known as "Horseneck". In the early 1700s, a group of settlers left Newark and purchased a large tract of land northwest of their home city for the equivalent of a few hundred dollars from the Lenni Lenape Native Americans . This piece of land extended west and north to the Passaic River , south to the town center of what would become Livingston , and east to the First Watchung Mountain , and was called Horseneck by the natives because it resembled the neck and head of a horse. What was then known as Horseneck contained most of the present day northern Essex County towns: Verona, along with Caldwell , West Caldwell , Cedar Grove , Essex Fells , Fairfield , North Caldwell , and Roseland are all located entirely in Horseneck, and parts of what are today Livingston , Montclair , and West Orange also were contained in the Horseneck tract. After the Revolutionary War , Horseneck changed its name to "Caldwell Township" in honor of a local war hero and Pastor , James Caldwell , who used burning pages from his church's bibles to ignite the ammo in soldiers' cannons and helped to drive the British out of Horseneck. By the mid-19th century, the area of Caldwell to the east of Today's Caldwell Borough and Montclair became known as Vernon Valley. However, when application was made for a United States Post Office , the townspeople were informed that another Vernon Valley, in Sussex County , had first claim to the name. The name Verona was put forth by the townspeople as a suitable alternative and was eventually accepted. At various times between 1798 and 1892, issues arose which caused dissatisfaction between the Caldwell and Verona areas. These included a desire of the citizens of Verona to more closely control their own governmental affairs. With the population growing, Verona needed to centrally locate essential services such as schools and places of worship; problems with the water supply; and the disposition of road repair funds. And so, in 1892, the citizens of Verona voted to secede from Caldwell Township to form Verona Township. Further growth and the need for a water system and other public utilities found Verona moving ahead of the other half of the township and in 1902 the two areas decided to separate into 2 separate municipalities: Verona Township and Verona Borough. It took two sessions of the state legislature to approve the new borough, but on May 13 , 1907 , the borough of Verona was incorporated. Verona Township was later renamed to Cedar Grove Township. In the 1970s the borough of Verona was renamed to “The Township of the Borough of Verona,” as part of an effort to obtain greater federal aid from progarms that granted additional funds to Township s, but not to Borough s and other forms of local government. DEMOGRAPHICS By national standards, Verona is an upper middle class town. As of the Census of 2000, there were 13,533 people, 5,585 households, and 3,697 families residing in the township. The Population Density was 1,900.0/km&2 (4,917.4/mi&2). There were 5,719 housing units at an average density of 803.0/km&2 (2,078.1/mi&2). The racial makeup of the township was 92.99% White , 1.53% African American , 0.02% Native American , 3.41% Asian , 0.06% Pacific Islander , 0.71% from Other Races , and 1.27% from two or more races. 3.45% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 5,585 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were Married Couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.06. In the township the population was spread out with 22.5% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males. The median income for a household in the township was $74,619, and the median income for a family was $97,673. Males had a median income of $60,434 versus $43,196 for females. The Per Capita Income for the township was $41,202. 3.3% of the population and 1.4% of families were below the Poverty Line . 2.6% of those under the age of 18 and 6.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. TRANSPORTATION Major roads around the township are State routes 3 , 7 , 10 , 21 & 23 ; US 46 ; Interstates 80 , 280 and 287 . The Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike are minutes away. GOVERNMENT Local government The members of the Verona Township Council are Mayor Jay Sniatkowski (term ends 2009), Deputy Mayor Jim Robbins (2007), Robert Detore (2007), Santi Condorelli (2009) and Ken McKenna (2009). Federal, state and county representation Verona is part of New Jersey's 40th Legislative District and is in the Eighth Congressional District. EDUCATION The . The high school mascot is the " Hillbilly ". However, this mascot has become controversial as a result of opposition from new school Superintendent Kim. While not officially changing the name, they are now often referred to as the "maroon and white", referring to the school colors. In addition, there is a , serving children facing learning, language and social challenges, for children ages 3-21. NOTED VERONA RESIDENTS (PAST AND PRESENT)
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