West Milford

West Milford is a township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 25,850, reflecting a decline of 560 (2.1%) from the 26,410 counted in the 2000 Census. It is the largest in the county by total area, covering 80.32 square miles (208.0 km²) and more than 40% of the county. West Milford started out as New Milford in what was then western Bergen County in the 18th century, having been settled by disenchanted Dutch from Milford, New Jersey (later renamed by the British as Newark) The township became a municipality on March 10, 1834, when it was formed from the westernmost half of Pompton Township. The township was named for Milford, Connecticut. There is a seaplane area on Greenwood Lake, a few large marinas and lakeside restaurants with docks. A public airport called Greenwood Lake Airport is located just south of the lake on top of a mountain ridge and has two landing strips; one is long enough to handle small jets. In 1972, Warner Brothers opened up a wildlife theme park called Jungle Habitat. This brought huge tourist revenue to the township. Shortly after the park was opened, a lion was attacked by a lion on October 19, 1972, bringing negative publicity to the park. The park was closed down in a huge traffic jam in a rural area in the early 1990s.

History

West Milford started out as New Milford in what was then western Bergen County in the 18th century, having been settled by disenchanted Dutch from Milford, New Jersey. The township became a municipality on March 10, 1834, when it was formed from the westernmost half of Pompton Township. A large part of the township, including the New City Village area, is reservoir property owned by the City of Newark in Essex County for its water supply. Prior to the Second World War, the township was a resort area with trains coming from New York City to stations at Charlotteburg, Newfoundland, Oak Ridge in the south and Hewitt (also known as Sterling Forest station) and Awosting in the north. Greenwood Lake is an interstate lake approximately 9 miles (14 km) long and covering 1,920 acres (780 ha), lying in both West Milford and Greenwood Lake, New York, across the New York state line. It was originally called Long Pond. During the resort era, several steamboats operated on the lake, the most famous and grand was the two deck steamer, Montclair. There is a seaplane area on Greenwood Lake, a few large marinas and lakeside restaurants with docks. A public airport called Greenwood Lake Airport is located just south of the lake on top of a mountain ridge and has two landing strips; one is long enough to handle small jets. There are old place names in the township including Postville, Utterville, Corterville, Browns, Awsting, Echo Lake, Macopin, Charlottenburg (now under the Charlotteburg Reservoir, the community was named after Queen Charlotte), Clinton.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 81.06 square miles (209.94 km²) The township borders the municipalities of Bloomingdale and Ringwood in Passaic County; Butler, Jefferson Township, Kinnelon and Rockaway Township in Morris County; Hardyston Township and Vernon Township in Sussex County; and Warwick in Orange County, New York. Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Apshawa, Awosting, Bearfort Waters, Beaver Pond, Boy Scout Lake, Browns, Buckabear Pond, Cedar Pond, Charlotteburg, Clinton, Clinton Reservoir, Cooper, Dunker Pond, Echo Lake, Forest Hill Lake, Fox Island, Gordon Lakes, Green Valley Park, Greenwood Lake, Greenwood Glens, Hacks Pond, Henion Pond, Hewitt, Himes Pond, Lake Lockover, Lakeside, Lindy Lake, Littletown, Lower Mt. Glen Lake, Macopin, Matthews Lake, Moe, Mount Laurel Lake, Newfoundland, Oak Ridge, Pettets Pond. Highlands Preserve is a 224-acre (91 ha) county park that is located off Union Valley Road and adjacent to Abram S. Hewitt State Forest. The 2003 film The Station Agent was set, and filmed, largely in Newfoundland. A still photo of that movie is published in the township's 1984 sesquicentennial book entitled The Day the Earth Shook and the Sky Turned Red.

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 26,410 people, 9,190 households, and 7,186 families residing in the township. Same-sex couples headed 63 households in 2010, an increase from the 58 counted in 2000. The median household income was $88,692 (with a margin of error of +/ $4,308) in 2010. The per capita income for the borough was $37,905 (+/ $2,289). About 1.7% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 5.2% ofThose age 65 or over. The township has a population of 25,850 people, with 10,419 housing units at an average density of 138.8 per square mile (53.6/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 95.08% White, 1.23% African American, 0.60% Native American, 1,02% Asian, and 1.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.85% (1,512) of thePopulation. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.23. The population was spread out, with 27.2%. under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 33.6% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.6%. who were 65 years of age or older.

Economy

The Abby Theater opened in 1976 and was designed by Milton Herson for Music Makers Theaters, with a seating capacity of 1,400. The Abby Theater closed down in 2009 after several unsuccessful business attempts, as the township did not have enough residents to keep the business in operation. Eden Farms, an 8-acre (3.2 ha) floral farm on Union Valley Road, became the first "preserved farm" in Passaic County in May 2009. County officials used money from the Farmland Preservation Funds to purchase development rights to the farm. The deal prevents the farm from being built upon. The West Milford Chamber of Commerce has worked to improve and enhance the business community since it was established in 1949. The chamber is made up of business men and women who work together to improve the community's economy. The Chamber is led by the president of the Board of Trustees of the Chamber, which is the only business group in the town. The board of trustees has been in place since 1949 and has been responsible for the development of the town's economy since the 1950s. The town has a population of 3,000. The township has a GDP of $1.2 billion. The city's population is 4,000, and it has an unemployment rate of 2.7%. The town's population has a poverty rate of 1.8%. The township's unemployment rate is 1.9%. The city has a crime rate of 0.8 percent. The state's unemployment rates are 1.7 percent.

Sports

West Milford sports are overseen by the township department of Community Services and Recreation. The township has individual organizations that run each youth sports program, including: Junior wrestling, Youth Lacrosse, Little League Baseball (WMLL), Police Athletic League (PAL) Basketball, PAL Soccer. West Milford-Star Athletics Cheerleading, Midget Football Association (WMMFA) Football, WMMFA Cheerleaders. Amateur Baseball Association (WMABA) Baseball, and Girls Softball Association softball (WMGSA) Girls SoftBALL Association softballs (W MGSA) Little League baseball (WMLB Baseball) and Little League soccer (WLL Soccer) Junior wrestling (JWJ wrestling) Youth lacrosse (YLL Lacrosse) Junior soccer (YL) Junior football (JL) Youth wrestling (YJW wrestling) Junior cheerleading (YWCheerleading) Youth baseball (YYB baseball) Youth softball(YLsoftball) Youth soccer (YLsoftballs) Youth football (YMLL) Youth hockey (YMHL) Young lacrosse(YMHL) Youth basketball (YKL). Youth soccer/ lacrosse/junior wrestling/youth lacrosse. Youth baseball/juniors softball/Youth softball. Youth football/yMLL baseball/yLSoftball/yJunior soccer/YMLC. Youth basketball/yMidget Football (YMMF) Youthsoftball (YMSL).

Government

The Township of West Milford operates under the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the Mayor-Council-Administrator plan. The Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Township Council is comprised of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year. The township is located in the 5th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 26th state legislative district. New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027) and Bob Menendez (Harrison, term end 2025) The Township Committee unanimously passed a non-binding resolution in December 2019 to be a "second amendment sanctuary" that opposes the enforcement of gun control on the local level, becoming the first municipality in the state to do so. In 2004, the New Jersey Legislature passed the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act, which regulates the highlands area in the township. As of March 2011, there were a total of 17,588 registered voters in WestMilford, which was 3,397 vs. 31,397 countywide (3,037 vs. 3,400 statewide) The township was included in the Highlands Planning Council, a division of the New. Jersey Department of Environmental Protection All of the territory in the high preservation area is classified as being in the protected region, and thus subject to additional rules and regulations.

Education

The West Milford Township Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 201819 school year, the district, comprised of eight schools, had an enrollment of 3,309 students and 291.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a studentteacher ratio of 11.4:1. Our Lady Queen of Peace was a Catholic school located in the community of Hewitt until it was closed in June 2010 by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson. OLQP School celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009, and had its Fourth Grade teacher, Lorraine Ford, named as a finalist for the 2008 New Jersey Nonpublic School Teacher of the Year award. High school students also have the option of attending Passaic County Technical Institute, a public vocational high school that serves selected students throughout Passaic county. The old Newfoundland, two-room schoolhouse was the Village Square Inn Restaurant until it closed in 2010. The old Hillcrest School was formerly the township's community center. The last one was the Hewitt School, destroyed by fire set by vandals (it had been the former Methodist church before a new, larger church was built). The school district is a part of the New Jersey Department of Education, which also includes the Bergen County School District, which includes the Paramus School District and the Passaic School District. The district is one of the largest in New Jersey, with more than 1,000 students enrolled.

Transportation

As of May 2010, the township had a total of 198.30 miles (319.13 km) of roadways. The main highway serving West Milford is New Jersey Route 23. The stoplight at the intersection of Clinton Avenue and Route 23 has been identified by The New York Times as the longest red cycle in the United States.NJ Transit provides bus service between the township and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 194 and 196 routes. The New Jersey Midland Railway ran a trackage right-of-way through the township in 1872 developing the Newfoundland station, which and later served passengers on the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad (NYS&W), which still serves freight along the line. The township provides its own bus service, on two routes. One that runs by Upper Greenwood Lake, and operates Monday-Friday, and one that runs between Oak Ridge & Newfoundland, which runs Wednesdays only. It also has a seasonal service to Mountain Creek in Vernon Township on the 304 route. It has a population of 2,000, the lowest of any New Jersey municipality in the 2010 Census. It is located in the Bergen County portion of the New Jersey Bay Area, which is the state's most densely populated area. The town is located on the Delaware River, which flows through the northern part of the state. It was the site of the Battle of the Bulge, which took place in the early 1900s, and is now a major tourist attraction.

In popular culture

Portions of the 2015 made-for-television comedy Simpler Timesstarring Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, and written / directed by Steve Monarquewere filmed in West Milford. In 2019, the film Clinton Road, starring Ice-T, was made based on the infamous 10-mile (16 km) stretch of supposedly "haunted" road in the Newfoundland and Hewitt sections of the town. The film was directed by Tom Hanks, who also directed the film The Godfather: Part II, which was released in 2012. The Godparents: Part III, released in 2013, was directed and written by Hanks. The movie was based on Hanks' book "The Godfather, Part II: Part Three", which was published by Simon & Schuster. The book was adapted from the novel "The godfather, part four: The godfathers, part five: Part six and part seven" by Simon and Schuster, and was published in 2007. The novel was adapted for the screen by Heston Blumenthal, who directed and co-wrote the film. It was released the same year as Heston's novel "Clinton Road," which was also based on a true story of the same name. Heston also wrote the screenplay for the film, which he also directed. The screenplay was co-written by his son, who was also involved in the film's filming, and also directed by his brother, John Heston, who worked on the set.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in West Milford, Passaic County, New Jersey = 25.1. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 20. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in West Milford = 3.8 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 2,156 individuals with a median age of 38.5 age the population grows by 5.86% in West Milford, Passaic County, New Jersey population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 327.4 residents per square mile of area (126.4/km²). There are average 2.84 people per household in the 9,720 households with an average household income of $83,731 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 8.80% of the available work force and has dropped -4.60% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 19.60%. The number of physicians in West Milford per 100,000 population = 177.2.

Weather

The annual rainfall in West Milford = 51.2 inches and the annual snowfall = 37.3 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 128. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 210. 83 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 17 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 47, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in West Milford, Passaic County, New Jersey which are owned by the occupant = 79.67%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 42 years with median home cost = $288,490 and home appreciation of -6.77%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $25.05 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $8,614 per student. There are 13.5 students for each teacher in the school, 712 students for each Librarian and 719 students for each Counselor. 5.88% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 19.02% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 8.03% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).