|
The Town
Glen Ridge is a borough in Essex County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 7,271. Glen Ridge's public school system is one of the top-ranked in the state.
Glen Ridge was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 13, 1895, from portions of Bloomfield Township, based on the results of a referendum held the previous day. In 1981, the name was changed to the "Township of Glen Ridge Borough" to take advantage of feder al revenue sharing policies. Effective May 1993, it again became a borough.
Of the many legacies left to the town by its founders, the one that has become its trademark is the gas lamps. With only 3,000 gaslights remaining in operation in the entire United States, Glen Ridge has 665 such lamps lighting its streets. In 1924, Glen Ridge became the first municipality in New Jersey to establish a zoning ordinance.
The Mayor and Council of the Borough of Glen Ridge, in conjunction with New Jersey Transit, provide the Jitney Service Program. This program provide sGlen Ridge commuters transportation to the Ridgewood Avenue Train Station near the corner of Ridgewood and Bloomfield Avenues. The purpose of the program is to provide the community with transportation to the Ridgewood Avenue Train Station. The shuttle buses make stops throughout the Borough at designated locations. The buses only stop at designated areas and do not stop for "flag downs." Simply board the bus and enjoy the ride to the train station. The program now has two shuttle buses, the North End Bus and the South End Bus. The shuttle buses run in loops through each neighborhood. The Jitney Service Program is provided for weekdays only. No holiday or weekend service is provided.
Back To Top Of Page
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,271 people, 2,458 households, and 1,978 families residing in the borough. The population density was 5,695.0 people per square mile (2,193.2/km˛). There were 2,490 housing units at an average density of 1,950.3/sq mi (751.1/km˛). The racial makeup of the borough was 89.18% White, 4.98% African American, 0.15% Native American, 3.34% Asian, 0.99% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.45% of the population.
There were 2,458 households out of which 46.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.9% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.5% were non-families. 16.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8. 0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.33.
In the borough, the population was spread out with 30.7% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $105,638, and the median income for a family was $120,650. Males had a median income of $91,161 versus $51,444 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $48,456. About 1.9% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.Back To Top Of Page
Education
Ridgewood Avenue schoolThe Glen Ridge Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are two elementary schools — Linden Avenue School (255 students) and Forest Avenue School (286) — Ridgewood Avenue School for grades 3-6 (547) and Glen Ridge High School for grades 7-12 (726).
Forest Avenue School is an early childhood learning community serving children in grades pre-kindergarten through second.
Students in pre-kindergarten through second attend the Linden Avenue Elementary School.
Ridgewood Avenue School houses students in grades 3-6. In addition to an academic curriculum in the major disciplines of language arts literacy, mathematics, social studies, and science, students are exposed to art, instrumental and vocal music, physical education, health, library skills and Spanish. Students in grades five and six are required to move through the stations of the Synergistics Lab, solving real world problems through the study of mathematics, science, and technology.
Glen Ridge High School houses students in grades 7-12. Excellence in academic preparation is valued in both the school and community cultures. Standardized test scores far exceed both the state and national averages. More than 98% of the graduates from the Class of 2004 went on to study at four or two year colleges and universities. The remaining graduates continue their education in trade or technical schools, or in the armed services, while others find employment. The Class of 2004 average SAT scores were 583 on the math section and 591 on the verbal section. (Compared to a New Jersey average of 514 math, 501 verbal and USA average of 518 math, 508 verbal.) Over the past four years the graduation rate has been approximately 99%, while 100% of students pass the New Jersey High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA). The High School is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and has been cited for excellent curricular and co-curricular programs.
Back To Top Of Page
Notable residents
Horace Ashenfelter (1923-), 1952 Olympic gold medalist, track and field.
Dale Berra (1956-), former Major League Baseball player and son of Yogi Berra.
Eddie Bracken (1915-2002), character actor. 
Jon Brion (1963-), singer, songwriter, composer and record producer.
Mary Jo Codey (1955-), former First Lady of New Jersey.
Tom Cruise (1962-), movie star, spent several years of his childhood in Glen Ridge, and attended Glen Ridge High School.
Gary Cuozzo (1941-), former quarterback who played in 10 NFL seasons from 1963-1972 for four different teams.
 Jack Cuozzo, young Earth creationist and orthodontist.
Lauren English, (1989-), competitive swimmer who set the United States Open Record in the 50 Meter Backstroke.
 Anthony Fasano (1984-), tight end for the Dallas Cowboys.
Nia Gill (1948-), represents the 34th Legislative District in the New Jersey Senate since 2002.
Ezra Koenig (1984-) Musician. Vampire Weekend.
Edward Page Mitchell (1852-1927), editor-in-chief of the The New York Sun.
 Alison Stewart (1966-), MSNBC News Personality & host of The Most with Alison Stewart.
Henry Selick (1952-), stop motion director, producer and writer who is best known for directing both The Nightmare Before Christmas, and James and the Giant Peach.
Stephen S. Trott (1939-), judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Don Van Natta, Jr. (1964-), investigate reporter at The New York Times.
Tom Verducci, sportswriter for Sports Illustrated.
Dick Zimmer (1944-), former member of the United States House of Representatives, Republican candidate for United States Senate in 1996 and 2008.
Back To Top Of Page
History
Glen Ridge traces its beginning to 1666 when sixty-four Connecticut families led by Robert Treat bought land from the Lenni Lenape Native Americans and named it New Ark to reflect a covenant to worship freely without persecution. The territory included the future towns of Bloomfield, Montclair, Belleville and Nutley. When Bloomfield seceded in 1812, Glen Ridge was a section "on the hill" composed mostly of farms and woodlands with the exception of a thriving industrial area along the Toney's brook in the Glen. For most of the nineteenth century, three water-powered mills produced lumber, calico, pasteboard boxes and brass fittings. A copper mine and a sandstone quarry were nearby.
With the arrival of the Newark and Bloomfield Railroad in 1856, and the construction of the Glen Ridge Train Station, and also the New York & Greenwood Lake Railway in 1872, Glen Ridge began its transition to a suburban residential community. Stately homes slowly replaced orchards and wooded fields.
Residents "on the hill" became unhappy with their representation on the Bloomfield Council. In spite of repeated requests to Bloomfield officials, roads remained unpaved, water and sewer systems were nonexistent, and schools were miles away. Area residents marked out the boundaries of a 1.45-square-mile (3.8 km2) area to secede from the adjoining town. At the February 12, 1895, election, the decision to secede passed by only twenty-three votes. Robert Rudd was elected the first mayor of Glen Ridge.
In 1989, athletes from the high school were involved in a brutal sexual assault of a mentally handicapped student with a baseball bat and a broom stick. The boys accused in the case were found guilty of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, and were given short prison and probation terms. The boys who were involved included twin brothers Kevin and Kyle Scherzer, brothers Paul and Chris Archer, Bryant Grober, and Richard Corcoran Jr. Others were present at the rape, but were not convicted because they did not participate. Author Bernard Lefkowitz wrote about the incident in Our Guys: The Glen Ridge Rape and the Secret Life of the Perfect Suburb. Lefkowitz's book was adapted into the 1999 TV movie Our Guys: Outrage at Glen Ridge
Back To Top Of Page
External Links
|
Home
