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| Essex Fells, New Jersey | |
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| Borough | |
| Borough of Essex Fells | |
 Location in Essex County and the state of New Jersey. |
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 Census Bureau map of Essex Fells, New Jersey |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  New Jersey |
| County | Essex |
| Incorporated | March 31, 1902 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.418 sq mi (3.673 km2) |
| • Land | 1.412 sq mi (3.657 km2) |
| • Water | 0.006 sq mi (0.015 km2) 0.42% |
| Area rank | 458th of 566 in state 20th of 22 in county |
| Elevation | 505 ft (154 m) |
| Population (2010 Census) | |
| • Total | 2,113 |
| • Estimate (2015) | 2,159 |
| • Rank | 484th of 566 in state 22nd of 22 in county |
| • Density | 1,496.3/sq mi (577.7/km2) |
| • Density rank | 337th of 566 in state 21st of 22 in county |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (EDT) (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 07021 |
| Area code(s) | 973 exchanges: 226, 228, 264, 403, 618 |
| FIPS code | 3401321840 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2390558 |
| Website | essexfellsboro |
Essex Fells is a borough in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 2,113, reflecting a decline of 49 (-2.3%) from the 2,162 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 23 (+1.1%) from the 2,139 counted in the 1990 Census.
Essex Fells was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 31, 1902, from portions of Caldwell Township (now Fairfield Township). In 1981, the borough was one of seven Essex County municipalities to pass a referendum to become a township, joining four municipalities that had already made the change, of what would ultimately be more than a dozen Essex County municipalities to reclassify themselves as townships in order take advantage of federal revenue sharing policies that allocated townships a greater share of government aid to municipalities on a per capita basis. Effective January 1, 1992, it again became a borough.
New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Essex Fells as its 10th best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.
Essex Fells was part of the Horseneck Tract, which was an area that consisted of what are now the municipalities of Caldwell, West Caldwell, North Caldwell, Fairfield, Verona, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Roseland, and portions of Livingston and West Orange.
In 1702, settlers purchased the 14,000 acres (57 km2) Horseneck Tract — so-called because of its irregular shape that suggested a horse's neck and head — from the Lenni Lenape Native Americans for goods equal to $325. This purchase encompassed much of western Essex County, from the Orange, or First Mountain in the Watchung Mountain range to the Passaic River.
In the late 1800s, Philadelphia developer Anthony S. Drexel realized the impact of train travel on residential development and sent Charles W. Leavitt to the northern New Jersey area near the end of the Caldwell line. Leavitt, Drexel and Drexel's son-in-law John F. Fell formed the Suburban Land Company and purchased 1,000 acres of land from the estate of Revolutionary War General William J. Gould. In order to create their residential development the group commissioned noted architect Ernest W. Bowditch. The community's name was derived by taking "Essex" from the name of the county and adding "Fells" from the name of John F. Fell which also means hill or down.
Based on an ordinance passed in 1928, commercial activity in the borough is limited to a single three-story building constructed to look like a house and two small workshops on a dead end. As of 2000[update], Essex Fells had 750 houses, most of which were custom built, with many occupying lots several acres in size. The borough has no apartment buildings, condos, office buildings or traffic lights. The only units available for rental are in carriage houses and other ancillary structures.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Essex Fells borough had a total area of 1.418 square miles (3.673 km2), including 1.412 square miles (3.657 km2) of land and 0.006 square miles (0.015 km2) of water (0.42%).
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 442 | — | |
| 1920 | 598 | 35.3% | |
| 1930 | 1,115 | 86.5% | |
| 1940 | 1,466 | 31.5% | |
| 1950 | 1,617 | 10.3% | |
| 1960 | 2,174 | 34.4% | |
| 1970 | 2,541 | 16.9% | |
| 1980 | 2,363 | −7.0% | |
| 1990 | 2,139 | −9.5% | |
| 2000 | 2,162 | 1.1% | |
| 2010 | 2,113 | −2.3% | |
| Est. 2015 | 2,159 | 2.2% | |
| Population sources: 1910-1920 1910-1930 1930-1990 2000 2010 |
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As of the census of 2010, there were 2,113 people, 728 households, and 597.7 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,496.3 per square mile (577.7/km2). There were 758 housing units at an average density of 536.8 per square mile (207.3/km2)*. The racial makeup of the borough was 94.56% (1,998) White, 1.09% (23) Black or African American, 0.00% (0) Native American, 2.18% (46) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.24% (5) from other races, and 1.94% (41) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.99% (42) of the population.
There were 728 households out of which 42.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.4% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.9% were non-families. 16.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.26.
In the borough, the population was spread out with 29.9% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 18.0% from 25 to 44, 31.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.8 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and old there were 95.6 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $182,031 (with a margin of error of +/- $16,894) and the median family income was $202,917 (+/- $46,038). Males had a median income of $120,417 (+/- $32,492) versus $72,500 (+/- $12,065) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $94,423 (+/- $11,353). About 0.9% of families and 0.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.9% of those under age 18 and 0.0% of those age 65 or over.
As of the 2000 United States Census there were 2,162 people, 737 households, and 605 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,534.0 people per square mile (592.0/km2). There were 761 housing units at an average density of 540.0 per square mile (208.4/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 96.95% White, 0.46% African American, 0.19% Native American, 1.02% Asian, 0.14% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population.
There were 737 households out of which 40.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.3% were married couples living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.9% were non-families. 15.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.28.
In the borough the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $148,173, and the median income for a family was $175,000. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $52,266 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $77,434. About 0.3% of families and 1.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.9% of those under age 18 and 0.6% of those age 65 or over.
Grover Cleveland Park, the seventh-largest park in the Essex County park system, is a heavily wooded park covering 41.48 acres (167,900 m2) in the western section of the county along the Caldwell-Essex Fells border.
Essex Fells Pond, or also known as "The Pond" by Essex Fells residents, is a popular destination in the winter. Located on Fells Road, "The Pond" attracts people of all ages, typically during the months of December through March. Popular activities include ice skating, pond hockey, and figure skating.
As of May 2010[update], the borough had a total of 16.99 miles (27.34 km) of roadways, of which 15.31 miles (24.64 km) were maintained by the municipality and 1.68 miles (2.70 km) by Essex County.
NJ Transit provides service in the borough to and from Newark on the 29 and 71 routes.
