Garfield, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Garfield, New Jersey
City
Dahnert's Lake County Park, located in the center of the city
Seal
Nickname(s):  "City of Champions"
Location of Garfield in Bergen County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Bergen County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Census Bureau map of Garfield, New Jersey
Garfield, New Jersey Location in Bergen County, New Jersey Show map of Bergen County, New Jersey Garfield, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Garfield, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Bergen
Incorporated	March 15, 1898 (as Borough) April 19, 1917 (as City)
Named for	James Garfield
Government
• Type	1923 Municipal Manager Law
• Body	City Council
Area
• Total	2.19 sq mi (5.67 km2)
• Land	2.11 sq mi (5.47 km2)
• Water	0.08 sq mi (0.21 km2)  3.65%
Area rank	395th of 565 in state 45th of 70 in county
Elevation	98 ft (30 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	32,655
• Estimate  (2023)	32,456
• Rank	71st of 565 in state 5th of 70 in county
• Density	15,469.0/sq mi (5,972.6/km2)
• Density rank	18th of 565 in state 5th of 70 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07026
Area code(s)	973
FIPS code	3400325770
GNIS feature ID	0876557

Bird's-eye view of Garfield New Jersey, image from memory.loc.gov

Post Ford at River Drive and Columbus Avenue – Revolutionary War Monument

Garfield is a city in Bergen County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 32,655, an increase of 2,168 (+7.1%) from the 2010 census count of 30,487, which in turn reflected an increase of 701 (+2.4%) from the 29,786 counted in the 2000 census.

History

Long the home of the Lenape, Native Americans, European settlement in the area that would become Garfield dates back to 1679, when Jacques Cortelyou acquired more than 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) of land surrounding the Passaic River known as "Acqueyquinonke", that ran from the Saddle River to present day Glen Rock.

When the area that is now Garfield was first developed in 1873 with an initial group of seven homes constructed by Gilbert D. Bogart, it was known as East Passaic.

In 1881, the community's name was changed to Garfield in honor of President of the United States James Garfield. There are two explanations given for the circumstances behind the renaming. According to one, shortly after Garfield was elected to the presidency the founder of East Passaic said, "tell everyone...don't speak of East Passaic anymore; call it 'Garfield' after the man who will lead this great country to prosperity." Seven months later, President Garfield was assassinated but his name remained with the community. The second theory holds that after Garfield's death in 1881, a new train station was named in his honor, which in turn led to the surrounding area becoming associated with his name as well.

Garfield was originally incorporated as a borough on March 15, 1898, from portions of Saddle River Township and Wallington. At the time, the New Jersey Legislature set Garfield's boundaries as they exist today. On April 19, 1917, the borough became the City of Garfield, based on the results of a referendum held two days earlier.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 2.19 square miles (5.67 km²), including 2.11 square miles (5.47 km²) of land and 0.08 square miles (0.21 km²) of water (3.65%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Belmont, Bogart Heights, Dundee Dam and Plauderville.

The city has land borders with adjacent Elmwood Park, Lodi, Saddle Brook and South Hackensack. The Saddle River is a shared border with Wallington. There are three bridges over the Passaic River crossing the municipal and county line to Passaic and Clifton in Passaic County.

Environment

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has identified Garfield as the site of groundwater contaminated hexavalent chromium from a spill in 1983 at the E.C. Electroplating Corporation site. In 2016, the EPA announced a $37 million project to cleanup contamination at the site using Superfund money, as the company responsible for the spill of 3,600 US gallons (14,000 L; 3,000 imp gal) of chromic acid is no longer in business.

Demographics

Based on data from the 2011–2015 American Community Survey, the city had a median age of 35.4, the lowest median age in the county. Garfield was one of four municipalities with a median age below the national and state average of 37.6, and well below the median age of 41.5 in Bergen County.

The borough is also home to the architecturally prominent Russian Orthodox Church of Three Saints, which serves the growing Ukrainian American community in western Bergen County.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 30,487 people, 11,073 households, and 7,718 families in the city. The population density was 14,524.8 per square mile (5,608.1/km²). There were 11,788 housing units at an average density of 5,616.1 per square mile (2,168.4/km²). The racial makeup was 76.73% (23,393) White, 6.50% (1,981) Black or African American, 0.43% (132) Native American, 2.22% (678) Asian, 0.01% (2) Pacific Islander, 10.85% (3,307) from other races, and 3.26% (994) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 32.24% (9,830) of the population.

Of the 11,073 households, 33.4% had children under the age of 18; 45.2% were married couples living together; 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present and 30.3% were non-families. Of all households, 24.7% were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.29.

23.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 89.0 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $51,407 (with a margin of error of +/− $1,842) and the median family income was $56,701 (+/− $5,020). Males had a median income of $42,927 (+/− $1,953) versus $33,231 (+/− $3,471) for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,022 (+/− $1,348). About 9.8% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.0% of those under age 18 and 16.2% of ages 65 years or over.

Same-sex couples headed 68 households in 2010.

Education

The Garfield Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts statewide that were established pursuant to the decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Abbott v. Burke which are now referred to as "SDA Districts" based on the requirement for the state to cover all costs for school building and renovation projects in these districts under the supervision of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority.

As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of 12 schools, had an enrollment of 4,713 students and 438.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.8:1. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Garfield Early Childhood Learning Center (178 students; in Pre-K), Garfield Public Preschool Annex (95; Pre-K), Garfield Public Preschool Annex 3 (159; Pre-K), Washington Irving School #4 (382; K–5), Woodrow Wilson School #5 (280; K–5), Abraham Lincoln Elementary School #6 (365; Pre-K–5), Theodore Roosevelt School #7 (273; K–5), Christopher Columbus School #8 (306; K–5), Thomas Jefferson School #9 (295; K–5), James Madison School #10 (245; K–5), Garfield Middle School (989; 6–8) and Garfield High School (1,159; 9–12).

Public school students from the city, and all of Bergen County, are eligible to attend the secondary education programs offered by the Bergen County Technical Schools, which include the Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, and the Bergen Tech campus in Teterboro or Paramus. The district offers programs on a shared-time or full-time basis, with admission based on a selective application process and tuition covered by the student's home school district.

Bergen Arts and Science Charter School, which opened in September 2006, serves public school students in the district, as well as those from Hackensack and Lodi. The elementary (grades K–3) and middle (4–8) school facilities are located in Garfield, while the high school (9–12) is in Hackensack. As of the 2018–19 school year, the charter school had an enrollment of 1,163 students and 83.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.0:1.

Emergency services

Police

The Garfield Police Department (GPD) provides emergency and protective services to the city of Garfield. The GPD consists of 66 sworn officers.

Fire

The Garfield Fire Department (GFD) is a fully volunteer fire department. The GFD was organized on July 17, 1893. The department is staffed by 150 fully trained firefighters operating out of five firehouses. The department has three engine companies, one rescue engine company and one ladder(tiller) company. In addition they have a hazardous materials unit, a water rescue boat and a foam tender.

Transportation

U.S. Route 46 eastbound in Garfield

Roads and highways

As of May 2010^[update], the city had a total of 49.24 miles (79.24 km) of roadways, of which 42.67 miles (68.67 km) were maintained by the municipality, 6.44 miles (10.36 km) by Bergen County and 0.13 miles (0.21 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

U.S. Route 46 and County Route 507 pass through Garfield. Other main roads include Midland Avenue, Outwater Lane, River Drive and Passaic Street. There are five crossings of the Lower Passaic River.

Public transportation

Both the Garfield station and the Plauderville station, located on the Saddle Brook border, are served by NJ Transit's Bergen County Line, providing service to Hoboken Terminal, with transfers available at Secaucus Junction to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan and to most of NJ Transit's other train lines.

NJ Transit buses serving Garfield include routes 160 and 161 serving the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, and local service on routes 702, 707, 709 and 758.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Garfield include:

See also

In Spanish: Garfield (Nueva Jersey) para niños