Morris Plains, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Morris Plains, New Jersey
Borough
Borough of Morris Plains
Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital
Motto(s):  "The Community of Caring"
Location in Morris County and the state of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Morris Plains, New Jersey
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Morris
Incorporated	April 15, 1926
Named for	Lewis Morris
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	2.59 sq mi (6.71 km2)
• Land	2.55 sq mi (6.61 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.09 km2)  1.35%
Area rank	369th of 565 in state 30th of 39 in county
Elevation	430 ft (130 m)
Population  (2010 Census)
• Total	5,532
• Estimate  (2019)	6,255
• Rank	363rd of 566 in state 29th of 39 in county
• Density	2,163.5/sq mi (835.3/km2)
• Density rank	279th of 566 in state 14th of 39 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07950
Area code(s)	973
FIPS code	3402748210
GNIS feature ID	0885308
Website

Morris Plains is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 5,532, reflecting an increase of 296 (+5.7%) from the 5,236 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 17 (+0.3%) from the 5,219 counted in the 1990 Census.

Morris Plains was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 15, 1926, from portions of Hanover Township, based on the results of a referendum held on April 15, 1926. The borough's name comes from Lewis Morris, colonial governor of New Jersey.

Morris Plains serves as a bedroom community, with many residents traveling to work in New York City. The Morristown Line of NJ Transit provides commuters with direct access to New York Penn Station and to Hoboken Terminal.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.594 square miles (6.718 km²), including 2.557 square miles (6.623 km²) of land and 0.037 square miles (0.095 km²) of water (1.42%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Littleton.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Morris Plains has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

Census 2010

As of the census of 2010, there were 5,532 people, 2,131 households, and 1,485 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,163.5 per square mile (835.3/km²). There were 2,197 housing units at an average density of 859.2 per square mile (331.7/km²)^*. The racial makeup of the borough was 89.44% (4,948) White, 2.73% (151) Black or African American, 0.09% (5) Native American, 4.97% (275) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 1.07% (59) from other races, and 1.70% (94) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.68% (314) of the population.

There were 2,131 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the borough, the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 28.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.1 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and old there were 89.4 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $103,688 (with a margin of error of +/- $12,744) and the median family income was $127,614 (+/- $20,257). Males had a median income of $91,908 (+/- $21,398) versus $67,232 (+/- $24,331) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $45,165 (+/- $10,332). About 0.4% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 0.6% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 5,236 people, 1,955 households, and 1,477 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,018.7 people per square mile (780.6/km²). There were 1,994 housing units at an average density of 768.8 per square mile (297.3/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 92.91% White, 1.34% African American, 0.06% Native American, 4.32% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.69% of the population.

There were 1,955 households, out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.0% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The average age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $84,806, and the median income for a family was $98,333. Males had a median income of $75,040 versus $44,554 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $36,553. About 1.5% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 2.4% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

US 202 southbound in Morris Plains

Roads and highways

As of May 2010^[update], the borough had a total of 28.66 miles (46.12 km) of roadways, of which 24.15 miles (38.87 km) were maintained by the municipality, 1.81 miles (2.91 km) by Morris County and 2.70 miles (4.35 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

U.S. Route 202, New Jersey Route 10 and New Jersey Route 53 are the main highways serving Morris Plains. Interstate 80 and Interstate 287 are both accessible in neighboring Parsippany-Troy Hills Township.

Public transportation

NJ Transit provides service at the Morris Plains station on the Morristown Line to Newark Broad Street Station, Secaucus Junction, New York Penn Station and Hoboken Terminal. The one-story red brick station house, constructed in 1915 in Renaissance Revival style, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 22, 1984.

NJ Transit provides local bus service on the 872, 875 and 880 routes, replacing service that had been offered on the MCM2, MCM3 and MCM10 routes until 2010, when subsidies to the local provider were eliminated as part of budget cuts.

Economy

The borough has been a major base of operations for Pfizer, previously the headquarters for Warner-Lambert. Pfizer has sponsored the Health and Medical Science Academy at Morristown High School and an annual 5k race around Morris Plains. In 2012, a 63-acre (25 ha) property owned by Pfizer on the west side of Route 53 was acquired by M&M Realty Partners, which plans to redevelop the site for a mixed use development that would include 500 housing units and 100,000 square feet (9,300 m²) for retail use.

In 2015, Honeywell moved into a 475,000-square-foot (44,100 m²) headquarters on a 40-acre (16 ha) campus, after relocating from AlliedSignal headquarters in Morristown.

Education

The Morris Plains Schools educate public school students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 578 students and 61.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.5:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Mountain Way School with 200 students in grades PreK-2 and Morris Plains Borough School with 369 students in grades 3-8.

Students in public school for ninth through twelfth grades attend Morristown High School, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Morris School District which also serves the communities of Morristown and Morris Township (for grades K-12). As of the 2018–19 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,860 students and 133.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.0:1.

St. Virgil Academy, founded in 1910, was a Catholic school serving students in preschool through eighth grade (including PreK3 and PreK4) that operated under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson. The school was closed at the end of the 2015–16 school year in the wake of declining enrollment and the rising costs of covering the school's deficits.

Notable people

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

• Darron Collins (born 1970), human ecologist and academic administrator specializing in ethnobotany, who became president of the College of the Atlantic in 2011.
• Michael Dogbe (born 1996), defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals
• William Perry Fogg (1826-1909), author and adventurer.
• Robert Martin (born 1947), State Senator since 1993 who represents the 26th Legislative District.
• Richard Aldrich McCurdy (1835-1916), attorney, business executive and banker during the Gilded Age who served as the President of the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York from 1885 to 1906.
• Charley Molnar (born 1961), former head football coach at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
• Carol Murphy (born 1932), member of the New Jersey General Assembly from 1992 to 2000.
• Gustav Stickley (1858-1942), furniture manufacturer, design leader, publisher and the chief proselytizer for the American Craftsman style.
• Louis A. Thebaud (1859-1939), businessman, sportsman and philanthropist in the Gilded Age.
• Jay Webber (born 1972), Assemblyman who has represented the 26th Legislative District since 2008 and had served as Chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee.
• Elizabeth Weed (born 1940), feminist scholar, editor and university administrator who was the cofounder of the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women.
• Ben Weinman (born 1975), of the band The Dillinger Escape Plan.
• Arthur Whitney (1871-1942), politician who served in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature and was the Republican nominee for Governor of New Jersey in 1925.
• Paul Zimmerman (born 1932), football sportswriter for Sports Illustrated.

See also

In Spanish: Morris Plains para niños