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Mountainside, New Jersey
Borough
Borough of Mountainside
Map of Mountainside in Union County. Inset: Union County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Map of Mountainside in Union County. Inset: Union County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Mountainside, New Jersey
Census Bureau map of Mountainside, New Jersey
Mountainside, New Jersey is located in Union County, New Jersey
Mountainside, New Jersey
Mountainside, New Jersey
Location in Union County, New Jersey
Mountainside, New Jersey is located in New Jersey
Mountainside, New Jersey
Mountainside, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Mountainside, New Jersey is located in the United States
Mountainside, New Jersey
Mountainside, New Jersey
Location in the United States
Country  United States
State  New Jersey
County Union
Incorporated September 25, 1895
Government
 • Type Faulkner Act (mayor–council)
 • Body Borough Council
Area
 • Total 4.04 sq mi (10.47 km2)
 • Land 4.00 sq mi (10.35 km2)
 • Water 0.05 sq mi (0.12 km2)  1.11%
Area rank 295th of 565 in state
12th of 21 in county
Elevation
233 ft (71 m)
Population
 • Total 6,685
 • Estimate 
(2019)
6,885
 • Rank 324th of 566 in state
19th of 21 in county
 • Density 1,668.0/sq mi (644.0/km2)
 • Density rank 315th of 566 in state
21st of 21 in county
Time zone UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code
07092
Area code(s) 908
FIPS code 3403948510
GNIS feature ID 0885311
Website

Mountainside is a borough in Union County, New Jersey, United States. The borough is located on a ridge in northern-central New Jersey, within the Raritan Valley and Rahway Valley regions in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 6,685, reflecting an increase of 83 (+1.3%) from the 6,602 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn declined by 55 (-0.8%) from the 6,657 counted in the 1990 Census.

Mountainside was incorporated as a borough on September 25, 1895, from portions of Westfield Township, based on the results of a referendum held the previous day.

New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Mountainside as its 16th best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey, as well as eighth in the 2010 list.

History

In 1958, part of a Nike missile battery (NY-73) was installed, with the missile launchers themselves in Mountainside while the radar station was installed in Berkeley Heights. It remained in operation until 1963 and remnants of the site are located adjacent to Governor Livingston High School.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 4.0497 square miles (10.487 km2), including 4.008 square miles (10.380 km2) of land and 0.041 square miles (0.107 km2) of water (1.02%).

The borough is bordered to the north by Summit, to the east by Springfield Township, to the south by Westfield, and to the west by Berkeley Heights and Scotch Plains.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1900 367
1910 362 −1.4%
1920 493 36.2%
1930 965 95.7%
1940 1,148 19.0%
1950 2,046 78.2%
1960 6,325 209.1%
1970 7,520 18.9%
1980 7,118 −5.3%
1990 6,657 −6.5%
2000 6,602 −0.8%
2010 6,685 1.3%
2019 (est.) 6,885 3.0%
Population sources: 1900-1920
1900-1910 1910-1930
1930-1990 2000 2010

Census 2010

As of the census of 2010, there were 6,685 people, 2,468 households, and 1,866 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,668.0 per square mile (644.0/km2). There were 2,558 housing units at an average density of 638.3 per square mile (246.4/km2)*. The racial makeup of the borough was 91.31% (6,104) White, 1.97% (132) Black or African American, 0.00% (0) Native American, 4.94% (330) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.42% (28) from other races, and 1.36% (91) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.09% (407) of the population.

There were 2,468 households out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.7% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the borough, the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 18.2% from 25 to 44, 30.0% from 45 to 64, and 23.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.2 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and old there were 88.1 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $116,210 (with a margin of error of +/- $22,182) and the median family income was $135,086 (+/- $14,679). Males had a median income of $95,030 (+/- $9,312) versus $58,818 (+/- $8,974) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $52,844 (+/- $5,530). About 1.5% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 6,602 people, 2,434 households, and 1,925 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,640.8 people per square mile (634.1/km2). There were 2,478 housing units at an average density of 615.8 per square mile (238.0/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 95.09% White, 0.94% African American, 0.09% Native American, 2.80% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.01% of the population.

Echo Lake Park in Mountainside NJ autumnal scene
Echo Lake Park view in autumn.

There were 2,434 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.9% were married couples living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.9% were non-families. 17.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 21.1% under the age of 18, 3.8% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 24.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $97,195, and the median income for a family was $105,773. Males had a median income of $78,595 versus $52,667 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $47,474. About 2.0% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.9% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

2021-07-20 13 44 28 View east along U.S. Route 22 from the pedestrian overpass just east of Union County Route 645 (New Providence Road) in Mountainside, Union County, New Jersey
US 22 in Mountainside

Roads and highways

As of May 2010, the borough had a total of 41.12 miles (66.18 km) of roadways, of which 29.74 miles (47.86 km) were maintained by the municipality, 8.75 miles (14.08 km) by Union County and 2.63 miles (4.23 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

U.S. Route 22 and Interstate 78 are the main highways running through Mountainside.

Public transportation

NJ Transit Bus Operations routes 114 and 117 provide service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan in New York City while routes 65 and 66 travel to Downtown Newark, all making local stops at points in proximate communities. An early use of bus rapid transit in New Jersey, a BBS (bus bypass shoulder, originally called a BOS or bus on shoulder lane) has been in operation for many years. Unlike most municipalities along Route 22, zoning in Mountainside does not allow for much commercial development adjacent to the freeway. For a one-mile stretch in the town, the eastbound shoulder on the arterial road can be used for peak hour buses. In 2012, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) regulated the BBS as an exclusive bus lane from 6 to 7:30am. In 2009, NJDOT funded construction of two bus turnouts along the road in nearby Union.

Newark Liberty International Airport is approximately 11 miles (18 km) east of Mountainside.

NJ Transit rail service is accessible via Summit station, and it has frequent direct service to New York Penn Station. The station is located around 2 miles (3.2 km) from the center of Mountainside, and Westfield station, which is about 4 miles (6.4 km) away, is also nearby.

Gallery

  • Mountainside School District's 2014–15 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education


Education

The Mountainside School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 725 students and 71.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.2:1. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Beechwood School with 256 students in grades PreK-2 and Deerfield School with 461 students in grades 3-8.

Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Governor Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Berkeley Heights Public Schools that is covered by an agreement that runs through the end of 2021–22 school year. As of the 2020–21 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 960 students and 87.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.9:1.

Students also have the choice to attend the programs of the Union County Vocational Technical Schools, which serve students from across Union County.

Notable people

See also (related category): People from Mountainside, New Jersey

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

  • Erika Amato (born 1969), singer and actress who was a founding member of the band Velvet Chain.
  • John W. Campbell (1910-1971), science fiction writer who was editor of Astounding Science Fiction from 1937 until his death.
  • Bob Clotworthy (born 1931), diver who won the bronze medal at his Olympic debut in 1952 in Helsinki, Finland in the men's springboard event, followed by the gold medal, four years later in Melbourne, Australia in the same event.
  • Laurie Collyer (born 1967), film director, best known for Sherrybaby.
  • Harry Devlin (born 1918), cartoonist for magazines such as Collier's Weekly.
  • Ina Golub (1938-2015), fiber artist who specialized in Judaica.
  • Charles J. Irwin (1930–2005), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from the 9th at-large district from 1968 to 1971.
  • Bitty Schram (born 1968), actress who appeared on Monk.
  • Dale Torborg (born 1971), conditioning coordinator for the Chicago White Sox and former professional wrestler best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling.
  • Jeff Torborg (born 1941), former Major League Baseball player and manager.
  • Hela Yungst (1950-2002), television entertainer and beauty pageant winner.

See also

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