| Denville, New Jersey | |
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| — Township — | |
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| Coordinates: 40°53′10″N 74°29′18″W / 40.88611°N 74.48833°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Morris |
| Incorporated | April 14, 1913 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) |
| - Mayor | Ted Hussa (2011) |
| - Administrator | Marie Goble[1] |
| Area | |
| - Total | 12.6 sq mi (32.7 km2) |
| - Land | 12.1 sq mi (31.4 km2) |
| - Water | 0.5 sq mi (1.3 km2) |
| Elevation [2] | 505 ft (154 m) |
| Population (2007)[3] | |
| - Total | 16,528 |
| - Density | 1,307.1/sq mi (504.7/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 07834 |
| Area code(s) | 973 |
| FIPS code | 34-17650[4][5] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882204[6] |
| Website | http://www.thedenvillehub.com |
Denville is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 15,824. Denville is known as the "Hub of Morris County" for its location along major transportation routes at the center of the county.[7] In 1988, as part of the town's 75th anniversary celebration, a time capsule was buried that contained "artifacts" from that era.
Denville was formed as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 14, 1913, from portions of Rockaway Township.[8]
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Native Lenape Native Americans were known to travel the Minisink Trail for centuries before Europeans arrived in New Jersey. Part of that trail cut across what is now southern Denville, roughly following the course of Route 10 and Mount Pleasant Turnpike. Some research has indicated that there was a Lenape campsite along the trail in Denville, on or near the Ayres / Knuth Farm Historic Site along Route 10.
When Dutch and English settlers began to arrive in the new world in the early 17th century, the Minisink Trail was the likely route they traveled to explore the interior. Daniel Denton, one of the purchasers of what is known as the Elizabethtown Tract in 1664, led an expedition into the interior of northern New Jersey. In 1670, he wrote the first English language description of the area. Some researchers would later conclude that it was Denton who lent his name to the naming of Denville.
Some researchers have suggested that European settlers began to come to the Denville area as early as 1690. These early settlers were primarily Dutch and English from Long Island, Quakers from Philadelphia, and Germans. William Penn and several other proprietors began to survey and stake out lands in the Denville area around 1715. These surveys are the first documentation of Denville. Between 1730 and 1760, several forges and mills were erected in Denville along the Rockaway River and the Denbrook. A number of communities associated with the forges and mills began to emerge. Ninkey and Franklin in southern Denville developed around the forges there of the same names. Denville village developed around the Job Allen Iron Works. Early developers of Denville, such as the Hussa family and A.B Crane & Co., were intrinsic in shaping the residential and lake communities.
A letter from early Denville settler John Hinchman in the year 1800, recounts some of the oral history of Denville from 50 years earlier, as stated to him by some of the elders of the time. Hinchman explains in his letter that the naming of Denville can be traced to a "den" of wild animals located in the swampy regions along the Denbrook and Rockaway River. The animals would bask on a knoll that juts out into the meadows where they were hunted by the native Lenape. This "den", Hinchman states, was the basis for the name of Denville and the Denbrook.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 12.6 square miles (32.7 km²), of which, 12.1 square miles (31.4 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (4.12%) is water.
Part of the The Tourne county park is in Denville.
Denville has eleven named bodies of water within township limits. The four major residential lake communities are Cedar Lake, Indian Lake, Rock Ridge, and Lake Arrowhead (including Great Bay and Bay of Deep Waters). Estling Lake is a private summer community, which has some full year residents. The three minor lakes are Cooper Lake, Hollstein Lake, and Openaki Lake. The town also has Cooks Pond, which is a recreational lake available for public use by membership.
Most residents of Denville live in the non-lake communities in town, including Bald Hill, Union Hill, Beacon Hill, and Denville Farms communities among others.
The game of American Flag Rugby was first played in Denville, introduced to the town by resident Tom Feury.
| Historical populations | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 2,162 |
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| 1940 | 3,117 | 44.2% | |
| 1950 | 6,055 | 94.3% | |
| 1960 | 10,632 | 75.6% | |
| 1970 | 14,045 | 32.1% | |
| 1980 | 14,380 | 2.4% | |
| 1990 | 13,812 | −3.9% | |
| 2000 | 15,824 | 14.6% | |
| Est. 2007 | 16,528 | [3] | 4.4% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[9] | |||
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 15,824 people, 5,990 households, and 4,312 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,307.1 people per square mile (504.5/km²). There were 6,178 housing units at an average density of 510.3/sq mi (197.0/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 92.64% White, 1.14% African American, 0.08% Native American, 4.64% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.64% of the population.
There were 5,990 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.8% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the township, the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $76,778, and the median income for a family was $90,651. Males had a median income of $63,413 versus $42,392 for females. The per capita income for the township was $38,607. About 1.7% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
Denville Township is governed under the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) system of municipal government.[10] Denville is governed by a mayor and a seven-member Township Council, all elected to four-year terms of office. Four council members are elected from each of four wards. Two years later, the three at-large and the mayoral seats are up for election.
As of 2008, the Mayor of Denville Township is Ted Hussa, whose term of office ends December 31, 2011.[11] Members of the Denville Township Council are Howard Shaw (At-Large; 2011), Deborah Smith (At-Large; 2011), Nick Stecky (At-Large; 2011), Tom Andes (Ward 1; 2009), Gerard "Jerry" LaMonte (Ward 2; 2009), Robert Grant (Ward 3; 2009) and Chris Dour (Ward 4; 2009).[12]
Mayor Feyl decided not to run for re-election after winning a seat last fall on the Board of Chosen Freeholders. In the June 5, 2007 Republican primary councilman P. Ted Hussa defeated the Township's business administrator, Ellen Sandman, with no Democratic Party opposition on the ballot, and took office on January 1, 2008.[13]
Denville Township is in the Eleventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 25th Legislative District.[14]
New Jersey's Eleventh Congressional District, covering western portions of Essex County, all of Morris County, and sections of Passaic County, Somerset County and Sussex County, is represented by Rodney Frelinghuysen (R, Harding Township). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
For the 2010-2011 Legislative Session, the 25th District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Anthony Bucco (R, Boonton) and in the Assembly by Michael Patrick Carroll (R, Morris Plains) and Tony Bucco (R, Boonton).[15] The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham).[16] The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).[17]
Morris County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, who are elected to three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two or three seats up for election each year.[18] As of 2008, Morris County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Margaret Nordstrom,[19] Deputy Freeholder Director Gene F. Feyl,[20] Douglas R. Cabana,[21] William J. Chegwidden,[22] John J. Murphy, James W. Murray[23] and Jack J. Schrier.[24][25]
The chamber is focused on making the community and business districts a better place for businesses, residents and visitors. Each year a pair of teenagers are crowned as Mr. and Miss Denville. They are participants in a winter holiday parade and weekend-long celebration. They are chosen for their volunteer work in Denville, and overall hard work.
Mr. and Miss. Denville 2006
Christina Kovacs
Brian Ott
Mr. and Miss. Denville 2008
Erika Zois
Connor Bennett
Mr. and Miss. Denville 2009
Laura Ketchum
Kevin Horne
The Denville Township School District serve public school students in Kindergarten through eighth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[26]) are Lakeview School (808 students) and Riverview School (503) for grades K-5, and Valleyview Middle School (617) for grades 6-8.
Public school students in grades 9 - 12 attend Morris Knolls High School, which is located in Denville, but has a Rockaway address.[27] The high school is part of the Morris Hills Regional High School District, which also serves the residential communities of Rockaway Borough, Rockaway Township and Wharton.
St. Mary’s Prep is an elementary school, and Morris Catholic High School is a four-year comprehensive Roman Catholic regional high school that was founded in 1957, both of which are operated as part of the Diocese of Paterson.[28]
The Denville station on New Jersey Transit's Morristown Line and the Montclair-Boonton Line, with service to Hoboken Terminal or to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan via Midtown Direct. Denville is actually two stations located within the same property. The Morristown Line station is two platforms located on a curve while the Montclair-Boonton Line station is a single platform next to the closed Denville Tower. Newark Liberty International Airport, is located 27.5 miles (44.3 km) southeast of Denville in Newark, New Jersey.[29]
Route 10, Route 53, U.S. Route 46 and Interstate 80 pass through the Township.
Notable current and former residents of Denville include:
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