New Providence, New Jersey


New Providence is a borough on the northwestern edge of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located on the Passaic River, which forms the county boundary with Morris County bordering Chatham Township. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 13,650, an increase of 1,479 from the 2010 census count of 12,171, which in turn reflected increase of 264 from the 11,907 counted in the 2000 census.
The borough is home to much of the Murray Hill neighborhood with the remainder lying in neighboring Berkeley Heights. Service on the NJ Transit is available at the New Providence and Murray Hill stations. More than 9% of New Providence's land is publicly-owned and protected parkland.
WWW newprov.org

History

The written history of New Providence begins in 1664 when James, Duke of York and brother to King Charles II, purchased the land that became known as the Elizabethtown Tract from the Lenape Native Americans. Its first European settlers were members of a Puritan colony established in 1720, which was the first permanent settlement of its type. The settlement was originally called "Turkey" or "Turkey Town", due to the presence of wild turkeys in the area.
The Presbyterian Church established in 1737 was a focal point for the community, and the lack of serious injuries when the church's balcony collapsed in 1759 was deemed to be an example of divine intervention, leading residents to change the area's name to New Providence.
According to local tradition, George Washington spent the night in a local home, which still stands to this day. Supposedly, the local stream, Salt Brook, is named for an incident when the salt supply of the colonial village was dumped into the brook to prevent passing British soldiers from taking it. Ironically, the British Army never crossed the Watchung Mountains into this region. Salt Brook winds through town, starting near the eponymous Salt Brook Elementary School.
On April 14, 1794, [Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey|Union County, New Jersey|Springfield Township] was formed, which included the present-day township, along with the towns of Summit, New Providence, and Berkeley Heights. Growth continued in the area, and on November 8, 1809, New Providence Township was formed from within Springfield Township. It included what is now Summit, New Providence, and Berkeley Heights. On March 23, 1869, Summit withdrew from the New Providence Township and reincorporated as a township without any other town.
On March 14, 1899, New Providence also withdrew from New Providence Township and was reincorporated as a borough. With Boroughitis sweeping across the state, many communities within townships were reverting to small, locally governed communities due to acts of the New Jersey Legislature that made it economically advantageous for communities so do so. New Providence Township was renamed to Berkeley Heights as of November 6, 1951.
The cultivation of roses played an important role in the local economy in the 1900s.
New Providence had long been a semi-dry town, under which there were no bars and no restaurants permitted to sell alcoholic beverages. Retail liquor sales were legal and restaurant-goers may bring their own alcoholic beverages. In 2011, the borough announced that it was considering issuing on-premises liquor licenses, which could bring in as much as $500,000 for each bar granted a license, with plans to use the money raised to pay for improvements to recreation areas. Liquor licenses were granted in 2015 to a pair of restaurants, ending a 100-year period in which the borough had no on-premises liquor licenses.
The 2011 film Win Win is set at New Providence High School, having been written by Tom McCarthy and Joe Tiboni, two former students at the school.

Landmarks

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, New Providence borough had a total area of 3.71 square miles, including 3.69 square miles of land and 0.02 square miles of water.
New Providence is bordered by Berkeley Heights to the southwest and south, and by Summit to the east in Union County; and to the north by Chatham Township, across the Passaic River, in Morris County.
Much of the Murray Hill neighborhood lies in New Providence, with the remainder in Berkeley Heights; Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names within the borough include Tall Oaks, Johnsons Bridge, and West Summit.
The borough lies on the western slope of Second Watchung Mountain. There are several creek beds carved into the landscape, most of which are forks and branches of Salt Brook. These creeks join near the center of town then flow into the Passaic River, along the banks of which Passaic River Parkway is found. Over nine percent of New Providence's land area is permanently protected, publicly owned parkland. Most of this land is wooded floodplain adjacent to the Passaic. Union County owns much of the riverfront parkland and New Providence owns the remainder. There are several borough-owned parks that bracket Salt Brook, including Veterans Memorial Park on South Street, Lions Park on Livingston Avenue, and Clearwater Park near the end of Central Avenue.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 12,171 people, 4,408 households, and 3,337 families in the borough. The population density was 3,343.4 per square mile. There were 4,537 housing units at an average density of 1,246.3 per square mile. The racial makeup was 85.98% White, 1.27% Black or African American, 0.10% Native American, 9.78% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.22% from other races, and 1.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.43% of the population.
Of the 4,408 households, 39.2% had children under the age of 18; 66.2% were married couples living together; 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present and 24.3% were non-families. Of all households, 20.8% were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.20.
27.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 29.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.0 years. For every 100 females, the population had 94.8 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 91.4 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that median household income was $113,542 and the median family income was $144,837. Males had a median income of $103,237 versus $60,029 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $53,564. About 3.2% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 0.9% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census there were 11,907 people, 4,404 households, and 3,307 families residing in New Providence. The population density was. There were 4,485 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the borough was 89.77% White, 0.88% African American, 0.03% Native American, 7.60% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.68% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.50% of the population.
There were 4,404 households, out of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.3% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.13.
In New Providence the population was spread out, with 26.3% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $90,964, and the median income for a family was $105,013. Males had a median income of $72,926 versus $46,948 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $42,995. About 1.3% of families and 1.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.0% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

New Providence is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey. The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. The mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle. The borough form of government used by New Providence is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.
, the mayor of New Providence is Republican Allen B. Morgan, whose term of office ends December 31, 2026. Members of the New Providence Borough Council are Council President Nadine Geoffroy, Matthew E. Cumiskey, Kathleen Dolan, Brian Gardner, Alan Lerner, and Lisa McKnight.

List of mayors

MayorTerm beginsTerm endsNotes
John W. Oakwood19331946Republican, served seven terms. Oakwood Drive and Oakwood Park in New Providence are named after Mayor Oakwood.
Ellsworth R. Hansell19471952Republican, served three terms.
Robert Badgley19531954Republican, served one term. Badgley Drive in New Providence is named after the Badgley family.
Charles Johnson19551956Republican, served one term.
Francis R. Farley19631966Democrat. In the 1962 election, Farley and Republican John C. Clay tie at 1,707 votes each. The recount goes to the New Jersey Superior Court. Farley is declared winner in February 1963. Farley is the most recent Democrat Mayor in New Providence.
Edward Bien19671978Republican, served four terms totaling 12 years. The first two terms were under the old form of the Borough system of local government where mayors were elected to two-year terms. All regular elections after 1970 for mayor were for four-year terms.
Harold Weideli, Jr.19781998Republican, served as mayor for five terms.
Allen B. Morgan19992006Republican, Morgan served as mayor for two terms between 1999 and 2006, when he initially announced his bid for re-election, and then withdrew from the campaign.
John Thoms20072010Republican, Served as mayor for one term. Was denied the town's GOP endorsement for re-election in 2010, which instead went to Morgan, who went on to lose the primary to J. Brooke Hern. Thoms launched an unsuccessful bid for re-election as an independent, losing to Hern in the general election by a 2-1 margin.
J. Brooke Hern20112014Republican, upset Morgan in the primary, served one term and chose not to seek re-election after serving 10 years in elected office.
Allen B. Morgan2015IncumbentRepublican, re-elected following Hern's decision to not seek a second term. In 2022 he won re-election to a third consecutive. Morgan won 3,000 votes to the Democrat's 2,643.

Federal, state, and county representation

New Providence is located in the 7th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 21st state legislative district.

Politics

As of September 16, 2022, there were a total of 9,997 registered voters in New Providence, of which 3,190 were registered as Democrats, 2,852 were registered as Republicans and 3,889 were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 66 voters registered to other parties, such as Libertarians or Greens. Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 82.3% were registered to vote, including 89.5% of those ages 18 and over.

Education

The New Providence School District serves students in public school for pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of four schools, had an enrollment of 2,382 students and 189.8 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 12.6:1. Schools in the district are
Allen W. Roberts Elementary School with 676 students in grades PreK–6,
Salt Brook Elementary School with 607 students in grades K–6,
New Providence Middle School with 398 students in grades 7–8 and
New Providence High School with 666 students in grades 9–12. The middle school and high school share a common building and some of the same facilities.
During the 2007–08 school year, New Providence Middle School was recognized with the National Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, the highest award an American school can receive. The district's high school was the top-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 328 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2012 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 5th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.
Serving students in Pre-K–3 through Grade 8, The Academy of Our Lady of Peace is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. The school was one of eight private schools recognized in 2017 by the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program as an Exemplary High Performing School by the United States Department of Education.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the borough had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality and by Union County.
No state, U.S. or Interstate highways directly serve New Providence. The most prominent road through the borough is County Route 512 known as Springfield Avenue.

Public transportation

Service on the NJ Transit Gladstone Branch of the Morris & Essex Lines is available at the New Providence station and Murray Hill station, offering service to Hoboken Terminal and to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan. Two Gladstone Branch trains each weekday morning offer one-seat rides to Manhattan, and two evening trains leave New York and stop at both of New Providence's stations on the way to Gladstone. All other rail service is to or from Hoboken. These trains connect at Summit or Newark Broad Street with Manhattan-bound trains.
New Jersey Transit offer local bus service on the 986 route.
Lakeland Bus Lines offers weekday rush hour service from stops along Springfield Avenue to New York's Port Authority Bus Terminal.
Newark Liberty International Airport is approximately east of New Providence.

Economy

Companies based in New Providence include the publishers Martindale-Hubbell and R. R. Bowker.

Community activities

People and local businesses in New Providence are active in organizing community activities.
In 2017, a first annual Carved Pumpkin Contest was organized.
In 2016 and 2017, Scarecrow Contest was organized.

Notable people

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