Nutley, New Jersey


 * This article is about the township of Nutley in New Jersey. For the village in East Sussex, see Nutley, East Sussex.

Nutley is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 28,370,  reflecting an increase of 1,008 (+3.7%) from the 27,362 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 263 (+1.0%) from the 27,099 counted in the 1990 Census.

What is now Nutley was originally incorporated as Franklin Township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 18, 1874, from portions of Belleville Township. Nutley was incorporated as a Town on March 5, 1902, replacing Franklin Township. Nutley was one of several Essex County communities that changed to the Township type during the 1970s in order to qualify for federal revenue-sharing aid only available to townships. Nutley derived its name from the estate of the Satterthwaite family, established in 1844, which stretched along the Passaic River and from an artist's colony in the area.

New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Nutley as its 38th best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.

History


Nutley grew slowly as Newark developed. The first European settler in the area, recorded in the minutes of a Newark town meeting in 1693, was a Dutch painter named Bastian Van Giesen. His house, known as Vreeland Homestead, still stands today on Chestnut Street and is the location of the Nutley Women's Club. John Treat and Thomas Stagg purchased lots adjacent to Van Geisen's in 1695 and 1698 respectively. The Van Riper House is another building from the era.

The first brownstone quarry in Nutley is believed to have been in operation by the early 18th century and was the town's first major industry. Jobs at the brownstone quarry in the Avondale section of Nutley provided work for many Italian and Irish immigrants. Mills situated along the Third River in the area now known as Memorial Park I became Nutley's second major industry.

John and Thomas Speer, Joseph Kingsland, and Henry Duncan all operated mills in the town during the 1800s. Current streets in Nutley are named after these mill owners. Henry Duncan built several mills throughout the town and established the village of Franklinville consisting of 30 homes and a few small businesses which later became the center of Nutley. One of Duncan's buildings has been modified and now serves as the town hall. Kingsland Manor is a national historic place.

During the late 1880s, painter Frank Fowler founded an artists' colony on The Enclosure, a dead-end street that is near the Third River, a stream that runs through the town's parks. Later artist residents of the street included Frederick Dana Marsh, Reginald Marsh and muralist Michael Lenson. Gary T. Erbe, a Trompe-l'œil painter, currently resides there.

Nutley's current town historian, John Demmer, is the author of the book in the "Images of America" series titled Nutley; Demmer is also part of The Nutley Historical Society, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to serve the educational, cultural and historical needs of the community. The Nutley Historical Society manages the operation of The Nutley Historical Museum, housed in a former town schoolhouse at 65 Church Street.

Several other passionate historical works on Nutley have been written by local historians, notably the late Miss Ann Troy's "Nutley: Yesterday - Today"; "Nutley" by Marilyn Peters and Richard O'Connor in the "Then and Now" series; and books about the Nutley Velodrome. Local resident Chris Economaki also wrote extensively about the Nutley Velodrome in his autobiographical racing history Let Them All Go! as the Velodrome was the first racetrack he had visited as a child.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 3.428 square miles (8.878 km2), including 3.384 square miles (8.764 km2) of land and 0.044 square miles (0.114 km2) of water (1.28%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Avondale, Franklin, Glendale and Younticaw.

Census 2010
The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $76,167 (with a margin of error of +/- $3,896) and the median family income was $98,042 (+/- $4,394). Males had a median income of $64,736 (+/- $4,840) versus $52,410 (+/- $3,558) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $37,706 (+/- $1,918). About 3.1% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 27,362 people, 10,884 households, and 7,368 families residing in the township. The population density was 8,123.0 people per square mile (3,134.9/km2). There were 11,118 housing units at an average density of 1, 273.8/km2 (3,300.6/sq mi). The racial makeup of the township was 87.95% White, 1.87% African American, 0.05% Native American, 7.10% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.75% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.69% of the population.

As of the 2000 Census, 36.0% of town residents were of Italian ancestry, the 12th-highest percentage of any municipality in the United States, and fifth-highest in New Jersey, among all places with more than 1,000 residents identifying their ancestry.

There were 10,884 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 27.9% 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 2.51 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the town the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $59,634, and the median income for a family was $73,264. Males had a median income of $51,121 versus $37,100 for females. The per capita income for the township was $28,039. About 3.4% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Nutley had been the U.S. headquarters of Hoffmann-La Roche and was the site of the creations of the medications Valium and Librium, later becoming one of the major R&D sites for Roche, hosting major research areas in oncology, virology and inflammation. Roche announced in June 2012 that operations at the site would end in 2013, leading to the elimination of 1,000 positions at the company, and that the facility would be shuttered by year end 2015. Located in Nutley since 1929, the company had reached a peak of 10,000 employees on the site, and the $9 million paid by the company in local property taxes accounted for 9% of the township's tax revenues.

Parks and recreation
Nutley's parks include Booth Park, DeMuro Park, Father Glotzbach Park, Msgr Owens Park, Flora Louden Park, Kingsland Park, Memorial Park I, II, III, Nichols Park, and Rheinheimer Park. They offer fields for baseball, football, basketball, lacrosse, roller hockey, and soccer among other sports.

Local representation
Nutley has operated a Commission form of government under the Walsh Act since 1912. Each of the five commissioners is elected on a nonpartisan basis to serve four-year concurrent terms (current terms of office all end on May 17, 2016). The commissioners also serve as department heads in addition to their legislative functions. The Commissioners elect one Commissioner as Mayor. Historically the Commissioner that receives the most votes is appointed Mayor. The mayor is only responsible for his or her departments and serves as the chair of the commission.

and continuing through May 8, 2016, Nutley's commissioners are Mayor Alphonse Petracco (Commissioner of Public Safety), Thomas J. Evans (Commissioner of Revenue and Finance), Steven L. Rogers (Commissioner of Public Affairs), Dr. Joseph P. Scarpelli (Commissioner of Public Works) and Mauro G. Tucci (Commissioner of Parks and Public Property).

Federal, state and county representation
Nutley is located in the 11th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 28th state legislative district. Prior to the 2011 reapportionment following the 2010 Census, Nutley had been in the 36th state legislative district. Prior to the 2010 Census, Nutley had been part of the NJ's 8th congressional district, a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.



Politics
As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 18,833 registered voters in Nutley, of which 5,737 (30.5%) were registered as Democrats, 3,753 (19.9%) were registered as Republicans and 9,327 (49.5%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 142 voters registered to other parties.

In the 2012 presidential election, incumbent Democrat Barack Obama received 50.33% of the vote (6,507 votes), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 48.52% (6,273 votes) and other candidates with 1.14% (148 votes), among the 12,928 ballots cast by the township's 19,623 registered voters, for a turnout of 65.88%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 52.4% of the vote (7,325 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 45.6% (6,374 votes) and other candidates with 1.2% (163 votes), among the 13,985 ballots cast by the township's 18,853 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.2%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 54.5% of the vote (7,579 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 43.8% (6,099 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (106 votes), among the 13,914 ballots cast by the township's 18,087 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 76.9.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 57.4% of the vote (4,497 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 41.3% (3,234 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (100 votes), among the 7,950 ballots cast by the township's 19,559 registered voters (119 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 40.6%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 52.9% of the vote (4,684 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 38.6% (3,416 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 6.8% (601 votes) and other candidates with 1.0% (92 votes), among the 8,859 ballots cast by the township's 18,793 registered voters, yielding a 47.1% turnout.

Education
The Nutley Public Schools serve students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2011-12 school year, the district's seven schools had an enrollment of 3,934 students and 288.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.64:1. Schools in the district (with 2011-12 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics), are five elementary schools for students in grades K-6 — Lincoln Elementary School (470), Radcliffe Elementary School (323), Spring Garden Elementary School (367), Washington Elementary School (401) and Yantacaw Elementary School (466) — John H. Walker Middle School for grades 7 and 8 (628) and Nutley High School for grades 9-12 (1,279).

Roads and highways
, the township had a total of 67.94 mi of roadways, of which 57.00 mi were maintained by the municipality, 7.71 mi by Essex County and 2.45 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 0.78 mi by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

The Garden State Parkway clips the southwest corner of the township, entering in the south from Bloomfield before reentering Bloomfield in the north. Route 21 follows the township's eastern border.

Public transportation
New Jersey Transit provides bus service between the township and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 192 route, to Newark on the 13, 27, 72 and 74 routes, with local service on the 709 route.

Until 1966, the Newark Branch of the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad served the township.

Operation Nutley Cares
After Hurricane Katrina devastated the central gulf coast region on August 29, 2005, Mayor Joanne Cocchiola and Commissioner Carmen A. Orechio reached out to local residents who wanted to help victims of the devastation, and formed the Operation Nutley Cares Committee. A decision was made to adopt Bay St. Louis, Mississippi as a sister city, Bay St. Louis, population 8,500, which sits just northeast of New Orleans, and had at least 60% of the community completely destroyed by Katrina and another 20% condemned. Monetary donations are still being accepted to help fund efforts to assist Bay St. Louis.

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Nutley include:
 * Alaa Abdelnaby (born 1968), former NBA basketball player.
 * Dorothy Allison (1924-1999), psychic.
 * Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale (1895–1977), amateur singer and aunt of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
 * Phyllis Birkby (1932–1994), architect and feminist.
 * Julian "Bud" Blake (1918–2005), cartoonist (Tiger).
 * Robert Blake (born 1933), actor (Baretta), born Michael James Vincenzo Gubitosi.
 * Carol Blazejowski, (born 1956), General Manager of the WNBA's New York Liberty.
 * Ray Blum (1919–2000), speed skater who represented the United States at the 1948 Winter Olympics.
 * John Vernou Bouvier, Jr., (1865–1948), paternal grandfather of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
 * Jonathan Budine (born 1967), film director, producer and editor.
 * Henry Cuyler Bunner (1855–1896), novelist.
 * Barbara Buono (born 1953), New Jersey State Senator who has represented the 18th Legislative District since 2002.
 * Jane Burgio (1922–2005), member of the New Jersey General Assembly who served as Secretary of State of New Jersey.
 * Elan Carter (born 1969), Playboy Playmate of the Month, June 1994.
 * Clams Casino (born 1987), professional name of hip hop producer Mike Volpe.
 * Tina Cervasio (born 1974), sportscaster, best known for her work as the Boston Red Sox sideline reporter on NESN telecasts.
 * Philip Sargant Florence (1890–1982), economist.
 * Frank Fowler (1852–1910), painter.
 * Ron Fraser (1933-2013), "Wizard of College Baseball", Baseball coach at University of Miami.
 * Garry Furnari (born 1954), served in the New Jersey Senate and in New Jersey Superior Court, and was Mayor of Nutley from 1996-2003.
 * Paul Goldberger (born 1950), Pulitzer Prize winner and architecture critic for The New Yorker.
 * Frances Goodrich (1890-1984), dramatist and screenwriter, best known for her collaborations with her partner and husband Albert Hackett.
 * Bryan Haczyk, ice hockey player for the Kalamazoo Wings.
 * John V. Kelly (1926–2009), served in the New Jersey General Assembly and elected as Mayor of Nutley in 1988.
 * Frank Kirkleski (1904–1980), football player who played in the early years of the National Football League.
 * Frank Lautenberg (1924-2013), United States Senator.
 * Michael Lenson (1903-1971), painter and muralist.
 * Brendan Lyons (born 1987), Physics Whiz Kid.
 * Frederick Dana Marsh (1872–1961), illustrator.
 * Reginald Marsh (1898–1954), painter.
 * Abram Molarsky (1880-1955), Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painter best known for his landscapes.
 * Annie Oakley (1860–1926), sharpshooter.
 * Carmen A. Orechio (born 1926), President of the New Jersey Senate who spent 40 years as a commissioner in Nutley.
 * Carlo Jackie Paris (1926–2004), jazz singer and guitarist.
 * William Pène du Bois (1916–1993), author, artist.
 * Stephen Petronio, choreographer.
 * Mark Radice, singer, musician and producer.
 * Kevin J. Ryan (born 1969), former member of the New Jersey General Assembly.
 * Frederick Scalera (born 1958), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2003 to 2011 and serves on the Board of Education of the Nutley Public Schools.
 * Raphael Sonenshein (born 1949), executive director of the Los Angeles Charter Reform Commission and chairman of the political science department at California State University, Fullerton.
 * Frederic Dorr Steele (1873–1944), illustrator.
 * Martha Stewart (born 1941 as Martha Helen Kostyra), author, magazine publisher and television personality.
 * Frank R. Stockton (1834–1902), writer, best known for his short story "The Lady or the Tiger?"
 * Alix Strachey (1892–1973), psychoanalyst, born Alix Sargant-Florence, translated Sigmund Freud's works into English.
 * Nick Zano (born 1978), actor.

Cultural references

 * Aerosmith played at the Nutley prom in the 1960s.
 * George Dorn, in The Illuminatus! Trilogy is described as having grown up in Nutley, with references to his childhood illustrating that the authors had more than a passing familiarity with the town.
 * Antiwar activist and Quaker, Carl Hinke became the last American arrested for the Vietnam War draft Opposition to the Vietnam War on December 12, 1976. He had moved to Canada due to his pacifist convictions after being offered a one-way ticket to North Vietnam by Nutley's American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars chapters. Hinke was pardoned by Jimmy Carter on January 21, 1977 in his first official act as president.
 * Weird NJ runs regular features on past and present Nutley destinations such as Franklin Avenue beat coffee house, Angelo Nardi's Villa Capri which town council tried to close for decades and various Nutley "old man" bars such as the Old Canal Inn Nutley was also used as a shooting location for the 1999 film Weird N.J.
 * The courtroom in NBC's television show Ed was an exact replica of Nutley's municipal courtroom, and various locations in the township were used during filming, including the outside of the Public Safety building.
 * The short-lived Fox television show Quintuplets was set in Nutley.
 * Celebrity homemaker Martha Stewart, has shared her childhood memories of Nutley on her television shows, and had a "Nutley Day" on her talk show Martha, in 2006.
 * Nutley was referenced in the Futurama episode #210 "Put Your Head on My Shoulders" as the destination of the bus stop where Bender found all of the undesirable Valentine's Day dates for his dating service customers ("Can't hon', I gotta catch my bus back to Nutley.", "Excuse me, did you say '10:15 to Nutley'?" and "Anybody else for Nutley?"), in "The Beast With a Billion Backs" ("This place makes Nutley look like crap.") and in "Into the Wild Green Yonder" ("Beats Nutley on a Saturday night.")
 * Nutley was frequently mentioned and featured in HBO's hit series The Sopranos, and Soprano family associate Furio Giunta purchased a home in Nutley.
 * Nutley was also referenced by Archie Bunker a number of times on the TV show All in the Family (it's where Edith's family is from)--as in "I don't want to take the bus all way to Nutley, NJ to see your ......Family", spoken in the Archie Bunker whine.
 * ECW wrestler Balls Mahoney was billed as being from Nutley.
 * In the 2012 film, People Like Us, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Chris Pine, Pfeiffer's character states that she is from Nutley, New Jersey.