Bloomfield, New Jersey

Bloomfield is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 47,315,  reflecting an decline of 368 (-0.8%) from the 47,683 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 2,622 (+5.8%) from the 45,061 counted in the 1990 Census. It surrounds the Bloomfield Green Historic District.

Silver Lake (2010 total population of 4,243 ) is a census-designated place and unincorporated area defined by the United States Census Bureau as of the 2010 Census that is split between Belleville (with 3,769 of the CDP's residents) and Bloomfield (474 of the total). Brookdale (2010 population of 9,239 ) is a CDP located entirely within Bloomfield.

History
The Thomas Cadmus House was originally built in 1763 by Revolutionary War Lt. Col. Thomas Cadmus, and reconstructed in 1915 using the stones and foundation that had been used to build the original home. The house is at 223 Ashland Avenue (also known as 190 Washington Street) built on wooded land that been owned by his grandfather, Johannes Cadmus. General George Washington is said to have visited the home in 1778.

Bloomfield was incorporated as a township from portions of Newark Township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 23, 1812. The new township took its name from the Presbyterian parish, which had been named for Governor of New Jersey Joseph Bloomfield.

At the time it was incorporated, the township covered 20.52 sqmi (almost four times its current area of 5.3 sqmi) and included several municipalities which were formed from portions of Bloomfield during the course of the nineteenth century, including Belleville (created on April 8, 1839), Montclair (April 15, 1868), Woodside Township (March 24, 1869) and Glen Ridge (February 13, 1895).

Bloomfield was incorporated as a town on February 26, 1900. In July 1981, residents voted to adopt the township form of government.

Geography
Bloomfield is located at 40.80913°N, -74.18715°W (40.809128,-74.187155). According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 5.328 square miles (13.801 km2), of which, 5.304 square miles (13.738 km2) of it is land and 0.024 square miles (0.063 km2) of it (0.46%) is water.

2010 Census
The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $62,831 (with a margin of error of +/- $2,641) and the median family income was $77,936 (+/- $4,120). Males had a median income of $51,498 (+/- $1,805) versus $44,735 (+/- $2,867) for females. The per capita income for the township was $30,421 (+/- $1,122). About 5.8% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.

2000 Census
As of the 2000 United States Census there were 47,683 people, 19,017 households, and 12,075 families residing in the township. The population density was 8,961.5 people per square mile (3,460.6/km2). There were 19,508 housing units at an average density of 3,666.3 per square mile (1,415.8/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 70.09% White, 11.69% Black, 0.19% Native American, 8.38% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 6.42% from other races, and 3.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.47% of the population.

There were 19,017 households out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the township the population was spread out with 21.1% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 34.0% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $53,289, and the median income for a family was $64,945. Males had a median income of $43,498 versus $36,104 for females. The per capita income for the township was $26,049. About 4.4% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

In comparison to the other townships in the U.S., living in Bloomfield costs on average 24.01% higher than the U.S. average cost of living.

According to a 2007 report from CNNMoney.com, the quality of life in Bloomfield in terms of crime are 3 incidents per 1,000 people as compared to the “best places to live average” of only 1.3 incidents per 1,000. Property crime incidents per 1,000 people in Bloomfield is 35 as compared to the “best places to live average” of only 20.6.

Local government
Bloomfield operates under a Special Charter granted under an Act of the New Jersey Legislature. The township is governed by a mayor and a six member Township Council. The mayor and three councilmembers are elected at large, and three members are elected from each of three wards, with all positions chosen in partisan elections. Councilmembers are elected to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one at-large and one ward seat coming up for election each year. Bloomfield's charter retains most of the characteristics of the Town form, with additional powers delegated to an administrator.

, the Mayor of Bloomfield is Raymond McCarthy. Members of the Bloomfield Township Council are Carlos Bernard (Third Ward), Elias N. Chalet (First Ward), Peggy O'Boyle Dunigan (at-large), Bernard Hamilton (at-large), Nicholas Joanow (Second Ward) and Michael Venezia (at-large).

Federal, state, and county representation
Bloomfield is split between the 10th and 11th Congressional districts and is part of New Jersey's 28th state legislative district. Prior to the 2010 Census, Bloomfield 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. In the redistricting that went into effect in 2013, 24,480 residents in the northern portion of the township were placed in the 10th District, while 22,835 in the southern section were placed in the 11th District.

Politics
As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 28,398 registered voters in Bloomfield, of which 11,925 (42.0%) were registered as Democrats, 4,393 (15.5%) were registered as Republicans and 12,061 (42.5%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 19 voters registered to other parties.

In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 62.9% of the vote here (12,735 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 35.3% (7,154 votes) and other candidates with 0.9% (186 votes), among the 20,251 ballots cast by the township's 27,981 registered voters, for a turnout of 72.4%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 57.0% of the vote here (10,829 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 41.5% (7,891 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (208 votes), among the 19,012 ballots cast by the township's 27,995 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 67.9.

In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 53.8% of the vote here (6,241 ballots cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 37.6% (4,359 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 6.6% (761 votes) and other candidates with 1.3% (147 votes), among the 11,599 ballots cast by the township's 27,929 registered voters, yielding a 41.5% turnout.

Public schools
The Bloomfield Public Schools serve students in prekindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2010-11 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are eight elementary schools serving kindergarten through sixth grade — Berkeley (425 students) Brookdale (303), Carteret (425), Demarest (502), Fairview (480), Franklin (383), Oak View (331), Watsessing (296) — Bloomfield Middle School for grades 7 and 8 (945), and Bloomfield High School for grades 9-12 (1,824). Forest Glen School provides individualized programs and services to special needs students in grades 7-12 (36 students). As of the 2010-11 school year, the Bloomfield Public Schools had a Budgetary Cost Per Pupil of $11,735 (vs. a statewide group average was $13,253), while Total Cost Per Pupil for Bloomfield was $15,218 (vs. $17,455 statewide).

Bloomfield Tech High School is a regional magnet public high school that offers occupational and academic instruction for students in Essex County, as part of the Essex County Vocational Technical Schools.

Catholic schools
Saint Thomas the Apostle, which serves grades K-8, is operated under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.

Colleges and universities
Bloomfield College, a liberal arts college founded in 1868, is located in downtown Bloomfield near the town green. The college has approximately 2,000 students and is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church.

Transportation
The major New Jersey highway artery that serves Bloomfield is the Garden State Parkway. Its Essex toll plaza is located in the city, as well as two service areas. Troop E of the New Jersey State Police, which patrols the full length of the Garden State Parkway, has a station in Bloomfield at milepost 153.

Bloomfield is served by the New Jersey Transit Montclair-Boonton Line to Hoboken Terminal or on Midtown Direct trains (about 55%) to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan via the Secaucus Junction. The Bloomfield train station is located off of Bloomfield Avenue in the downtown area. The Watsessing Avenue rail station is at the corner of Watsessing Avenue and Orange Street, and is located below ground.

The Grove Street station on the Newark City Subway at the south end of Bloomfield provides service to Newark Penn Station, created as part of an extension to Belleville and Bloomfield that opened in 2002.

New Jersey Transit bus service is available to Newark on the 11, 27, 28, 29, 34, 72, 90, 92, 93 and 94 routes, with local service on the 709 bus line. In October 2009, the Go Bus 28 route was introduced, offering service "nearly" all day from Bloomfield Train Station to Newark Liberty International Airport.

Bloomfield is 7.5 miles from Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark / Elizabeth, and 28.8 miles from LaGuardia Airport in Flushing, Queens.

Parks and recreation
Brookdale Park, established in 1928, covers over 121 acres in Bloomfield and Montclair, making it the county's third-largest park. Watsessing Park, which is the county's fourth largest park, covers 69.67 acres split between Bloomfield and East Orange, and features sections of the Second River and Toney's Brook flowing through the park. Both parks are administered by the Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs.

Points of interest

 * Glendale Cemetery
 * Holsten's Brookdale Confectionery, filming location of the final scene in the final episode of The Sopranos.
 * The Oakes Estate, constructed in 1895 based on a design by Charles Granville Jones, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.

Notable people
Notable current and former residents of Bloomfield include:
 * Alaa Abdelnaby (born 1968), former NBA basketball player.
 * Arthur H. Bell (1891–1973), Ku Klux Klan leader in New Jersey in the 1920s.
 * Hank Borowy (1916–2004), Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher who played for the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers.
 * Randolph Bourne (1886–1918), radical writer and opponent of U.S. involvement in World War I.
 * Roger Cook (born 1930), graphic designer, photographer and artist.
 * Marion Crecco, member of the New Jersey General Assembly from 1986 to 2002.
 * Peter David (born 1956), science fiction and fantasy author known for his work in comic books and Star Trek novels.
 * Lt. Col. Robert Eden (1836–1907), a grandson of the 1st Lord Henley, fought in the American Civil War with the 37th Wisconsin Volunteers, was editor of the Northwestern newspaper, and became senior engineer with the Edison Light Co.
 * Charles Warren Eaton (1857–1937), artist best known for his tonalist landscapes who lived in Bloomfield from 1888 until his death in 1937.
 * Todd Edwards (born 1972), house music and UK Garage producer, an early pioneer of the genre of UK Garage.
 * Tom Fleming (born 1951), long distance runner and two-time winner of the New York City Marathon.
 * Connie Francis (born 1938), singer.
 * Johnny Gibson (1905–2006), Olympic runner.
 * Roger Lee Hall (born 1942), composer and musicologist.
 * Ted Leo (born 1970), punk rock singer, songwriter and guitarist.
 * Bob Ley (born 1955), ESPN sportscaster.
 * R. Stevie Moore (born 1952), lo-fi singer/songwriter.
 * Frank Tripucka (born 1927), pro football Denver Bronco's quarterback. Owns Trip Distribution, Inc.
 * Kelly Tripucka (born 1959), pro basketball player for several teams, including the New Jersey Nets and New York Knicks. The Tripuckas are father and son, and both played their sports at the University of Notre Dame.
 * Dick Zimmer (born 1944), former member of the United States House of Representatives, Republican candidate for United States Senate in 1996 and 2008.