Kearny, New Jersey
Kearny (pronounced ) is a
Town in
Hudson County,
New Jersey,
United States. It was named after
Civil War general
Philip Kearny. As of the
United States 2000 Census, the town population was 40,513.
The town has been used for location filming of the
HBO series
The Sopranos.
Kearny is located at (40.763051, -74.137187).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 26.4
km² (10.2
mi²). 23.7 km² (9.1 mi²) of it is land and 2.7 km² (1.0 mi²) of it (10.30%) is water.
Kearny distinguishes itself from neighboring towns in its balanced use of space; a blend of residence, business, educational, and park. Main thoroughfares include the titular Kearny Avenue (the local segment of Ridge Road / Frank E. Rodgers Boulevard), Bergen Avenue, Midland Avenue, Schuyler Avenue and Passaic Avenue.
There are a number of small memorial parks running along Passaic Ave (adjacent to the
Passaic River) collectively called River Bank Park. The largest of which, located on the colloquial "Bunny Hill", is a gift from Kearny's veterans. During Kearny's
Fourth of July celebrations (which include a fireworks display), Bunny Hill is the primary gathering spot for celebrants and observers.
The largest park in Kearny is West Hudson Park which contains a variety of sports fields, recreational areas, and an artificial pond. The next largest recreational zone is the Kearny Playground at Gunnel Oval.
The town is bordered by
East Newark,
Harrison,
Belleville,
North Arlington,
Newark and
Jersey City.
As of the
census of 2000, there were 40,513 people, 13,539 households, and 9,802 families residing in the town. The
population density was 1,711.4/km² (4,433.2/mi²). There were 13,872 housing units at an average density of 586.0/km² (1,518.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 75.75%
White, 3.97%
African American, 0.37%
Native American, 5.50%
Asian, 0.07%
Pacific Islander, 10.04% from
other races, and 4.31% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 27.34% of the population.
There were 13,539 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were
married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.28.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 35.7% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 106.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $47,757, and the median income for a family was $54,596. Males had a median income of $38,672 versus $30,620 for females. The
per capita income for the town was $20,886. About 6.1% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.
Local government
Governmental operation in the Town of Kearny is by a Mayor and Council form of government with the Mayor elected at-large by the voters to a two-year term and an eight-member Council elected by the voters, two from each of the four wards, on a staggered basis for two-year terms. The Mayor and Council operate on a legislative basis, with the Mayor having veto power.
The day-to-day operations fall within the jurisdiction of the Town Administrator whose duties are specified by local ordinance, and who generally carries out the policies adopted by the Mayor and Council.
The
Mayor of Kearny is Alberto G. Santos, who has been Mayor of Kearny since
January 1,
2000. Previously he served as councilman of Kearny's Second Ward for one year.
Members of the Town Council are
[Meet the Mayor & Council, accessed June 28, 2006]:
*Council members 1st Ward: Alexa Arce and David Krusznis
*Council members 2nd Ward: Barbara Cifelli Sherry and Laura Cifelli-Pettigrew
*Council members 3rd Ward: Carol Jean Doyle and Eileen Eckel
*Council members 4th Ward: Michael D. Landy and Susan McCurrie
Federal, state and county representation
Kearny is split between the Ninth and Thirteenth Congressional Districts and is part of New Jersey's 32nd Legislative District.
The
Kearny School District is dedicated to the education of the more than 5,000 culturally diverse students in the district. The District has seven schools: four Pre Kindergarten-8 schools;
Franklin School with 988 students,
Lincoln School with 635 students,
Schuyler School with 501 students and
Washington School with 636 students — and two Pre-K to 6 schools (
Garfield School with 552 students and
Roosevelt School with 412 students).
Kearny High School serves 1,660 students in grades 9 - 12.
*
My Chemical Romance lead guitarist
Ray Toro and ex-drummer
Matt Pelisser are from Kearny.
*Professional
soccer players
John Harkes,
Tab Ramos, and
Tony Meola all grew up in Kearny, giving the town the moniker of "Soccertown, U.S.A.", especially after they played together on the United States team at the
1994 FIFA World Cup[ Soccer ruminations recall Soccertown USA, The University News (Saint Louis University), April 28, 2005].
*
Town of Kearny website*
Kearny School District*
Kearny High Alumni web site*
National Center for Education Statistics data for the Kearny School District
