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Clifton, New Jersey

Clifton is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Criss-crossed by several major highways, the city is a regional commercial hub for North Jersey and is a bedroom suburb of New York City in the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city retained its position as the state's 11th-most-populous municipality, just behind tenth-ranked Trenton, and well ahead of Cherry Hill in twelfth place, with a population of 90,296, reflecting an overall increase of 6,160 (+7.3%) from the 2010 census count of 84,136,  which in turn reflected an overall increase of 5,464 (+6.9%) from the 78,672 counted in the 2000 census. The Population Estimates Program calculated a population of 88,461 for 2023, making Clifton the 394th-most populous municipality in the nation.

Clifton was incorporated as a city by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 26, 1917, replacing Acquackanonk Township, based on the results of a referendum held two days earlier. Clifton is listed under five different ZIP codes. 07011, 07012, 07013, 07014, and 07015. Clifton has been named as one of the best cities to live in the United States.

History
The city of Clifton turned 100 years old in April 2017, but documented European settlements in the area date back to 1679, when a leader of the Lenape Native Americans gave a deed for 11000 acres along the shores of the Passaic River to Hans Frederick. The modern name of "Clifton" was derived from the cliffs of Garrett Mountain, which borders the Albion Place neighborhood in the western part of the city. Clifton was once an agricultural hub, and home to the U.S. Animal Quarantine Station, which was operated in Clifton by the United States Department of Agriculture, starting in 1903. It was served by the Newark Branch of the Erie–Lackawanna Railroad. It was the primary location on the East Coast where animals from poultry, horses, and cattle, to zoo animals, were held in quarantine after being brought into the United States, to ensure that the animals were not infected with diseases that could be spread in the U.S. The federal station operated in Clifton until the late 1970s, when the facility was relocated to Stewart International Airport.

Although Clifton has long converted from farmlands to suburban neighborhoods, given its close proximity to Manhattan, the city still has three small working farms that sell fresh and organic vegetables in-season:

 * Ploch's Farm is a family-run 15 acres farm since 1867. The farm is still in operation as Clifton's last remaining farm. Ploch's Farm is open seasonally selling fruits and vegetables during the months of August and September.
 * City Green Farm Eco Center is an organic farm and 501(c)3 non-profit focused on promoting urban farming and education since 2011. The 5 acres property, which was the site of the Schultheis Farm, was acquired by the city in 2005 for permanent preservation as open space.
 * Richfield Farms is a family-run 5 acres farm and garden center since 1917, which had escaped redevelopment efforts in 2018.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 11.43 square miles (29.60 km2), including 11.27 square miles (29.19 km2) of land and 0.16 square miles (0.41 km2) of water (1.37%).

The Passaic River provides part of the boundary of Clifton at its northeastern edge. Weasel Brook is a tributary of the Passaic, which links from Plog Brook, passing through its namesake Weasel Brook Park, before turning south and joining the Passaic River close to Route 21.

Unincorporated communities, localities, and place names, located partially or completely within the city, include:
 * Albion Place – mostly residential, and adjacent to Garret Mountain Reservation in the northwestern corner of the city;
 * Allwood – the other main "business district" in the city, along its main highway, State Route 3;
 * Athenia – one of the more centrally located neighborhoods in the city, as well as home to one of the city's two train stations, and adjacent to the 3rd Ward Park neighborhood in Passaic;
 * Botany Village – the northernmost neighborhood in the city, historically containing European ethnic groups, but mostly populated by Hispanic/Latino immigrants in recent years;
 * Delawanna – home to one of the two train stations locally, in the southeastern corner of the city, and adjacent to Nutley/the 3rd Ward Park neighborhood in Passaic;
 * Dutch Hill – mostly residential, and largely situated near downtown and one of the two local train stations;
 * Lakeview – shares its name with the adjacent neighborhood in Paterson, along the western edge of the city, and mostly populated by Arabic and Hispanic/Latino residents;
 * Main Mall – largely considered the main "downtown" section of the city;
 * Montclair Heights – one of the wealthiest neighborhoods locally, adjacent to both Montclair State University, as well as Upper Montclair, in the southwestern corner of the city;
 * Richfield – another of the more centrally located neighborhoods in the city, along with Athenia;
 * Rosemawr – largely residential and wealthier, falling partially within Allwood, and home to an Orthodox Jewish community associated with a neighboring one in the city of Passaic, with which it shares the Passaic/Clifton Eruv
 * Styertowne – home to the main namesake shopping plaza in the city;
 * Yanticaw Pond – adjacent to the neighboring municipalities of Bloomfield, Nutley, and Montclair

Clifton is located off both Route 3 and Route 46, and is situated 15 mi west of Midtown Manhattan, which is accessible via the Lincoln Tunnel. The city is also served by the Garden State Parkway, Route 19 and Route 21; all of those highways pass either around or through parts of the city.

The city borders the municipalities of Little Falls, Passaic, Paterson, and Woodland Park in Passaic County; Elmwood Park, Garfield, Lyndhurst, and Rutherford in Bergen County, and Bloomfield, Montclair, and Nutley in Essex County.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 84,136 people, 30,661 households, and 21,125 families in the city. The population density was 7472.0 /sqmi. There were 31,946 housing units at an average density of 2837.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 69.63% (58,588) White, 4.92% (4,137) Black or African American, 0.50% (419) Native American, 8.90% (7,488) Asian, 0.03% (22) Pacific Islander, 12.44% (10,464) from other races, and 3.59% (3,018) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 31.92% (26,854) of the population.

Of the 30,661 households, 30.3% had children under the age of 18; 50.3% were married couples living together; 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 31.1% were non-families. Of all households, 26.0% were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.33.

22.0% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.4 years. For every 100 females, the population had 93.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 90.4 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $62,271 (with a margin of error of +/− $3,208) and the median family income was $76,070 (+/− $2,883). Males had a median income of $49,780 (+/− $2,391) versus $40,149 (+/− $2,057) for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,812 (+/− $1,255). About 7.2% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Same-sex couples headed 243 households in 2010.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census there were 78,672 people, 30,244 households, and 20,354 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,965.2 PD/sqmi. There were 31,060 housing units at an average density of 2,749.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 66.22% White, 2.89% African American, 0.24% Native American, 6.44% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 9.60% from other races, and 4.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 19.84% of the population.

There were 30,244 households, out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% 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 3.20.

In the city the population was 21.6% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $50,619, and the median income for a family was $60,688. Males had a median income of $40,143 versus $32,090 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,638. About 4.3% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

The most common ancestry groups in Clifton as of 2000 were Italian American (17%), Polish American (13%), Irish American (9%) and German American (8%). Many Turkish, Albanian, and Ukrainian immigrants also live in Clifton. There are significant populations of Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Arabs, Filipinos, Chinese, and Indians as well.

Economy
Clifton is a diverse suburb of New York City, just over 10 miles to the West of the city. It boasts numerous national and local shopping options and countless specialty grocers and retailers. Notable local businesses in Clifton include:
 * The world headquarters of Comodo, a leading cybersecurity company, is in Clifton.
 * Rutt's Hut, a hot dog restaurant, is located at the east end of Delawana Avenue. Established in 1928, it was described by Peter Applebome of The New York Times as being "on the long shortlist of the state's esteemed hot dog palaces".
 * Clifton Commons, a shopping center located near Route 3, features numerous stores, restaurants and a 16-screen AMC movie theater, with a gross leasable area of 448,848 sqft.
 * Promenade Shops at Clifton is an upscale mall located on Route 3 West.
 * Many low-rise office buildings, containing professional tenants such as law and accounting firms and medical practices, are found on the stretch of Clifton Avenue between City Hall (at Van Houten) and Allwood Road.
 * The now defunct Linens 'n Things, a bedding and home furnishings retailer, was headquartered in Clifton before its 2009 bankruptcy.

Parks and recreation

 * Weasel Brook Park, a 19 acre county park located along the Weasel Brook, was designed by Olmsted Brothers landscaping firm. It features the Vanderhoef–Westervelt House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
 * Morris Canal Park and Jack W. Kuepfer Sr. Nature Preserve, features a small water-filled portion of the historic Morris Canal.

Local government
The city of Clifton is governed under the 1923 Municipal Manager Law. The city is one of seven municipalities (of the 564) statewide governed under this form. The governing body is the City Council, which is comprised of seven council members, with all positions elected at-large on a non-partisan basis to concurrent four-terms of office as part of the November general election. The mayor is chosen by the City Council, with the position traditionally given to the top vote getter in the previous election. Clifton's municipal elections had been held in May, as required for municipalities conducting non-partisan elections. Following the passage of a state law in 2010 allowing non-partisan elections to be shifted to November, Clifton voters were overwhelmingly in favor of the move in a non-binding referendum held in November 2013. On December 13, 2013, the Clifton City Council voted 6–0, with one abstention, to make the move to November local elections binding, which had the effect of extending the terms of all sitting council members by six months, from June 30 to December 31. Officials cited increased voter participation and reduced costs as the justifications behind supporting the shift.

As of 2023, Clifton's mayor is Raymond Grabowski, whose term of office ends December 31, 2026. He replaced James Anzaldi, who had been one of the members of the City Council since 1978, and was first selected to be mayor in 1990, succeeding two-term mayor Gloria Kolodziej. Anzaldi was the first mayor in Clifton's history to be elected to six terms. The other current members of the City Council are William "Bill" Gibson, Antonio Latona, Joseph Kolodziej, Lauren E. Murphy, Rosemary Pino, and Mary Sadrakula, all of whom are serving concurrent terms of office that end on December 31, 2026.

Grabowski's election and Council nomination as mayor ended up being considered the most contentious local political event since 1966, when the then-top vote getter, Bill Bate, the only Democrat on the Council at that time, ended up getting passed over in favor of Joseph Vanecek, as, this time around, Grabowski would only get four of the seven possible votes on the Council, as opposed to Anzaldi, who won most, if not all, of those votes unanimously, in each of his terms, with the other three votes going to newcomer Antonio Latona (Grabowski/Kolodziej/Murphy/Sadrakula voting for Grabowski; Gibson/Latona/Pino, surprisingly, voting for Latona, all despite Gibson reportedly privately considering taking enough of those votes away from Grabowski to become mayor himself as of January 2023, even though Grabowski won at the polls in November 2022 by the final margin of roughly 9,400–8,200).

Vacancies
If at any time a seat becomes vacant on the council, it is filled by special election unless the vacancy occurs during a council election year. In the interim, the council is allowed to appoint an interim councilperson to fill the seat until the election can take place (again, except when the entire council is up for election); common practice is to nominate the eighth-place candidate from the previous election.

The city has done this four times since 1990:

 * In 1992, Councilman George Bayeux died in office. That fall, Richard Stockinger was elected to take his place.
 * Stockinger became the next council member to die in office, succumbing to lung cancer in March 1996. The special election to fill his seat was won by Edward Welsh.
 * In 2006, after the new council was elected, Antonio Latona was disqualified from taking his newly elected office, as it was determined he was involved in a conflict of interest, due to his employment by the city fire department. City policy dictates that the next highest vote getter in the prior election be appointed to fill the vacancy, and thus the seat was filled by former Councilman Matthew Ward, as the candidate with the eighth highest total. The special election to fill that vacancy was held in November 2007, with Ward retaining his seat.
 * In February 2015, just after he was sworn into office for his second term, Councilman Matt Grabowski died from cancer. The council appointed Joseph Cupoli, the highest vote-getter among the previous losing candidates, to fill the seat until the November election. Raymond Grabowski, the councilman's brother, won the special election to serve out the remainder of the term.

Federal, state and county representation
Clifton is located in the 9th Congressional District, and is part of New Jersey's 27th state legislative district.

As of the state legislative elections in November 2023, Clifton will be part of the 27th Legislative District, with both Clifton and Montclair leaving the 34th, and joining Livingston, Millburn, Roseland, and West Orange in Essex County, in that Legislative District; that reapportionment decision represented compromise between state legislators in both parties - the initial Democratic plan would have kept the existing 34th District entirely intact, while the initial Republican plan would have added it to the 40th Legislative District, placing it with some of the longtime Republican-leaning municipalities in that district.

Politics
As of January 2021, there were a total of 53,555 registered voters in Clifton, of which 22,940 (42.8% vs. 31.0% countywide) were registered Democrats, 9,562 (18% vs. 18.7%) were registered Republicans, and 20,150 (37.5% vs. 50.3%) were registered Unaffiliated. There were 19 voters registered to other parties. Among the city's 2020 Census population, 52.9% (vs. 53.2% in Passaic County) were registered to vote, including 67.9% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 70.8% countywide).

In the 2020 presidential election, Democrat Joe Biden received 59% of the vote (23,930 cast), ahead of the then-President, Republican Donald Trump, with 39.7% of the vote (16,128 cast), and all other candidates with 1.3% of the vote (565 cast), among the 40,623 ballots cast by the city's 57,785 registered voters (70.3%). In the 2016 presidential election, Democrat Hillary Clinton received 60% of the vote (20,425 votes cast), ahead of Republican Donald Trump with 37% (12,620 votes cast), and all other candidates with their combined 3% (973 votes). In the 2012 presidential election, the then-President, Democrat Barack Obama, received 62.6% of the vote (18,761 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 36.3% (10,885 votes), and other candidates with 1.0% (305 votes), among the 30,261 ballots cast by the city's 47,933 registered voters (310 ballots were spoiled), for turnout of 63.1%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 18,260 votes (56.5% vs. 58.8% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 12,848 votes (39.8% vs. 37.7%) and other candidates with 334 votes (1.0% vs. 0.8%), among the 32,317 ballots cast by the city's 44,903 registered voters, for turnout of 72.0% (vs. 70.4% in Passaic County). In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 15,597 votes (52.0% vs. 53.9% countywide), ahead of the then-President, Republican George W. Bush, with 13,120 votes (43.8% vs. 42.7%), and other candidates with 228 votes (0.8% vs. 0.7%), among the 29,971 ballots cast by the city's 41,220 registered voters, for turnout of 72.7% (vs. 69.3% in the whole county).

In the 2021 gubernatorial election, the incumbent governor, Democrat Phil Murphy, received 10,240 votes cast (54%), ahead of Republican Jack Ciattarelli with 8,485 votes cast (45%), and all other candidates with 200 combined votes (1%), among the 18,925 ballots cast by the city's 53,555 registered voters (35.3%); despite Murphy winning by noticeably closer margins both locally and statewide compared to 2017, there were many more in-person votes cast once again, in contrast with 2020. In the 2017 gubernatorial election, Democrat Phil Murphy received 9,465 votes cast (61.3%), ahead of Republican Kim Guadagno with 5,655 votes cast (36.7%), and all other candidates with 315 combined votes (2%), among the 15,435 ballots cast by the city's 52,065 registered voters (30%). In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 56.0% of the vote (9,300 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 42.8% (7,100 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (200 votes), among the 16,600 ballots cast by the city's 49,230 registered voters (361 ballots were spoiled), for turnout of 34.5%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 9,080 ballots cast (49.1% vs. 50.8% countywide), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 8,220 votes (44.5% vs. 43.2%), Independent Chris Daggett with 787 votes (4.3% vs. 3.8%), and other candidates with 243 votes (1.3% vs. 0.9%), among the 18,330 ballots cast by the city's 43,800 registered voters, yielding 42.2% turnout (vs. 42.7% in the county). In the 2005 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 9,925 votes cast (56.5%), ahead of Republican Doug Forrester with 7,038 votes cast (40%), and all other candidates with 625 votes cast (3.5%), among the 17,588 ballots cast by the city's 39,878 registered voters (46%). In the 2001 gubernatorial election, Jim McGreevey, the unsuccessful Democratic nominee in 1997, received 10,015 votes cast (55.5%), ahead of Republican Bret Schundler with 7,850 votes cast (43.5%), and all other candidates with 175 combined votes (1.5%), among the 18,040 total votes cast locally in said election.

Education
The Clifton Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of 18 schools, had an enrollment of 10,514 students and 870.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.1:1. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Clifton Early Learner Academy (377 students; in grades Pre-K), School One (245; K–5), School Two (385; K–5), School Three (282; K–5), School Four (141; K–5), School Five (373; K–5), School Eight (169; Pre-K–5), School Nine (285; K–5), School Eleven (415; K–5), School Twelve (616; Pre-K–5), School Thirteen (447; K–5), School Fourteen (356; K–5), School Fifteen (310; Pre-K–5), School Sixteen (195; K–5), School Seventeen (476; Pre-K–5), Christopher Columbus Middle School (1,172; 6–8), Woodrow Wilson Middle School (1,276; 6–8) and Clifton High School (2,891; 9–12).

With more than 3,300 students enrolled in 2006, Clifton High School was the largest single-facility high school in New Jersey; Elizabeth High School had more students, but they were spread over multiple campuses before the school was split into separate academies. An additional overflow site, the Clifton High School Annex, was constructed at a cost of $17 million and opened in September 2009 to accommodate 540 of the school year's 850 incoming ninth graders to alleviate overcrowding.

Classical Academy Charter School of Clifton, a charter school founded in 1998 for Clifton residents that provides an education based on the classics to students in sixth through eighth grades, was recognized in 2008 by the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program.

Private schools in Clifton include Saint Philip Preparatory School, a K–8 elementary school that operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson. St. Andrew the Apostle School was closed after the 2017–2018 school year due to financial challenges and a decline in the number of students registering for the new school year. St. Brendan Catholic School, which opened in 1946, was closed after the 2018–2019 school year and merged with the Academy of St. James in Totowa, with the merged school to be called The Academy of St. James and St. Brendan.

Emergency services
The Clifton Police Department is a full-service department, and employs 159 sworn officers, 20 public safety telecommunicators, 12 civilian officers, and 25 part-time special officers. The department is led by Chief Thomas Rinaldi, who was named to the position in February 2020, and made full-time June 1, 2020.

The Clifton Fire Department has 143 full-time firefighters. The department operates a fleet of five engines, two ladders, and three basic life support ambulances 24/7, along with three marine rescue boats, a foam pumper and tender, light rescue truck, and haz-mat unit, which are cross staffed. The department is led by Chief Frank S. Prezioso.

Hatzolah of Passaic/Clifton EMS is a volunteer service that primarily covers the Passaic Park neighborhood of Passaic, and parts of Clifton. Hatzolah operates two ambulances strategically parked throughout the community, with a third on standby, available to assist neighboring chapters such as Union City and Elizabeth.

Roads and highways
, the city had a total of 199.94 mi of roadways, of which 145.43 mi were maintained by the municipality, 35.95 mi by Passaic County, 14.06 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 4.50 mi by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

Major roadways in the city include Route 3 (which crosses from east to west along the southern portion of the city), Route 21 (along the Passaic River), Route 19 in the city's northwest and U.S. Route 46. The Garden State Parkway crosses the city, connecting Bloomfield in Essex County to the south to Elmwood Park in Bergen County in the north. Parkway interchanges 153 (signed for Route 3 and Route 46 West) / 153A (for Route 3 East) / 153B (for Route 3 and Route 46 West), 154 (for Route 46), 155 (for Clifton) / 155P (for Passaic) and 156 (to Route 46).

Public transportation
NJ Transit trains at the Clifton station and Delawanna station follow the NJ Transit Main Line to Suffern and Hoboken Terminal. Until 1966, the Newark Branch of the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad served several stations in the town, Athenia (Colfax Avenue) and Allwood. The Newark Branch tracks are now used for freight only, operated by Norfolk Southern.

NJ Transit provides bus service on the 190, 191, 192 and 195 routes to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, to Newark on the 13, 27 and 72 routes, and local service on the 74, 702, 703, 705, 707, 709, 744 routes.

DeCamp Bus Lines provided service on the 33 and 66 routes to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, until discontinuing its commuter routes in April 2023.

In popular culture

 * The character of Rupert Pupkin in Martin Scorsese's film The King of Comedy comes from Clifton.
 * The movie Donnie Brasco, which starred Johnny Depp and Al Pacino, was filmed partially in Clifton in 1996.
 * Many scenes from The Sopranos were filmed in the town, including the Main Memorial Park and Clifton High School. The golf scenes were filmed at the Upper Montclair Country Club.
 * New York Yankee Hall of Famers Yogi Berra and Phil Rizzuto owned a bowling alley in Clifton called "Rizzuto-Berra Bowling Lanes." The alley, later known as Astro Bowl, was located in the Styertowne Shopping Center in the Allwood section of town and remained open until 1999.
 * The Upper Montclair Country Club was home to the NFL Golf Classic and the Thunderbird Classic. The Sybase Classic golf tournament was held there annually until 2009.
 * Baseball Hall of Famer Honus Wagner played his last two seasons (1896–1897) of minor league baseball for the Paterson Silk Sox. While the team was named Paterson, the team played their games at Doherty Field, located off of Main Avenue behind the Doherty Silk Mill.
 * Clifton has an old sewerage system, accessible to intrepid urban explorers and evidently not actively maintained by any municipal authority or utility, known to some as the "Gates Of Hell." The walls are full of graffiti. The Clifton "Gates of Hell" are featured in the 2003 book Weird N.J.: Your Travel Guide to New Jersey's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets, published by Weird New Jersey.

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Clifton include:
 * Jay Alford (born 1983), defensive lineman and long snapper for the Super Bowl XLII champion New York Giants
 * Nina Arianda (born 1984), film and theatrical actress
 * Greg Bajek (born 1968), retired soccer player, coach and team owner who played professionally in the American Professional Soccer League and owned a franchise in the USL Premier Development League
 * William J. Bate (1934–2011), politician who served as a state senator, assemblyman, and judge
 * Sofia Black-D'Elia (born 1991), actress; played Tea Marvelli in Skins, Sage Spence in Gossip Girl and Andrea Cornish in The Night Of
 * Jonathan Borrajo (born 1987), soccer wingback / defensive midfielder who played for the New York Red Bulls and the Norwegian team Mjøndalen IF
 * Todd Brewster, author, journalist, former Senior Editorial Producer for ABC News
 * Russ Carroccio (1931–1994), football offensive lineman who played in the NFL for the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles *
 * Rubin Carter (1937–2014), professional boxer, author, motivational speaker and activist; the subject of the Bob Dylan song "Hurricane"
 * David Chase (born 1945), creator of The Sopranos
 * Bartolo Colón (born 1973), pitcher for the New York Mets
 * Dow H. Drukker (1872–1963), represented New Jersey's 6th congressional district 1914–1919
 * Peter C. Eagler (1954–2024), politician who represented the 34th legislative district in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2002 to 2006
 * Lew Erber (1934–1990), American football coach who was offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots and won two Super Bowls with the Oakland Raiders
 * Vera Farmiga (born 1973), actress and director
 * John Feikens (1917–2011), United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
 * Hector Fonseca (born 1980), DJ and music producer
 * Dan Garrett, head football coach for Kean University Cougars football team
 * Gary Geld (born 1935), composer known for his work creating musicals and popular songs with his lyricist partner Peter Udell.
 * Richard Godwin (1922–2005), the first Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics
 * Bob Holly (born 1960), former quarterback in the NFL for the Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons
 * Jay Horwitz (born 1945), former media relations director for the New York Mets
 * Tommy James (born 1947), musician, singer / songwriter and record producer, best known for such songs as "Mony Mony" as leader of Tommy James and the Shondells
 * Father Mychal F. Judge (1933–2001), FDNY Chaplain; first official death of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center
 * Karin Korb (born 1967), retired wheelchair tennis player who twice competed at the Summer Paralympics
 * Stephen Kovacs (1972–2022), saber fencer and fencing coach, charged with sexual assault, died in prison
 * Wojtek Krakowiak (born 1976), retired Polish-American soccer midfielder who was the head coach of the Montana State University Billings women's soccer team after playing professionally in Major League Soccer
 * Garret Kramer, author and performance coach
 * Stan Lembryk (born 1969), retired professional soccer player
 * Sue Macy (born 1954), author, whose 2019 book, The Book Rescuer, won the Sydney Taylor Book Award from the Association of Jewish Libraries
 * Ernest Mario (born 1938), pharmaceutical executive
 * Ronald F. Maxwell (born 1949), movie director
 * Kayla Meneghin (born 1994) ice hockey forward who played for the Buffalo Beauts of the Premier Hockey Federation
 * Matt Miazga (born 1995), defender for Chelsea F.C. in Premier League
 * Geri Miller (born 1942), former go-go dancer and actress
 * Adam Najem (born 1995), professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for FC Edmonton and the Afghanistan national team
 * David Najem (born 1992), soccer player who plays as a midfielder for the New York Red Bulls II in the USL
 * Chris Opperman (born 1978), modern composer; performed on Steve Vai's Grammy-nominated composition "Lotus Feet"; grew up in Clifton and attended CHS
 * Jazlyn Oviedo (born 2002), footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Dominican Republic women's national team
 * Morris Pashman (1912–1999), New Jersey Supreme Court Justice
 * Angelo Paternoster (1919–2012), offensive tackle for the Washington Redskins; went on to practice dentistry in Clifton
 * Nikki Phillips (born 1987), American-born Polish soccer defender and midfielder, who has played with FC Kansas City in the National Women's Soccer League and for the Poland national team
 * Michael J. Pollard (1939–2019), character actor and comedian who played C.W. Moss in the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde, for which he received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination
 * Anthony Provenzano (1917–1988), International Brotherhood of Teamsters official and mobster who was allegedly associated with the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa
 * Pamela Radcliff (born 1956), historian and professor at the University of California at San Diego; an authority on the history of modern Spain
 * Norman M. Robertson (born 1951), politician who served on the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders and later in the New Jersey State Senate, 1997–2001
 * Giuseppe Rossi (born 1987), Italian American soccer player
 * Miriam Sandler, singer and dancer; prolific backup singer during the 1990s for Latin pop artists such as Jon Secada and Gloria Estefan
 * Jon Seda (born 1970), actor best known for his roles in NBC's Homicide: Life on the Street and the movie Selena
 * James P. Shenton (1925–2003), historian of nineteenth-and twentieth-century America and professor at Columbia University
 * Steve Smith (born 1985), wide receiver for the New York Football Giants
 * Jimmy Snuka (1943–2017), professional wrestler
 * William Staub (1915–2012), inventor of the home treadmill
 * Gloria Struck (born 1925), Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductee
 * Walt Szot (1920–1981), football tackle who played five seasons in the National Football League with the Chicago Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers
 * Dave Szott (born 1967), former NFL offensive lineman who played for the New York Jets
 * Patricia Travers (1927–2010), classical violinist
 * Paul L. Troast (1894–1972), building contractor, chairman of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority during its construction, and one-time failed gubernatorial candidate in 1953
 * Joe Lynn Turner (born 1951), singer
 * Lawrence Tynes (born 1978), former NFL kicker who played for the New York Giants
 * Dave White (born 1979), Derringer Award-winning mystery author and educator
 * Ivan Wilzig (born 1956), techno musician
 * Gerald H. Zecker (born 1942), member of the New Jersey General Assembly; mayor of Clifton 1978–1982
 * Rachel Zegler (born 2001), actress starring in Stephen Spielberg's film adaptation of West Side Story

title: Clifton, New Jersey


text:
Haledon, New Jersey

Haledon is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 9,052, an increase of 734 (+8.8%) from the 2010 census count of 8,318,  which in turn reflected an increase of 66 (+0.8%) from the 8,252 counted in the 2000 census.

Haledon was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 8, 1908, replacing the now-defunct Manchester Township, based on the results of a referendum held on May 21, 1908.

History
Haledon developed along the northern side of the industrial city of Paterson. It was settled by farmers with colonial Dutch heritage including the Van Riper, Berdan, Banta, Post and Zabriskie families. Prior to the Civil War they were joined by the Roe, Leonhard and Stansfield families, who helped establish St. Mary's Episcopal Church and leading businesses including a general store and the Leonhard Wax Company.

The area became a streetcar suburb of Paterson in the years following the Civil War, with the central area known as Haledon, while the area surrounding the large pond along High Mountain Road was called Oldham. The Paterson and Haledon Horse Rail Road Company, formed in 1871, laid trolley tracks from Paterson along the current-day Belmont Avenue, which were electrified by 1888.

Many of the trolley company's owners were among the founders of the Cedar Cliff Land Company, which bought up large portions of the area, and the street names in the borough reflect these industrialists and businessmen: Morrissee, Hoxey, Van Dyke, John Ryle and Barbour.

The flat, lower part of the community was laid out in city-sized lots of 25 by, while the hillsides were plated as sites for larger Victorian "villas" for such individuals as Vice President Garret A. Hobart (now the location of William Paterson University) and the Barbour family of linen flax manufacturers. Haledon's villa development was rather limited and throughout much of the 20th century Haledon was a typical blue-collar community set by the small property sizes planned by the Cedar Cliff Land Company.

A never-constructed grand hotel was planned for the highest point of the community above the intersection of the current day Central and West Haledon Avenues. The Cedar Cliff Land Company ran newspaper advertisements targeted at upwardly mobile immigrants who worked in Paterson's silk industry, offering the city-sized lots for sale at auctions (with free lunches and brass bands) held at St. Mary's Parish Hall, and also opened the Cedar Cliff Silk Mill, which became one of several silk mills in the community.

The residential appeal of Haledon was to escape the crowded industrial city and still have access to the textile mills by using the trolley. As a result of the land sales of Cedar Cliff Land Company and of independent landowner William Buschmann, the town was settled by immigrants who came as skilled workers from textile centers in Europe.

Paramount Dining Car Company was based in Haledon, and built many of New Jersey's iconic stainless steel modular diners, including White Manna in Hackensack and Rosie's Diner that was once on Route 46 in Little Ferry.

Haledon was incorporated in 1908, having been the Oldham district of the former Passaic County municipality of Manchester Township.

Socialist William Bruekmann was elected mayor in 1912 by the borough's immigrant resident base of skilled silk workers. During the 1913 Paterson silk strike, Haledon's mayor offered the strikers the opportunity to hold meetings in Haledon, as worker meetings were prohibited in Paterson. The Pietro and Maria Botto House, located on the side of a hill surrounded by open spaces, provided a natural amphitheater for labor leaders of the day to address thousands of people who gathered to hear Big Bill Haywood, Carlo Tresca, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn and John Reed. The Botto House is now a National Historic Landmark and the home of the American Labor Museum.

In 2008, Councilman Alan Souto, at the time an officer with the Passaic County Sheriff's Department, was arrested for stealing heroin and cocaine from the evidence room from the sheriff's department in order to distribute narcotics, amounting to over $250,000. After being found guilty, he was sentenced to 85 months in federal prison in May 2009. Souto was replaced in April 2008 by Marc Battle, a commercial litigator and former civil rights attorney.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.22 square miles (3.15 km2), including 1.22 square miles (3.15 km2) of land and <0.01 square miles (<0.01 km2) of water (0.08%). The borough is home of a Passaic River inlet known as Molly Ann Brook.

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Bridges Pond and Valley View.

The borough borders the Passaic County communities of North Haledon, Paterson, Prospect Park, Totowa and Wayne.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 8,318 people, 2,778 households, and 2,028 families in the borough. The population density was 7,203.9 per square mile (2,781.4/km2). There were 2,932 housing units at an average density of 2,539.3 per square mile (980.4/km2). The racial makeup was 62.38% (5,189) White, 11.77% (979) Black or African American, 0.53% (44) Native American, 6.35% (528) Asian, 0.10% (8) Pacific Islander, 14.72% (1,224) from other races, and 4.16% (346) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 41.60% (3,460) of the population.

Of the 2,778 households, 39.0% had children under the age of 18; 44.1% were married couples living together; 22.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 27.0% were non-families. Of all households, 21.2% were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.48.

26.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 88.3 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $58,049 (with a margin of error of +/− $11,220) and the median family income was $65,833 (+/− $15,887). Males had a median income of $36,204 (+/− $9,406) versus $45,211 (+/− $6,778) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $20,317 (+/− $4,090). About 3.3% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.

Same-sex couples headed 20 households in 2010, an increase from the 13 counted in 2000.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census there were 8,252 people, 2,820 households, and 1,974 families residing in the borough. The population density was 7,111.4 PD/sqmi. There were 2,906 housing units at an average density of 2,504.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the borough was 73.59% White, 7.09% African American, 0.17% Native American, 4.57% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 10.09% from other races, and 4.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 22.60% of the population.

In the 2000 Census, 2.6% of Haledon's residents identified themselves as being of Arab American ancestry. This was the 11th-highest percentage of Arab American people in any place in the United States with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.

There were 2,820 households, out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.41.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $45,599, and the median income for a family was $49,014. Males had a median income of $37,143 versus $29,830 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $19,099. About 6.2% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.9% of those under age 18 and 20.8% of those age 65 or over.

Local government
Haledon is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) 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 Haledon 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 the Borough of Haledon is Democrat Michael Johnson the first African American to be elected to the office of mayor, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2026, and who first came to office when he defeated 16-year incumbent Domenick Stampone in November 2022. Members of the Haledon Borough Council are Carlos Aymat (D, 2024), Nereyda Curiel (D, 2025), James Iza (D, 2025; appointed to serve an unexpired term), Junior A. Morris (D, 2023), Mohammad M. Ramadan (D, 2023) and Aleksandra Tasic (D, 2024).

In January 2023, the council selected Mounir Almaita, who had just been re-elected to serve a three-year term on council, to fill the position as administrator / clerk for the borough. James Iza was appointed to fill the vacant council seat expiring in December 2025 that had been held by Almaita; Iza will serve on an interim basis until the November 2023 general election, when voters will choose a candidate to serve the balance of the term of office.

In December 2015, the borough council appointed Nereyda Curiel to fill the term expiring in December 2016 that had been held by Maha Kandis until her resignation in October after serving three terms on the council; Curiel served on an interim basis until the November 2016 general election, when she was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.

In the 2014 general election, 22-year-old Tahsina Ahmed was elected to the borough council, making her the first Bangladeshi-American woman elected into office in the United States.

Federal, state and county representation
Haledon is located in the 9th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 35th state legislative district.

Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 4,289 registered voters in Haledon, of which 1,763 (41.1% vs. 31.0% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 692 (16.1% vs. 18.7%) were registered as Republicans and 1,834 (42.8% vs. 50.3%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties. Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 51.6% (vs. 53.2% in Passaic County) were registered to vote, including 70.0% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 70.8% countywide).

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 73.7% of the vote (2,142 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 25.3% (735 votes), and other candidates with 1.0% (29 votes), among the 2,935 ballots cast by the borough's 4,689 registered voters (29 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 62.6%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 1,973 votes (66.8% vs. 58.8% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 858 votes (29.0% vs. 37.7%) and other candidates with 31 votes (1.0% vs. 0.8%), among the 2,955 ballots cast by the borough's 4,364 registered voters, for a turnout of 67.7% (vs. 70.4% in Passaic County). In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 1,666 votes (59.0% vs. 53.9% countywide), ahead of Republican George W. Bush with 1,047 votes (37.1% vs. 42.7%) and other candidates with 26 votes (0.9% vs. 0.7%), among the 2,825 ballots cast by the borough's 3,982 registered voters, for a turnout of 70.9% (vs. 69.3% in the whole county).

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Democrat Barbara Buono received 54.9% of the vote (858 cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 43.8% (684 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (20 votes), among the 1,609 ballots cast by the borough's 4,783 registered voters (47 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 33.6%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 957 ballots cast (57.9% vs. 50.8% countywide), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 598 votes (36.2% vs. 43.2%), Independent Chris Daggett with 63 votes (3.8% vs. 3.8%) and other candidates with 16 votes (1.0% vs. 0.9%), among the 1,653 ballots cast by the borough's 4,235 registered voters, yielding a 39.0% turnout (vs. 42.7% in the county).

Education
The Haledon School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade at Haledon Public School. As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 1,020 students and 96.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.6:1.

For ninth through twelfth grades, public school students attend Manchester Regional High School, which serves students from Haledon, North Haledon, and Prospect Park. The school is located in Haledon. The Manchester district participates in the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program, which allows non-resident students to attend the district's schools without cost to their parents, with tuition paid by the state. Available slots are announced annually by grade. As of the 2021–22 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 748 students and 65.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.4:1. Seats on the high school district's nine-member board of education are allocated based on the population of the constituent districts, with three seats assigned to Haledon.

Roads and highways
, the borough had a total of 17.73 mi of roadways, of which 11.71 mi were maintained by the municipality and 6.02 mi by Passaic County.

The only significant road passing through Haledon is County Route 504, which enters from Wayne, follows Pompton Road and Haledon Avenue eastward through the borough, then exits into Prospect Park and Paterson.

Public transportation
NJ Transit provides local bus service on the 703, 744 and the 748 routes.

In popular culture
Musical groups from Haledon include the rock band The Feelies.

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Haledon include:
 * John C. Barbour (1895–1962), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1929 to 1932 and in the New Jersey Senate from 1933 to 1936
 * Bruce Baumgartner (born 1960), two-time Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling, three-time World champion, and record holder for most World or Olympic level medals won by an American wrestler with 13
 * Bennie Borgmann (1900–1978), early pro basketball player inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1961
 * Jennie Tuttle Hobart (1849–1941), wife of the former U.S. Vice President Garret Hobart
 * Bruce Huther (born 1954), former NFL linebacker who won Super Bowl XII while with the Dallas Cowboys
 * Alex Morales (born 1997), college basketball player for the Wagner Seahawks

Points of interest

 * The Pietro and Maria Botto House has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The house is home of the American Labor Museum, which tells the story of Italian immigration in the area, and of the Paterson Silk Strike of 1913.
 * Kossuth Street School, constructed in 1894, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Haledon, New Jersey


text:
Hawthorne, New Jersey

Hawthorne is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 19,637, an increase of 846 (+4.5%) from the 2010 census count of 18,791,  which in turn reflected an increase of 573 (+3.1%) from the 18,218 counted in the 2000 census.

Hawthorne was originally part of the now-defunct Manchester Township, which was later subdivided to create Hawthorne, Haledon, North Haledon, Prospect Park, Totowa, The Heights/Columbia Heights District of Fair Lawn and most of the First Ward of Paterson. The Borough of Hawthorne was incorporated from portions of Manchester Township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 24, 1898. The borough was named for novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, Hawthorne borough had a total area of 3.35 mi2, including 3.32 mi2 of land and 0.03 mi2 of water (0.90%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Goffle, North Hawthorne and Van Winkle.

The borough borders North Haledon, Prospect Park, and Paterson in Passaic County; and Fair Lawn, Glen Rock, Ridgewood and Wyckoff in Bergen County.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 18,791 people, 7,454 households, and 4,949 families in the borough. The population density was 5635.3 /sqmi. There were 7,756 housing units at an average density of 2326.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 88.62% (16,652) White, 2.27% (426) Black or African American, 0.21% (40) Native American, 2.82% (530) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 4.28% (804) from other races, and 1.80% (339) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.42% (2,897) of the population.

Of the 7,454 households, 29.5% had children under the age of 18; 50.7% were married couples living together; 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present and 33.6% were non-families. Of all households, 27.6% were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.12.

21.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 92.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 89.4 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $72,985 (with a margin of error of +/− $6,585) and the median family income was $83,136 (+/− $7,364). Males had a median income of $64,906 (+/− $7,150) versus $44,641 (+/− $2,852) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $33,872 (+/− $1,921). About 4.9% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Same-sex couples headed 48 households in 2010, a 50% increase from the 32 counted in 2000.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census there were 18,218 people, 7,260 households, and 4,929 families residing in the borough. The population density was 5,364.9 /sqmi. There were 7,419 housing units at an average density of 2,184.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the borough was 93.75% White, 0.75% African American, 0.14% Native American, 1.89% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.58% from other races, and 1.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.43% of the population.

There were 7,260 households, out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 21.8% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $55,340, and the median income for a family was $65,451. Males had a median income of $46,270 versus $33,277 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $26,551. About 2.6% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Local government
The Borough of Hawthorne is governed under the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, within the Mayor-Council system of municipal government. The township is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government. The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the seven-member borough council. A Charter Study Commission, formed in the 1980s after two major commercial businesses left the borough, led to a recommendation for the adoption of a mayor–council form in which there are four wards to give residents a representative in each area of the community, in addition to a mayor and two at-large members of the borough council, all of whom are directly elected by residents, with all members of the governing body serving four-year terms of office. After residents approved the commission's recommendations, the first election under the mayor–council form was held in 1989. The four ward seats are up for vote together and the three at-large seats and the mayoral position up for vote together two years later. All elections are held on a partisan basis as part of the November general election.

, the Mayor of the Borough of Hawthorne is Republican John V. Lane, whose term of office ends December 31, 2025. Members of the Hawthorne Borough Council are Bruce A. Bennett (R, at-large, 2025), Rayna Laiosa (R, Ward 2, 2023), Frank E. Matthews (R, Ward 4, 2023), Dominic Mele (R, at-large, 2025), Ann Marie Sasso (R, at-large, 2025), Michael Sciarra (R, Ward 3, 2023; elected to serve an unexpired term) and Joseph R. Wojtecki (D, Ward 1, 2023).

In January 2020, the borough council appointed Michael Sciarra to fill the Ward 3 expiring in December 2023 that had been won by Garret G. Sinning, who died two weeks after winning re-election; Sciarra served on an interim basis until the November 2020 general election, when voters chose him to serve the balance of the term of office.

On July 29, 2008, former mayor Patrick Botbyl announced he would resign effective August 15, 2008. A special election was held on November 4, 2008, in which Republican Richard Goldberg defeated Democrat Joseph Wojtecki to become the mayor of Hawthorne for the remainder of Botbyl's term.

Emergency services
The Hawthorne Police Department is Led by its Chief James W. Knepper, who oversees two Captains, six Lieutenants, six Sergeants, 18 patrol and traffic officers and three detectives. The Police Headquarters is located at 445 Lafayette Avenue. The police department maintains several special units including K-9, motorcycle, quality of life, education and firearms. The department runs many community programs such as the Junior Police Academy, Citizen's Police Academy, ROAR Education, and a high school Criminal Justice program.

The Hawthorne Volunteer Fire Department, established in 1916, is an all-volunteer department, which maintains five stations. HFD staffs three Engines (Engine 1, Engine 3, Engine 4), one Platform Aerial (Tower 2), and a Heavy Rescue (Rescue 5). HFD has one Department Chief and five Assistant Chiefs. The Fire Department Headquarters is located at 828 Lafayette Avenue.

The Hawthorne Volunteer Ambulance Corps is an independent non-profit corporation dedicated to providing emergency medical services (EMS) to the Borough of Hawthorne and surrounding communities since 1932. HVAC maintains three full-size BLS units, one First Responder/Command Vehicle, and one chief's vehicle. The EMS Headquarters is located at 970 Goffle Road.

The Passaic County S.P.C.A. Humane Police Department is a law enforcement agency that is specifically empowered to enforce animal cruelty laws throughout Passaic County. Operating since the 1890s, the Passaic County S.P.C.A. relocated to Hawthorne in October 2017. The PCSPCA Humane Police Department maintains two black and white patrol vehicles. PCSPCA Headquarters is located at 794 Lafayette Avenue.

Federal, state and county representation
Hawthorne is located in the 9th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 40th state legislative district.

Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 12,060 registered voters in Hawthorne, of which 2,938 (24.4% vs. 31.0% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 3,934 (32.6% vs. 18.7%) were registered as Republicans and 5,181 (43.0% vs. 50.3%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 7 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens. Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 64.2% (vs. 53.2% in Passaic County) were registered to vote, including 81.7% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 70.8% countywide).

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 49.9% of the vote (4,195 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 48.9% (4,114 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (101 votes), among the 8,480 ballots cast by the borough's 12,679 registered voters (70 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 66.9%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 4,618 votes (50.6% vs. 37.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 4,256 votes (46.6% vs. 58.8%) and other candidates with 78 votes (0.9% vs. 0.8%), among the 9,132 ballots cast by the borough's 12,101 registered voters, for a turnout of 75.5% (vs. 70.4% in Passaic County). In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 4,614 votes (52.7% vs. 42.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 3,863 votes (44.1% vs. 53.9%) and other candidates with 52 votes (0.6% vs. 0.7%), among the 8,753 ballots cast by the borough's 11,624 registered voters, for a turnout of 75.3% (vs. 69.3% in the whole county).

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 62.0% of the vote (3,385 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 36.9% (2,015 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (63 votes), among the 5,586 ballots cast by the borough's 12,874 registered voters (123 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 43.4%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 3,139 votes (53.7% vs. 43.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 2,324 votes (39.8% vs. 50.8%), Independent Chris Daggett with 265 votes (4.5% vs. 3.8%) and other candidates with 36 votes (0.6% vs. 0.9%), among the 5,844 ballots cast by the borough's 11,836 registered voters, yielding a 49.4% turnout (vs. 42.7% in the county).

Education
The Hawthorne Public Schools serve public school students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of five schools, had an enrollment of 2,323 students and 200.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.6:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Jefferson Elementary School (288 students; in grades K–5), Roosevelt Elementary School (523; Pre-K–5), Washington Elementary School (270; K–5), Lincoln Middle School (521; 6–8) and Hawthorne High School (688; 9–12).

St. Anthony School, a K–8 Catholic school that opened in 1912, operates under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson. Hawthorne Christian Academy is an interdenominational evangelical Christian school established in 1981 by the Hawthorne Gospel Church, serving students in preschool through twelfth grade.

Roads and highways
, the borough had a total of 61.77 mi of roadways, of which 47.63 mi were maintained by the municipality, 12.45 mi by Passaic County and 1.69 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Several major roadways pass through the borough. Route 208 is the main state highway serving Hawthorne. Other significant roads passing through Hawthorne include County Route 504.

Public transportation
NJ Transit provides train service at the Hawthorne station providing service on the Main Line to Secaucus Junction and Hoboken Terminal.

NJ Transit provides bus service on the 148 route to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, with local service on the 722 route.

Community
Hawthorne is home to the Hawthorne Caballeros Drum and Bugle Corps, which was founded in 1946 and competes as an all-age corps in Drum Corps Associates, Headquartered at Hawthorne's American Legion Post 199, the Hawthorne Caballeros have won six world championships and more than a dozen state titles.

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Hawthorne include:
 * Bennie Borgmann (1898–1978), professional baseball and basketball player and coach who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
 * Maurice Carthon (born 1961), former running back for the New York Giants
 * Fulvio Cecere (born 1960), actor
 * Beth Fowler (born 1940), actress
 * Maria Mazziotti Gillan (born 1940), poet, professor and editor; winner of an American Book Award (2008)
 * John Girgenti (born 1947), New Jersey State Senator from the 35th Legislative District
 * Debbie Harry (born 1945), rock and roll musician who originally gained fame as the front-woman for the new wave band Blondie
 * Don La Greca (born 1968), co-host of ESPN New York's The Michael Kay Show
 * Dale Memmelaar (born 1937), offensive lineman who played in the NFL from 1959 through 1967
 * Russ Meneve, stand-up comedian
 * Roberta Naas (born 1958), journalist
 * Ivan Sergei (born 1972), television actor
 * Edwin J. Vandenberg (1918–2005), polymer chemist at Hercules Inc. and a researcher at Arizona State University
 * C. Alfred Voegeli (1904–1984), bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti, serving from 1943 to 1971

title: Hawthorne, New Jersey


text:
Little Falls, New Jersey

Little Falls is a township in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township was named for a waterfall on the Passaic River at a dam near Beattie Mill. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 13,360, a decrease of 1,072 (−7.4%) from the 2010 census count of 14,432,  which in turn reflected an increase of 3,577 (+33.0%) from the 10,855 counted in the 2000 census.

History
Little Falls traces its first European settlement to 1711 when seven Bergen Dutch settlers banded together to begin farming. The Speer Homestead dates from c. 1785 (and may have originally been built in 1680).

The Morris Canal, once an important artery of trade and transportation until 1925 between the Delaware and Hudson rivers, wound its way through the township and vestiges of it still remain, some parts of which are a greenway.

Little Falls was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 2, 1868, from portions of Acquackanonk Township. On March 25, 1914, portions of the township were taken to form the borough of West Paterson (now Woodland Park).

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 2.87 square miles (7.43 km2), including 2.80 square miles (7.24 km2) of land and 0.07 square miles (0.19 km2) of water (2.54%).

Singac (with a 2010 Census population of 3,618 ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Little Falls Township.

The township has three main sub-divisions. Great Notch is the easternmost part of Little Falls. The downtown area is frequently referred to as "The Center of Town", mainly by longtime residents, and is usually referred to as simply Little Falls. Singac is in the westernmost portion of the township. Much of Singac borders the Passaic River.

Little Falls is bordered by the municipalities of Clifton, Totowa, Wayne, and Woodland Park in Passaic County, and Cedar Grove, Fairfield, Montclair, and North Caldwell in Essex County. It is located about 15 mi west of New York City.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 14,432 people, 4,740 households, and 2,825 families in the township. The population density was 5276.2 /sqmi. There were 4,925 housing units at an average density of 1800.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 86.68% (12,510) White, 4.11% (593) Black or African American, 0.15% (22) Native American, 4.56% (658) Asian, 0.01% (1) Pacific Islander, 2.38% (344) from other races, and 2.11% (304) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.89% (1,428) of the population.

Of the 4,740 households, 22.8% had children under the age of 18; 45.8% were married couples living together; 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present and 40.4% were non-families. Of all households, 33.1% were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.04.

13.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 29.4% from 18 to 24, 21.0% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 81.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 78.2 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $78,318 (with a margin of error of +/− $8,244) and the median family income was $92,462 (+/− $12,925). Males had a median income of $67,585 (+/− $7,860) versus $42,270 (+/− $3,385) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $34,505 (+/− $3,336). About 4.7% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.1% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

Same-sex couples headed 42 households in 2010, an increase from the 33 counted in 2000.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census there were 10,855 people, 4,687 households, and 2,873 families residing in the township. The population density was 3,941.8 PD/sqmi. There were 4,797 housing units at an average density of 1,742.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the township was 92.13% white, 0.65% African American, 0.06% Native American, 4.20% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.33% from other races, and 1.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.33% of the population.

There were 4,687 households, out of which 22.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.7% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the township, the population was spread out, with 18.1% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $58,857, and the median income for a family was $70,223. Males had a median income of $49,136 versus $37,727 for females. The per capita income for the township was $33,242. About 2.8% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Mountain View Diners Company operated from 1939 to 1957, manufacturing a total of 400 prefabricated diners that were shipped nationwide.

Parks and recreation
Montclair State University Ice Arena, is an ice rink which is located on the grounds of Montclair State University and is host to its ice hockey club. The facility also hosts other hockey leagues and teams and other on-ice sports.

Sports
The New Jersey Jackals of the Frontier League played at Yogi Berra Stadium, located in Little Falls, on the campus of Montclair State University. For the 2023 season, the team relocated to Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson.

Local government
Effective January 1, 2005, the form of government in Little Falls was changed (based on the results of a public referendum passed in November 2003) to the Mayor-Council form authorized by the Faulkner Act. The township is one of 71 (of the 564) municipalities statewide that use this form of government. The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the five-member Township Council. Voters directly elect the mayor and the five township council members to four-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either three seats or two seats (together with the mayoral seat) up for election in even-numbered years as part of the November general election. For most of its history, until 2003, Little Falls had been governed under the Township form of government by a township committee consisting of five committee members elected by the voters. Under this system, a chairman (mayor) and deputy-chair (deputy mayor) were selected annually by the Township Committee members.

, the mayor of Little Falls is Democrat James Belford Damiano, whose term of office ends December 31, 2024. Members of the Township Council are Council President Anthony Sgobba (D, 2024), Christine Hablitz (D, 2024), Michael Murphy (R, 2026), Jayna Patel (R, 2026) and Christopher Vancheri (D, 2026).

In January 2017, Democrat Chris Vancheri was appointed to fill the council seat expiring in December 2018 that was vacated by James Damiano when he took office as mayor. In April 2017, Republican Marc Benitez was appointed to fill a vacant seat expiring in December 2018 that had been held by Joseph Maceri until he resigned after moving out of the township. In the November 2017 general election, Vancheri was elected to serve the balance of Damiano’s term of office and Democrat Tanya Seber defeated Benitez for Maceri’s unexpired seat. When Seber was sworn into office, it marked the first time in township history that all of the township's elected officials were Democrats.

Darlene Post (who returned to using her maiden name of Conti as of January 2015 ) won election to a full four-year term as mayor in the 2012 general election, along with all three of her Republican running mates for Township Council; Louis Fontana, Pamela Porter, and Joseph Rento (who won the balance of an unexpired term of office).

Federal, state and county representation
Little Falls is located in the 11th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 40th state legislative district.

Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 7,632 registered voters in Little Falls, of which 2,084 (27.3% vs. 31.0% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,800 (23.6% vs. 18.7%) were registered as Republicans and 3,745 (49.1% vs. 50.3%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 3 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens. Among the township's 2010 Census population, 52.9% (vs. 53.2% in Passaic County) were registered to vote, including 61.3% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 70.8% countywide).

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 52.9% of the vote (3,190 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 46.1% (2,780 votes), and other candidates with 1.0% (62 votes), among the 6,086 ballots cast by the township's 9,118 registered voters (54 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 66.7%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 2,908 votes (49.5% vs. 37.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 2,734 votes (46.5% vs. 58.8%) and other candidates with 65 votes (1.1% vs. 0.8%), among the 5,879 ballots cast by the township's 7,835 registered voters, for a turnout of 75.0% (vs. 70.4% in Passaic County). In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 2,994 votes (50.6% vs. 42.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 2,723 votes (46.0% vs. 53.9%) and other candidates with 47 votes (0.8% vs. 0.7%), among the 5,921 ballots cast by the township's 7,798 registered voters, for a turnout of 75.9% (vs. 69.3% in the whole county).

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 60.7% of the vote (2,165 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 38.0% (1,355 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (44 votes), among the 3,615 ballots cast by the township's 9,689 registered voters (51 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 37.3%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,936 votes (51.3% vs. 43.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 1,577 votes (41.8% vs. 50.8%), Independent Chris Daggett with 183 votes (4.8% vs. 3.8%) and other candidates with 39 votes (1.0% vs. 0.9%), among the 3,775 ballots cast by the township's 7,552 registered voters, yielding a 50.0% turnout (vs. 42.7% in the county).

Education
For public school, students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade are educated by the Little Falls Township Public Schools. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 865 students and 94.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.1:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Little Falls School #2 with 301 students in grades Pre-K–2, Little Falls School #3 with 184 students in grades 3–4 and Little Falls School #1 with 376 students in grades 5–8.

For ninth through twelfth grades, students in public school attend Passaic Valley Regional High School, which also serves students from Totowa and Woodland Park. The school facility is located in Little Falls. As of the 2018–19 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,186 students and 102.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.6:1. Seats on the high school district's nine-member board of education are allocated based on the population of the constituent municipalities, with three seats each assigned Little Falls, Totowa and Woodland Park.

Most of Montclair State University is located in Little Falls. During 2011, the university employed 66 residents on a full or part-time basis, who earned almost $3.5 million in total compensation.

Roads and highways
, the township had a total of 37.65 mi of roadways, of which 24.55 mi were maintained by the municipality, 10.87 mi by Passaic County and 2.23 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Little Falls is crisscrossed by several major roadways, including U.S. Route 46 and New Jersey Route 23. The Garden State Parkway and Interstate 80 run near the municipality. There are numerous crossings of the Upper Passaic River in town.

Public transportation
The Little Falls station and Montclair State University station of NJ Transit both serve Little Falls, offering service on the Montclair-Boonton Line to Hoboken Terminal in Hoboken, or from Montclair State University Station on Midtown Direct trains to New York City's Pennsylvania Station in Midtown Manhattan via the Secaucus Junction. The township was formerly served by the Great Notch station until NJ Transit closed it in January 2010 because of low ridership.

NJ Transit bus transportation is offered to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 191, 194 and 195 routes. Newark, New Jersey, is served by routes 11 and 28 (on Saturdays and Sundays). Local routes are the 704 and 705 lines. In September 2012, as part of budget cuts, NJ Transit suspended service to Newark on the 75 line.

Little Falls is approximately 21 mi from Newark Liberty International Airport and approximately 27 mi from LaGuardia Airport in Flushing, Queens, New York.

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Little Falls include:
 * David Blaine (born 1973), illusionist
 * Tommy Breen (born 1981), sideshow performer and impresario.
 * Frank DeCaro (born 1962), author and television personality
 * Bobby Marks (born 1973), former National Basketball Association assistant general manager of the Brooklyn Nets
 * Lloyd B. Marsh (1893–1971), politician who served as Secretary of State of New Jersey and Chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee
 * Kit McClure (born 1951), saxophonist, trombonist and bandleader
 * Leonard Schoonmaker (1882–1950), fencer who competed in the individual foil and épée events at the 1920 Summer Olympics
 * Franklin E. Sigler (1924–1995), U.S. Marine who was the recipient of the congressional Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Iwo Jima
 * Robert Crooks Stanley (1876–1951), former chairman and president of International Nickel Company, known for discovering the alloy Monel
 * Grif Teller (1899–1993), artist known for his paintings for the Pennsylvania Railroad
 * Lois Utz (1932–1986), children's author
 * Vikki Ziegler (born c. 1972), lawyer and author who was the focus of the reality television show Untying the Knot

In popular culture

 * A delicatessen on Main Street in Little Falls was featured in the episode "House Arrest" from the second season of television series The Sopranos.
 * The township was well known for the Colonial Inn, a hotel and lounge where comedian Jackie Gleason performed stand-up in the 1930s.
 * The township is also mentioned in the Jonas Brothers documentary Chasing Happiness (2019). The family moved there in 2005 and the brothers wrote many of the songs included on their first album in their Little Falls home.

title: Little Falls, New Jersey


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Phonograph cylinder

Phonograph cylinders (also referred to as Edison cylinders after its creator Thomas Edison) are the earliest commercial medium for recording and reproducing sound. Commonly known simply as "records" in their heyday (c. 1896–1916), a name which has been passed on to their disc-shaped successor, these hollow cylindrical objects have an audio recording engraved on the outside surface which can be reproduced when they are played on a mechanical cylinder phonograph. The first cylinders were wrapped with tin foil but the improved version made of wax was created a decade later, after which they were commercialized. In the 1910s, the competing disc record system triumphed in the marketplace to become the dominant commercial audio medium.

Early development
In December 1877, Thomas Edison and his team invented the phonograph using a thin sheet of tin foil wrapped around a hand-cranked, grooved metal cylinder. Tin foil was not a practical recording medium for either commercial or artistic purposes, and the crude hand-cranked phonograph was only marketed as a novelty, to little or no profit. Edison moved on to developing a practical incandescent electric light, and the next improvements to sound recording technology were made by others.

Following seven years of research and experimentation at their Volta Laboratory, Charles Sumner Tainter, Alexander Graham Bell, and Chichester Bell introduced wax as the recording medium, and engraving, rather than indenting, as the recording method. In 1887, their "Graphophone" system was being put to the test of practical use by official reporters of the US Congress, with commercial units later being produced by the Dictaphone Corporation. After this system was demonstrated to Edison's representatives, Edison quickly resumed work on the phonograph. He settled on a thicker all-wax cylinder, the surface of which could be repeatedly shaved down for reuse. Both the Graphophone and Edison's "Perfected Phonograph" were commercialized in 1888. Eventually, a patent-sharing agreement was signed, and the wax-coated cardboard tubes were abandoned in favor of Edison's all-wax cylinders as an interchangeable standard format.

Beginning in 1889, prerecorded wax cylinders were marketed. These have professionally made recordings of songs, instrumental music or humorous monologues in their grooves. At first, the only customers for them were proprietors of nickelodeons—the first jukeboxes—installed in arcades and taverns, but within a few years, private owners of phonographs were increasingly buying them for home use. Unlike later, shorter-playing high-speed cylinders, early cylinder recordings were usually cut at a speed of about 120 rpm and can play for as long as three minutes. They were made of a relatively soft wax formulation and would wear out after they were played a few dozen times. The buyer could then use a mechanism which left their surfaces shaved smooth so new recordings could be made on them. Cylinder machines of the late 1880s and the 1890s were usually sold with recording attachments. The ability to record as well as play back sound was an advantage of cylinder phonographs over the competition from cheaper disc record phonographs, which began to be mass-marketed at the end of the 1890s, as the disc system machines could be used only to play back prerecorded sound.

In the earliest stages of phonograph manufacturing, various incompatible, competing types of cylinder recordings were made. A standard system was decided upon by Edison Records, Columbia Phonograph, and other companies in the late 1880s. The standard cylinders are about 4 in long, 2+1/4 in in diameter, and play about two minutes of recorded material.

Originally, all cylinders sold needed to be recorded live on the softer brown wax, which wore out after as few as 20 plays. Later cylinders were reproduced either mechanically or by linking phonographs together with rubber tubes.

Over the years, the type of wax used in cylinders was improved and hardened, so that cylinders could be played with good quality over 100 times. In 1902, Edison Records launched a line of improved, hard wax cylinders marketed as "Edison Gold Moulded Records". The major development of this line of cylinders is that Edison had developed a process that allowed a mold to be made from a master cylinder, which then permitted the production of several hundred cylinders to be made from the mold. The process was labeled "Gold Moulded" because of the gold vapor that was given off by gold electrodes used in the process.

Commercial packaging
The earliest soft wax cylinders were sold wrapped in thick cotton batting. Later, molded hard-wax cylinders were sold in boxes with a cotton lining. Celluloid cylinders were sold in unlined boxes. These protective boxes were normally kept and used to house the cylinders after purchase. Their general appearance allowed bandleader John Philip Sousa to deride their contents as "canned music", an epithet he borrowed from Mark Twain.

Hard plastic cylinders
On March 20, 1900, Thomas B. Lambert was granted a US patent (645,920) that described a process for mass-producing cylinders made from celluloid, an early hard plastic. (Henri Jules Lioret of France was producing celluloid cylinders as early as 1893, but they were individually recorded rather than molded.) That same year, the Lambert Company of Chicago began selling cylinder records made of the material. They would not break if dropped and could be played thousands of times without wearing out. The color was changed to black in 1903, but brown and blue cylinders were also produced. The coloring was purportedly because the dyes reduced surface noise. Unlike wax, the hard, inflexible material could not be shaved and recorded over, but it had the advantage of being nearly permanent.

This superior technology was licensed by the Indestructible Record Company in 1906 and Columbia Phonograph Company in 1908. The Edison Bell company in Europe had separately licensed the technology and were able to market Edison's titles in both wax (popular series) and celluloid (indestructible series).

In late 1908, Edison had introduced wax cylinders that played for nominally four minutes (instead of the usual two) under the Amberol brand. They were made from a harder (and more fragile) form of wax to withstand the smaller stylus used to play them. The longer playing time was achieved by reducing the groove size and placing them half as far apart. In 1912, the Edison company eventually acquired Lambert's patents to the celluloid technology, and almost immediately started production under a variation of their existing Amberol brand as Edison Blue Amberol Records.

Edison designed several phonograph types, both with internal and external horns for playing these improved cylinder records. The internal horn models were called Amberolas. Edison marketed its "Fireside" model phonograph with a gearshift and a 'model K' reproducer with two different styli, which allowed it to play both two-minute and four-minute cylinders.

Decline
Cylinder records continued to compete with the growing disc record market into the 1910s, when discs won the commercial battle. In 1912, Columbia Records, which had been selling both discs and cylinders, dropped the cylinder format, while Edison introduced his Diamond Disc format, played with a diamond stylus. Beginning in 1915, new Edison cylinder issues consisted of re-recordings from Edison discs; they therefore had lower audio quality than the disc originals. Although his cylinders continued to be sold in steadily dwindling and eventually minuscule quantities, Edison continued to support the owners of cylinder phonographs by making new titles available in that format until the company ceased manufacturing all records and phonographs in November 1929.

Later applications
Cylinder phonograph technology continued to be used for Dictaphone and Ediphone recordings for office use for decades.

In 1947, Dictaphone replaced wax cylinders with their Dictabelt technology, which cut a mechanical groove into a plastic belt instead of into a wax cylinder. This was later replaced by magnetic tape recording. However, cylinders for older style dictating machines continued to be available for some years, and it was not unusual to encounter cylinder dictating machines into the 1950s.

In the late 20th and early 21st century, new recordings have been made on cylinders for the novelty effect of using obsolete technology. Probably the most famous of these are by They Might Be Giants, who in 1996 recorded "I Can Hear You" and three other songs, performed without electricity, on an 1898 Edison wax recording studio phonograph at the Edison National Historic Site in West Orange, New Jersey. This song was released on Factory Showroom in 1996 and re-released on the 2002 compilation Dial-A-Song: 20 Years of They Might Be Giants. The other songs recorded were "James K. Polk", "Maybe I Know", and "The Edison Museum", the last a song about the site of the recording. These recordings were officially released online as MP3 files in 2001.

Small numbers of cylinders have been manufactured in the 21st century out of modern long-lasting materials. Two companies engaged in such enterprise are the Vulcan Cylinder Record Company of Sheffield, England, and the Wizard Cylinder Records Company in Baldwin, New York.

In 2010 the British musical group The Men That Will Not Be Blamed for Nothing released the track "Sewer", from their debut album, Now That's What I Call Steampunk! Volume 1 on a wax cylinder in a limited edition of 40, of which only 30 were put on sale. The box set came with instructions on how to make a cylinder player for less than £20. The BBC covered the release on Television on BBC Click, on BBC Online, and on Radio 5 Live.

In June 2017 the Cthulhu Breakfast Club podcast released a special limited wax cylinder edition of a show.

In April 2019, the podcast Hello Internet released ten limited edition wax cylinder recordings.

In May 2023, Needlejuice Records released wax cylinder singles for Lemon Demon songs "Touch-Tone Telephone" and "The Oldest Man On MySpace", from albums Spirit Phone and Dinosaurchestra, respectively.

Preservation of cylinder recordings
Because of the nature of the recording medium, playback of many cylinders can cause degradation of the recording. The replay of cylinders diminishes their fidelity and degrades their recorded signals. Additionally, when exposed to humidity, mold can penetrate a cylinder's surface and cause the recording to have surface noise. Currently, the only professional machines manufactured for the playback of cylinder recordings are the Archéophone player, designed by Henri Chamoux and the "Endpoint Cylinder and Dictabelt Machine" by Nicholas Bergh. The Archéophone is used by the Edison National Historic Site, Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, Ohio), the Department of Special Collections at the University of California, Santa Barbara Library, and many other libraries and archives, including the Endpoint by The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

In an attempt to preserve the historic content of the recordings, cylinders can be read with a confocal microscope and converted to a digital audio format. The resulting sound clip in most cases sounds better than stylus playback from the original cylinder. Having an electronic version of the original recordings enables archivists to open access to the recordings to a wider audience. This technique also has the potential to allow for reconstruction of damaged or broken cylinders.

title: Phonograph cylinder


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Talk:Lahore

Improvements made
Add virtual university of pakistan(vu)govt. of pakistan) in universities of lahore.

I've added/replaced some pictures, to help show a better face of Lahore. Some remaining pictures may also need to be changed or added with better ones (such as for the Horse and Cattle Show, airport, parks, stadia and cultural events). Let's try to get the best one's available before inserting them at random. I've also rearranged their alignment to improve the format, as per earlier comment. In the text, I've modified the list of famous roads to make it more complete and informative for a first-time user (otherwise, just street names are useless), and edited the para on the restaurants and food street.

Hope this improves the page. If I've missed out on any copyright info on the images, please provide it so that they are not automatically deleted.

Thanks,

PakBoy

History section

I fixed up the history portion a little. Removed the rudyard kipling reference under history- it was pretty much picked up off the main kipling article and was irrelevant to the history of the city.. if at all it should be mentioned under culture (or the famous lahoris section but that's been removed) but I couldn't really see where it fits in. Also added dates for sikh rule (1799-1849). added cricket world cup in 1996. If anyone has any other ideas for historical events please do add. and someone please fix the Nightlife subheading.. its rather funny but not appropriate.

-R

other names(at Ramayanam times)
It is also called Lavapuram; son of Lord Rama(Lava) has ruled this kingdom then which is also extended to wards west where kush was ruling the other side 150.207.166.222 (talk) 00:17, 2 June 2023 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 23 June 2023
change: "As the capital of British Punjab, British colonialists made a lasting architectural impression on the city."

to: "As the capital of British Punjab, the city derived much of its architecture from British colonialists."

The existing grammar is incorrect. Since the subject of the sentence is "British colonialists", then this must also be the subject of the initial clause. So the sentence actually says that British colonialists are the capital of British Punjab - clearly not what was intended. 66.65.190.210 (talk) 21:05, 23 June 2023 (UTC)
 * ✅ Tollens (talk) 21:26, 23 June 2023 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 22 November 2023
Lahore has a GDP/PPP of 127 Billion USD not 84 Billion USD. Change 84 BILLION USD to 127 BILLION USD. Change GDP per Capita from 7550$ to 11545$.

As 12700000000÷1100000 =11545.45≈11545

Muhammad Mahd (talk) 16:01, 22 November 2023 (UTC)Muhammad Mahd Muhammad Mahd (talk) 16:01, 22 November 2023 (UTC)

 * Can you find a more reliable source than some random listicle? Edward-Woodrow (talk) 23:13, 25 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Extended-protection-unlocked.svg Not done: The page's protection level has changed since this request was placed. Hyphenation Expert (talk) 18:12, 1 December 2023 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 30 November 2023
Capital is misspelled in the first line, change:

"Lahore (/ləˈhɔːr/ lə-HOR; Punjabi: لہور [ˈlɔ̀ːɾə̆]; Urdu: لاہور [laːˈɦɔːɾ] ⓘ) is the captial and largest city of the Pakistani province of Punjab."

to:

"Lahore (/ləˈhɔːr/ lə-HOR; Punjabi: لہور [ˈlɔ̀ːɾə̆]; Urdu: لاہور [laːˈɦɔːɾ] ⓘ) is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Punjab." TokiSixskins (talk) 05:22, 30 November 2023 (UTC)
 * ✅ Thank you. RegentsPark (comment) 16:33, 30 November 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:Lahore