Wharton, New Jersey

Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement Wharton is a borough in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,241,<ref name=Census2020/><ref name=LWD2020/> an increase of 719 (+11.0%) from the 2010 census count of 6,522,<ref name=Census2010/><ref name=LWD2010/> which in turn reflected an increase of 224 (+3.6%) from the 6,298 counted in the 2000 census.<ref>Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.</ref>

Wharton was originally incorporated as the borough Port Oram by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on June 26, 1895, created from portions of Randolph Township and Rockaway Township, subject to the results of a referendum passed on the previous day; the name was changed to Wharton on April 16, 1902, based on a referendum held that day and subject to legislation passed on March 27, 1902.<ref name=Story>Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 196. Accessed May 30, 2024.</ref><ref>Honeyman, Abraham Van Doren. Index-analysis of the Statutes of New Jersey, 1896-1909: Together with References to All Acts, and Parts of Acts, in the 'General Statutes' and Pamphlet Laws Expressly Repealed: and the Statutory Crimes of New Jersey During the Same Period, p. 210. New Jersey Law Journal Publishing Company, 1910. Accessed September 21, 2015.</ref><ref name=MCLibrary>Historical Timeline of Morris County Boundaries, Morris County Library. Accessed December 24, 2016. "1895, June 28. Port Oram is established from Roxbury. The community is made up of the settlements of Port Oram, Irondale, Luxemburg, Maryville and Mount Pleasant. The name is changed to Wharton Borough in 1902."</ref> The borough was named for Joseph Wharton of the Wharton Steel Company.<ref>Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed October 29, 2015.</ref><ref>Template:Usurped, NY-NJ-CT Botany Online. Accessed October 29, 2015. "1902 – named changed to Wharton to honor Joseph Wharton."</ref>

History

In 1831, the Morris Canal was completed from Newark to Phillipsburg, New Jersey across the Delaware River from the terminus of the Lehigh Canal. On the way, it passed through Boonton, Dover and Port Oram. On this route it tapped the Morris County ore fields and became a carrier for both ore and pig iron. Its main purpose, however, was as an extension of the Lehigh Canal to furnish a route for anthracite coal from the Pennsylvania mines to seaboard. Any local traffic was a gain to supplement the through anthracite freight and iron ore and its products soon became important sources of revenue. Sites on the canal were selected for docks and industry, including iron works.<ref name=History>Borough Information, Borough of Wharton. Accessed May 16, 2012.</ref>

On June 28, 1895, voters from the settlements Port Oram, Irondale, Luxemburg, Maryville and Mount Pleasant voted 143 to 51 to incorporate as the borough Port Oram, the largest of the communities in the area covering Template:Convert west of Dover, New Jersey. A mayor, six councilmen, an assessor and a collector were elected to govern the new borough which had started life as an ore shipping port on the Morris Canal. These elected officials (mine superintendents, store owners, a railroad superintendent and a school teacher) represented the leaders of these settlements where iron ore was mined, smelted and shipped.<ref name=History/>

The borough was renamed in 1902 in honor of Joseph Wharton, who was born in 1826 in Philadelphia to an old family of Quakers. Wharton first studied at a local Quaker school after which he worked on a farm rather than attend college because his parents wanted him to mature,<ref name=Farm>"Joseph Wharton: Quaker Industrial Pioneer", W. Ross Yates, 1987, Lehigh University Press, pp 31-35.</ref> and during the winter studied chemistry at the laboratory of Martin Hans Boyè in Philadelphia. He started producing zinc and nickel, and gradually bought a controlling interest in Bethlehem Iron Works. As his business interests expanded he purchased substantial shares of several railroads involved in the coal and iron trade, also purchasing iron mines and furnaces near Port Oram. After selling his interest in Bethlehem Iron Works in 1901 and his nickel works to CVRD Inco in 1902, he continued to actively acquire and manage a large and diverse business empire that included iron smelting in Wharton until just before his death in January, 1909. Wharton also endowed the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The town was named after him in a referendum in 1902.<ref name=History/>

In 1984, the long-time local bar The Heslin House and Hartley's Store were destroyed in a gas leak explosion, in which flames as high as Template:Convert destroyed several area buildings.<ref>Armental, Maria. "New state rules burn firefighters: Deployment limits could slow response times, officials say", Daily Record (New Jersey), January 24, 2004. Accessed May 16, 2012. "Wharton suffered one of the county's largest fires in 1984, when a gas explosion shot flames 100 feet in the air, destroyed several downtown buildings and damaged more than a dozen others."</ref>

Wharton was one of the filming locations for Cyndi Lauper's music video "Time After Time" in 1984.<ref>Sampson, Peter J. for United Press International. "Banner Year For N.J. Film Industry Production Companies Spent $15.4 Million In '84", The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 3, 1985. Accessed April 27, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Lauper's hit 'Time After Time' was shot in Morristown, Ledgewood and Wharton."</ref>

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.13 square miles (5.51 km²), including 2.07 square miles (5.37 km²) of land and 0.06 square miles (0.14 km²) of water (2.63%).<ref name=CensusArea/><ref name=GR1 />

The borough borders the Morris County municipalities of Dover, Jefferson Township, Mine Hill Township, Rockaway Township, Roxbury Township.<ref>Areas touching Wharton, MapIt. Accessed March 12, 2020.</ref><ref>Morris County Municipalities Map, Morris County, New Jersey Department of Planning and Preservation. Accessed March 4, 2020.</ref><ref>New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.</ref>

Unincorporated communities in the borough include Irondale, Luxemburg, Maryville, Mount Pleasant and Port Oram.<ref name=MCLibrary/>

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Wharton has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.<ref>Climate Summary for Wharton, New Jersey</ref>

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 6,522 people, 2,304 households, and 1,590 families in the borough. The population density was 3,039.0 per square mile (1,173.4/km²). There were 2,426 housing units at an average density of 1,130.4 per square mile (436.4/km²). The racial makeup was 75.85% (4,947) White, 4.57% (298) Black or African American, 0.18% (12) Native American, 5.67% (370) Asian, 0.06% (4) Pacific Islander, 9.61% (627) from other races, and 4.05% (264) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 40.33% (2,630) of the population.<ref name=Census2010/>

Of the 2,304 households, 33.5% had children under the age of 18; 48.1% were married couples living together; 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present and 31.0% were non-families. Of all households, 25.0% were made up of individuals and 10.7% 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 3.34.<ref name=Census2010/>

23.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 96.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 92.7 males.<ref name=Census2010/> The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $73,571 (with a margin of error of +/− $8,504) and the median family income was $75,176 (+/− $9,601). Males had a median income of $48,750 (+/− $12,951) versus $31,105 (+/− $5,994) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $27,233 (+/− $2,723). About 6.6% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.<ref>DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for Wharton borough, Morris County, New Jersey Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 23, 2012.</ref>

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census<ref name="GR2" /> there were 6,298 people, 2,328 households, and 1,599 families residing in the borough. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 2,394 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the borough was 82.09% White, 4.40% African American, 0.44% Native American, 3.14% Asian, 7.21% from other races, and 2.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.21% of the population.<ref name=Census2000>Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Wharton borough, New Jersey Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 23, 2012.</ref><ref name=Census2000SF1>DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Wharton borough, Morris County, New Jersey Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 23, 2012.</ref>

There were 2,328 households, out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 31.3% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.28.<ref name=Census2000/><ref name=Census2000SF1/>

In the borough the population age was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 34.0% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.<ref name=Census2000/><ref name=Census2000SF1/>

The median income for a household in the borough was $56,580, and the median income for a family was $64,957. Males had a median income of $42,311 versus $36,016 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $25,168. About 6.4% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.<ref name=Census2000/><ref name=Census2000SF1/>

Parks and recreation

File:Hugh Force Canal Park, Wharton, NJ - entrance.jpg

Hugh Force Canal Park

The Hugh Force Canal Park provides hiking trails along the former Morris Canal and abandoned railroad beds. It features Lock 2 East of the canal.<ref>Hugh Force Canal Park, New York–New Jersey Trail Conference. Accessed December 15, 2022.</ref>

Government

Local government

Wharton 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.<ref>Inventory of Municipal Forms of Government in New Jersey, Rutgers University Center for Government Studies, July 1, 2011. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref> 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.<ref name=DataBook>2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 116.</ref> The borough form of government used by Wharton 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.<ref>Cerra, Michael F. "Forms of Government: Everything You've Always Wanted to Know, But Were Afraid to Ask" Template:Webarchive, New Jersey State League of Municipalities. Accessed November 30, 2014.</ref><ref>"Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey", p. 6. Rutgers University Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref>

Template:As of, the mayor of Wharton is Republican William J. Chegwidden, whose term of office ends December 31, 2026. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Vincent Binkoski (R, 2023), Sandra L. Hayes (R, 2023), Robert Norton (R, 2025), Paola Vasquez (R, 2025), Thomas C. Yeager (R, 2024) and Nicole Wickenheisser (R, 2024).<ref name=GoverningBody>Governing Body, Borough of Wharton. Accessed April 27, 2023.</ref><ref>2023 Municipal Data Sheet, Borough of Wharton. Accessed April 27, 2023.</ref><ref name=MorrisManual>Morris County Manual 2024, Morris County, New Jersey Clerk. Accessed May 1, 2024.</ref><ref name=MorrisOfficials>Morris County Municipal Elected Officials For The Year 2024, Morris County, New Jersey Clerk, updated March 20, 2024. Accessed May 1, 2024.</ref><ref name=Morris2022>General Election November 8, 2022, Official Results, Morris County, New Jersey, updated November 28, 2022. Accessed January 1, 2023.</ref><ref name=Morris2021>General Election Winners For November 2, 2021, Morris County, New Jersey Clerk. Accessed January 1, 2022.</ref><ref name=Morris2020>General Election 2020 November 3, 2020 Summary Report Official Results, Morris County, New Jersey, updated November 20, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.</ref>

Dover serves as the lead agency operating a joint municipal court that includes Wharton and the neighboring municipalities of Mine Hill Township, Mount Arlington and Victory Gardens.<ref>Mayor and Board of Aldermen, Town of Dover Minutes of the Reorganization Meeting for January 1, 2015, Town of Dover. Accessed July 29, 2015.</ref> Established in 2009, the joint municipal court was forecast to offer annual savings in excess of $250,000 over the 10-year life of the agreement.<ref>Forrest, Cindy. "Victory Gardens Council judges proposal for joint municipal court", The Record, May 18, 2012. Accessed July 29, 2015. "With Dover as the lead agency, four other area towns - Rockaway Borough, Wharton, Mine Hill, and Mt. Arlington - entered into a landmark municipal court shared-services agreement in 2009 anticipating an estimated $2.65 million savings over the 10-year life of the contract."</ref>

Federal, state and county representation

Wharton is located in the 7th Congressional District<ref name=PCR2012>Plan Components Report, New Jersey Redistricting Commission, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020.</ref> and is part of New Jersey's 25th state legislative district.<ref name=Districts2023>Municipalities Sorted by 2023-2031 Legislative District, New Jersey Department of State. Accessed September 1, 2023.</ref>

Politics

Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow |} As of March 2011, Wharton had a total of 3,258 registered voters, of which 923 (28.3%) were registered as Democrats, 935 (28.7%) were registered as Republicans and 1,397 (42.9%) were registered as Unaffiliated. Three voters were registered as Libertarians or Greens.<ref>Voter Registration Summary - Morris, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, March 23, 2011. Accessed December 23, 2012.</ref>

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 56.0% of the vote (1,310 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 43.0% (1,006 votes), and other candidates with 1.0% (24 votes), among the 2,359 ballots cast by the borough's 3,455 registered voters (19 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 68.3%.<ref name=2012Elections>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=2012VoterReg>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 51.8% of the vote (1,326 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 47.0% (1,202 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (19 votes), among the 2,559 ballots cast by the borough's 3,432 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.6%.<ref>2008 Presidential General Election Results: Morris County, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 23, 2008. Accessed December 23, 2012.</ref> In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 54.4% of the vote (1,334 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 44.6% (1,092 votes) and other candidates with 0.5% (16 votes), among the 2,451 ballots cast by the borough's 3,510 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 69.8.<ref>2004 Presidential Election: Morris County, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 13, 2004. Accessed December 23, 2012.</ref>

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 65.9% of the vote (892 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 32.1% (434 votes), and other candidates with 2.0% (27 votes), among the 1,381 ballots cast by the borough's 3,449 registered voters (28 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 40.0%.<ref name=2013Elections>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=2013VoterReg>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 52.9% of the vote (848 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 36.6% (586 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 8.6% (137 votes) and other candidates with 1.1% (17 votes), among the 1,602 ballots cast by the borough's 3,357 registered voters, yielding a 47.7% turnout.<ref>2009 Governor: Morris County Template:Webarchive, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 31, 2009. Accessed December 23, 2012.</ref>

Education

The Wharton Borough School District serves public school students in kindergarten through eighth grade.As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 767 students and 82.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.3:1.<ref name=NCES>District information for Wharton Borough School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.</ref> Schools in the district (with 2023–24 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics<ref>School Data for the Wharton Borough Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.</ref>) are Marie V. Duffy Elementary School<ref>Marie V. Duffy Elementary School, Wharton Borough Public Schools. Accessed January 17, 2025.</ref> with 424 students in grades K–5 and Alfred C. MacKinnon Middle School<ref>Alfred C. MacKinnon Middle School, Wharton Borough Public Schools. Accessed January 17, 2025.</ref> with 264 students in grades 6–8.<ref>School Performance Reports for the Wharton Borough Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.</ref><ref>New Jersey School Directory for the Wharton Borough Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.</ref>

Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Morris Hills High School, located in Rockaway Borough, and which also serves students from Rockaway Borough and portions of Rockaway Township.<ref>Overview, Morris Hills High School. Accessed January 17, 2025. "Morris Hills High School, located in Rockaway, New Jersey, serves the residential communities of Rockaway Borough, Rockaway Township, and Wharton."</ref> As of the 2023–24 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,141 students and 116.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.8:1.<ref>School data for Morris Hills High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.</ref> The high school is part of the Morris Hills Regional High School District, which also includes students from Denville Township and parts of Rockaway Township, who attend Morris Knolls High School.<ref>School Profile, Morris Knolls High School. Accessed January 17, 2025. "Morris Knolls High School serves the residential communities of Denville and Rockaway Township."</ref>

Transportation

File:2020-07-14 15 17 57 View east along Interstate 80 at Exit 34 (TO New Jersey State Route 15, Wharton, Dover, Sparta) in Wharton, Morris County, New Jersey.jpg

Interstate 80 eastbound at Route 15 in Wharton

Roads and highways

Template:As of, the borough had a total of Template:Convert of roadways, of which Template:Convert were maintained by the municipality, Template:Convert by Morris County and Template:Convert by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.<ref>Morris County Mileage by Municipality and Jurisdiction, New Jersey Department of Transportation, May 2010. Accessed July 18, 2014.</ref>

Interstate 80 runs east-west for about Template:Convert<ref>Interstate 80 Straight Line Diagram, New Jersey Department of Transportation, updated April 2014. Accessed September 5, 2022.</ref> and New Jersey Route 15 runs through north–south for Template:Convert.<ref>Route 15 Straight Line Diagram, New Jersey Department of Transportation, updated March 2016. Accessed September 5, 2022.</ref>

Public transportation

NJ Transit offers local bus service on the 880 route,<ref>Riding the Bus, Morris County, New Jersey. Accessed April 26, 2023.</ref><ref>Morris County System Map, NJ Transit. Accessed August 6, 2015.</ref> which largely replaced the previous MCM10 route.<ref>Morris County Bus / Rail Connections, NJ Transit, backed up by the Internet Archive as of May 22, 2009. Accessed December 23, 2012.</ref><ref>NJ TRANSIT RESTRUCTURES MORRIS COUNTY BUS SERVICE; Four current 'MCM' routes will be expanded to six new bus routes, NJ Transit, September 13, 2010. Accessed August 6, 2015.</ref>

Notable people

Template:Category see also People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Wharton include:

• Kirk Alyn (1910–1999), the first on-screen Superman, lived during his youth in Wharton, the son of Hungarian immigrants<ref>Wharton's Own Superman: Kirk Alyn, Borough of Wharton. Accessed February 27, 2008.</ref>
• Alan Rowe Kelly (born 1959), independent film actor, director, writer and producer, specializing in horror films<ref>Cannici, Jaime. "Mother-son team writes the book o Wharton history", Neighbor News, August 25, 2004. Accessed December 27, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Ever wonder where all of the mines in Wharton came from? Or even how Wharton got its name? Now you can find out thanks to Wharton residents Charlotte Kelly and son, Alan Rowe Kelly, who recently finished a history book for all of Wharton to obtain knowledge, to see photos and to which to relate."</ref>
• Mayme Schweble (1874–1943), prospector and politician who served in the Nevada Assembly from 1924 to 1926<ref>"O. E. S. Chapter Holds Service", Nevada State Journal, January 30, 1943. Accessed April 27, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Eastern Star funeral services were held Wednesday at the Roe and Kaiser mortuary, for Mrs. Mayme Schweble of Ione, who died in San Francisco Monday.... During the first world war, went to New Jersey, where Mr. Schweble was employed by the Wharton Steel company at Wharton, returning to Nevada in 1919."</ref>

External links

• Wharton Borough website
• Wharton Borough Public Schools
• Template:NJReportCard
• School Data for the Wharton Borough Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics
• Daily Record – Regional area newspaper
• Template:Usurped
• Abandoned Mines of NJ
• Wharton
• The Replogle Steel Company of Wharton