Little Ferry, New Jersey
Template:Short description Template:Redirect-distinguish Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement Little Ferry is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 10,987,<ref name=Census2020/><ref name=LWD2020/> an increase of 361 (+3.4%) from the 2010 census count of 10,626,<ref name=Census2010/><ref name=LWD2010/> which in turn reflected a decline of 174 (−1.6%) from the 10,800 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>
History
[edit]Little Ferry was formed by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on September 18, 1894, from portions of Lodi Township and New Barbadoes Township, based on the results of a referendum held two days earlier.<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. 80. Accessed May 29, 2024.</ref><ref>History of Bergen County, New Jersey, 1630-1923, p. 375. Only shows Lodi Township as parent municipality.</ref> The borough was formed during the "Boroughitis" phenomenon then sweeping through Bergen County, in which 26 boroughs were formed in the county in 1894 alone.<ref>Harvey, Cornelius Burnham. Genealogical History of Hudson and Bergen Counties, New Jersey, p. 11, New Jersey Genealogical Publishing Company, 1900. Accessed September 3, 2013. "For a period of sixteen years following the passage of this act few boroughs were organized in the State, only three of them being in Bergen County.... As it was twenty-six boroughs were created in the county from January 23, 1894, to December 18, of the same year."</ref>
During the colonial era, the borough was the site of an important ferry crossing between the region's towns at Bergen and Hackensack, which was operated by rope on the site starting in 1659, continuing until 1826 when it was replaced by a bridge on the Bergen Turnpike.<ref>Snow, Violet. "Little Ferry 'tries to improve living' for residents", The Record, October 2, 2011. Accessed June 7, 2012. "History is in evidence in the borough, which is named after a rope-towed ferry that provided transportation across the Hackensack River, the town's eastern border, between 1659 and 1826."</ref><ref>Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 3, 2015.</ref><ref>Gannett, Henry. The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, p. 188. United States Government Printing Office, 1905. Accessed September 3, 2015.</ref>
Gethsemane Cemetery, an African burial ground, was opened in 1860 and was used for interments until 1924.<ref>Hanley, Robert. "In Brief: Heritage; Cemetery Dedicated", The New York Times, November 2, 2003. Accessed June 7, 2012. "In the late 1970s, the N.A.A.C.P. began a campaign to restore a burial ground in Little Ferry known as Gethsemane Cemetery and to recognize its historical significance. Last week the effort paid off.From 1860, when slavery was still legal in New Jersey, until 1924, at least 381 black residents of Hackensack were buried in the one-acre cemetery."</ref> The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.<ref>New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places: Bergen County, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Historic Preservation Office, updated March 30, 2023. Accessed April 30, 2023.</ref>
In the earlier 20th nearby Fort Lee on the Hudson Palisades was home to many film studios of America's first motion picture industry.<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref> On July 9, 1937, a major fire broke out in a 20th Century-Fox film storage facility in Little Ferry. Flammable nitrate film had previously contributed to several fires in film industry laboratories, studios and vaults, although the precise causes were often unknown; in the Little Ferry fire, temperatures of Template:Convert and insufficient venting were the proximate causes.<ref>Verzoni, Angelo. "Film in Flames; The Fox Film Corporation vault fire of 1937, Little Ferry, New Jersey", NFPA Journal, July / August 2017. Accessed December 16, 2020. "Nitrate film, also known as celluloid film, was the most popular film from the advent of cinema through the mid-20th century. But there was a problem with it: Nitrate film was so unstable that, when exposed to high temperatures or improperly stored, it could spontaneously combust. That’s what happened on July 9, 1937, in a film storage facility owned by the Fox Film Corporation in Little Ferry, New Jersey. In the midst of a heat wave that drove daytime temperatures above 100 degrees F, a sudden ignition of nitrate film stored in inadequately vented vaults triggered a violent blast that claimed the life of a teenage boy and destroyed all of the film stored there."</ref>
Rosie's Diner (formerly the Farmland Diner) was used in the 1970s for the filming of Bounty paper towel commercials featuring Nancy Walker as Rosie the Waitress.<ref>King, Wayne. "Our Towns; It's the Last Call At Rosie's Diner, And on the Road", The New York Times, January 12, 1990. Accessed June 7, 2012. "Rosie's Farmland Diner on Route 46 in Little Ferry may be the best-known diner in America, but it is still a real diner.... It was called the Silver Dollar then, but Ralph Carrado changed it to Rosie's around 1970, after it became famous. That was because of the Bounty paper-towel commercials on television. Nancy Walker played Rosie, who mopped up all sorts of diner spills with paper towels she called the quicker picker-upper. After two decades, she is still doing it."</ref>
New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Little Ferry 35th in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.<ref>"Best Places To Live - The Complete Top Towns List 1-100" Template:Webarchive, New Jersey Monthly, February 21, 2008. Accessed February 24, 2008.</ref>
Geography
[edit]According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.67 square miles (4.32 km2), including 1.48 square miles (3.83 km2) of land and 0.19 square miles (0.50 km2) of water (11.44%).<ref name=CensusArea/><ref name=GR1 />
The borough borders the Bergen County municipalities of Hackensack, Moonachie, Ridgefield, Ridgefield Park, South Hackensack and Teterboro.<ref>Areas touching Little Ferry, MapIt. Accessed February 25, 2020.</ref><ref>Bergen County Map of Municipalities, Bergen County, New Jersey. Accessed February 25, 2020.</ref><ref>New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.</ref>
The borough lies near the confluence of the Hackensack River and Overpeck Creek in the New Jersey Meadowlands.<ref>Appendix I: Archaeology, Northern Branch Corridor Project, December 2011. Accessed January 7, 2015. "The trading post/fort is said to have been located near the site of modern day Little Ferry at the confluence of Overpeck Creek and the Hackensack River (Works Progress Administration 1941:7)."</ref>
Demographics
[edit]2010 census
[edit]The 2010 United States census counted 10,626 people, 4,239 households, and 2,730 families in the borough. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 4,439 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup was 60.78% (6,458) White, 3.94% (419) Black or African American, 0.30% (32) Native American, 24.24% (2,576) Asian, 0.04% (4) Pacific Islander, 7.05% (749) from other races, and 3.65% (388) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 22.98% (2,442) of the population.<ref name=Census2010/> Korean Americans accounted for 12.0% of the population.<ref name=Census2010/>
Of the 4,239 households, 26.5% had children under the age of 18; 47.9% were married couples living together; 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present and 35.6% were non-families. Of all households, 31.0% were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.19.<ref name=Census2010/> Same-sex couples headed 27 households in 2010, an increase from the 24 counted in 2000.<ref>Lipman, Harvy; and Sheingold, Dave. "North Jersey sees 30% growth in same-sex couples", The Record, August 14, 2011, backed up by the Internet Archive as of February 3, 2013. Accessed September 27, 2014.</ref>
19.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 94.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 92.8 males.<ref name=Census2010/>
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $57,276 (with a margin of error of +/− $6,389) and the median family income was $74,000 (+/− $10,299). Males had a median income of $52,898 (+/− $3,123) versus $40,934 (+/− $3,050) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $29,257 (+/− $2,542). About 4.8% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.1% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.<ref>DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for Little Ferry borough, Bergen County, New Jersey Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 7, 2012.</ref>
2000 census
[edit]As of the 2000 United States census<ref name="GR2" /> there were 10,800 people, 4,366 households, and 2,785 families residing in the borough. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 4,449 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the borough was 68.76% White, 4.71% African American, 0.15% Native American, 17.10% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 5.75% from other races, and 3.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.19% of the population.<ref name=Census2000>Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Little Ferry borough, New Jersey Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 7, 2013.</ref><ref name=Census2000SF1>DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Little Ferry borough, Bergen County, New Jersey Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 7, 2013.</ref>
There were 4,366 households, out of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.16.<ref name=Census2000/><ref name=Census2000SF1/>
In the borough the population was spread out, with 20.2% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 36.3% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.<ref name=Census2000/><ref name=Census2000SF1/>
The median income for a household in the borough was $49,958, and the median income for a family was $59,176. Males had a median income of $42,059 versus $34,286 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $24,210. About 5.9% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.<ref name=Census2000/><ref name=Census2000SF1/>
Government
[edit]Local government
[edit]
Little Ferry is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, 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 a borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A 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. 160.</ref> The borough form of government used by Little Ferry 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 Little Ferry is Democrat Mauro D. Raguseo, serving now in his 5th consecutive (4 year) term of office which ends December 31, 2027. Raguseo previously was elected and served on the borough council from 2000- 2007. He was elected to the council at the age of 22, at the time one of the youngest elected officials in the State of New Jersey. He was elected the youngest Mayor in Borough history November 2007 at the age of 29. In 2024 he became the longest serving mayor in Little Ferry's history elected five times to the office. Members of the borough council are Council President Ronald Anzalone (D, 2024), Jenifer Lange (D, 2023), Stephen Lanum (D, 2025), George J. Muller (D, 2024), Alexander Enrique (D, 2025) and Peggy Steinhilber (D, 2023).<ref name=Officials>Elected officials, Borough of Little Ferry. Accessed March 14, 2023.</ref><ref>2022 Municipal Data Sheet, Borough of Little Ferry. Accessed July 3, 2022.</ref><ref name=BergenCountyDirectory>2024 County and Municipal Directory, Bergen County, New Jersey, April 2024. Accessed April 15, 2024.</ref><ref name=Bergen2022>Bergen County November 8, 2022 General Election Statement of Vote, Bergen County, New Jersey Clerk, updated November 21, 2022. Accessed January 1, 2023.</ref><ref name=Bergen2021>Bergen County Statement of Vote November 2, 2021 Official results, Bergen County, New Jersey, updated November 17, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.</ref><ref name=Bergen2020>Precinct Summary Results Report - Combined 2020 Bergen County General Election - November 3, 2020 Official Results, Bergen County, New Jersey, December 3, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.</ref><ref name=Bergen2019>Bergen County November 5, 2019 General Election Statement of Vote, Bergen County, New Jersey Clerk, updated December 10, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020.</ref>
In the 2011 election, Mauro Raguseo was re-elected, defeating Republican Bernard Sobolewski, while council incumbents Roberta Henriquez and Peggy Steinhilber earned new terms in office, fending off Republican challengers Eileen De Leeuw and Stephen Lanum.<ref>Aggarwal, Karthik. "Little Ferry Democrats keep their seats", Little Ferry Local, November 9, 2011. Accessed June 7, 2012. "Mayor Mauro Raguseo along with councilwomen Roberta Henriquez and Peggy Steinhilber were reelected to their respective seats, defeating Republican challengers Bernard Sobolewski, who sought the mayoralty, as well as Eileen De Leeuw and Stephen Lanum, who each sought a three-year council seat."</ref> In the 2010 general election, incumbents Thomas Sarlo and Sue Schuck were re-elected to three-year terms of office, knocking off Republican challengers Foster Lowe and Claudia Zilocchi.<ref>Agarwal, Karthik. "Sarlo, Schuck hold off challengers", Little Ferry Local, November 12, 2010. Accessed February 20, 2011. "On Nov. 2, the Democrats defeated the Republicans to maintain possession of two three-year seats on the Borough Council. Democratic incumbents Thomas Sarlo and Sue Schuck received 1,061 and 1,022 votes, respectively, while Republican opponents Claudia Zilocchi and Foster Lowe received 946 and 912 votes, respectively. As a result of the election, the Council will remain composed entirely of Democrats."</ref>
Federal, state and county representation
[edit]Little Ferry is located in the 9th 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 38th state legislative district.<ref>Districts by Number for 2023-2031, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed September 18, 2023.</ref>
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Template:NJ Bergen County Freeholders
Politics
[edit]As of March 2011, there were a total of 5,008 registered voters in Little Ferry, of which 1,511 (30.2% vs. 31.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 634 (12.7% vs. 21.1%) were registered as Republicans and 2,860 (57.1% vs. 47.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 3 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.<ref name=VoterRegistration>Voter Registration Summary - Bergen, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, March 23, 2011. Accessed December 9, 2013.</ref> Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 47.1% (vs. 57.1% in Bergen County) were registered to vote, including 58.7% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 73.7% countywide).<ref name=VoterRegistration/><ref>GCT-P7: Selected Age Groups: 2010 - State -- County Subdivision; 2010 Census Summary File 1 for New Jersey Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 9, 2013.</ref>
In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 2,024 votes (64.1% vs. 54.8% countywide), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 1,091 votes (34.5% vs. 43.5%) and other candidates with 25 votes (0.8% vs. 0.9%), among the 3,159 ballots cast by the borough's 5,344 registered voters, for a turnout of 59.1% (vs. 70.4% in Bergen County).<ref>Presidential November 6, 2012 General Election Results - Bergen County Template:Webarchive, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, March 15, 2013. Accessed December 13, 2013.</ref><ref>Number of Registered Voters and Ballots Cast November 6, 2012 General Election Results - Bergen County Template:Webarchive, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, March 15, 2013. Accessed December 13, 2013.</ref> In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 2,237 votes (58.2% vs. 53.9% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 1,537 votes (40.0% vs. 44.5%) and other candidates with 38 votes (1.0% vs. 0.8%), among the 3,844 ballots cast by the borough's 5,393 registered voters, for a turnout of 71.3% (vs. 76.8% in Bergen County).<ref>2008 Presidential General Election Results: Bergen County, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 23, 2008. Accessed December 9, 2013.</ref><ref name=Results2008>2008 General Election Results for Little Ferry, The Record. Accessed June 7, 2012.</ref> In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 2,064 votes (54.9% vs. 51.7% countywide), ahead of Republican George W. Bush with 1,645 votes (43.8% vs. 47.2%) and other candidates with 29 votes (0.8% vs. 0.7%), among the 3,759 ballots cast by the borough's 5,335 registered voters, for a turnout of 70.5% (vs. 76.9% in the whole county).<ref>2004 Presidential Election: Bergen County, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 13, 2004. Accessed December 9, 2013.</ref>
| Year | Republican | Democratic |
|---|---|---|
| style="text-align:center; Template:Party shading/Republican|2024<ref name="2024Elections">Template:Cite web</ref> | style="text-align:center; Template:Party shading/Republican|49.7% 2,014 | style="text-align:center; Template:Party shading/Democratic|47.0% 1,903 |
| style="text-align:center; Template:Party shading/Democratic|2020<ref name="2020Elections">Template:Cite web</ref> | style="text-align:center; Template:Party shading/Republican|40.8% 1,873 | style="text-align:center; Template:Party shading/Democratic|58.1% 2,665 |
| style="text-align:center; Template:Party shading/Democratic|2016<ref name="2016Elections">Template:Cite web</ref> | style="text-align:center; Template:Party shading/Republican|41.3% 1,491 | style="text-align:center; Template:Party shading/Democratic|55.6% 2,007 |
| style="text-align:center; Template:Party shading/Democratic|2012<ref name="2012Elections">Template:Cite web</ref> | style="text-align:center; Template:Party shading/Republican|34.5% 1,091 | style="text-align:center; Template:Party shading/Democratic|64.1% 2,024 |
| style="text-align:center; Template:Party shading/Democratic|2008<ref name="state.nj.us">2008 Presidential General Election Results: Bergen County, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 23, 2008. Accessed November 21, 2012.</ref> | style="text-align:center; Template:Party shading/Republican|40.0% 1,537 | style="text-align:center; Template:Party shading/Democratic|58.2% 2,237 |
| style="text-align:center; Template:Party shading/Democratic|2004<ref name="Presidential Election 2004">[1], New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 13, 2004. Accessed November 21, 2012.</ref> | style="text-align:center; Template:Party shading/Republican|43.8% 1,645 | style="text-align:center; Template:Party shading/Democratic|54.9% 2,064 |
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 62.7% of the vote (1,226 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 36.6% (716 votes), and other candidates with 0.7% (13 votes), among the 2,012 ballots cast by the borough's 5,051 registered voters (57 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 39.8%.<ref name=2013Elections>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=2013VoterReg>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 1,160 ballots cast (52.1% vs. 48.0% countywide), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 908 votes (40.8% vs. 45.8%), Independent Chris Daggett with 114 votes (5.1% vs. 4.7%) and other candidates with 13 votes (0.6% vs. 0.5%), among the 2,225 ballots cast by the borough's 5,180 registered voters, yielding a 43.0% turnout (vs. 50.0% in the county).<ref>2009 Governor: Bergen County Template:Webarchive, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 31, 2009. Accessed December 9, 2013.</ref>
Education
[edit]The Little Ferry Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.<ref>Little Ferry Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Little Ferry Public Schools. Accessed February 8, 2024. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through eight in the Little Ferry School District. Composition: The Little Ferry School District is comprised of all the area within the County of Bergen."</ref> As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 806 students and 84.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.6:1.<ref name=NCES>District information for Little Ferry Public School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.</ref> The district's two school buildings are located across the street from each other.<ref name=AboutUs/> Schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics<ref>School Data for the Little Ferry Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.</ref>) are Washington Elementary School<ref>Washington Elementary School, Little Ferry Public Schools. Accessed February 8, 2024.</ref> with 445 students in grades PreK-4 and Memorial Middle School<ref>Memorial Middle School, Little Ferry Public Schools. Accessed February 8, 2024.</ref> with 342 students in grades 5-8.<ref name=AboutUs>About Our District, Little Ferry Public Schools. Accessed February 8, 2024. "Our Prek-8 district serves approximately 950 students in two schools located across the street from each other in the town of Little Ferry, New Jersey. Memorial School serves approximately 400 students and houses the Middle School which serves students in grades 5-8..... Washington Elementary School serves approximately 500 students in grades PreK to 4. Grades 2 to 4 attend classes in the Elementary wing of Memorial School. Little Ferry’s 9–12 students attend Ridgefield Park High School in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey."</ref><ref>School Performance Reports for the Little Ferry Public School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.</ref><ref>New Jersey School Directory for the Little Ferry Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.</ref>
As Little Ferry does not have its own high school, public school students from the borough attend Ridgefield Park High School in Ridgefield Park for ninth through twelfth grades as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Ridgefield Park Public Schools that has been in place since 1953.<ref>James, George. "School Districts' Battle On Tuition Goes to Court", The New York Times, December 16, 1989. Accessed February 8, 2024. "School officials in the borough, Little Ferry, which sends 202 students to the 546-student high school, say a partial audit several years ago raised suspicions that Ridgefield Park has overcharged them by hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years.... Little Ferry, a borough of 1.5 square miles and 9,900 people, has sent its high school students to this neighboring 1.92-square mile village of 12,000 people, since 1953."</ref><ref>Miraglia, Mary K. "Little Ferry Schools Not Responsible For $1.5M Gap In Ridgefield Park", Ridgefield Park-Hasbrouck Heights Daily Voice, January 13, 2016. Accessed February 8, 2024. "Ridgefield Park Superintendent Eric Koenig reached out to Little Ferry Superintendent Frank Scarafile after his board meeting Jan. 7 to go over plans for filling the budget shortfall. Koenig assured him Ridgefield Park won’t be trying to make any changes to the sending - receiving contract that would impose new tuition in the current year, according to a letter Scarafile sent to his board members."</ref><ref name=AboutUs/> As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,174 students and 87.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.4:1.<ref>School data for Ridgefield Park Jr Sr High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.</ref>
Public school students from the borough, and all of Bergen County, are eligible to attend the secondary education programs offered by the Bergen County Technical Schools, which include the Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, Applied Technology High School, located at Bergen Community College in Paramus, and the Bergen County Technical High Schools in Teterboro and Paramus. The district offers programs on a shared-time or full-time basis, with admission based on a selective application process and tuition covered by the student's home school district.<ref>About Us, Bergen County Technical Schools. Accessed December 9, 2013.</ref><ref>Admissions, Bergen County Technical Schools. Accessed December 29, 2016.</ref>
Transportation
[edit]_just_west_of_Bergen_County_Route_124_(Bergen_Turnpike)_in_Little_Ferry,_Bergen_County,_New_Jersey.jpg){kind=link}
Roads and highways
[edit]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 Bergen County and Template:Convert by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.<ref>Bergen County Mileage by Municipality and Jurisdiction, New Jersey Department of Transportation, May 2010. Accessed December 1, 2013.</ref>
The Little Ferry Circle connected U.S. Route 46 and Bergen Turnpike. The circle was originally constructed in 1933 in conjunction with the nearby Route 46 Hackensack River Bridge, which crosses the river to Ridgefield Park and beyond to the George Washington Bridge.The circle was largely reconstructed in 1985, allowing vehicles traveling on Route 46 to pass directly through the circle. The circle has been a constant site of accidents, with 40-50 accidents per year at the circle each year from 2004 through 2006.<ref>Ma, Myles. "Accident and flood-prone Rt. 46 traffic circle in Little Ferry may finally be disappearing", NJ.com, June 27, 2013. Accessed August 5, 2013. "After 15 years of fits and starts, the state Department of Transportation might finally be on its way to crossing out the Little Ferry Circle. The NJDOT plans to advertise for the project to turn the circle into a four-way intersection sometime in August, Timothy Greeley, a spokesman for the agency, told NJ.com."</ref><ref name=Record2007>Furschein, Merry. "DOT releases new plan to fix Little Ferry circle". The Record, March 30, 2007.</ref> In March 2007, the New Jersey Department of Transportation proposed its latest plan to address issues at the circle. The plan would realign the circle into a straight intersection, complete with turning lanes; prohibit left turns onto many residential streets; and would include construction of a pump station to move water off the oft-flooded highway and into the Hackensack River.<ref name=Record2007/><ref>FY 2007-10 STATEWIDE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed April 2, 2007.</ref> This plan was later completed, with the circle no longer in existence.
Public transportation
[edit]NJ Transit bus routes 161 and 165 provide service between Little Ferry and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, with local service on the 772 route.<ref>Routes by County: Bergen County, NJ Transit, backed up by the Internet Archive as of May 22, 2009. Accessed August 5, 2013.</ref><ref>Bergen County System Map, NJ Transit. Accessed September 14, 2016.</ref>
The Little Ferry Seaplane Base Template:Airport codes is a public-use seaplane base located Template:Convert east of the borough's central business district, on the Hackensack River. The base is privately owned.<ref>Template:FAA-airport, effective December 20, 2007.</ref>
Notable people
[edit]Template:Category see also People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Little Ferry include:
- Tom Boisture (1931–2011), American football high school / college coach and NFL scout who was the head of player personnel for the New York Giants<ref>Levin, Jay. "Retired Giants executive Thomas Boisture of Little Ferry dead at 79", The Record, March 17, 2011. Accessed May 12, 2016. "Tom Boisture never made a tackle or caught a pass for the Giants but he wore a Super Bowl XXI ring on his left hand and a Super Bowl XXV ring on his right. The Little Ferry resident, who died last Friday at 79, headed the Giants' player personnel for 20 years."</ref>
- Oscar Gamble (1949–2018), former outfielder / designated hitter who played for the New York Yankees<ref>Waggoner, Walter H. "Taking License With Plates", The New York Times, October 24, 1976. Accessed June 7, 2012. "Ohio has a 'GAMBLE,' which happens to be the license on the car owned by Oscar Gamble, the New York Yankee outfielder now living in Little Ferry."</ref>
- Phil Hawes (born 1989), mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship<ref>Aitken, Robert. "MMA: Little Ferry’s Phil Hawes not afraid to enter the cage", The Record, July 28, 2016. Accessed May 9, 2021. "For nearly two years, they kept Phil Hawes from fighting his next professional MMA bout. That wait finally ended June 17, when the Little Ferry resident made his debut with the World Series of Fighting."</ref>
- Bill Lovett (1894–1923), gangster<ref>Staff. "Fate Pursues Girl Of Slum: Anna Lonergan's Hopes Fade Before Ill Luck Widow of Gangster, She Marries Another Dead Man's Friends Avenge Slight With Blood", Los Angeles Times, September 3, 1924. Accessed June 7, 2012. "Anna and her tired mother and her liability of a husband moved into a cottage at Little Ferry, N.J. Here Bill worked in the garden and grew better and they were happy."</ref><ref>McNamara, Joseph. The Justice Story: True Tales of Murder, Mystery, Mayhem, p. 176. Sports Publishing LLC, 2000. Template:ISBN. Accessed December 9, 2013. "After his marriage to Peg Leg's sister, Anna, the much-feared Lovett retired from the day-to-day supervision of White Hand activities and moved to Little Ferry, N.J."</ref>
- Ambar Lucid (born 2001), singer-songwriter, musician<ref>Herrera, Isabelia. "Ambar Lucid’s Arena-Sized Soul Will Help You Overcome; People used to tell this teenage singer-songwriter she wouldn’t make it because she is Latina. Here, she talks about proving them wrong.", Pitchfork, April 14, 2020. Accessed April 20, 2020. "Ambar is waiting out the pandemic with her family at her childhood home in Little Ferry, a New Jersey suburb that she’s just returned to after spending a year and a half chasing her musical aspirations in Los Angeles."</ref>
- Margherita Marchione (1922–2021), nun, writer, teacher and apologeticist, who dedicated herself in her later years to the defense of Pope Pius XII and his failure to save more Jews from the Nazis during The Holocaust<ref>Ruby, Walter. "The Pope's Defender; A Morristown nun leads a one-woman crusade to change minds about Pius XII's role in the Shoa" Template:Webarchive, New Jersey Jewish News, February 15, 2007. Accessed December 9, 2013. "Marchione was born in Little Ferry in 1922 to a family of Italian immigrants."</ref>
- Pete Michels (born 1964), animation director, whose credits include The Simpsons, Family Guy and Rick and Morty<ref>Pete Michels Interview, Animation Insider, March 18, 2015. Accessed December 31, 2020. "Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business? I’m from Little Ferry, New Jersey… a suburb of New York City that’s located just south of Hackensack."</ref>
- Chico Resch (born 1949), retired ice hockey goaltender and television sportscaster who played 14 seasons in the NHL for the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils<ref>Yorio, Kara. "Canadian born, former Islander, Flyer and Devil has become a Jersey guy", The Record, October 13, 2013. Accessed December 9, 2013. "Before Lyndhurst the Resches lived in Little Ferry, and Ridgewood during his playing days, but Lyndhurst feels most like home, Chico said."</ref>
- Buddy Valastro (born 1977), star of Cake Boss, who was presented with the "keys to the city" of Little Ferry in 2010<ref>Staff. "The Cake Boss returns to Little Ferry" Template:Webarchive, Little Ferry Local, May 7, 2010. Accessed August 22, 2012. "Cake Boss Buddy Valastro returned to Little Ferry on April 27 to accept the 'keys to the city' during ceremonies at Borough Hall. Valastro, who grew up in town, is best known for his starring role on the TLC television program The Cake Boss."</ref>
References
[edit]Sources
[edit]- Municipal Incorporations of the State of New Jersey (according to Counties) prepared by the Division of Local Government, Department of the Treasury (New Jersey); December 1, 1958.
- Clayton, W. Woodford; and Nelson, William. History of Bergen and Passaic Counties, New Jersey, with Biographical Sketches of Many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men. Philadelphia: Everts and Peck, 1882.
- Harvey, Cornelius Burnham (ed.), Genealogical History of Hudson and Bergen Counties, New Jersey. New York: New Jersey Genealogical Publishing Co., 1900.
- Van Valen, James M. History of Bergen County, New Jersey. New York: New Jersey Publishing and Engraving Co., 1900.
- Westervelt, Frances A. (Frances Augusta), 1858–1942, History of Bergen County, New Jersey, 1630–1923, Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1923.