Blairstown Township, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 5,747 people, 2,040 households, and 1,638 families residing in the township. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 185.3 people per square mile (71.5/km²). There were 2,136 housing units at an average density of 68.9 per square mile (26.6/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 98.17% White, 0.26% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.98% of the population.
There were 2,040 households out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.7% were non-families. 15.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the township the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $64,809, and the median income for a family was $71,214. Males had a median income of $51,931 versus $33,646 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the township was $27,775. About 3.0% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over. The Township's economic data (as is all of Warren County) is calculated by the US Census Bureau as part of the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metropolitan Statistical Area
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
which includes Carbon, Lehigh, and Northampton Counties, PA and Warren County, NJ.
Local government
Blairstown has a traditional TownshipTownship (New Jersey)
A township, in the context of New Jersey local government, refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government. As a political entity, a township is a full-fledged municipality, on par with any town, city, borough, or village, collecting property taxes and providing...
form of government, with a five-member committee. Committee members serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year. Each year, the Committee members select one of their fellow members to serve as Mayor and another to serve as Deputy Mayor.
, the Blairstown Township Committee consists of Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Richard Mach (R
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, term ends December 31, 2013), Deputy Mayor
Deputy Mayor
Deputy mayor is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official in many local governments. Many elected deputy mayors are members of the city council who are given the title and serve as acting mayor in the mayor's absence...
Salvatore Lascari (R, 2011), Frank Anderson (R, 2012), Stephen Lance (R, 2011), and William Seal (R, 2012).
Former Mayors
- 2011 - Richard Mach (R)
- 2010 - Richard Mach (R)
- 2009 - Richard Mach (R)
- 2008 - Stephen Lance (R)
- 2007 - Stephen Lance (R)
- 2006 - Stephen Lance (R)
- 2005 - Alfred Handy (R)
- 2004 - George Joest (R)
- 2003 - William Horsey (R)
- 2002 - George Joest (R)
- 2001 - William Seal (R)
- 2000 - Jane Santini (D)
- 1999 - Joseph DiGrazia (R)
- 1998 - Anita Ardia (I)
- 1997 - Franklin D Shotwell (R)
- 1996 - Franklin D Shotwell (R)
- 1995 - Charles Eble (R)
Former Committeemen
- 2007-12 - William Seal (R)
- 2006-11 - Sal Lascari (R)
- 2006-11 - Stephen Lance (R)
- 2005-12 - Frank Anderson (R)
- 2005-13 - Richard Mach (R)
- 2004-06 - Gary Stevens (R)
- 2003-05 - Alfred Handy (R)
- 2003-05 - Raymond Davis (R)
- 2002-04 - William Horsey (R)
- 2001-05 - George Joest (R)
- 2001-03 - JoAnne VanValkenburg (I)
- 1998-01 - William Seal (R)
- 1997-02 - Jane Santini (D)
- 1997-02 - Anita Ardia (I)
- 1995-97 - Fred Cook (D)
- 1995-97 - Charles Eble (R)
- 1992-94 - Robert Rokosz (R)
- 1990-92 - Anthony Hipple (R)
- 1989-94 - Walter Orcutt (R)
- 1988-93 - Robert McElroy (D)
- 1984-86 - George Wilhelm (R)
- 1981-87 - Carl Race (R)
- 1979-87 - Sal Simonetti (R)
- 1978-83 - Elwyn Barker (R)
- 1968-89 - Frank Kelly (D)
Federal, state and county representation
Blairstown Township is in the 5th Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 23rd state legislative district. The township was relocated to the 24th state legislative district by the New Jersey Apportionment CommissionNew Jersey Apportionment Commission
The New Jersey Apportionment Commission is a constitutionally-created ten-member commission responsible for apportioning the forty districts of the New Jersey Legislature. The commission is convened after each decennial U.S. Census, and the districts are to be in use for the legislative elections...
based on the results of the 2010 Census. The new district will be in effect for the June 2011 primary and the November 2011 general election, with the state senator and assembly members elected taking office in the new district as of January 2012.
Education
Public school students in grades K through 6 attend the Blairstown Elementary School, as part of the Blairstown Township School DistrictBlairstown Township School District
Blairstown Township School District is a community public school district that serves students in Blairstown Township, New Jersey, United States, that serves students in Kindergarten through sixth grade...
. Blairstown Elementary School served 721 students in grades K-6, as of the 2008-09 school year. Students from Hardwick Township
Hardwick Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,464 people, 502 households, and 410 families residing in the township. The population density was 40.1 people per square mile . There were 530 housing units at an average density of 14.5 per square mile...
, a non-operating school district, attend Blairstown Elementary School.
Students in grades 7 through 12 for public school attend the North Warren Regional High School
North Warren Regional High School
North Warren Regional High School is a public high school and regional school district, serving students in grades 7-12 in the townships of Blairstown, Frelinghuysen, Hardwick, and Knowlton...
in Blairstown, a public secondary high school, serving students from the townships of Blairstown, Frelinghuysen
Frelinghuysen Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,083 people, 722 households, and 578 families residing in the township. The population density was 88.9 people per square mile . There were 755 housing units at an average density of 32.2 per square mile...
, Hardwick
Hardwick Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,464 people, 502 households, and 410 families residing in the township. The population density was 40.1 people per square mile . There were 530 housing units at an average density of 14.5 per square mile...
, and Knowlton
Knowlton Township, New Jersey
- Local government :The Knowlton Township Committee consists of Mayor Frank Van Horn , Deputy Mayor Ronald Farber , Theresa Capriccio , René Mathez and Scott Odorizzi ....
.
Students from across the world attend Blair Academy
Blair Academy
Blair Academy is a private, coeducational, secondary boarding high school with an enrollment of about 448 students for grades nine through twelve. The school has 78 faculty members...
, a private school, which is located in Blairstown for grades 9-12.
Ridge and Valley Charter School, a K-8 charter school focused on Earth literacy and sustainable living is also located in Blairstown.
Transportation
Interstate 80Interstate 80 in New Jersey
Interstate 80 is a major Interstate Highway in the United States, running from the New York City Metropolitan Area westward to San Francisco, California...
and Route 94 pass through the township. Blairstown airport
Blairstown Airport
Blairstown Airport is a public-use airport located two nautical miles southwest of the central business district of Blairstown, Warren County, New Jersey, United States. It is privately owned by J.D. Air Inc. Blairstown is located in the Lehigh Valley, from the Delaware Water Gap and from New...
(1N7) is located southwest of the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
. It is the home of Yards Creek Soaring, where you can take a glider ride to see Blairstown from the air.
The Lackawanna Cut-Off, a 28.45-mile high-speed, double-track railway line was constructed by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company was a railroad connecting Pennsylvania's Lackawanna Valley, rich in anthracite coal, to Hoboken, New Jersey, , Buffalo and Oswego, New York...
between 1908 and 1911, opening for service on December 24, 1911. It ran west from Port Morris, New Jersey
Port Morris, New Jersey
Port Morris is a historic community in Roxbury Township, in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. Despite its name, Port Morris is in the hills of the Skylands Region, on the shores of Lake Musconetcong....
to Slateford, Pennsylvania
Slateford, Pennsylvania
Slateford is an unincorporated community in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The nearest communities are Stroudsburg to the north and Portland to the south. Slateford is approximately 1 mile from the Delaware Water Gap. Its name derives from its location at the edge of the...
and passed through Blairstown. The DL&W RR merged with the Erie Railroad
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, originally connecting New York City with Lake Erie...
on October 17, 1960, to form the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad. Due to declining revenues, passenger service over the Lackawanna Cut-Off was discontinued on January 5, 1970, and freight service ceased in 1979, just three years after the E-L was absorbed into the Consolidated Railroad Company (Conrail). The tracks remained relatively dormant until 1984, when the property was sold to a developer and rails removed. The right of way is now the property of the State of New Jersey, and plans are underway for the restoration of rail service in the future. Blairstown's poured concrete passenger and freight stations still stand, although privately owned.
Blairstown was also served by a second railroad, the Blairstown Railway
Blairstown Railway
- History :The Blairstown Railway opened in 1877 and ran between Blairstown, NJ and Delaware, NJ, a distance of approximately 12 miles . The single-track railroad was built under the direction of railroad magnate John I...
. The little short line, a personal project of the local industrial magnate John Insley Blair
John Insley Blair
John Insley Blair was an American entrepreneur, railroad magnate, philanthropist and one of the 19th century's wealthiest men.-Biography:...
, was constructed in 1876 from Blairstown to Delaware, NJ, where it connected with the Old Main Line
Lackawanna Old Road
The Lackawanna Old Road was the main right-of-way of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in New Jersey from 1856 until the DL&W opened the Lackawanna Cut-Off in 1911...
of the Lackawanna RR. The Blairstown Railway was absorbed by the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad in 1882 as it built west to the coal fields of Pennsylvania. The NYS&W also operated passenger service between Blairstown and New York (via Jersey City, NJ) until 1935. A third railroad, the Lehigh & New England Railroad, operated through Blairstown via trackage rights over the NYS&W between Swartswood Jct. and Hainesburg Jct. until October 31, 1961, when the L&NE was abandoned. With the loss of L&NE trackage rights revenues and little local business to sustain the line, the NYS&W also abandoned its line through Blairstown shortly thereafter, and the tracks were removed in 1962. The right of way today has been preserved by the State of New Jersey as the 26 mile long Paulinskill Valley Trail.
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Blairstown include:- Bennett BeanBennett BeanBennett Bean is an American ceramic artist. Although commonly described as a studio potter, some would characterize him as a sculptor and painter who works primarily in studio pottery.Bean resides in Blairstown, New Jersey....
, lives in Frelinghuysen Township, not Blairstown. studio potter. - Cathy Bao BeanCathy Bao BeanCathy Bao Bean, a writer and educator, is the author of The Chopsticks-Fork Principle: A Memoir and Manual . She lives in Blairstown, New Jersey, with her husband, artist Bennett Bean....
, lives in Frelinghuysen Township, not Blairstown. writer, The Chopsticks-Fork Principle: A Memoir and Manual. - John Insley BlairJohn Insley BlairJohn Insley Blair was an American entrepreneur, railroad magnate, philanthropist and one of the 19th century's wealthiest men.-Biography:...
, (1802–99), entrepreneur, railroad magnate, and Blairstown's most famous citizen. Gravel Hill was renamed Blairstown after Blair in 1839. - DeWitt Clinton BlairDeWitt Clinton BlairDeWitt Clinton Blair , born in Gravel Hill, New Jersey , was the son of John Insley Blair and Nancy Anne Locke. He continued his father's varied business interests and philanthropy. He graduated from Princeton University with the Class of 1856, and served as a Princeton trustee from 1900-1909...
, (1833–1915), son of John Insley Blair. - Isaac WildrickIsaac WildrickIsaac Wildrick was an American Democratic Party politician, who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1849 to 1853....
(1803–92), represented in the United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from 1849 to 1853.
Popular culture
- Scenes from the horror film Friday the 13th were filmed on Blairstown's Main Street, and at the Blairstown Diner on Route 94; the Boy Scout camp No-Be-Bo-Sco in adjacent Hardwick TownshipHardwick Township, New Jersey-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,464 people, 502 households, and 410 families residing in the township. The population density was 40.1 people per square mile . There were 530 housing units at an average density of 14.5 per square mile...
was the site for Camp Crystal LakeSummer campSummer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
. - Historic Blairstown Theater (also known as Roy's Hall) was built in 1913 as a silent movie house. The building was restored and painted blue in 2005 and was the site of the Blairstown Theater Festival in 2007.
- The body of Princess DoePrincess DoePrincess Doe is the name given to an unidentified homicide victim found in Blairstown, New Jersey, United States. The body was a young white female between the ages of 14 and 18. Her face had been bludgeoned beyond recognition. The approximate height of the victim was 5'2" and her weight was...
was discovered at the Cedar Ridge Cemetery in Blairstown on July 15, 1982. She became the first unidentified body entered into the FBI's NCIC computer system.
External links
- Blairstown Township website
- Warren County page for Blairstown Township
- Blairstown Township School District
- Data for the Blairstown Township School District, National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
- North Warren Regional School District
- Data for the North Warren Regional High School, National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
- History of Blairstown, New Jersey
- Blairstown Community Facebook Page
- Princess Doe Website