Leonia, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Leonia is a borough
in Bergen County
, New Jersey
, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,937. It is located near the western approach to the George Washington Bridge
.
Leonia was formed as the result of a referendum passed on December 5, 1894, from portions of Ridgefield Township
. Portions of Leonia were taken on February 19, 1895, to form the Township of Teaneck
.
New Jersey Monthly
magazine ranked Leonia as its 31st best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the borough has a total area of 1.62 square miles (4.2 km²), of which 1.51 square miles (3.9 km²) are land and 0.12 square mile (0.3107985732 km²) of it (7.41%) is water. While the town center's elevation is 105 feet (32 m), the western part of the town can reach 5 feet (1.5 m) and the eastern part of the town can reach 318 feet. Leonia is designated as a Tree City USA
, receiving its 21st annual recognition in 2010 from the National Arbor Day Foundation
.
of 2000, there were 8,914 people, 3,271 households, and 2,436 families residing in the borough. The population density
was 5,921.3 people per square mile (2,279.3/km2). There were 3,343 housing units at an average density of 2,220.6 per square mile (854.8/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 65.74% White, 2.27% African American, 0.09% Native American, 26.06% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 3.20% from other races
, and 2.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.73% of the population.
There were 3,271 households out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% were married couples
living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the borough the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $72,440, and the median income for a family was $84,591. Males had a median income of $55,156 versus $38,125 for females. The per capita income
for the borough was $35,352. About 5.0% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.
As of the 2000 census, 17.24% of Leonia's residents identified themselves as being of Korea
n ancestry, which was the fourth highest in the United States and second highest of any municipality in New Jersey — behind neighboring Palisades Park
(36.38%) — for all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry. Additionally, 3.07% of Leonia's residents identified themselves as being of Japan
ese ancestry, which was the fourth highest of any municipality in New Jersey — behind Fort Lee
(6.09%), Demarest
(3.72%) and Edgewater
(3.22%) — for all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.
form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office and only votes to break a tie. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.
By state statute, the Mayor is the head of the municipal government. He or she makes all appointments (most are subject to Council confirmation), and is an “ex officio” member of all Council Committees. In addition, the Mayor has the authority to veto all or part of a new ordinance if it is adopted by the Council. The Mayor presides at all meetings of the Council, but does not vote except in the event of a tie.
The Council is Leonia's legislative body, creating and passing the annual operating and capital budgets, and can enact local ordinances that create or change laws within Leonia. Council members attend two Council meetings each month and serve on Council committees and as liaison and / or Commissioner to various Borough organizations. The Mayor and Council members in Leonia are unpaid.
, the Mayor
of Leonia is Mary Heveran (D
, term ends December 31, 2011). The current members of the Leonia Borough Council are Council President Frank Raucci (D, 2011), Philip Choi (D, 2011), John DeSimone (D, 2013), Gil Hawkins (D, 2011), Peter Knott (D, 2012) and Darryl Whitter (D, 2013).
based on the results of the 2010 Census.
, 565 (12.6%) were registered as Republicans
and 1,533 (34.1%) were registered as Undeclared
. There were two voters registered to other parties.
In recent years, on the national level, Leonia leans strongly toward the Democratic Party. In the 2008 presidential election
, Democrat Barack Obama
received 66.3% of the vote here, defeating Republican John McCain
, who received 32.6% of the vote, with 82.6% of registered voters participating. In the 2004 presidential election
, Democrat John Kerry
received 64.4% of the vote here, defeating Republican George W. Bush
, who received around 34.6%, on voter turnout of 79%.
Leonia is served by its public system and by private schools.
The Leonia Public Schools
serve students from kindergarten through the twelfth grade. Students from Edgewater
attended the district's schools for grades 7-12 as part of a sending/receiving relationship
with the Edgewater Public Schools
. Edgewater sends approximately 260 students who attend the district's middle school and high school.
Schools in the district (with 2009-10 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics
) are
Anna C. Scott Elementary School (grades K-5, 664 students),
Leonia Middle School (6-8, 489 students) and
Leonia High School
(9-12, 636 students)
St. John the Evangelist School is a Catholic school
for students in grades PreK-8, operating under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark
.
. The population was about 1,000 before the Europeans came and took over the town. At the time of the American Revolutionary War
, Leonia was known as part of the English Neighborhood
, a name that survives in neighboring Englewood
. It was settled in 1668 mainly by Dutch
and English
farmers, making it one of the oldest towns in the state and county. A third of the population was African slaves. It was located on the western slope of the Palisades, started as a quiet farming community. Leonia's proximity to New York City
and its major universities, theaters and performing venues contributed to Leonia's place in the world of art and academics, with many artists and leading thinkers finding a home there in the twentieth century.
The local economy that had been focused on agriculture underwent economic and cultural growth during the late nineteenth century, marked by the introduction of train service at was originally called West Fort Lee
. In 1865, in order to establish a unique identity and prevent confusion, some town fathers such as J. Vreeland Moore
agreed on the name "Leonia" (Leonia mean "at the foot of Lee," Lee being General Charles Lee
of Revolutionary War fame.
After traveling through Leonia after arriving in New Jersey by ferry at Edgewater
in 1899, advertising executive Artemus Ward purchased a large piece of land and established the Leonia Heights Land Company to develop and market housing in the community, his advertising attracting many academics and artists who were attracted to Leonia's small size, culture, and location, earning the town's nickname of the "Athens of New Jersey".
In 1915, the Leonia School of Illustration was established by Harvey Dunn
, fostering the artists' colony that subsequently emerged over the next decade. By the 1930s, it had the highest number of residents, per capita, in Who's Who in America
and 80% of its residents were college graduates. Transportation through the borough was enhanced with access to ferries and trolley systems and Leonia became a refuge for many of America's most creative thinkers which included five Nobel Prize winners.
For two hundred years, one of the two major avenues that run north-to-south through Leonia, Grand Avenue, (the other one is Broad Avenue,) was called the English Neighborhood Road. In colonial times, this road served as the main inland route between Paulus Hook
, Bergen, and the English Neighborhood. Leonia is famous for being a crossroads of the American Revolution and a training ground for American Civil War
soldiers.
Historic places in this town include the Civil War Drill Hall and Armory, the Cole-Allaire House, and the Vreeland House
.
Leonia celebrates "Leonia Day" annually on the third Sunday in May.
, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. In 1963, the Children's Show was instituted and continues each spring. Between 1968 and 1998, the Guild produced Theatre in the Park. Since 2002, the Players' Guild of Leonia has produced a Playwright's Showcase featuring original scripts. The Guild presently operates out of the historic Civil War Drill Hall Theatre on Grand Avenue which is leased from the borough.
In addition to the Players Guild of Leonia, Leonia has five public recreational areas in its square-mile town. Of the five areas, only the Leonia Swim Club requires membership fee. The recreation areas include Wood Park, located on the corner of Broad Avenue and Fort Lee Road; Sylvan Park and the Leonia Swim Club, both are on Grand Avenue, near Sylvan Avenue; the Recreational Center on Broad Avenue that offers an indoor basketball court. Overpeck County Park
, which is a Bergen County park that is located in Leonia, also home of the county's World Trade Center
Memorial.
, U.S. Route 1
, U.S. Route 9
, and Interstate 95
(the New Jersey Turnpike
). New Jersey Transit
bus routes 166, 182, 751, 755 and 756 also serve Leonia, The Northern Branch Corridor Project, a proposal to restore passenger train service on the CSX tracks, which had offered passenger service decades before and is now used for occasional freight service. New Jersey Transit
's plan would include a station in Leonia as part of its route between Tenafly
and North Bergen
.
Some notable people who grew up in Leonia:
Borough (New Jersey)
A borough in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....
in Bergen County
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,937. It is located near the western approach to the George Washington Bridge
George Washington Bridge
The George Washington Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting the Washington Heights neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City to Fort Lee, Bergen County, New Jersey. Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1/9 cross the river via the bridge. U.S...
.
Leonia was formed as the result of a referendum passed on December 5, 1894, from portions of Ridgefield Township
Ridgefield Township, Bergen County, New Jersey (Historical)
Ridgefield Township was a township that existed in Bergen County, New Jersey. The township was created in 1871, when Hackensack Township was trisected to form Palisades Township in the northernmost third, Englewood Township in the central strip and Ridgefield Township encompassing the southernmost...
. Portions of Leonia were taken on February 19, 1895, to form the Township of Teaneck
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
.
New Jersey Monthly
New Jersey Monthly
New Jersey Monthly is a monthly glossy publication featuring issues of possible interest to residents of the United States state of New Jersey...
magazine ranked Leonia as its 31st best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.
Geography
Leonia is located at 40.863413°N 73.988273°W (40.863413, -73.988273).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the borough has a total area of 1.62 square miles (4.2 km²), of which 1.51 square miles (3.9 km²) are land and 0.12 square mile (0.3107985732 km²) of it (7.41%) is water. While the town center's elevation is 105 feet (32 m), the western part of the town can reach 5 feet (1.5 m) and the eastern part of the town can reach 318 feet. Leonia is designated as a Tree City USA
Tree City USA
Tree City USA is a tree planting and tree care program sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation for cities and towns in the United States.- Requirements :...
, receiving its 21st annual recognition in 2010 from the National Arbor Day Foundation
National Arbor Day Foundation
The Arbor Day Foundation is the world's oldest and largest tree-planting organization. The foundation began September 3, 1971 with a mission "to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees". The Foundation is supported by donations, selling trees and merchandise, and by corporate sponsors...
.
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 8,914 people, 3,271 households, and 2,436 families residing in the borough. 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 5,921.3 people per square mile (2,279.3/km2). There were 3,343 housing units at an average density of 2,220.6 per square mile (854.8/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 65.74% White, 2.27% African American, 0.09% Native American, 26.06% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 3.20% 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 2.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.73% of the population.
There were 3,271 households out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% 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, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the borough the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $72,440, and the median income for a family was $84,591. Males had a median income of $55,156 versus $38,125 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 borough was $35,352. About 5.0% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.
As of the 2000 census, 17.24% of Leonia's residents identified themselves as being of Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n ancestry, which was the fourth highest in the United States and second highest of any municipality in New Jersey — behind neighboring Palisades Park
Palisades Park, New Jersey
Palisades Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 19,622....
(36.38%) — for all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry. Additionally, 3.07% of Leonia's residents identified themselves as being of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese ancestry, which was the fourth highest of any municipality in New Jersey — behind Fort Lee
Fort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 35,345. Located atop the Hudson Palisades, the borough is the western terminus of the George Washington Bridge...
(6.09%), Demarest
Demarest, New Jersey
Demarest is a Borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 4,881.Demarest was formed by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 8, 1903, from portions of Harrington Township and Palisades Township. The borough was named...
(3.72%) and Edgewater
Edgewater, New Jersey
Edgewater is a borough located along the Hudson River in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 census, the borough had a population of 11,513...
(3.22%) — for all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.
Local government
Leonia is governed under the BoroughBorough (New Jersey)
A borough in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....
form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office and only votes to break a tie. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.
By state statute, the Mayor is the head of the municipal government. He or she makes all appointments (most are subject to Council confirmation), and is an “ex officio” member of all Council Committees. In addition, the Mayor has the authority to veto all or part of a new ordinance if it is adopted by the Council. The Mayor presides at all meetings of the Council, but does not vote except in the event of a tie.
The Council is Leonia's legislative body, creating and passing the annual operating and capital budgets, and can enact local ordinances that create or change laws within Leonia. Council members attend two Council meetings each month and serve on Council committees and as liaison and / or Commissioner to various Borough organizations. The Mayor and Council members in Leonia are unpaid.
, the Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Leonia is Mary Heveran (D
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, term ends December 31, 2011). The current members of the Leonia Borough Council are Council President Frank Raucci (D, 2011), Philip Choi (D, 2011), John DeSimone (D, 2013), Gil Hawkins (D, 2011), Peter Knott (D, 2012) and Darryl Whitter (D, 2013).
Federal, state and county representation
Leonia is in the 9th Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 37th state legislative district. The legislative district was kept unchanged 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.
Politics
As of Election Day, November 4, 2008, there were 4,491 registered voters in Leonia. Of registered voters, 2,391 (53.2% of all registered voters) were registered as DemocratsDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, 565 (12.6%) were registered as Republicans
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...
and 1,533 (34.1%) were registered as Undeclared
Undeclared (New Jersey)
Unaffiliated is a status for registered voters in New Jersey. Those voters who do not specify a political party affiliation when they register to vote are listed as unaffiliated....
. There were two voters registered to other parties.
In recent years, on the national level, Leonia leans strongly toward the Democratic Party. In the 2008 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
, Democrat Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
received 66.3% of the vote here, defeating Republican John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
, who received 32.6% of the vote, with 82.6% of registered voters participating. In the 2004 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
, Democrat John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
received 64.4% of the vote here, defeating Republican George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, who received around 34.6%, on voter turnout of 79%.
Education
The Leonia Public Schools
Leonia Public Schools
The Leonia Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in Kindergarten through Twelfth grade from Leonia, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States....
serve students from kindergarten through the twelfth grade. Students from Edgewater
Edgewater, New Jersey
Edgewater is a borough located along the Hudson River in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 census, the borough had a population of 11,513...
attended the district's schools for grades 7-12 as part of a sending/receiving relationship
Sending/receiving relationship
A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts have grown as part of a historical relationship...
with the Edgewater Public Schools
Edgewater Public Schools
The Edgewater Public Schools is a community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through sixth grades from Edgewater, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States....
. Edgewater sends approximately 260 students who attend the district's middle school and high school.
Schools in the district (with 2009-10 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics
National Center for Education Statistics
The 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...
) are
Anna C. Scott Elementary School (grades K-5, 664 students),
Leonia Middle School (6-8, 489 students) and
Leonia High School
Leonia High School
Leonia High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grade from the Borough of Leonia in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Leonia Public Schools...
(9-12, 636 students)
St. John the Evangelist School is a Catholic school
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
for students in grades PreK-8, operating under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark
The Archdiocese of Newark is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in northern New Jersey, United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of the Catholic parishes and schools in the New Jersey counties of Bergen, Union, Hudson and Essex .-History:Originally established as the Diocese of...
.
History
The original inhabitants of Leonia were Ashkineshacky IndiansHackensack (Native Americans)
Hackensack was the exonym given to a band of Lenape, a Native American people is a European derivation of the Lenape word for what is now the region of northeastern New Jersey along the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers.-Territory and Society:...
. The population was about 1,000 before the Europeans came and took over the town. At the time of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, Leonia was known as part of the English Neighborhood
English Neighborhood
The English Neighborhood was the colonial-era name for the towns in eastern Bergen County, New Jersey, along the Hudson Palisades between the North River and the Hackensack River, particularly around its main tributary, Overpeck Creek. The region had been part of the Dutch New Netherland colony of...
, a name that survives in neighboring Englewood
Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood is a city located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 27,147.Englewood was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of...
. It was settled in 1668 mainly by Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
and English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
farmers, making it one of the oldest towns in the state and county. A third of the population was African slaves. It was located on the western slope of the Palisades, started as a quiet farming community. Leonia's proximity to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and its major universities, theaters and performing venues contributed to Leonia's place in the world of art and academics, with many artists and leading thinkers finding a home there in the twentieth century.
The local economy that had been focused on agriculture underwent economic and cultural growth during the late nineteenth century, marked by the introduction of train service at was originally called West Fort Lee
Fort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 35,345. Located atop the Hudson Palisades, the borough is the western terminus of the George Washington Bridge...
. In 1865, in order to establish a unique identity and prevent confusion, some town fathers such as J. Vreeland Moore
J. Vreeland Moore
J. Vreeland Moore was a brigadier general of the 1st New Jersey Regiment who played a major role in the history of Leonia, New Jersey. A resident of Leonia for over 50 years, he was a member of the first council which was formed when Leonia was incorporated as a borough in 1894. He served as...
agreed on the name "Leonia" (Leonia mean "at the foot of Lee," Lee being General Charles Lee
Charles Lee
Charles Lee may refer to:*Charles Lee , former NFL player*Charles Lee *Charles Lee , British author*Charles Lee *Charles Lee...
of Revolutionary War fame.
After traveling through Leonia after arriving in New Jersey by ferry at Edgewater
Edgewater, New Jersey
Edgewater is a borough located along the Hudson River in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 census, the borough had a population of 11,513...
in 1899, advertising executive Artemus Ward purchased a large piece of land and established the Leonia Heights Land Company to develop and market housing in the community, his advertising attracting many academics and artists who were attracted to Leonia's small size, culture, and location, earning the town's nickname of the "Athens of New Jersey".
In 1915, the Leonia School of Illustration was established by Harvey Dunn
Harvey Dunn
Harvey Thomas Dunn was an American painter. He is best known for his prairie-intimate masterpiece, The Prairie is My Garden. In this painting, a mother and her son and daughter are out gathering flowers from the quintessential prairie of the Great Plains.-Early life:Dunn was born on a homestead...
, fostering the artists' colony that subsequently emerged over the next decade. By the 1930s, it had the highest number of residents, per capita, in Who's Who in America
Marquis Who's Who
Marquis Who's Who, a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc., is the American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies...
and 80% of its residents were college graduates. Transportation through the borough was enhanced with access to ferries and trolley systems and Leonia became a refuge for many of America's most creative thinkers which included five Nobel Prize winners.
For two hundred years, one of the two major avenues that run north-to-south through Leonia, Grand Avenue, (the other one is Broad Avenue,) was called the English Neighborhood Road. In colonial times, this road served as the main inland route between Paulus Hook
Paulus Hook, Jersey City
Paulus Hook is a community on the Hudson River waterfront in Jersey City, New Jersey, located one mile across the river from Manhattan. The name Hook comes from the Dutch word "hoeck" which translates into "point of land." This "point of land" has been described as an elevated area, the location...
, Bergen, and the English Neighborhood. Leonia is famous for being a crossroads of the American Revolution and a training ground for American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
soldiers.
Historic places in this town include the Civil War Drill Hall and Armory, the Cole-Allaire House, and the Vreeland House
Vreeland House
The Vreeland House, is located in Leonia, New Jersey. The house was built in 1786 by Dirck Vreeland. His son Michael D. Vreeland, added the main Dutch style wing of the house in 1815. The house remained in the Vreeland family until 1928...
.
Leonia celebrates "Leonia Day" annually on the third Sunday in May.
Recreation
Leonia is home to the Players Guild of Leonia, which operates as the oldest continuing theatre troupe in the state of New Jersey, and is one of the oldest community theatre guilds in the state with continuous performances since 1919. Performances have included comedies, tragedies, classics, and musicals. The Guild's production of One Mad Night in 1940 was the first three-act play performed on television, when it was broadcast on WPTZKYW-TV
KYW-TV, virtual channel 3, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. KYW-TV shares a studio facility with its sister station, CW flagship WPSG just north of Center City Philadelphia...
, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. In 1963, the Children's Show was instituted and continues each spring. Between 1968 and 1998, the Guild produced Theatre in the Park. Since 2002, the Players' Guild of Leonia has produced a Playwright's Showcase featuring original scripts. The Guild presently operates out of the historic Civil War Drill Hall Theatre on Grand Avenue which is leased from the borough.
In addition to the Players Guild of Leonia, Leonia has five public recreational areas in its square-mile town. Of the five areas, only the Leonia Swim Club requires membership fee. The recreation areas include Wood Park, located on the corner of Broad Avenue and Fort Lee Road; Sylvan Park and the Leonia Swim Club, both are on Grand Avenue, near Sylvan Avenue; the Recreational Center on Broad Avenue that offers an indoor basketball court. Overpeck County Park
Overpeck County Park
Overpeck County Park is an county park in Bergen County, New Jersey, with major sections in Leonia, Palisades Park, Ridgefield Park, and Teaneck, surrounding Overpeck Creek, a tributary of the Hackensack River....
, which is a Bergen County park that is located in Leonia, also home of the county's World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
Memorial.
Transportation
Leonia is served by New Jersey Route 93 (also known as Grand Avenue), U.S. Route 46U.S. Route 46
U.S. Route 46 is an east–west U.S. Highway, running for , completely within the state of New Jersey. The west end is at an interchange with Interstate 80 and Route 94 in Columbia, Warren County on the Delaware River...
, U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south U.S. Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs 2,377 miles from Fort Kent, Maine at the Canadian border south to Key West, Florida. U.S. 1 generally parallels Interstate 95, though it is significantly farther west between...
, U.S. Route 9
U.S. Route 9
U.S. Route 9 is a north–south United States highway in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the United States. It is one of only two U.S. highways with a ferry connection ; the other being US 10. US 9 is signed east–west in Delaware and north–south on the rest of...
, and Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in New Jersey
Interstate 95 is a major Interstate Highway that traverses the full extent of the East Coast of the United States, from Florida to Maine...
(the New Jersey Turnpike
New Jersey Turnpike
The New Jersey Turnpike is a toll road in New Jersey, maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. According to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, the Turnpike is the nation's sixth-busiest toll road and is among one of the most heavily traveled highways in the United...
). New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...
bus routes 166, 182, 751, 755 and 756 also serve Leonia, The Northern Branch Corridor Project, a proposal to restore passenger train service on the CSX tracks, which had offered passenger service decades before and is now used for occasional freight service. New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...
's plan would include a station in Leonia as part of its route between Tenafly
Tenafly, New Jersey
Tenafly is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 14,488. Tenafly is an affluent suburb of New York City....
and North Bergen
North Bergen, New Jersey
North Bergen is a township in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township had a total population of 60,773. Originally founded in 1843, the town was much diminished in territory by a series of secessions. Situated on the Hudson Palisades, it is one...
.
Notable Leonians
Some notable people who lived in Leonia during part or all of their career:- Alan AldaAlan AldaAlphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo , better known as Alan Alda, is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H...
(born 1936), actor. - Freddie BartholomewFreddie BartholomewFrederick Cecil Bartholomew , known for his acting work as Freddie Bartholomew, was an English-American child actor. One of the most famous child actors of all time, he became very popular in 1930s Hollywood films...
(1924–92), child actor. - Pat BoonePat BooneCharles Eugene "Pat" Boone is an American singer, actor and writer who has been a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He covered black artists' songs and sold more copies than his black counterparts...
(born 1934), singer. - Carolee CarmelloCarolee CarmelloCarolee Carmello is an American actress best known for her performances in Broadway musicals.She made her Broadway debut in a small role in City of Angels...
, actress. - Robin Cook (born 1940), physician and novelist.
- Sammy Davis, Jr.Sammy Davis, Jr.Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
(1925–90), entertainer. - Harvey DunnHarvey DunnHarvey Thomas Dunn was an American painter. He is best known for his prairie-intimate masterpiece, The Prairie is My Garden. In this painting, a mother and her son and daughter are out gathering flowers from the quintessential prairie of the Great Plains.-Early life:Dunn was born on a homestead...
(1884–1952), illustrator. - Gregg EdelmanGregg EdelmanGregg Edelman is an American movie, television and theatre actor.Edelman was born in Chicago, Illinois, attended Niles North High School, where he starred as Lil' Abner opposite future soap star Nancy Lee Grahn, and was trained at Northwestern University...
(born 1958), actor. - EmmeEmme (model)Melissa Aronson, better known as Emme , is a plus-size model, and is largely recognized as the leading model in the profession, as well as its highest earner.-Early life:...
(born 1963), plus-size supermodel. - Enrico FermiEnrico FermiEnrico Fermi was an Italian-born, naturalized American physicist particularly known for his work on the development of the first nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1, and for his contributions to the development of quantum theory, nuclear and particle physics, and statistical mechanics...
(1901–54), Nobel Prize winning physicist. - Buddy HackettBuddy HackettBuddy Hackett was an American comedian and actor.-Early life:Hackett was born in Brooklyn, New York, New York, the son of a Jewish upholsterer. He grew up on 54th and 14th Ave in Borough Park, Brooklyn, across from Public School 103...
(1924–2003), comedian. - Marvin HarrisMarvin HarrisMarvin Harris was an American anthropologist. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. A prolific writer, he was highly influential in the development of cultural materialism...
(1927–2001), anthropologist. - Phil JacksonPhil JacksonPhilip Douglas "Phil" Jackson is a retired American professional basketball coach and player. Jackson is widely considered one of the greatest coaches in the history of the National Basketball Association . His reputation was established as head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 1989 through 1998;...
(born 1945), basketball coach. - Harold Lehman (1913–2006), artist.
- Willard LibbyWillard LibbyWillard Frank Libby was an American physical chemist noted for his role in the 1949 development of radiocarbon dating, a process which revolutionized archaeology....
(1908–80), Nobel Prize winning scientist who played a lead role in the development of radiocarbon datingRadiocarbon datingRadiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...
. - Robert LudlumRobert LudlumRobert Ludlum was an American author of 23 thriller novels. The number of his books in print is estimated between 290–500 million copies. They have been published in 33 languages and 40 countries. Ludlum also published books under the pseudonyms Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd.-Life and...
(1927–2001), author. - John C. McCloyJohn C. McCloyJohn McCloy was a sailor in the United States Navy who is one of only 19 individuals to receive the Medal of Honor twice. He received his first Medal of Honor for action in the Boxer Rebellion in June 1900...
(1876–1945), sailor twice awarded the Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
. - Bob McFaddenBob McFaddenRobert "Bob" McFadden was a singer and voiceover actor best known for his many contributions to animated cartoons. His best known characters were Milton the Monster, Cool McCool, and the ThunderCats' Snarf...
(1923–2000), voiceover actor. - Boris MoishezonBoris MoishezonBoris Gershevich Moishezon was a Ukrainian-born Soviet mathematician. He left the Soviet Union in 1972 for Tel Aviv, and in 1977 moved to Columbia University, where he was a professor of mathematics until his death sixteen years later...
(1937-93), mathematician. - Robert F. MurphyRobert F. Murphy (anthropologist)Robert Francis Murphy was a distinguished anthropologist and professor of anthropology at Columbia University in New York City, from the early 1960s to 1990...
(1924–1990), anthropologist. - James NobleJames Noble (actor)James Noble is an American actor best known for his portrayal of the slightly daffy Governor Eugene Gatling on the 1980s sitcom Benson. He began his career in soap operas, most notably, The Brighter Day; As the World Turns, The Doctors and A World Apart...
(born 1922), actor. - Carmel QuinnCarmel QuinnCarmel Quinn is an Irish entertainer who has appeared on Broadway, television and radio since coming to America in 1954.-Biography:...
, (born 1925) singer. - Harold UreyHarold UreyHarold Clayton Urey was an American physical chemist whose pioneering work on isotopes earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1934...
(1893–1981), Nobel Prize winning chemist.
Some notable people who grew up in Leonia:
- Anthony BourdainAnthony BourdainAnthony Michael "Tony" Bourdain is an American chef, author and television personality. He is well known for his 2000 book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, and is the host of Travel Channel's culinary and cultural adventure program Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.A...
(born 1956), chef. - Dan ColenDan ColenDaniel Colen is an artist based in New York. His work consists of painted sculptures appropriating low-cultural ephemera, graffiti-inspired paintings of text executed in paint, and installations.-Education:...
(born 1979), artist. - Toomas Hendrik IlvesToomas Hendrik IlvesToomas Hendrik Ilves is the fourth and current President of Estonia. He is a former diplomat and journalist, was the leader of the Social Democratic Party in the 1990s and later a member of the European Parliament...
(born 1953), President of EstoniaPresident of EstoniaThe President of the Republic is the head of state of the Republic of Estonia.Estonia is a parliamentary republic, therefore President is mainly a symbolic figure and holds no executive power. The President has to suspend his membership in any political party for his term in office...
. - Bob KlapischBob KlapischRobert Salvador "Bob" Klapisch is a sportswriter for The Record and Fox Sports. He has previously written for The New York Post, ESPN, and New York Daily News, and has written five books about baseball...
, sportswriter. - Dick KryhoskiDick KryhoskiRichard David Kryhoski was a first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for five different teams between 1949 and 1955. Listed at 6' 2", 200 lb., Kryhoski batted and threw left-handed. He was born and raised in Leonia, New Jersey.Kryhoski attended at Upsala College in East Orange, New...
(1925–2007), was a first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for five different teams between 1949 and 1955. - Philip ManevalPhilip ManevalPhilip Maneval is an American composer and arts administrator.As a composer, Maneval has written more than 35 solo, chamber music and orchestral works which have been played by groups including the Chicago String Quartet and Miami String Quartet, and performed at the Marlboro Music Festival and...
(born 1956), composer. - Vera MaxwellVera MaxwellVera Huppe Maxwell was a legendary sportswear and fashion designer until her retirement in 1985.She was the first American designer to make clothes with Ultrasuede material...
(1901-95), fashion designer. - Christiane NollChristiane NollChristiane Noll is an American singer and actress known for her work in musicals and on the concert stage. She is perhaps best known for originating the role of Emma Carew in Frank Wildhorn's Jekyll & Hyde, as well as her roles in Urinetown and City of Angels.-Life and career:Noll was born in New...
, singer and actress known for her work in musicalsMusical theatreMusical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
and on the concert stage. - Frank C. Osmers, Jr.Frank C. Osmers, Jr.Frank C. Osmers, Jr. was an American Republican Party politician who represented New Jersey's 9th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1939–1943 and again from 1951-1965.Born in Leonia, New Jersey on December 30, 1907, Osmers attended the local public schools...
(1907–1977), represented New Jersey's 9th congressional districtNew Jersey's 9th congressional districtNew Jersey's Ninth Congressional District is currently represented by Democrat Steve Rothman.-Counties and municipalities in the district:For the 108th and successive Congresses , the district contains all or portions of three counties and 37 municipalities:Bergen County:Hudson CountyPassaic...
from 1939–1943 and 1951-1965. - Ivory SullyIvory SullyIvory Sully is a retired American football player.Sully grew up in Leonia, New Jersey, and played high school football there at Leonia High School. Undrafted as a running back from Division II Delaware, he was signed as a free agent by the Los Angeles Rams, who moved him to safety...
(born 1957), football player. - Al B. Sure!Al B. Sure!Albert Jason Brown III is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He grew up in Leonia, New Jersey and Mount Vernon, New York. During the late 1980s under the stage name Al B...
(born 1968), singer, songwriter and producer.
Sources
- Division of Local Government, Department of the Treasury (New Jersey) "Municipal Incorporations of the State of New Jersey (according to Counties)" prepared by the December 1, 1958.
- Mattingly, Paul H. Suburban Landscapes: Culture and Politics in a New York Metropolitan Community. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-8018-6680-4.
- Karel, Carol Leonia Images of America Series, Arcadia Pub., 2002. ISBN 0-7385-0973-6
- Westervelt, Frances A. (Frances Augusta) "History of Bergen County, New Jersey, 1630-1923;"
External links
- Leonia official website
- Leonia Public Schools
- Data for the Leonia Public Schools, 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...
- Leonia website that has easy access to Leonia official website, fire department, ambulance corps, and public schools
- Information about programs and initiatives in Leonia, New Jersey