Phillipsburg, New Jersey

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Phillipsburg, New Jersey
settlement_type = Town
nickname =
motto =

imagesize =
image_caption =


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imagesize =
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mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Map of Phillipsburg in Warren County. Inset: Location of Warren County highlighted in New Jersey.


mapsize1 = 250x200px
map_caption1 = Census Bureau map of Philipsburg, New Jersey

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = New Jersey
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Warren
government_footnotes =
government_type = Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council)
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Harry L. Wyant, Jr.
leader_title1 = Administrator
leader_name1 = Michele D. Broubalow
established_title = Incorporated
established_date = March 8, 1861

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 8.6
area_land_km2 = 8.4
area_water_km2 = 0.3
area_total_sq_mi = 3.3
area_land_sq_mi = 3.2
area_water_sq_mi = 0.1

population_as_of = 2006
population_footnotes =
population_total = 14831
population_density_km2 = 1816.1
population_density_sq_mi = 4703.6

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes = [Gnis|885350|Town of Phillipsburg, Geographic Names Information System. Accessed January 4, 2008.]
elevation_m = 90
elevation_ft = 295
latd = 40 |latm = 41 |lats = 20 |latNS = N
longd = 75 |longm = 10 |longs = 57 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 08865
area_code = 908
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 34-58350GR|2 [ [http://mcdc2.missouri.edu/webrepts/commoncodes/ccc_nj.html A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey] , Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 14, 2008.]
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0885350GR|3
website = http://phillipsburgnj.org
footnotes =

Phillipsburg, known locally as P'burg, is a town in Warren County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of 2006, the town population was 14,831.

Phillipsburg was incorporated as a town by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 8, 1861, from portions of Phillipsburg Township (now Lopatcong Township)."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 248.]

The town is located in western New Jersey, on the border of Pennsylvania, and is considered the eastern border of the region's Lehigh Valley.

Geography

Phillipsburg is located at coor dms|40|41|22|N|75|11|7|W|city (40.689474, -75.185340)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.7 km²), of which, 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (3.29%) is water.

Pohatcong Mountain is a ridge, approximately 6 mi (10 km) long, in the Appalachian Mountains that extends from Phillipsburg northeast approximately to Washington.

Demographics

USCensusPop
1930=19255
1940=18314
1950=18919
1960=18502
1970=17849
1980=16647
1990=15757
2000=15166
estimate= 14831
estyear=2006
estref= [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=Search&_name=Phillipsburg&_state=04000US34&_county=Phillipsburg&_cityTown=Phillipsburg&_zip=&_sse=on&_lang=en&pctxt=fph Census data for Phillipsburg town] , United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 25, 2007.]
footnote=Population 1930 - 1990. [ [http://www.wnjpin.net/OneStopCareerCenter/LaborMarketInformation/lmi01/poptrd6.htm Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990] , Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.] As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 15,166 people, 6,044 households, and 3,946 families residing in the town. The population density was 4,703.6 people per square mile (1,818.5/km²). There were 6,651 housing units at an average density of 2,062.8/sq mi (797.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.84% White, 3.47% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.02% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.38% of the population.

There were 6,044 households out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $37,368, and the median income for a family was $46,925. Males had a median income of $37,446 versus $25,228 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,452. About 9.9% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.6% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.

Industrial history

Situated at the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh rivers, Phillipsburg used to benefit from being a major transportation hub. Long gone is the era of canal shipping and many of the important freight railways that served the area have gone bankrupt or bypass the city on long distance routes.

Phillipsburg served as the western terminus of the Morris Canal for approximately 100 years from the 1820s to 1920s, which connected the city by water to the industrial and consumer centers of the New York City area, with connections westward via the Lehigh Canal across the Delaware.

Economic revival

Most of the manufacturing jobs have left Warren County's largest city. In 1994, the New Jersey Legislature designated Phillipsburg as an Urban Enterprise Zone community. This zoning offers tax incentives and other benefits to Phillipsburg-based businesses, as well as a 3½% sales tax rate, reduced from the 7% rate charged statewide. [ [http://www.state.nj.us/njbusiness/financing/tax/geographic.shtml#2 Geographic & Urban Redevelopment Tax Credit Programs: Urban Enterprise Zone Employee Tax Credit] , State of New Jersey. Accessed July 28, 2008.]

In recent years, some businesses have begun to move into the center of the city. Rising real estate prices indicate that these legislative stimulants have been somewhat effective. Phillipsburg also has been selected as a site for the New Jersey Railroad and Transportation Heritage Center (jointly with Netcong), a museum designed to help preserve and showcase the state's transportation history. [ [http://www.njthc.org/news/pburgcnjstation.htm Phillipsburg's Historic CNJ Station] , accessed August 30, 2006.]

Railway

The Belvidere and Delaware River Railway still serves the city's remaining industry and connects to the national rail network via a connection with Norfolk Southern in the city.

As of the fall of 2007, New Jersey Transit is conducting a study to determine if re-establishing a commuter rail extension of the Raritan Valley Line to Phillipsburg is economically feasible.

Government

Local government

Phillipsburg is governed under the Mayor-Council system of municipal government under the Faulkner Act by a mayor and a five-member Town Council. Councilmembers are elected at large to four-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with two or three seats up for election every other year. [ [http://phillipsburgnj.org/index.cfm?
] , Town of Phillipsburg. Accessed July 25, 2006.] ["2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book", Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 103.]

The Mayor of Phillipsburg is [http://phillipsburgnj.org/index.cfm?
] (R, term of office ends December 31, 2007). He is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, [cite web| url=http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/about/members.shtml| title=Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Members] a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Town Council Members are Council President David DeGerolamo (D, 2011), Council Vice President, James P. Stettner (D, 2011), John Damato (D, 2009), William M. Merrick (D, 2009) and James M. Shelly (D, 2009). [ [http://phillipsburgnj.org/index.cfm?
] , Town of Phillipsburg. Accessed April 10, 2008.] [http://www.co.warren.nj.us/mun/phillipsburg.html Warren County page for Phillipsburg] , Warren County, New Jersey. Accessed April 10, 2008.]

Federal, state and county representation

Phillipsburg is in the Fifth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 23rd Legislative District. [ [http://www.lwvnj.org/pubs/CG06.pdf 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government] , New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 62. Accessed August 30, 2006.]

Education

The Phillipsburg School District serves public school students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district is one of 31 Abbott Districts statewide. [ [http://www.nj.gov/cgi-bin/education/abbotts/abbotturls.pl?string=code&maxhits=100 Abbott Districts] , New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 31, 2008.]

The schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics [ [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3412960 Data for the Phillipsburg School District] , National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 10, 2008.] ) are [http://www.pburg.k12.nj.us/Green/index.htm Green Street School] (Grades PreK-5; 645 students), [http://www.pburg.k12.nj.us/Barber/New%20Folder/index.htm Barber School] (Grades 1&2; 187), [http://www.pburg.k12.nj.us/Freeman/index.htm Freeman School] (Grades 1&2; 197), [http://www.pburg.k12.nj.us/AndoverMorrisx/index.htm Andover-Morris School] (Grades 3-5; 246) and [http://www.pburg.k12.nj.us/PMS/index.htm Phillipsburg Middle School] (Grades 6-8; 608). A recently constructed building, The Early Childhood Learning Center, serves preschool children in the area. Students in grades 9-12 attend
Phillipsburg High School (1,720) which serves students from the town of Phillipsburg and from five neighboring communities at the secondary level: Alpha, Bloomsbury (in Hunterdon County), Greenwich Township, Lopatcong Township and Pohatcong Township, who attend as part of sending/receiving relationships. [ [http://www.pburg.k12.nj.us/AboutheDistrict/AboutthePhillipsburgSchoolDistrict.htm About the District] , Phillipsburg School District. Accessed March 8, 2008. "The district serves students from the Town of Phillipsburg and five sending communities at the secondary level: Alpha, Bloomsbury, Greenwich, Lopatcong and Pohatcong Townships."] Although the school sports an historic attractive building, a multi-million dollar football stadium and sport training facility, and one of the state's biggest football powerhouses, it remains as one of the lowest performing public schools in the state in academics and suffers from chronic overcrowding. The school district, which has struggled for over a decade to build a new school, continues to use a building which lacks up-to-date facilities and some handicap amenities and will soon introduce its 32nd temporary trailer to help its lack of classroom space. The state of New Jersey has owed the town of Phillipsburg funds for the construction of a new school for several decades but has delayed on payment.

Phillipsburg High School has an athletic rivalry with neighboring Easton, Pennsylvania's Easton Area High School, which celebrated its 100th anniversary game on Thanksgiving Day 2006. Phillipsburg lost the game. [ [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps/football/2005-09-21-rivalries_x.htm "High school rivals are like family"] , "USA Today", September 21, 2005.]

Transportation

Many major highways pass through Phillipsburg, including U.S. Route 22, Route 122, and Interstate 78.

New Jersey Transit bus service is provided on the 890 and 891 routes. [ [http://www.njtransit.com/sf_tp_rc_warren.shtml Warren County Bus/Rail Connections] , New Jersey Transit. Accessed July 3, 2007.]

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Philipsburg include:
*Charlie Berry (1860-1940), former professional baseball player, Union Association, and father of Charlie Berry.
*Charlie Berry (1902-1972), former professional baseball and football player and umpire in Major League Baseball. [ [http://www.mcall.com/sports/highschool/eastonpburg/all-jacks-facts,0,6183907.htmlstory "Jack's Facts: A Closer Look at the Easton/Phillipsburg Rivalry"] , "The Morning Call", November 21, 2006, accessed April 13, 2007. "The Garnet's Charlie Berry would score all Phillipsburg's points in a 14-7 win. Berry after graduating from PHS went on to have outstanding career at Lafayette College and later became an American League baseball umpire and officiated in the NFL."]
*William F. Birch (1870-1946) represented New Jersey's 5th congressional district from 1918 to 1919. [ [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B000476 William Fred Birch biographic profile] , United States Congress. Accessed July 25, 2007.]
*Ned Bolcar. Played football for the University of Notre Dame and was twice a tri-captain for the Irish. [ [http://und.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/092006aan.html Article at the official Notre Dame website] ]
*Tom Brennan, radio and television sportscaster and former men's basketball head coach, most notably at the University of Vermont from 1986 to 2005. [ [http://www.uvm.edu/~sportspr/mens_basketball/coaches/brennan.html The Brennan Era At Vermont] , University of Vermont, accessed April 6, 2007. "The 54-year old Brennan is a native of Phillipsburg, NJ who graduated as the all-time leading scorer at Phillipsburg Catholic High School."]
*Ryan Coyle, TV Personality (Meteorologist) (1984-) [ [http://www.newschannel34.com/content/Bios/story.aspx?content_id=bd802a01-e0af-4146-b2b0-c95f7ff64ee3 Anchor Bios] , [WIVT, Newport LLC] , accessed August 8, 2008. "Ryan grew up in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, a small town right on the border with Pennsylvania."]
*Wayne Dumont (1914-1992), former New Jersey Senate Majority Leader and Senate President. [ [http://www.state.nj.us/infobank/circular/eof57.htm State of New Jersey Executive Order #57 issued by Governor James J. Florio] , accessed April 6, 2007. "WHEREAS, he played minor league baseball for the former St. Louis Browns and later moved to Phillipsburg in 1940 where he began practicing law;"]
*Fiona (1961-), rock singer.
*Terry Kitchen, folk singer. [ [http://www.terrykitchen.com/ Terry Kitchen's Home Page] , accessed April 13, 2007. "Born in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, Kitchen grew up first in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania..."]
*Martin O. May (1922-1945), U.S. Army soldier and Medal of Honor recipient in World War II. [ [http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/wwII-m-s.html Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II (M-S)] , United States Army. Accessed January 8, 2008.]
*Helen Stevenson Meyner (1929-1997), U.S. Representative from New Jersey from 1975 to 1979. [Halbfinger, David M. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E07E7D91530F930A35752C1A961958260 "Ex-Rep. Helen S. Meyner, 69; Born Into Democratic Politics"] , "The New York Times", November 3, 1997. Accessed December 30, 2007. "In 1972, Democratic Party leaders asked her to run for Congress from the Meyner family home in Phillipsburg, in the heavily Republican 13th Congressional District in Sussex and Morris Counties."]
*Lou Reda, documentary filmmaker. [Jones, Joyce. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE5D9103AF931A25754C0A964958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2 "Creating Postcards Not Just for Tourists"] , "The New York Times", July 12, 1992. Accessed October 28, 2007. "In his efforts to satisfy the public's penchant for nostalgia, Mr. Scheller met with a collector of Civil War memorabilia, Lou Reda of Phillipsburg, who introduced him to the Charles Fifer collection of photo plates, hand-colored by Currier & Ives in 1876."]
*Jim Ringo (1931-2007), former professional football player, Green Bay Packers. [ [http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=RINGOJIM01 Database Football] Player's Page for Jim Ringo, accessed November 4, 2006.]
*Sheetal Sheth (1976-), actress. [Melwani, Lavina. [http://www.littleindia.com/may2002/Lethal%20Sheetal.htm "Lethal Sheetal - Time and the moment are on Sheetal Sheth’s side."] , "Little India (magazine)", accessed April 13, 2007. "Sheetal was born in Phillipsburg, NJ, but the family relocated to Bethlehem, Penn., when she was in the sixth grade."]
*Charles Sitgreaves, (1803-1878), represented New Jersey's 3rd congressional district from 1865 to 1869, and served as the mayor of Phillipsburg in 1861 and 1862. [ [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=S000458 Charles Sitgreaves] , Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed August 18, 2007.]
*Yvonne Zima (1989-), actress, "Rachel Greene" on NBC's "ER".

References

External links

* [http://phillipsburgnj.org/ Phillipsburg Official Web Site]
* [http://www.co.warren.nj.us/mun/phillipsburg.html Warren County page for Phillipsburg]
* [http://www.pburg.k12.nj.us/ Phillipsburg School District]
*NJReportCard|41|4100|0|Phillipsburg School District
* [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3412960 Data for the Phillipsburg School District] , National Center for Education Statistics
* [http://www.phillipsburgnj.com/ Phillipsburg Area Chamber Of Commerce]