Pleasantville, New Jersey

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Pleasantville, New Jersey
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto =

imagesize =
image_caption =


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mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Map of Pleasantville in Atlantic County. Inset: Location of Atlantic County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.


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

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = New Jersey
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Atlantic
government_footnotes =
government_type = City (New Jersey)
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Ralph Peterson, Sr.
leader_title1 = Administrator
leader_name1 = Marvin D. Hopkins [ [http://pleasantville-nj.org/index.asp?var_incl=administrator.lbi City Administrator] , City of Pleasantville. Accessed May 6, 2008.]
established_title = Incorporated
established_date = January 10, 1889

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 19.0
area_land_km2 = 15.0
area_water_km2 = 4.0
area_total_sq_mi = 7.3
area_land_sq_mi = 5.8
area_water_sq_mi = 1.5

population_as_of = 2007
population_footnotes =
population_total = 18814
population_density_km2 = 1270.8
population_density_sq_mi = 3291.3

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes = [Gnis|885356|City of Pleasantville, Geographic Names Information System, accessed January 4, 2008.]
elevation_m = 4
elevation_ft = 13
latd = 39 |latm = 23 |lats = 26 |latNS = N
longd = 74 |longm = 31 |longs = 07 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP codes
postal_code = 08232, 08234
area_code = 609
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 34-59640GR|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 = 0885356GR|3
website = http://pleasantville-nj.org
footnotes =

Pleasantville is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city population was 19,012.

Pleasantville was originally incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on January 10, 1889, from portions of Egg Harbor Township, based on the results of a referendum held on December 15, 1888. Pleasantville was incorporated as a city on April 14, 1914, replacing Pleasantville borough, based on the results of a referendum held that same day."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 70.]

Geography

Pleasantville is located at coor dms|39|23|44|N|74|31|23|W|city (39.395566, -74.522956)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.3 square miles (19.0 km²), of which, 5.8 square miles (15.0 km²) of it is land and 1.5 square miles (4.0 km²) of it (21.17%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 19,012 people, 6,402 households, and 4,366 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,291.3 people per square mile (1,270.0/km²). There were 7,042 housing units at an average density of 1,219.1/sq mi (470.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 25.01% White, 57.70% African American, 0.28% Native American, 1.95% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 10.96% from other races, and 4.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21.87% of the population.

There were 6,402 households out of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.0% were married couples living together, 24.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.44.

In the city the population was spread out with 30.4% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,913, and the median income for a family was $40,016. Males had a median income of $26,909 versus $25,886 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,668. About 12.2% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 13.5% of those age 65 or over.

USCensusPop
1930= 11580
1940= 11050
1950= 11938
1960= 15172
1970= 14007
1980= 13435
1990= 16027
2000= 19012
estimate=18814
estyear=2007
estref= [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=Search&geo_id=16000US3452950&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US34%7C16000US3452950&_street=&_county=pleasantville&_cityTown=pleasantville&_state=04000US34&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry= Census data for Pleasantville city] , United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 5, 2008.]
footnote=Population 1930 - 1990 [ [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=Search&geo_id=16000US3441370&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US34%7C16000US3441370&_street=&_county=margate+city&_cityTown=margate+city&_state=04000US34&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry= New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990] , Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.]

Government

Local government

Pleasantville operates under the City form of New Jersey municipal government, led by a Mayor and a seven-member City Council. The City Council consists of two members elected from wards to three-year terms, and five members elected at-large to four-year terms in office, all of whom are elected in partisan elections on a staggered basis."2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book", Rutgers University.]

The Mayor of the City of Pleasantville is Ralph Peterson, Sr. Members of the Pleasantville City Council are Council President Jesse L. Tweedle Sr., Rodman Nelson, Ricky Cistrunk, Lincoln Green, Dr. Johnson Harmon, Stanley Swan, Jr. and Judy Ward. [ [http://pleasantville-nj.org/index.asp?var_incl=CH_officials.lbi Elected Officials] , City of Pleasantville. Accessed May 6, 2008.]

Federal, state and county representation

Pleasantville is in the Second Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 2nd 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

Students in Kindergarten through 12th grade are educated by the Pleasantville Public Schools. The school district is an Abbott District. [ [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.] 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=3413200 Data for the Pleasantville Public Schools] , National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed July 24, 2007.] ) are four pre-K to fourth grade elementary schools — [http://www.pleasantville.k12.nj.us/schools/leeds/ Leeds Avenue School] with 560 students, [http://www.pleasantville.k12.nj.us/schools/northmain/ North Main Street School] with 315 students, [http://www.pleasantville.k12.nj.us/schools/southmain/ South Main Street School] with 541 students, [http://www.pleasantville.k12.nj.us/schools/washington/ Washington Avenue School] with 477 students — [http://www.pleasantville.k12.nj.us/schools/middle/ Pleasantville Middle School] with 712 students in grades 6 - 8, and Pleasantville High School with 1,105 students in grades 9 through 12. The district also includes the [http://www.pleasantville.k12.nj.us/schools/greyhound/ Greyhound Academy] . Students from Absecon attend the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship. [Cohen, Lynda. [http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/179/story/130784.html "New issues draw new interest in Absecon school vote"] , "The Press of Atlantic City", April 12, 2008. Accessed May 1, 2008. "Few Absecon students currently attend Pleasantville High School, where the district has a sending relationship."]

On September 6, 2007, five members of the Pleasantville school board were arrested as part of a federal corruption case that included several state lawmakers and other public officials. Included in the sweep were the arrests of Assemblymen Mims Hackett and Alfred E. Steele, and Passaic Mayor Samuel Rivera. [Baldwin, Tom. [http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-06-nj-probe_N.htm "11 arrested in N.J. corruption probe"] , "USA Today", September 6, 2007. Accessed September 6, 2007. "Among the arrested were state Assemblymen Mims Hackett Jr. and Rev. Alfred Steele aides in their legislative offices acknowledged. Also reportedly arrested was Samuel Rivera, the mayor of Passaic, and Keith Reid, the chief of staff to Newark City Council President Mildred Crump."] Indictments were filed against four sitting members of the Board of Education charging that they had accepted bribes to steer insurance or roofing business from the district. Charged were Jayson Adams (accused of accepting $15,000 in bribes), James McCormick ($3,500), James Pressley ($32,200) and Rafael Velez ($14,000). Former board member Maurice 'Pete' Callaway, a member of the Pleasantville City Council, was accused of accepting $13,000 in bribes as part of the scheme. [Staff. [http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk1JmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3MTkxODE2JnlyaXJ5N2Y3MTdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5Mg= "Who's who: Overview of the politicians charged in bribery scandal"] , "The Record (Bergen County)", September 7, 2007. Accessed September 7, 2007.]

Commerce

Portions of Pleasantville are part of an Urban Enterprise Zone. In addition to other benefits to encourage employment within the Zone, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3½% sales tax rate (versus 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.]

Transportation

U.S. Route 9, U.S. Route 40, U.S. Route 322 and the Atlantic City Expressway pass through Pleasantville.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Pleasantville include:
* Sonora Webster Carver (1904-2003), first female horse diver. [Sims, Gayle Ronan. [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PI&s_site=philly&p_multi=PI&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0FDCCD7DC6297C4B&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM "Horse-diver Sonora Webster Carver, 99"] , "The Philadelphia Inquirer", September 24, 2003. Accessed December 3, 2007. "Sonora Webster Carver, 99, the first woman to dive off Atlantic City's Steel Pier while riding a horse - a stunt she continued for 11 years after she was blinded during a performance - died Sunday at Our Lady's Residence in Pleasantville, N.J."]
* Walter Evans Edge (1873-1956), served as a United States Senator representing New Jersey from 1919 to 1929, and was twice the Governor of New Jersey, from 1917 to 1919 and again from 1944 to 1947, serving as governor during both World War I and World War II. [ [http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=afa13058be3f9010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e449a0ca9e3f1010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD New Jersey Governor Walter Evans Edge] , National Governors Association. Accessed August 2, 2007.]
* Ty Helfrich (1890-1955), former major league baseball player. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/helfrty01.shtml Ty Helfrich] , Baseball-Reference.com. Accessed May 6, 2008.]
* Rodney Jerkins (born 1977), Grammy Award-winning songwriter, record producer, and musician. [Norment, Lynn. [http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-25501061_ITM "Rodney Jerkins: music maestro on a mission."] , "Ebony (magazine)", June 1, 2002. Accessed December 19, 2007. "Jerkins is pop music's newest and youngest hit-making wiz. At age 24, the Pleasantville, N.J., native is a fascinating coming-of-age success story and stands out among hundreds of rags-to-riches tales."]
* Simon Lake (1866-1945), mechanical engineer and naval architect. [ [http://www.aclink.org/HISTORY/mainpages/famous.asp Famous People in Atlantic County History] , Atlantic County, New Jersey. Accessed March 31, 2008.]

Trivia

*During the making of the movie "Pleasantville", Pleasantville residents were given a free Pleasantville pin by the movie studio.Fact|date=July 2007

References

External links

* [http://pleasantville-nj.org Pleasantville City website]
* [http://www.pleasantville.k12.nj.us/district/ Pleasantville Public Schools]
*NJReportCard|01|4280|0|Pleasantville Public Schools
* [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3413200 Data for the Pleasantville Public Schools] , National Center for Education Statistics
* [http://www.shorenewstoday.com/pls The Current of Pleasantville] Local community newspaper