Franklin Lakes, New Jersey

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 9.847 square miles (25.507 km²), including 9.379 square miles (24.292 km²) of land and 0.469 square miles (1.214 km²) of water (4.76%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or wholly within the borough include Bakers Pond, Blauvelt Lakes, Campgaw, Crystal Lakes, Ferdinands Mills, Hopper Lake and Pulis Mills and Shadow Lake.

The borough borders the Bergen County municipalities of Mahwah, Oakland and Wyckoff, and both North Haledon and Wayne in Passaic County.

2010 Census

The 2010 United States Census counted 10,590 people, 3,527 households, and 3,012 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,129.1 per square mile (435.9/km²). The borough contained 3,692 housing units at an average density of 393.6 per square mile (152.0/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 88.92% (9,417) White, 1.41% (149) Black or African American, 0.04% (4) Native American, 7.34% (777) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.83% (88) from other races, and 1.46% (155) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 4.96% (525) of the population.

Out of a total of 3,527 households, 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.4% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.6% were non-families. 12.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.00 and the average family size was 3.29.

In the borough, 27.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 16.7% from 25 to 44, 33.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.9 years. For every 100 females the census counted 97.0 males, but for 100 females at least 18 years old, it was 93.8 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $151,224 (with a margin of error of +/- $16,426) and the median family income was $155,156 (+/- $33,998). Males had a median income of $125,586 (+/- $20,759) versus $63,170 (+/- $13,069) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $74,219 (+/- $9,917). About 0.7% of families and 1.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.7% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.

Same-sex couples headed 28 households in 2010, double the 14 counted in 2000.

2000 Census

As of the 2000 United States Census of 2000, there were 10,422 people, 3,322 households, and 2,959 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,102.5 people per square mile (425.8/km²). There were 3,395 housing units at an average density of 359.2 per square mile (138.7/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 91.35% White, 0.92% African American, 0.11% Native American, 6.33% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.74% of the population. 29.8% of residents reported being of Italian ancestry in the 2000 Census, the highest percentage recorded as a percentage of borough population.

There were 3,322 households out of which 43.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 82.0% were married couples living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 10.9% were non-families. 8.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.13 and the average family size was 3.34.

In the borough the population was spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 31.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $132,373, and the median income for a family was $142,930. Males had a median income of $97,233 versus $45,588 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $59,763. About 2.6% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Franklin Lakes hosts the corporate headquarters of Becton Dickinson, the medical technology firm founded in 1897. Medco Health Solutions, a leading pharmacy benefit manager, was based here until it was acquired by Express Scripts, another PBM, in 2012.

Urban Farms Shopping Center is a major shopping center in the community. Franklin Lakes has The Market Basket, a supermarket/bakery/catering store.

Popular culture

Franklin Lakes has been the setting of several reality television shows, including: Bravo network's series The Real Housewives of New Jersey, MTV's My Super Sweet 16, and VH1's My Big Fat Fabulous Wedding. Franklin Lakes was also used for filming the fictional upstate New York town of Dargerville in the Law & Order episode "Knock-Off".

Local government

Franklin Lakes is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The governing body consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle. The Borough form of government used by Franklin Lakes, the most common system used in the state, is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council. All council meetings are held at the Borough Hall located on DeKorte Drive, formerly Municipal Drive.

As of 2016, the Mayor of Franklin Lakes is Republican Frank Bivona, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2018. Bivona replaced former Mayor Maura DeNicola after she was elected to the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Members of the Franklin Lakes Borough Council (with party affiliation, term-end year and committee assignments listed in parentheses) are Council President Thomas G. Lambrix (R, 2018), Joseph Cadicina (R, 2016), Charles J. X. Kahwaty (R, 2018), Joseph F. Kelly (R, 2017), Paulette Ramsey (R, 2017) and Ann Swist (R, 2016).

The borough administrator is Gregory C. Hart.

Emergency services

The Franklin Lakes Police Department is headed by Chief Carmine Pezzuti.

The Franklin Lakes Fire Department is an all-volunteer fire department, founded in 1924. The FLFD has two locations, one known as "Headquarters" which is located off of Franklin Avenue, and the other is the "Southside" Firehouse, located on Franklin Lakes Road. The current chief of the FLFD is Denny Knubel. The Assistant Chief is Ryan Dodd.

Federal, state and county representation

Franklin Lakes is located in New Jersey's 5th congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 40th state legislative district.

New Jersey's Fifth Congressional District is represented by Josh Gottheimer (D, Wyckoff). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Cory Booker (D, Newark, term ends 2021) and Bob Menendez (D, Paramus, 2019).

For the 2016–2017 session (Senate, General Assembly), the 40th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Kevin J. O'Toole (R, Cedar Grove) and in the General Assembly by David C. Russo (R, Ridgewood) and Kevin J. Rooney (R, Wyckoff). Rooney was sworn into office on December 12, 2016, to fill the seat of Scott Rumana, who had resigned from office on October 20, 2016, to become a judge of the New Jersey Superior Court. The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham Township). The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).

Bergen County is governed by a directly elected County Executive, with legislative functions performed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. As of 2015, the County Executive is James J. Tedesco III (D, Paramus; term ends December 31, 2018). The seven freeholders are elected at-large in partisan elections on a staggered basis, with two or three seats coming up for election each year, with a Chairman, Vice Chairman and Chairman Pro Tempore selected from among its members at a reorganization meeting held each January. Bergen County's Freeholders are Freeholder Chairwoman Joan Voss (D, 2017; Fort Lee), Vice Chairman Steve Tanelli (D, 2015; North Arlington) Chairman Pro Tempore John A. Felice (R, 2016; River Edge), David L. Ganz (D, 2017; Fair Lawn), Maura R. DeNicola (R, 2016; Franklin Lakes) Thomas J. Sullivan Jr., (D, Montvale, 2015; serving the unexpired term of office that had been occupied by James Tedesco before he was sworn in as County Executive) and Tracy Silna Zur (D, 2015; Franklin Lakes). Countywide constitutional officials are County Clerk John S. Hogan (D, Northvale), Sheriff Michael Saudino (R) and Surrogate Michael R. Dressler (D, Cresskill).

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there was a total of 7,446 registered voters in Franklin Lakes, of whom 1,141 (15.3% vs. 31.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 3,307 (44.4% vs. 21.1%) were registered as Republicans, and 2,986 (40.1% vs. 47.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 12 voters registered to other parties. Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 70.3% (vs. 57.1% in Bergen County) were registered to vote, including 96.8% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 73.7% countywide).

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 3,910 votes (69.6% vs. 43.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 1,601 votes (28.5% vs. 54.8%) and other candidates with 44 votes (0.8% vs. 0.9%), among the 5,614 ballots cast by the borough's 7,881 registered voters, for a turnout of 71.2% (vs. 70.4% in Bergen County). In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 3,818 votes (62.6% vs. 44.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 2,206 votes (36.2% vs. 53.9%) and other candidates with 29 votes (0.5% vs. 0.8%), among the 6,095 ballots cast by the borough's 7,698 registered voters, for a turnout of 79.2% (vs. 76.8% in Bergen County). In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 3,819 votes (65.9% vs. 47.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 1,923 votes (33.2% vs. 51.7%) and other candidates with 32 votes (0.6% vs. 0.7%), among the 5,792 ballots cast by the borough's 7,251 registered voters, for a turnout of 79.9% (vs. 76.9% in the whole county).

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 81.6% of the vote (2,697 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 17.8% (587 votes), and other candidates with 0.6% (20 votes), among the 3,360 ballots cast by the borough's 7,580 registered voters (56 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 44.3%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 2,739 votes (69.9% vs. 45.8% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 1,023 votes (26.1% vs. 48.0%), Independent Chris Daggett with 110 votes (2.8% vs. 4.7%) and other candidates with 17 votes (0.4% vs. 0.5%), among the 3,918 ballots cast by the borough's 7,564 registered voters, yielding a 51.8% turnout (vs. 50.0% in the county).

Education

Students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade attend the Franklin Lakes Public Schools. As of the 2014-15 school year, the district's four schools had an enrollment of 1,808 students and 144.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.5:1. Schools in the district (with 2014-15 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Colonial Road School (K-5; 265 students), High Mountain Road School (PreK-5; 229), Woodside Avenue School (K-5; 276) and Franklin Avenue Middle School (6-8; 454).

Public high school students from Franklin Lakes in ninth through twelfth grades attend the schools of the Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District, which also serves students from Oakland and Wyckoff. Students entering the district as freshmen have the option to attend either of the district's high schools, subject to a choice made during eighth grade. Franklin Lakes, Oakland and Wyckoff (FLOW district) approved the creation of a regional high school in 1954 by a vote of 1,060 to 51, with Ramapo High School (in Franklin Lakes) opened in 1957 and Indian Hills High School in 1960. Schools in the district (with 2014-15 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Indian Hills High School, located in Oakland (1,226 students) and Ramapo High School, located in Franklin Lakes (1,088 students).

Prior to the formation of the regional high school district, students from Franklin Lakes and Wyckoff had attended Ramsey High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship, until the Ramsey Public School District informed officials from the two communities that the Ramsey school would no longer have space to accommodate out-of-district students after the 1956-57 school year.

Public school students from the borough, and all of Bergen County, are eligible to attend the secondary education programs offered by the Bergen County Technical Schools, which include the Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, and the Bergen Tech campus in Teterboro or Paramus. The district offers programs on a shared-time or full-time basis, with admission based on a selective application process and tuition covered by the student's home school district.

Academy of the Most Blessed Sacrament is a K-8 elementary school that operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Newark. In 2016, the school was one of ten schools in New Jersey, and one of four non-public school in the state, recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education.

Roads and highways

As of May 2010, the borough had a total of 92.97 miles (149.62 km) of roadways, of which 71.64 miles (115.29 km) were maintained by the municipality, 16.75 miles (26.96 km) by Bergen County, and 4.58 miles (7.37 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Route 208 runs for 2.2 miles (3.5 km) across the borough's midsection, from Wyckoff to its western terminus at its intersection with Interstate 287 in Oakland. Interstate 287 enters on the borough's western border with Oakland and heads north towards Mahwah,with the highway's exit 59 in the borough. County Route 502 (Breakneck Road / Franklin Lakes Road) enters from Wayne Township in Passaic County at the borough's southwest corner, runs along the border with Oakland and re-enters Franklin Lakes, heading north towards Wyckoff.

Public transportation

NJ Transit bus route 752 serves Franklin Lakes, providing local service.

From the late 1800s until 1966, Franklin Lakes had passenger train service at the Crystal Lakes and Campgaw stations on the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Franklin Lakes include:

Historic sites

Franklin Lakes is home to the following locations on the National Register of Historic Places: