Boonton is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than city, cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares ...

in Morris County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 8,815, an increase of 468 (+5.6%) from the 2010 census count of 8,347, which in turn reflected a decline of 149 (−1.8%) from the 8,496 counted in the 2000 census. The settlement was originally called "Boone-Towne" in 1761 in honor of the

Colonial Governor Governors and administrators of colonies In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of th ...

Thomas Boone. Boonton was originally formed on March 16, 1866, within portions of Hanover Township and Pequannock Township. The town was reincorporated and became fully independent on March 18, 1867.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 191. Accessed October 25, 2012.General History
Town of Boonton. Accessed March 20, 2020. "Boonton became a separate municipality, and was incorporated as a Town under a charter granted by the State Legislature in March, 1867. The area within the limits of the new Town was formerly part of the old Townships of Pequannock and Hanover." The development of Boonton began in about 1829, as a result of the construction of the

Morris Canal The Morris Canal (1829–1924) was a common carrier anthracite coal canal across northern New Jersey that connected the two industrial canals at Easton, Pennsylvania across the Delaware River from its western terminus at Phillipsburg, New Je ...

and the formation of the New Jersey Iron Company. The original location of the town is now largely under the

Jersey City Reservoir The Boonton Reservoir is a reservoir located between Boonton and Parsippany–Troy Hills, New Jersey. Boonton, along with nearby Splitrock Reservoir, provides water for Jersey City, New Jersey. It was formed by the construction of a dam on ...

, completed in 1904. In 1908, the waters from this reservoir were the first municipal water supply in the United States to be

chlorinated In chemistry, halogenation is a chemical reaction that entails the introduction of one or more halogens into a compound. Halide-containing compounds are pervasive, making this type of transformation important, e.g. in the production of polym ...

. The decision to build the chlorination system was made by

John L. Leal John Laing Leal (May 5, 1858 – March 13, 1914) was an American physician and water treatment expert who, in 1908, was responsible for conceiving and implementing the first disinfection of a U.S. drinking water supply using chlorine. He was one ...

and the facility was designed by

George W. Fuller George Warren Fuller (December 21, 1868 – June 15, 1934) was an American sanitary engineer who was also trained in bacteriology and chemistry. His career extended from 1890 to 1934 and he was responsible for important innovations in water and ...

History

During the 18th century, the settlement of Boonetown Falls (variously spelled as Booneton or the current Boonton) was established on the

Rockaway River The Rockaway River is a tributary of the Passaic River, approximately 35 mi (56 km) long, in northern New Jersey in the United States. The upper course of the river flows through a wooded mountainous valley, whereas the lower course flo ...

, about downstream from the current site of the town. As early as 1747, Obadiah Baldwin ran an iron refining forge there. He used the iron ore and charcoal available in the area together with water power from the river. As the ironworks grew, workers and their families formed a community in 1761 that was named "Boone-Towne" in honor of the Colonial Governor, Thomas Boone. The present town developed separately from the settlement of Booneton Falls. The population moved away after 1830, when a canal was completed that drew off business and traffic. The site of Old Boonton downriver has been covered since 1903 by the Jersey City reservoir formed on the dammed river.

Ironworks

The

Boonton Iron Works The Boonton Iron Works were founded about 1770 by Samuel Ogden who, with others in his family, purchased a tract along the Rockaway River, near present-day Boonton, New Jersey. Here rolling and slitting mills were erected that engaged in t ...

were founded about 1770 by

Samuel Ogden Colonel Samuel Ogden (December 9, 1746 — December 1, 1810) was a colonial businessman in New Jersey who had an iron works. He fought on the winning side during the American Revolutionary War. Afterward, he became a developer and land speculator f ...

of Newark, New Jersey. Together with brothers, he purchased a tract along the Rockaway River. Throughout the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...

, the Booneton Iron Works was busily engaged in supplying numerous miscellaneous iron products for the military. After the war, operations at Boonton were continued under

John Jacob Faesch John Jacob Faesch (1729 – 1799) was a Swiss ironmaster who established the Mount Hope Iron Furnace in the Mount Hope village section of Rockaway Township, New Jersey in 1772 which played an important role in providing munitions and tools during ...

and his two sons, and, later, by William Scott. He tried to revive the declining business. In 1824, Scott's interest in rejuvenating the antiquated ironworks faded when he learned that the

was soon to be constructed, and that it would bypass the community of Booneton a mile or more away. But the proximity of the canal to Booneton Falls made that site ideal for a large factory. In 1830, a group of businessmen in New York City incorporated as the New Jersey Iron Company, with a capitalization of $283,000. Machinery and ironworkers were imported from England, and with the erection of the mills, a new community, called Booneton Falls, began to be developed on the rugged hillside overlooking the river. The community Main Street is unique in that it is pitched against a cliff overlooking the 'Hollow' of the Rockaway River. This was said to follow an old Native American trail, developed from a deer path along the hillside. The new Iron Company flourished for nearly 50 years. The settlement of Booneton Falls—like the older Booneton downstream—was essentially a one-industry town. After the Company closed down its operations in 1876, the town was on the verge of collapse. Although several attempts—one by Joseph Wharton—were made to re-establish iron works on a smaller scale, none endured for any great length of time. In the 21st century, only vestiges of foundations and structures remain in the "Hollow" between Plane Street and the river, to remind Boonton of its own Iron Age.

Other industries

One of the first of the new industries secured for the town was a silk factory, which, as Pelgram & Meyer, and, later as Van Raalte, Inc., contributed materially to the town's prosperity. Others that followed were a knife factory, a paper mill (at the old settlement, by then called Old Boonton), a nail factory, a brass and iron foundry, and a carriage factory. The Morris Canal, although going into a rapid decline when superseded by railroads, still employed a number of men. The

Lackawanna Railroad The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (also known as the DL&W or Lackawanna Railroad) was a U.S. Class 1 railroad that connected Buffalo, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey (and by ferry with New York City), a distance of . Incorporated in ...

completed its Boonton Branch in 1870, giving employment to a number of Boonton people and providing commuter service to Boonton residents who worked in New York City. The town supported many individually owned businesses, such as blacksmith shops, machine shops, bakeries and a miscellany of stores, which began to prosper anew as the nation emerged from the depression of the 1870s. In 1891, the Loanda Hard Rubber Company was founded by Edwin A. Scribner, and began the manufacture of molded hard rubber products. After Scribner died, the management of the firm fell to his son-in-law Richard W. Seabury. In 1906, Seabury learned of experiments with synthetic resins made by Dr.

Leo Baekeland Leo Hendrik Baekeland (November 14, 1863 – February 23, 1944) was a Belgian chemist. He is best known for the inventions of Velox photographic paper in 1893, and Bakelite in 1907. He has been called "The Father of the Plastics Industry ...

, for whom Bakelite was later to be named. Originally intended by Dr. Baekeland for a synthetic varnish, the new material was used by Seabury in making the world's first molding of organic plastics in 1907. Boontonware, a molded plastic dinnerware, was sold nationwide. George Scribner, son of Loanda founder Edwin Scribner, opted to continue the business of plastics molding and established Boonton Molding. The company produced the line of Boontonware dinnerware, molded plastic plates, bowls, and cups manufactured in the 1950s and 1960s. The company also operated a factory outlet store in Boonton for many years. George Scribner was eventually inducted into the

Plastics Hall of Fame Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

as a pioneer in developing molding techniques and applications at Boonton Molding Co. from 1920. He is considered a preeminent contributor to the development of the industry through his services as president and board chairman of the SPI during the period 1943–1947. The molded plastics industry attracted the radio and

electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

industries to the Boonton area. In the 1920s, the burgeoning radio industry created a large demand for molded parts. Richard W. Seabury organized Radio Frequency Laboratories to exploit that new field. More than a half dozen radio and electronics firms were later formed as spin-offs, and recognized internationally for the excellence of their products. Radio engineers had respect for the Boonton Radio Co., located in nearby Rockaway, which manufactured a high-quality test instrument known as a

Q meter A Q meter is a piece of equipment used in the testing of radio frequency circuits. It has been largely replaced in professional laboratories by other types of impedance measuring devices, though it is still in use among radio amateurs. It was de ...

, still used by hobbyists today. Most of those companies have been bought up and are now divisions of larger corporations and have relocated elsewhere, having undergone name changes in many cases. The Boonton Radio Co., for instance, was purchased by Hewlett-Packard. RFL Industries, Aircraft Radio Corporation, Measurements Corporation, and Ballantine Laboratories are among those that contributed materially to the prosperity of the area. In 1917, E.A. Stevenson & Company established the "Butter Works" on the site of the old Knox Hat factory. Stevenson started processing coconut and other vegetable oils and making margarine. Under later operation by E.F. Drew & Company, the Boonton plant grew to be one of the largest edible oils processors in the country. It was the largest industry in the town of Boonton during the 20th century. The plant closed in the early 1990s, and the site was developed for a

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

store. In recent years, Boonton has attracted several art galleries. Most of the galleries are located on the 800 block of Main Street, with a total of six galleries in the area surrounding Boonton Avenue and Main Street. This is often referred to as the Boonton Art District. The galleries hold an art walk showcasing gallery openings on the first Friday of each month.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy An economy is an area of th ...

, the town had a total area of 2.49 square miles (6.46 km²), including 2.34 square miles (6.05 km²) of land and 0.16 square miles (0.41 km²) of water (6.39%). The

flows through

Boonton Gorge The Boonton Gorge is a river gorge in Boonton, New Jersey where the Rockaway River drops over several waterfalls, and travels for slightly over a mile before emptying into the Jersey City Reservoir. Geology The Rockaway River flows through fl ...

downtown, featuring whitewater rapids including a waterfall that is high. The borough borders the Morris County municipalities of Boonton Township,

Montville Montville may refer to: Places Australia *Montville, Queensland France *Montville, Seine-Maritime United States *Montville, Connecticut *Montville, Maine *Montville, New Jersey *Montville Township, Geauga County, Ohio **Montville, Ohio *Montvill ...

Mountain Lakes A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher th ...

and Parsippany-Troy Hills.

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010

inflation-adjusted In economics, nominal value is measured in terms of money, whereas real value is measured against goods or services. A real value is one which has been adjusted for inflation, enabling comparison of quantities as if the prices of goods had not ...

dollars)

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...

was $79,097 (with a margin of error of +/− $9,165) and the median family income was $89,965 (+/− $14,678). Males had a median income of $53,495 (+/− $4,466) versus $47,463 (+/− $7,099) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $33,366 (+/− $4,035). About 5.6% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.8% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census there were 8,496 people, 3,272 households, and 2,159 families residing in the town. The population density was 3,619.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,395.9/km²). There were 3,352 housing units at an average density of 1,428.1 per square mile (550.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 83.00%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 4.00%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 0.21%

Native American Native Americans or Native American may refer to: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North and South America and their descendants * Native Americans in the United States * Indigenous peoples in Cana ...

, 7.8%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

, 2.20% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.84% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 6.9% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Boonton town, New Jersey
,

. Accessed December 17, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 – Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Boonton town, Morris County, New Jersey

. Accessed December 17, 2012. Boonton had the highest percentage of Pakistani ancestry people at 3.53%, of any place in the United States with 1,000 or more residents listing their ancestry. As of the 2000 Census, 1.3% of residents identified themselves as being of

Turkish American Turkish Americans ( tr, Türk Amerikalılar) or American Turks are Americans of ethnic Turkish origin. The term "Turkish Americans" can therefore refer to ethnic Turkish immigrants to the United States, as well as their American-born descenda ...

ancestry, the fifth-highest of any municipality in the United States and third-highest in the state. There were 3,272 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.11. In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $65,322, and the median income for a family was $75,147. Males had a median income of $60,518 versus $40,634 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,919. About 6.7% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

Sports

North Stars Gymnastics Academy is a gymnastics facility located in the city, which is home to various elites and Junior Olympic gymnasts.

Parks and recreation

Grace Lord Park Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninco ...

provides recreation opportunities and hiking trails, including a view of Boonton Falls.

Government

Local government

Boonton operates using the

form of government. The town is one of nine municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this traditional form of government. The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the Town Council. The governing body was previously called the Board of Aldermen, but in February of 2021, the Board voted 7–2 to change the name to Town Council. The ordinance did not change the structure or function of municipal government. Members felt that the gendered “alderman” could dissuade women from running for office, and wanted to be more inclusive with the neutral “council member”. The mayor is elected

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

to a four-year term of office. The Town Council is comprised of eight members elected to serve two-year terms of office, with two Council Members elected from each of four

wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

on a staggered basis, with one seat from each of the four wards coming up for election each year.''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'',

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and wa ...

Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy The Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy of Rutgers University (The Bloustein School) serves as a center for the theory and practice of urban planning, public policy and public health/health administration scholarship. The sc ...

, March 2013, p. 117. , the Mayor of Boonton is

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Richard J. Corcoran III, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2023.Office of the Mayor
Town of Boonton. Accessed May 12, 2022. Members of the Town Council are:Mayor & Town Council
Town of Boonton. Accessed May 12, 2022. "Boonton is designated as a Town and is therefore governed by a Mayor and Town Council. The Town is divided geographically into four wards with two Council Members elected per ward. Each ward contains two districts hence two Council Members. The Mayor serves a 4-year term and is elected by residents from all four wards. Council Members serve a 2-year term and are elected by the residents of their specific ward."''Morris County Manual 2022''

Morris County, New Jersey Morris County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about west of New York City. According to the 2020 census, the county's population was enumerated at 509,285,''Morris County Municipal Elected Officials For The Year 2022''

Morris County, New Jersey Morris County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about west of New York City. According to the 2020 census, the county's population was enumerated at 509,285,General Election 2020 November 3, 2020 Summary Report Official Results

Morris County, New Jersey Morris County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about west of New York City. According to the 2020 census, the county's population was enumerated at 509,285,General Election November 5, 2019, Official Results

New Jersey Redistricting Commission The New Jersey Redistricting Commission is a constitutional body of the government of New Jersey tasked with redrawing the state's Congressional election districts after each decade's census. Like Arizona, Idaho, Hawaii, Montana, and Washington ...

, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020. and is part of New Jersey's 25th state legislative district.Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District

New Jersey Department of State The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing artistic, cultural, and historical programs within the U.S. state of New Jersey, as w ...

. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey League of Women Voters. Accessed October 30, 2019. Morris County is governed by a

Board of County Commissioners A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States; such commissions usually comprise ...

comprised of seven members who are elected

in partisan elections to three-year terms on a staggered basis, with either one or three seats up for election each year as part of the November general election. Actual day-to-day operation of departments is supervised by County Administrator Deena Leary.''Morris County Manual 2022''
Morris County Clerk. Accessed June 1, 2022. , Morris County's Commissioners are Commissioner Director John Krickus (R, Chatham Township, term as commissioner ends December 31, 2024; term as director ends 2023), Commissioner Deputy Director Christine Myers (R,

Harding Harding may refer to: People *Harding (surname) *Maureen Harding Clark (born 1946), Irish jurist Places Australia * Harding River Iran * Harding, Iran, a village in South Khorasan Province South Africa * Harding, KwaZulu-Natal United Stat ...

, term as commissioner ends 2025; term as deputy director ends 2023), Douglas Cabana (R, Boonton Township, 2025), Thomas J. Mastrangelo (R,

, 2025), Stephen H. Shaw (R,

, 2024), Deborah Smith (R,

Denville Denville Township is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, located west of Manhattan. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 16,635, reflecting an increase of 811 (+5.1%) from the 15,824 counted in the 2000 census. ...

, 2024) and Tayfun Selen (R, Chatham Township, 2023) The county's constitutional officers are the

County Clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

and County Surrogate (both elected for five-year terms of office) and the

County Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

(elected for a three-year term). , they are County Clerk Ann F. Grossi (R, Parsippany–Troy Hills, 2023), Sheriff James M. Gannon (R, Boonton Township, 2022) and Surrogate Heather Darling (R,

Roxbury Roxbury may refer to: Places ;Canada * Roxbury, Nova Scotia * Roxbury, Prince Edward Island ;United States * Roxbury, Connecticut * Roxbury, Kansas * Roxbury, Maine * Roxbury, Boston, a municipality that was later integrated into the city of Bosto ...

, 2024).

Elections

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 5,037 registered voters in Boonton, of which 1,029 (20.4%) were registered as Democrats, 1,956 (38.8%) were registered as

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or again ...

and 2,051 (40.7%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There was one voter registered to another party. In the

2012 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: E ...

, Democrat

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

received 51.6% of the vote (1,882 cast), ahead of Republican

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusett ...

with 47.2% (1,720 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (44 votes), among the 3,669 ballots cast by the town's 5,310 registered voters (23 ballots were

spoiled Spoilage, spoiling or (making something) spoiled may refer to: * Spoiled child, a derogatory term aimed at children who exhibit behavioral problems from being overindulged by their parents. *Decomposition, the process by which organic substances ar ...

), for a turnout of 69.1%. In the

2008 presidential election This electoral calendar 2008 lists the national/federal direct elections held in 2008 in the de jure and de facto sovereign states and their dependent territories. Referendums are included, even though they are not elections. By-elections are no ...

, Democrat Barack Obama received 51.6% of the vote (2,087 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 46.5% (1,881 votes) and other candidates with 1.0% (41 votes), among the 4,045 ballots cast by the town's 5,262 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.9%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

received 53.1% of the vote (1,978 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

with 45.0% (1,677 votes) and other candidates with 0.9% (44 votes), among the 3,724 ballots cast by the town's 5,086 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 73.2. In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Christie, who was born in ...

received 67.2% of the vote (1,527 cast), ahead of Democrat

Barbara Buono Barbara A. Buono (born July 28, 1953) is an American politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2014, where she represented the 18th Legislative District. She served from 2010 to 2012 as the Majority Leader in the Senate, succ ...

with 30.3% (688 votes), and other candidates with 2.6% (59 votes), among the 2,342 ballots cast by the town's 5,286 registered voters (68 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 44.3%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 55.5% of the vote (1,372 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat

Jon Corzine Jon Stevens Corzine ( ; born January 1, 1947) is an American financial executive and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from New Jersey from 2001 to 2006 and the 54th governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. Corzine ran fo ...

with 33.8% (835 votes), Independent

Chris Daggett Christopher Jarvis Daggett (born March 7, 1950) is an American businessman who is the president and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, one of the largest foundations in New Jersey. A former regional administrator of the United States Env ...

with 9.0% (222 votes) and other candidates with 0.8% (19 votes), among the 2,474 ballots cast by the town's 5,161 registered voters, yielding a 47.9% turnout.

Education

The

Boonton Public Schools The Boonton Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Boonton, in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020–21 school year, the distr ...

serve students in

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

through

twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year Thirteen, Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between ...

. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 1,457 students and 132.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...

of 11.0:1.District information for Boonton Town School District

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May ...

. Accessed February 15, 2022. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment statistics from the

) are School Street School with 258 students in grades Pre-K–2, John Hill School with 537 students in grades 3–8 and

Boonton High School Boonton High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Boonton, in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Boonton Public Schools. The school is ...

with 636 students in grades 9–12. The district's high school serves students from Boonton and also those from

Lincoln Park Lincoln Park is a park along Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Named after US President Abraham Lincoln, it is the city's largest public park and stretches for seven miles (11 km) from Grand Avenue (500 N), on the south, ...

, who attend as part of a

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 hav ...

with the Lincoln Park Public Schools, with Lincoln Park students accounting for a majority of students at the high school, including about 290 students as of the 2012–2013 school year. The two districts have sought to sever the more than 50-year-old relationship, citing cost savings that could be achieved by both districts and complaints by Lincoln Park that it is granted only one seat on the Boonton Public Schools' Board of Education. In April 2006, the Commissioner of the

New Jersey Department of Education The New Jersey Department of Education (NJ DOE) administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered ...

rejected the request. Our Lady of Mount Carmel School is a

Catholic school Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syst ...

for students in preschool through eighth grade. Operated under the auspices of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson The Diocese of Paterson is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States that encompasses Passaic, Morris, and Sussex counties in northern New Jersey. Most of this territory lies to the west of ...

, the school has been in operation though the parish as far back as 1882.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the town had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Morris County and by the

New Jersey Department of Transportation The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transportat ...

Interstate 287 Interstate 287 (I-287) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US states of New Jersey and New York. It is a partial beltway around New York City, serving the northern half of New Jersey and the counties of Rockland and Westchester in ...

and

U.S. Route 202 U.S. Route 202 (US 202) is a spur route of U.S. Route 2, US 2. It follows a northeasterly and southwesterly direction stretching from Delaware to Maine, also traveling through the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York (state ...

run through the center of town.

Public transportation

The

Boonton station Boonton is a NJ Transit station in Boonton, Morris County, New Jersey, United States along the Montclair-Boonton Line. It is located on Main Street ( County Route 511), near Myrtle Avenue ( U.S. Route 202) and I-287. The original 1905 ...

provides train service on the

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bus, ...

Montclair-Boonton Line The Montclair-Boonton Line is a commuter rail line of New Jersey Transit Rail Operations in the United States. It is part of the Hoboken Division. The line is a consolidation of three individual lines: the former Delaware, Lackawanna & Western R ...

with service to Newark Broad Street Station, Penn Station New York and

Hoboken Terminal Hoboken Terminal is a commuter-oriented intermodal passenger station in Hoboken, Hudson County, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, it is served by nine NJ Transit (NJT) commuter rail lines, one ...

. NJ Transit bus service is provided on the

871 __NOTOC__ Year 871 ( DCCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * The English retreat onto the Berkshire Downs. The Great Heathen Army, led by the ...

local route, which replaced service offered until 2010 on the

MCM1 Serum response factor, also known as SRF, is a transcription factor protein. Function Serum response factor is a member of the MADS (MCM1, Agamous, Deficiens, and SRF) box superfamily of transcription factors. This protein binds to the serum ...

route.

Lakeland Bus Lines Lakeland Bus Lines, Inc is a privately chartered and apportioned bus company headquartered in Dover, New Jersey. Lakeland operates commuter routes from Morris, Sussex, Somerset and Essex Counties, NJ to New York City. Routes Lakeland Bus Line ...

provides express bus service along Route 46 between

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

and the

Port Authority Bus Terminal The Port Authority Bus Terminal (colloquially known as the Port Authority and by its acronym PABT) is a bus terminal located in Manhattan in New York City. It is the busiest bus terminal in the world by volume of traffic, serving about 8,000 bus ...

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildin ...

Places of interest

* Arch Bridge from the Boonton Ironworks – The single-span

fieldstone Fieldstone is a naturally occurring type of stone, which lies at or near the surface of the Earth. Fieldstone is a nuisance for farmers seeking to expand their land under cultivation, but at some point it began to be used as a construction mate ...

arch bridge built in 1866 was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

in 2022, for its significance in engineering. The footbridge, which crosses the

, is located in Grace Lord Park. *

Garret Rickards House The Boonton Historic District is a historic district along Main, Church, Birch, Cornelia, and Cedar Streets in the town of Boonton in Morris County, New Jersey. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 29, 1980, fo ...

– One of two

octagon house Octagon houses were a unique house style briefly popular in the 1850s in the United States and Canada. They are characterised by an octagonal (eight-sided) plan, and often feature a flat roof and a veranda all round. Their unusual shape and ...

s on Cornelia Street that contribute to the

Boonton Historic District The Boonton Historic District is a historic district (United States), historic district along Main, Church, Birch, Cornelia, and Cedar Streets in the town of Boonton, New Jersey, Boonton in Morris County, New Jersey. It was added to the National ...

, listed on the

NRHP The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. *

Morris Canal Greenway The Morris Canal (1829–1924) was a common carrier anthracite coal canal across northern New Jersey that connected the two industrial canals at Easton, Pennsylvania across the Delaware River from its western terminus at Phillipsburg, New ...

– The Boonton section of the trail, which follows the route of the former

, starts in Grace Lord Park. Plane Street is at the site of

Inclined Plane An inclined plane, also known as a ramp, is a flat supporting surface tilted at an angle from the vertical direction, with one end higher than the other, used as an aid for raising or lowering a load. The inclined plane is one of the six cla ...

7 East of the canal. * Greenwood Cemetery File:Stone Arch Bridge, Boonton, NJ.jpg, Arch Bridge from the Boonton Ironworks File:211 Cornelia Street, Boonton, NJ - information sign.jpg,

File:Morris Canal, Inclined Plane 7 East, Boonton, NJ - Plane Street.jpg, Plane Street – Site of Inclined Plane 7 East of the

Boonton Holmes Public Library

The

Boonton Holmes Public Library The Boonton Public Library, also known as the Holmes Library, is located at 619 Main Street in the town of Boonton in Morris County, New Jersey. Built , the Greek Revival building was purchased by James Holmes in 1856 and became the public librar ...

has been in operation since 1894. The building in which it resides was willed to the Town of Boonton by James Holmes for use as a public library. Holmes moved to Boonton in 1850 to take charge of the Taylor & Lord Nail Factory. Holmes held several political posts in his life such as serving as Mayor of Boonton, on the State Board of Education, and on the Boonton Board of Education. Holmes used his wealth to improve the town, as when he donated the land and purchased the equipment to begin a firehouse in South Boonton. Holmes also started the first Boonton National Bank and served as its president. The building itself dates much further back to when Eliza A. Scott purchased the corner lot in 1849 from the New Jersey Iron Company and built the first structure on the site in that same year. Holmes bought the property and two lots for $5,000 in 1856. He resided at his mansion house until his death in February 1893. Holmes bequeathed his house and lots to the Boonton Library Association which had incorporated in 1890. The gift included the mansion house, $5,000 for endowment purposes only, $2,000 for refitting the house as a library, and $1,000 for the purchase of books. The Library officially opened in 1894. Since its opening, the library itself has only been on the first floor, and in later years the basement. The upper two floors have been used, at various times, as business space, a Masonic Hall, and most recently as three apartments. The basement also has been used commercially and has at one time housed the printing press for the Boonton Times newspaper. In 1895, Charles Grubb rented rooms in the Holmes Library and installed presses in the basement where on Oct 4, 1895 he published the first issue of ''The Boonton Times'' newspaper. In 1911, he moved to the corner of Main and Cornelia Streets. The Boonton Holmes Public Library was placed on the

, on November 30, 1972.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Boonton include: *

Othmar Ammann Othmar Hermann Ammann (March 26, 1879 – September 22, 1965) was a Swiss-American civil engineer whose bridge designs include the George Washington Bridge, Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, and Bayonne Bridge. He also directed the planning and constr ...

(1879–1965), structural engineer whose designs include the

George Washington Bridge The George Washington Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting Fort Lee, New Jersey, with Manhattan in New York City. The bridge is named after George Washington, the first president of the Unite ...

Verrazano-Narrows Bridge The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge ( ) is a suspension bridge connecting the New York City boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn. It spans the Narrows, a body of water linking the relatively enclosed New York Harbor with Lower New York Bay a ...

and

Bayonne Bridge Bayonne Bridge is an arch bridge spanning the Kill Van Kull and connecting Bayonne, New Jersey with Staten Island in New York City. It carries New York State Route 440 (NY 440) and New Jersey Route 440. It is the sixth-longest ...

Angelo Badalamenti Angelo Daniel Badalamenti (March 22, 1937 – December 11, 2022) was an American composer, best known for his work scoring films for director David Lynch, notably '' Blue Velvet'', the '' Twin Peaks'' saga (1990–1992, 2017), '' The Straight St ...

(1937-2022), composer and arranger known for his work in composing for films. *

Daniel Belardinelli Daniel Belardinelli is an American artist associated with outsider art. He is a writer, art dealer, curator and an attorney. Early life Daniel Belardinelli was born and raised in Manhattan, New York. Belardinelli experienced communication diffi ...

(born 1961), outsider artist, attorney and art curator *

Amanda Bennett Amanda Bennett (born July 9, 1952) is an American journalist and author. She was the director of Voice of America from 2016 to 2020, and the current CEO of U.S. Agency for Global Media. She formerly edited ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' and the ' ...

(born 1952), Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and editor * Anthony M. Bucco (born 1962), member of the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...

who served with his father in the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and th ...

after taking office in the

Assembly Assembly may refer to: Organisations and meetings * Deliberative assembly, a gathering of members who use parliamentary procedure for making decisions * General assembly, an official meeting of the members of an organization or of their representa ...

in 2010 and took over his father's Senate seatRagonese, Lawrence
"A new Trenton team: The Buccos"
''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to '' The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the ''Staten Island Advance'', all of w ...

'', November 7, 2009. Accessed July 19, 2011. "Father and son. Senator and assemblyman-elect. Anthony Bucco and Anthony Bucco Jr. The Buccos will serve together in the Legislature after the younger Bucco takes the oath of office Jan. 12, the result of his win Tuesday in Morris County's 25th District. The Republican duo will join the small club of parent-child legislators who have served together in New Jersey.... Tony Sr., now 71, was first running for alderman in Boonton when his son was getting elected class president at Boonton High School." *

Anthony R. Bucco Anthony R. Bucco (February 24, 1938 – September 16, 2019) was an American Republican Party politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 1998, where he represented the 25th Legislative District until his death. Bucco served as Co-Majori ...

(1938–2019), member of the

who served until his death *

John A. Carpenter John Alcott Carpenter (1921–1978) was a historian, history professor, and public speaker. Carpenter, who specialized in the Reconstruction Period following the American Civil War, published biographies of Oliver Otis Howard and Ulysses S. Grant ...

(1921–1978), historian, history professor and public speaker who specialized in the Reconstruction Era following the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

Robert H. Conn Robert Henry Conn (June 8, 1925 – August 4, 2020) was an American state official. He served as Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) from 1981 to 1984 and Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management a ...

(1925–2020), was United States Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Senior Data Processing Official) from 1981 to 1984 and

Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) The Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) (abbreviated ASN FM) is a civilian office of the United States Department of the Navy. The Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) is respon ...

from 1984 to 1988 *

Mario DeMarco Mario Joseph DeMarco, (July 24, 1924 – December 9, 1956) was an American college football, National Football League, and professional Canadian football player, and was one of 62 people who died on Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810, on December ...

(1924–1956), professional

Canadian football Canadian football () is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's scoring area ( ...

and

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the maj ...

player who died in the

Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810 Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810-9 was a Canadair North Star on a scheduled flight from Vancouver to Calgary (continuing to Regina, Winnipeg, and Toronto). The plane crashed into Mount Slesse near Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada, on 9 ...

disaster *

Don Edwards William Donlon Edwards (January 6, 1915 – October 1, 2015) was an American politician of the Democratic Party and a member of the United States House of Representatives from California for 32 years in the late 20th century. Early life Edward ...

(1939–2022),

singing cowboy A singing cowboy was a subtype of the archetypal cowboy hero of early Western films. It references real-world campfire side ballads in the American frontier, the original cowboys sang of life on the trail with all the challenges, hardships, and ...

Helen Gahagan Douglas Helen Gahagan Douglas (born Helen Mary Gahagan; November 25, 1900 – June 28, 1980) was an American actress and politician. Her career included success on Broadway, as a touring opera singer, and in Hollywood films. Her portrayal of the villain ...

(1900–1980), actress and politician *

Dean Gallo Dean Anderson Gallo (November 23, 1935 – November 6, 1994) was an American politician and businessman who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing from 1985 until his death from prostate cancer in Denvil ...

(1935–1994), politician who represented

New Jersey's 11th congressional district New Jersey's 11th congressional district is a suburban district in northern New Jersey. The district includes portions of Essex, Morris, and Passaic Counties; it is centered in Morris County. The 11th congressional district, along with the 12 ...

from 1985 until his death *

John Hill John Hill may refer to: Business * John Henry Hill (1791–1882), American businessman, educator and missionary * John Hill (planter) (1824–1910), Scottish-born American industrialist and planter * John Hill (businessman) (1847–1926), Austral ...

(1821–1884), represented from 1867 to 1873, and from 1881 to 1883 *

Thomas J. Hillery Thomas J. Hillery (June 16, 1904 – December 1, 1991) was an American politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1947 to 1954 and in the New Jersey Senate from 1954 to 1968. He died of cardiac arrest on December 1, 1991, in ...

(1871–1920), President of the

Elizabeth Hoffman Honness Elizabeth Hoffman Honness McKaughan (June 29, 1904 – 2003), better known as Elizabeth Honness, was an American writer, poet, and writer. Honness authored children's books in the mystery genre. During her career, she published 21 books between ...

(1904–2003), author of

children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

Andrew D. Hurwitz Andrew David Hurwitz (born October 1, 1947) is a Senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He served as a justice of the Arizona Supreme Court from 2003 to 2012. Education and clerkships Hurw ...

(born 1947), Judge on the

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * Distri ...

* Jim Lewis (born 1955), writer for

The Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety-sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses te ...

Peter Onorati Peter Onorati (born May 16, 1953) is an American actor. He is known for his TV roles as Charlie Howell on '' Civil Wars'' (1991–1993), Mr. Scotto on '' Murder One'' (1995–1997), Stanley Pearson on ''This Is Us'' (2017–2022), and Jeff Mumfor ...

(born 1954), actor *

Joshua S. Salmon Joshua S. Salmon (February 2, 1846 in Mount Olive Township, New Jersey – May 6, 1902 in Boonton, New Jersey) was an American Democratic Party politician who represented from 1899 to 1902. Biography Salmon was born in Mount Olive Township, New ...

(1846–1902), represented

New Jersey's 4th congressional district New Jersey's 4th congressional district is a congressional district that stretches along the New Jersey Shore. It has been represented by Republican Chris Smith since 1981, the second-longest currently serving member of the US House of Represe ...

from 1902 to 1903 *

Jeffrey L. Seglin Jeffrey L. Seglin (born December 26, 1956) is an American columnist, author, and teacher. Since 2011, he has been a faculty member and director of the communications program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. His ...

(born 1956) journalist and writer Seglin, Jeffrey L.br>"The Right Thing; My Principles, or the Milk and Cookies?"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', January 18, 2004. Accessed December 29, 2011. "Growing up in Boonton, N.J., I routinely stopped at the supermarket on my way to the local bowling alley to pick up a package of Archway ginger cookies, my favorite snack at the time."

References

External links

Town of Boonton official website

Boonton Public Schools
*
School Data for the Boonton Public Schools

Boonton Holmes Public Library website

Photos of Boonton on Flickr

''Daily Record'' – Regional area newspaper
{{Authority control 1867 establishments in New Jersey Populated places established in 1867 Town form of New Jersey government Towns in Morris County, New Jersey