Cedar Grove is a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

in north central Essex County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, United States. As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, the township's population was 12,411, reflecting an increase of 111 (+0.9%) from the 12,300 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 247 (+2.0%) from the 12,053 counted in the 1990 Census. ''

New Jersey Monthly ''New Jersey Monthly'' is an American monthly magazine featuring issues of possible interest to residents of New Jersey. The magazine was started in 1976. It is based in Morristown. In addition to articles of general interest, the publication fe ...

'' magazine ranked Cedar Grove as its 4th best place to live in Essex County and 17th best place overall to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey. What is now Cedar Grove was originally incorporated by an act of 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 the ...

as the Township of Verona on February 7, 1892, from portions of Caldwell Township. Portions of the township were taken to create Verona borough, based on the results of a referendum held on April 30, 1907. On April 9, 1908, the name was formally changed to Cedar Grove.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 126 re Cedar Grove, p. 132 re Verona. Accessed July 26, 2012. The township's name derives from the

Eastern Red Cedar ''Juniperus virginiana'', also known as red cedar, eastern red cedar, Virginian juniper, eastern juniper, red juniper, and other local names, is a species of juniper native to eastern North America from southeastern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico a ...

trees that once covered its valley and hillsides.

History

Cedar Grove was part of the

Horseneck Tract The Horseneck Tract was an area in present-day Essex County, New Jersey, United States, that consisted of what are now the municipalities of Caldwell, West Caldwell, North Caldwell, Fairfield, Verona, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Roseland, and p ...

, which was an area that consisted of what are now the municipalities of Caldwell,

West Caldwell West Caldwell is a township located in the West Essex area in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, United States. It is located approximately west of Manhattan and northwest of Newark. As of the 2010 United States census, the township's pop ...

North Caldwell North Caldwell is a borough in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, United States, and a suburb of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,694, an increase of 511 (+8.3%) from the 2010 census count ...

, Fairfield,

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...

, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Roseland, and portions of

Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American custom ...

and West Orange. In 1702, settlers purchased the Horseneck Tract—so-called because of its irregular shape that suggested a horse's neck and head—from the

Lenni Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory inclu ...

Native Americans for goods equal to $325. This purchase encompassed much of western Essex County, from the

First Mountain First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

to the

Passaic River Passaic River ( ) is a river, approximately long, in Northern New Jersey. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburban northern New Jersey, ...

. Cedar Grove was originally a small farming community. In 1896, Essex County built the county mental institution in Cedar Grove known as Overbrook. In 1908, Cedar Grove was incorporated as a township. In the 1950s and 1960s, Cedar Grove became one of the destination suburbs in Essex County among those looking to escape urban living from

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Cedar Grove was once home to Frank Dailey's Meadowbrook Ballroom, located on Route 23, which regularly hosted well-known bands and vocalists, including

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York ...

Glenn Miller Alton Glen Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band founder, owner, conductor, composer, arranger, trombone player and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Arm ...

, Jimmy and

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

, and

Jo Stafford Jo Elizabeth Stafford (November 12, 1917July 16, 2008) was an American traditional pop music singer, whose career spanned five decades from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classi ...

. The ballroom, located on the old Pompton Turnpike, still stands, and is used by Sts. Kiril & Methodij Macedonian Orthodox Church. The first dinner theater was opened at the Meadowbrook in the fall of 1959 by Gary and Helga McHugh. It closed in 1973.

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. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the township had a total area of 4.36 square miles (11.29 km²), including 4.24 square miles (10.97 km²) of land and 0.12 square miles (0.32 km²) of water (2.82%). The township is located between the First and Second

Watchung Mountains The Watchung Mountains (once called the Blue Hills) are a group of three long low ridges of volcanic origin, between high, lying parallel to each other in northern New Jersey in the United States. The name is derived from the American Native Lena ...

. The center of the township is in a valley that is about above sea level; however, many sections of Cedar Grove are well above , including the Park Ridge Estates, the abandoned

Essex County Hospital Center The Essex County Hospital Center, also known as the Overbrook Hospital, the Overbrook Asylum, or simply the Overbrook, was a psychiatric hospital that was located around 125 Fairview Avenue in the Township of Cedar Grove, New Jersey. It was used as ...

, and the eastern, southeastern and southern sections of Cedar Grove. Cedar Grove's highest point is on hilltop, where elevations reach and above. Cedar Grove is located approximately west of

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 ...

and northwest of Newark.

Unincorporated communities An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Lindsley and Overbrook. Cedar Grove is bordered by the municipalities of Montclair,

and

in Essex County; and Little Falls in Passaic County. Most of the eastern portion of the township is bordered by

Upper Montclair Upper Montclair is a census-designated place (CDP), unincorporated community and neighborhood within Montclair in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population for the CDP was 11,565.

(a neighborhood in Montclair).About The Township
Township of Cedar Grove. Accessed September 12, 2019.

Neighborhoods

The sections of Cedar Grove are: North End: The North End of Cedar Grove starts after the corner of Fairview Avenue and Pompton Avenue. It consists mostly of homes, but there are some businesses located on Pompton Avenue, and at the corner of E. Lindsley Road and Stevens Avenue. A notable part of the north end of town is the Park Ridge Estates, which contains million-dollar homes. Central Cedar Grove: This consists of the center of town and extends from the corner of Fairview Avenue and Pompton Avenue to the corner of Bradford Avenue and Pompton Avenue. The central portion of the town contains Cedar Grove's business district. Also, on the west central side of town is the former location of the Essex County Hospital Center, and on the east central side is the Cedar Grove Reservoir and Mills Reservation. South End: The south end of Cedar Grove is the most urbanized part of the township, as it contains homes that are closer together. The south end extends from the corner of Bradford Avenue and Pompton Avenue to the Verona border. There are mostly homes here, but there are some businesses on Pompton Avenue, including Burger King, and Staples. Like the north end of town, the south end contains a section of million dollar homes. Cedar Grove's population density is less than the surrounding towns of Montclair, Verona, and Little Falls, mainly because significant portions of Cedar Grove are owned or previously owned by county or city governments. The

took up a good amount of land and was owned by Essex County.

Mills Reservation Mills Reservation is a county park, consisting of a protected wooded area located in Cedar Grove and Montclair, New Jersey, United States. The reservation is maintained by the Essex County Park Commission. The reservation has several walking ...

is a county-owned park, and the Cedar Grove Reservoir property is owned by the City of Newark.

Climate

Cedar Grove has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

, with warm/hot humid summers and cool/cold winters. The climate is slightly colder overall during the summer and winter than in

because the

urban heat island An urban heat island (UHI) is an urban or metropolitan area that is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas due to human activities. The temperature difference is usually larger at night than during the day, and is most apparen ...

effect is not as prevalent. January tends to be the coldest month, with average high temperatures in the upper 30s and low 40s and lows in the lower to mid 20s. July is the warmest months with high temperatures in the mid 80s and lows in the mid 60s. From April to June and from September to early November, Cedar Grove enjoys temperatures from the lower 60s to upper 70s. Rainfall is plentiful, with around a year. Snowfall is common from mid January to early March and

nor'easter A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below), or an East Coast low is a synoptic-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. The original use o ...

s can bring a lot of snow. In January 1996, Cedar Grove received about record snowfall from the Blizzard of 1996.

Demographics

Census 2010

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...

showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted 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 $95,152 (with a margin of error of +/− $4,156) and the median family income was $117,935 (+/− $15,917). Males had a median income of $81,330 (+/− $13,013) versus $51,525 (+/− $6,616) for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the borough was $46,514 (+/− $3,662). About none of families and 0.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 1.3% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the

2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

there were 12,300 people, 4,403 households, and 3,240 families residing in the township. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 2,913.1 people per square mile (1,125.4/km²). There were 4,470 housing units at an average density of 1,058.7/sq mi (409.0/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 90.05%

White White is the 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 reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 2.99%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.05% Native American, 5.42%

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 ...

, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.46% 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 1.00% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

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 3.20% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Cedar Grove township, Essex County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed July 26, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Cedar Grove township, Essex County, New Jersey

. Accessed July 26, 2012. As of the 2000 Census, 29.7% of Cedar Grove's residents identified themselves as being of

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

ancestry (adjusted from the 34.8% reported to reflect the fact that residents reported multiple ancestries), the 18th highest of all municipalities in New Jersey. There was also a large

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

population, accounting for 21.7% of the population in the 2000 census, with another 12.1% of German ancestry. There were 4,403 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.05. In the township the population was spread out, with 19.2% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.6 males. The median income for a household in the township was $78,863, and the median income for a family was $94,475. Males had a median income of $66,197 versus $40,582 for females. The

for the township was $36,558. About 1.1% of families and 2.0% of the population were below the

, including 0.8% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Most of the commercial zone in Cedar Grove is located on Route 23. The central business district starts at about Sweetwood Drive and extends to Little Falls Road just after the railroad bridge. The township has an industrial district located along Commerce Road, which is off Route 23. In this district, there are light industrial factories and different types of commercial businesses.

Parks and recreation

Cedar Grove has several parks and recreational areas within the township. These include county parks, town parks, and recreational areas.

County parks

There are three county parks located in Cedar Grove. *

, a county park, consisting of a protected wooded area with trails for walking and an overlook of New York City. * Hilltop Reservation, composed of lands in the grounds of the former Essex Mountain Sanitorium, opened in spring 2003.

Parks

* Community Park – this park is located near the center of the town off Little Falls Road. It features a baseball field, a large field used for various sports, a barbecue area, two playgrounds, a bocce court, and entrances to the Lenape Trails which are popular for running, walking and biking. * Elmer Bowden Taylor Memorial Park – this park and its recreational facilities is located on Little Falls Road; near Bowden Road. It includes tennis courts, basketball court, small playground, and public bathroom. Named for Elmer Bowden Taylor, Cedar Grove resident killed in action in World War I while flying with the

Lafayette Flying Corps The Lafayette Flying Corps is a name given to the American volunteer pilots who flew in the French Air Force (Armée de l'Air) during World War I. It includes the pilots who flew with the bona fide Lafayette Escadrille squadron. Numbers The ...

. * South End School Park, This park/playground is located on the grounds of South End Elementary School on Harper Terrace. Features include basketball courts, two baseball fields, and a playground. * North End School Park is nearly identical to South End School's park. * Cedar Grove High School, in the back of the high school, there is a quarter-mile track for running or walking. There is also a football field, soccer field, and baseball field.

Recreational areas

* Tennis courts are located along Little Falls Road, all for public use. * Cedar Grove Community Pool, a community pool which opened in 1963. It features a large pool with 50-meter lanes and 25-meter lanes, three diving boards (two small and a large one), and a water slide. Also, there is a baby pool for children under five. There is a snack bar for refreshments, sun decks for sunbathing, and basketball courts. The pool is open from the Saturday before Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Government

Local government

Cedar Grove operates within the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under Council-Manager plan B form of municipal government, as implemented as of July 1, 1955, based on the recommendations of a

Charter Study Commission The Optional Municipal Charter Law or Faulkner Act (, et seq.) provides New Jersey municipalities with a variety of models of local government. This legislation is called the Faulkner Act in honor of the late Bayard H. Faulkner, former mayor ...

. The township is one of 42 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government. Cedar Grove's governing body is comprised of a five-member Township Council, whose members are 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 ...

for four-year terms by the voters of the municipality on a

non-partisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...

basis as part of the municipal elections held on the second Tuesday in May in odd-numbered years.''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'',

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

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. 169. At a reorganization meeting held each July, the council selects a mayor and a deputy mayor from among its members to serve a one-year term of office. , members of the Township Council are Mayor Peter H. Tanella (term on committee ends June 30, 2023; term as mayor ends 2022), Deputy Mayor Joseph Maceri (term on committee ends 2023; term as deputy mayor ends 2022), Kerry Peterson (2025), Melissa Skabich (2025) and Joseph Zichelli (2025).Mayor and Council
Township of Cedar Grove. Accessed May 6, 2022. "Council members are elected at-large for four-year terms, by the voters of the municipality through a municipal election held the 2nd Tuesday in May, in odd number years."Essex County Directory

Essex County, New Jersey Essex County is located in the northeastern part of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 863,728, making it the state's second-most populous county, behind Bergen and Middlesex Counties.

. Accessed May 1, 2022.Municipal Election May 11, 2021 Unofficial Results

, updated May 11, 2021. Accessed April 19, 2022.May 14, 2019 Municipal Election Unofficial Results

Clerk, May 20, 2019. Accessed September 12, 2019.2017 Non-Partisan Municipal Election May 9, 2017

Clerk, May 12, 2017. Accessed September 12, 2019. In July 2020, Joseph Zichelli was sworn into office to fill the balance of the term of office expiring in June 2021 that had been held by Robbie Vargo until he resigned from office the previous month. In November 2020, Zichelli was elected to serve the balance of the term through June 2021. Mayor Joseph Chiusolo resigned in June 2016 after serving 19 years in office in the wake of charges that he and his business had benefited from contracts with the township in which Chiusolo had a conflict of interest. As of July 2018, Joseph Cicala was chosen as mayor to succeed Peter Tanella, and Robbie Vargo as Deputy Mayor. In August 2015, the Township Council selected Michael Maffucci to fill the vacant seat of John Zunic expiring in December 2017, who left office to serve as a New Jersey Superior Court judge. In the May 2015 municipal election, incumbent Peter Tanella and challenger Harry Kumburis won election to four-year terms on the township council.2015 Non-Partisan Municipal Election May 12, 2015

Clerk, April 18, 2016. Accessed July 4, 2016.

Federal, state and county representation

Cedar Grove is located in the 11th Congressional District Plan Components Report

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; t ...

, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020. and is part of New Jersey's 40th 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 we ...

. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

. Accessed October 30, 2019. Prior to the 2010 Census, Cedar Grove had been part of the , a change made by the

that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.''2011 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
, p. 55, New Jersey

. Accessed May 22, 2015.

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 8,672 registered voters in Cedar Grove, of which 2,269 (26.2%) were registered as Democrats, 2,215 (25.5%) were registered as Republicans and 4,184 (48.2%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 4 voters registered as

Libertarians Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's enc ...

or Greens. In the 2012 presidential election, 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 Massachusetts f ...

received 56.9% of the vote (3,541 cast), ahead of 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, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

with 42.1% (2,621 votes), and other candidates with 0.9% (58 votes), among the 6,271 ballots cast by the township's 8,965 registered voters (51 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 69.9%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

received 59.2% of the vote (4,013 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 39.5% (2,680 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (43 votes), among the 6,780 ballots cast by the township's 8,695 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.0%. 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 59.8% of the vote (3,817 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 38.9% (2,479 votes) and other candidates with 0.8% (66 votes), among the 6,378 ballots cast by the township's 8,215 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 77.6. 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 Ne ...

received 67.1% of the vote (2,589 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 32.1% (1,238 votes), and other candidates with 0.9% (33 votes), among the 3,914 ballots cast by the township's 8,963 registered voters (54 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 43.7%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 58.3% of the vote (2,699 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 32.9% (1,524 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 En ...

with 7.0% (323 votes) and other candidates with 1.0% (45 votes), among the 4,628 ballots cast by the township's 8,644 registered voters, yielding a 53.5% turnout.

Education

Public schools

The

Cedar Grove Schools The Cedar Grove Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Cedar Grove, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020–21 school year, the di ...

serve public school students from

pre-kindergarten Pre-kindergarten (also called Pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool ...

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 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

. As of the 2019–2020 school year, the district, comprised of four schools, had an enrollment of 1,613 students and 148.2 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 10.9:1.District information for Cedar Grove Township School District

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...

. Accessed April 1, 2021. Schools in the district (with 2019–2020 enrollment data from the

) are North End Elementary School with 258 students in grades Pre-K–4, South End Elementary School with 327 students in grades Pre-K–4, Cedar Grove Memorial Middle School with 500 students in grades 5–8 and Cedar Grove High School with 496 students in grades 9–12. In September 2021, North End School was one of nine schools in New Jersey recognized by the

National Blue Ribbon Schools Program The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

Private schools

Washington Academy is an approved private school for special education. Founded in 1982, the Academy provides specialized academic and behavioral services to students whose disabilities disrupt their academic and behavioral growth and progress. It serves students ages 3–21 (Pre-K–12th Grade). Washington Academy is a member of the National Association of Private Special Education Centers (NAPSEC), a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the needs of private special education schools. The school is located in the former Leonard R. Parks Elementary School on Route 23. St. Catherine of Siena School is located on Bradford Avenue and operates under the supervision of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark The Archdiocese of Newark is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in northeastern New Jersey, United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of the Catholic parishes and schools in the New Jerse ...

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the township had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Essex 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 ...

. Route 23 bisects Cedar Grove, making the township accessible via major highways including

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...

, Interstate 280,

U.S. Route 46 U.S. Route 46 (US 46) is an east–west U.S. Highway completely within the state of New Jersey, running for , making it the shortest signed, non-spur U.S. Highway. The west end is at an interchange with Interstate 80 in New Jersey, Intersta ...

, Route 3, and the

Garden State Parkway The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a controlled-access toll road that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May to the New York state line at Montvale. Its name refers to New Jersey ...

. Cedar Grove is also centrally located to New York City, Newark, Paterson, and Morristown.

Public transportation

Cedar Grove is served by

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 bu ...

bus service. The 11 bus line provides service to Newark. The 195 bus line provides transportation to the

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

. In September 2012, as part of budget cuts, NJ Transit suspended service to Newark on the 75 line. Commuter train stations are located in the neighboring communities of Little Falls and Montclair. The

Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Er ...

's Caldwell Branch ran between Little Falls and West Caldwell, but trains were sparsely scheduled and the line was destroyed in the 1970s.

Local media

Newspapers

''The Verona-Cedar Grove Times'', a weekly newspaper that publishes every Thursday, serves Cedar Grove and Verona. ''The Cedar Grove Observer'', which publishes 50 weeks a year, serves Cedar Grove.

Internet

Local news is covered by the ''Cedar Grove Observer'' and the ''Verona-Cedar Grove Times''.

Notable people

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

Ralph L. Brinster Ralph Lawrence Brinster (born March 10, 1932) is an American geneticist, National Medal of Science laureate, and Richard King Mellon Professor of Reproductive Physiology at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. Early li ...

(born 1932), genetic research pioneer and National Medal of Science recipient * Mark Burstein (born ), former president of

Lawrence University Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second college in the U.S. to be founded as a coeducation ...

* Jack Cafferty (born 1942), CNN commentator and host *

Tommy DeVito Tommy DeVito may refer to: * Tommy DeVito (American football), American football quarterback * Tommy DeVito (musician) (1928–2020), American musician and singer, member of The Four Seasons * Tommy DeVito, a character in the film ''Goodfellas'' pl ...

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

for the

Syracuse Orange football The Syracuse Orange football team represents Syracuse University in the sport of American football. The Orange compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Atlantic Division of the ...

team *

Bob Diaco Robert Albert Diaco (born February 19, 1973) is an American football coach and a former linebacker who is the defensive line coach for the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League (USFL). He played college football at the Universi ...

(born 1973), head coach of the

UConn Huskies football The UConn Huskies football team is a college football team that represents the University of Connecticut in the sport of American football. The team competes in NCAA Division I FBS as an Independent. Connecticut first fielded a team in 1896, an ...

team * Gary Dickinson (1938–2000), executive at

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

Allen B. DuMont Allen Balcom DuMont, also spelled Du Mont, (January 29, 1901 – November 14, 1965) was an American electronics engineer, scientist and invention, inventor best known for improvements to the cathode ray tube in 1931 for use in television receive ...

(1901–1965), scientist and inventor best known for improvements to the

cathode-ray tube A cathode-ray tube (CRT) is a vacuum tube containing one or more electron guns, which emit electron beams that are manipulated to display images on a phosphorescent screen. The images may represent electrical waveforms (oscilloscope), pictur ...

in 1931 for use in TV receivers, manufacture of the first commercially successful electronic TVs and founder of the first licensed TV network,

DuMont Television Network The DuMont Television Network (also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont Television, simply DuMont/Du Mont, or (incorrectly) Dumont ) was one of America's pioneer commercial television networks, rivaling NBC and CBS for the distinction of being ...

Amanda Freitag Amanda Freitag (born May 11, 1972) is an American celebrity chef, and cookbook author. She is known for her frequent guest on Food Network television programs and work as a judge on the television cooking competitions. She is based in New York Cit ...

(born 1972), celebrity chef *

Eli Gottlieb Eli Gottlieb is an American author. His first novel, '' The Boy Who Went Away'', was published by St. Martin's Press, in 1997. The novel debuted to widespread critical acclaim and earned Gottlieb the Rome Prize and the McKitterick Prize from ...

(born 1956), novelist and author of '' The Boy Who Went Away'' *

Tommy James Tommy James (born Thomas Gregory Jackson; April 29, 1947), also known as Tommy Tadger, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, widely known as frontman of the 1960s rock band Tommy James and the Shondells, who were know ...

(born 1947), musician, singer/songwriter and record producer, best known as leader of the 1960s rock band

Tommy James and the Shondells Tommy James and the Shondells are an American pop rock/psychedelic rock band, formed in Niles, Michigan, in 1964. They had two No. 1 singles in the U.S. – " Hanky Panky" (July 1966, their only RIAA Certified Gold record) and "Crimson and Clov ...

Ellen Kuras Ellen Kuras (born July 10, 1959) is an American cinematographer whose body of work includes narrative and documentary films, music videos and commercials in both the studio and independent worlds. One of few female members of the American Socie ...

(born 1959),

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

whose body of work includes

narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travel literature, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller (ge ...

and documentary

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

music videos A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

and

commercials A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...

Jonathan Lebed Jonathan G. Lebed (born September 29, 1984) is an American businessman and former stock trader who reached an out of court civil settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) at age 15 for stock manipulation. Early life and edu ...

(born 1984), huckster who used internet technology to hype stocks * Amanda Lepore (born 1967), transgender performance artist and entertainer who has received attention for her modeling, fashion, partying, and business skills *

Marty Liquori Martin William Liquori (born September 11, 1949) is a retired American middle distance athlete. Liquori rose to fame when he became the third American high schooler to break the four-minute mile by running a 3:59.8 in 1967, three years after J ...

(born 1949), competed in the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...

in Track and Field. Ranked #5 on the ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

'' list of ''The 50 Greatest New Jersey Sports Figures'' *

Tom Lutz Tom Lutz (born March 21, 1953) is an American writer, literary critic and the founder of the ''Los Angeles Review of Books''. Early life Lutz grew up in Cedar Grove, New Jersey. He graduated from Greenwich (CT) High School. After working for year ...

(born 1953), writer and literary critic who is founder and editor-in-chief of the ''

Los Angeles Review of Books The ''Los Angeles Review of Books'' (''LARB'' is a literary review magazine covering the national and international book scenes. A preview version launched on Tumblr in April 2011, and the official website followed one year later in April 2012. ...

'' *

C. Edward McVaney C. Edward McVaney (December 29, 1940 – June 4, 2020) In 1977, he was a co-founder and became the CEO of JD Edwards Corporation, a pioneering Enterprise Resource Planning company. In June 2003, JD Edwards arranged to be purchased by Peopl ...

(born 1940), co-founder of

JD Edwards J.D. Edwards World Solution Company or JD Edwards, abbreviated JDE, was an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software company, whose namesake ERP system is still sold under ownership by Oracle Corporation. JDE's products included World for IB ...

Michael P. Moran Michael Patrick Moran (February 8, 1944 – February 4, 2004) was an American actor and playwright. Life and career Moran was born in Yuba City, California, but his family moved frequently because his father was a United States Army officer. Wh ...

(1944–2004), actor and playwright *

David Njoku David Njoku ( ; born July 10, 1996) is an American football tight end for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Miami (FL). He was drafted by the Browns in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draf ...

(born 1996),

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

drafted 29th in the first round of the

2017 NFL Draft The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...

by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

Kevin J. O'Toole Kevin J. O'Toole (born October 5, 1964) is an American Republican Party politician, who served in the New Jersey Senate. O'Toole represented the 40th legislative district, which included parts of Bergen, Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties fro ...

(born 1964), 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 as mayor of Cedar Grove for three years *

Todd Pettengill Todd Clark Pettengill (born April 18, 1966) is a former American radio disc jockey who most recently worked for WPLJ 95.5 in the New York area. From 1993 to 1997, he also served as an on-screen backstage interviewer for the World Wrestling Federa ...

(born 1966), co-host to the

WPLJ WPLJ (95.5 FM) is a non-commercial Christian adult contemporary music radio station licensed to New York City. It is owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF) and broadcasts EMF's flagship programming service, K-Love. WPLJ's transmitte ...

morning show "the Big Show" * Emilie Poulsson (1853–1939),

children's author 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 ...

and campaigner for

early childhood education Early childhood education (ECE), also known as nursery education, is a branch of education theory that relates to the teaching of children (formally and informally) from birth up to the age of eight. Traditionally, this is up to the equivale ...

* C. Robert Sarcone (1925–2020), politician who served in both houses of the

Michael Uslan Michael E. Uslan (; born June 2, 1951) is an American lawyer and film producer. Uslan has also dabbled in writing and teaching, he is known for being the first instructor to teach an accredited course on comic book folklore at any university. Ear ...

(born 1951), originator and Executive Producer of the

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

movies and the first professor to teach "Comic Book Folklore" at an accredited university * Arthur Wynne (1862–1945), inventor of the

crossword puzzle A crossword is a word puzzle that usually takes the form of a square or a rectangular grid of white- and black-shaded squares. The goal is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases, by solving clues which lead to the answ ...

Romeo, Lisa
"Clue: Where Crossword Creator Lived. Ten Letters. Answer: Cedar Grove: A local journalist invented the modern crossword puzzle 97 years ago this week."
, Verona-Cedar Grove

Patch.com Patch.com is an American local news and information platform, primarily owned by Hale Global. As of January 2022, Patch's more than 100 journalists operated some 1,259 hyperlocal news websites, which also have an information component, in 50 U.S ...

, December 21, 2010. Accessed April 8, 2011. "It's the humble – and wonderful -- crossword puzzle. And it was invented by a Cedar Grove resident."

References

External links

Cedar Grove website

Cedar Grove Schools website
*
School Data for the Cedar Grove Schools

Official website of the Cedar Grove Alumni Assoc.
{{Authority control 1892 establishments in New Jersey Faulkner Act (council–manager) Populated places established in 1892 Townships in Essex County, New Jersey