DEMAREST

Demarest is a Borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 4,845.
Demarest was formed by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 8, 1903, from portions of Harrington Township and Palisades Township. The borough was named for Ralph S. Demarest, who had represented the area in both the New Jersey General Assembly and the New Jersey Senate in the mid-19th century.

Geography

Demarest is located at 40°57′20″N 73°57′38″W / 40.955603°N 73.960446°W (40.955603, -73.960446).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km2).2.1 square miles (5.4 km2) of it is land and very little of the area is covered with water, most of it being the Demarest Duck Pond, located along Piermont Road.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,845 people, 1,601 households, and 1,386 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,343.7 people per square mile (903.7/km2). There were 1,634 housing units at an average density of 790.4/sq mi (304.8/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 77.28% White, 0.50% African American, 0.02% Native American, 20.25% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.45% of the population.
As of the 2000 census, 3.72% of Demarest's residents identified themselves as being of Japanese ancestry, which was the second highest of any municipality in New Jersey — behind Fort Lee (6.09%) — for all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry. In this same census, 2.3% of Demarest's residents identified themselves as being of Armenian-American ancestry. This was the 19th highest percentage of Armenian American people in any place in the United States with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.
There were 1,601 households out of which 45.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.2% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.4% were non-families. 11.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the borough the population was spread out with 28.9% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $103,286, and the median income for a family was $113,144. Males had a median income of $82,597 versus $43,750 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $51,939. About 0.9% of families and 1.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.7% of those under age 18 and 1.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Demarest is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.
The Mayor of Demarest Borough is James M. Carroll, who is also a Bergen County Freeholder (D, term ends December 31, 2010). Members of the Demarest Borough Council are Council President Brian Bernstein (D, 2009), William Connelly (D, 2010), Thomas F. Connolly (D, 2009), Anthony J. Costanzo (R, 2008), Raymond Cywinski (R, 2008) and Melinda Iannuzzi (D, 2010).
In the 2008 General Election, Democratic Party newcomers Steven J. Conti (1,257) votes and Marianne Bolduc (1,141) defeated Republican four-term incumbent Raymond J. Cywinski (959) and his running mate, newcomer Luisa Pittaluga (860). The 2009 council will have its all-Democratic lineup. A ballot proposal asking if a citizens commission should be appointed by the mayor and council to study ways of sharing municipal services passed by a more than 3 to 1 margin.
In elections held on November 6, 2007, voters turned out to select fill two seats on the borough council and to answer a ballot question. Democratic incumbent councilmember William E. Connelly (776 votes) and his running mate, newcomer Melinda Iannuzzi (676), won three-year seats on the borough council, defeating Republican incumbent Carole Cardinale (546) and her fellow challenger Esther Goodhart (567). By a margin of 643-446, voters approved continuation for five years of a Municipal Open Space Fund tax collected at a rate of one cent per $100 in assessed value. The electoral sweep gives the Democrats a 4-2 edge on te 2008 council.
Election Day, November 7, 2006, saw all three Democratic Party incumbents winning reelection to office. James M. Carroll (1,010 votes) won a new term over Republican Party challenger, council member Anthony J. Costanzo (925). Thomas F. Connolly (1,045) and Brian Bernstein (1,028) both won in their bids for a third three-year term in office, defeating Republican challengers Esther Goodhart (912) and John Manfredonia (874).

Federal, state and county representation

Demarest is in the Fifth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 39th Legislative District.
New Jersey's Fifth Congressional District, covering the northern portions of Bergen County, Passaic County and Sussex County and all of Warren County, is represented by Scott Garrett (R, Wantage Township). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
For the 2008-2009 Legislative Session, the 39th District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Gerald Cardinale (R, Demarest) and in the Assembly by John E. Rooney (R, Northvale) and Charlotte Vandervalk (R, Hillsdale). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).
Bergen County's County Executive is Dennis McNerney (D). The executive, along with the seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders administer all county business. As of 2008, Bergen County's Freeholders are Chairman James M. Carroll (D, Demarest), Vice-Chairwoman Julie O'Brien (D, Ramsey), Elizabeth Calabrese (D, Wallington), David L. Ganz (D, Fair Lawn), Bernadette P. McPherson (D, Rutherford), Tomas J. Padilla (D, Park Ridge) and Vernon Walton (D, Englewood).
Other countywide elected officials are Sheriff Leo McGuire (D), Surrogate Court Judge Mike Dressler (D, Cresskill) County Clerk Kathleen Donovan (R, Rutherford).

Politics

As of Election Day, November 4, 2008, there were 3,002 registered voters. Of registered voters, 995 (33.1% of all registered voters) were registered as Democrats, 598 (19.9%) were registered as Republicans and 1,404 (46.8%) were registered as Undeclared. There were five voters registered to other parties.
On the national level, Demarest leans towards the Democratic Party. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 54.1% of the vote here, defeating Republican John McCain, who received 45.0% of the vote, with 77.7% of registered voters participating. In the 2004 election, Democrat John Kerry received 51% of the vote here, edging Republican George W. Bush, who received around 48%.

Education

The Demarest Public Schools serve students in Kindergarten through eighth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are County Road School with 122 Kindergarten and first grade students, Luther Lee Emerson School with an enrollment of 236 students in grades 2 - 4 and Demarest Middle School which serves 363 students in grades 5 through 8.
Students in public school for grades 9-12 attend Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest in Demarest, together with students from Closter and Haworth. The high school is part of the Northern Valley Regional High School District, which also serves students from Harrington Park, Northvale, Norwood and Old Tappan at Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan.
New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Northern Valley Regional High School as the 9th best high school in New Jersey in its 2008 rankings of the "Top Public High Schools" in New Jersey.
The Academy of the Holy Angels is a private high school for girls located in Demarest. The school has an enrollment of 540 students.

Transportation

County Route 501 and County Route 505 travels through Demarest. While Demarest is a small town there are often traffic jams at around 3:00 pm when all three grammars schools let out for the day. These small traffic jams usually occur at the intersection of County Road and Hardenburgh Avenue, and sometimes require the local police to direct traffic.
Although there are no passenger rail service, the CSXT freight service runs through Demarest. Demarest is also served by Rockland Coaches route 20 and 20T, with a stop by the Duck Pond on County Route 505. Many residents use this service to commute to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. This bus also services the Palisades Center in West Nyack, New York, a common shopping destination for many residents.