Byram Township, New Jersey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Byram Township — "The Township of Lakes" — is a Township in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 8,254.
Lake Mohawk is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located in parts of both Byram Township and Sparta Township.
Created by an act by the New Jersey General Assembly on February 5, 1798, Byram Township was named in honor of patriarch Jephthah Byram and his family, who are believed to have emigrated to the area after the American Revolutionary War. <ref>Snell, James P. (1881) History of Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey, With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers. (Centennial ed., Harmony, NJ: Harmony Press, 1981) p. 463-64.</ref>
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[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 57.4 km² (22.2 mi²). 54.6 km² (21.1 mi²) of it is land and 2.9 km² (1.1 mi²) of it (5.00%) is water. It is divided into several sections, based around the various lakes in the area. They include Lake Lackawanna, Cranberry Lake, Forest Lakes, Lake Mohawk and East and West Brookwood.
Residents of Byram are served by adjacent post offices in Stanhope, Andover Township and Sparta Township.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 8,254 people, 2,833 households, and 2,317 families residing in the township. The population density was 151.3/km² (391.8/mi²). There were 3,078 housing units at an average density of 56.4/km² (146.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 95.77% White, 0.97% African American, 0.06% Native American, 1.41% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.94% of the population.
There were 2,833 households out of which 43.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.9% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.2% were non-families. 13.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.24.
In the township the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.4 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $81,532, and the median income for a family was $89,500. Males had a median income of $59,722 versus $40,396 for females. The per capita income for the township was $30,710. About 0.9% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.0% of those under age 18 and 1.1% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
The Township of Byram is chartered under the Faulkner Act Council-Manager plan. Byram Township has a Mayor and 4 Council Members. The Mayor and all Council Members are elected at-large in Non-Partisan elections for 4-year staggered terms. Elected Officials enter office on July 1 of the Election Year. Byram Township's elections are typically held every two years. These elections are held on the first Tuesday in May on the odd number years (e.g., May 2005, 2007, etc.).
The Township Council passes ordinances and resolutions. It maintains the Administrative Code. The Council appoints the Township Manager. It appoints the Municipal Clerk, the Tax Assessor and Members of all boards, commissions and authorities. It votes on the municipal budget after it has been prepared by the township manager<ref>Byram Township Government, accessed July 6, 2006</ref>.
The Mayor of Byram Township is Eskil "Skip" Danielson (term ends June 30, 2009). Other members of the Byram Township Committee are Louis Esposito, Jr. (2007), Donna Griff (2007), James Oscovitch (2009) and Earl Riley (2007)<ref>Byram Township Council, accessed July 6, 2006</ref>.
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Byram Township is in the Eleventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 24th Legislative District<ref>League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 55, accessed August 30, 2006</ref>.
New Jersey's Eleventh Congressional District, covering western portions of Essex County, all of Morris County, and sections of Passaic County, Somerset County and Sussex County, is represented by Rodney Frelinghuysen (R, Harding Township). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Robert Menendez (D, Hoboken).
The 24th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Robert Littell (R, Franklin) and in the Assembly by Guy R. Gregg (R, Flanders) and Alison Littell McHose (R, Sparta). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).
Sussex County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. Sussex County's Freeholders are Director Gary R. Chiusano (term ends December 31, 2008), Deputy Director Harold J. Wirths (2007), Steven V. Oroho (2007), Glen Vetrano (2006) and Susan M. Zellman (2006).
[edit] Education
The Byram Township School District contains two public schools for grades K - 8, run by the Byram Township Board of Education. The Byram Lakes Elementary School houses grades K - 4 (613 students). The Byram Township Intermediate School serves grades 5 - 8 (560 students).
For grades 9 -12, the township shares Lenape Valley Regional High School, which serves Netcong in Morris County and the Sussex County communities of Stanhope and Byram Township.
[edit] References
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[edit] External links
- Byram Township website
- Sussex County webpage for Byram Township
- Byram Township School District
- Byram Township School District's 2004-2005 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Byram Township School District
- Lenape Valley Regional High School
