Victory Gardens, New Jersey
Victory Gardens is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 1,520, reflecting a decline of 26 from the 1,546 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 232 from the 1,314 counted in the 1990 Census. The borough is the fourth-smallest municipality by area in the state.
Victory Gardens is Morris County's smallest municipality, measured both by size and population, and its most densely populated.
History
The origins of the borough began in 1941, when the federal government acquired in Randolph Township as the site of a 300-unit housing project for war industry employees. The borough's name is derived from the victory gardens planted at homes and parks during World War II to provide additional supplies of fruits and vegetables. The federal government paid for all infrastructure. Streets are named for U.S. Presidents.Randolph Township residents approved a referendum as part of a September 1951 special election in which voters were asked if the township's Victory Gardens neighborhood should be removed from the township and created as an independent municipality for its 1,300 residents covering. Residents of other areas of Randolph Township argued that the compensation paid by the federal government for the more than 250 students attending the Randolph Township Schools did not adequately cover the cost of their public education, that the housing and other structures in Victory Gardens was out of compliance with the Township's building and zoning ordinances and that the overwhelming Democratic Party political leanings of residents of Victory Gardens were out of sync with the largely Republican Party township.
Victory Gardens was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on June 20, 1951, from portions of Randolph Township, based on the results of the referendum passed on September 18, 1951.
A project approved in 1973 brought the construction of 184 units of garden apartments on a site covering, providing additional rateables and offering permanent housing for an estimated 400 people, that would contrast with the temporary original structures built in the 1940s that had long passed their expected lifespan.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 0.146 square miles, all of which is land.The borough borders the Morris County municipalities of Dover and Randolph.
Demographics
Census 2010
The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that median household income was $53,269 and the median family income was $52,500. Males had a median income of $34,063 versus $33,750 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $18,340. About 11.9% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.6% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.Census 2000
As of the 2000 United States Census there were 1,546 people, 564 households, and 381 families residing in the borough. The population density was 10,582.6 people per square mile. There were 588 housing units at an average density of 4,025.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the borough was 51.36% White, 21.41% African American, 0.06% Native American, 5.43% Asian, 15.27% from other races, and 6.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 50.65% of the population.15.27% of Victory Gardens residents identified themselves as being of Colombian ancestry in the 2000 Census, the highest percentage of the population of any municipality in the United States.
There were 564 households, out of which 39.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were married couples living together, 17.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 39.3% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 5.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $44,375, and the median income for a family was $43,594. Males had a median income of $32,841 versus $24,875 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $20,616. About 8.9% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Local government
Victory Gardens is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 of 565 municipalities statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey. The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the Borough Council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council is comprised of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle. The Borough form of government used by Victory Gardens is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council., the Mayor of Victory Gardens is Democrat David L. Holeman Jr., whose term of office ends December 31, 2020. Members of the Borough Council are Vera C. Cheatham, Ondria Garcia-Montes, James R. Glass, Kendyll Hedgepath, Ismael Lorenzo Sr., Tara White.<
Joan Cegelka won election in November 2013 to serve the balance of the term expiring in 2014 that had been held by David Holeman before he took office as mayor, with Vera Cheatham winning re-election to a full three-year term and Independent Hector Lorenzo Jr. knocking off incumbent Sonia Hall for terms starting January 1, 2014.
In December 2010, Councilmember Ondria Garcia-Montes was placed on probation for 12 months after an incident in which she falsely told police that a criminal suspect who was the subject of a search warrant was not in her apartment.
Dover serves as the lead agency operating a joint municipal court that include Victory Gardens and the neighboring municipalities of Mine Hill Township, Mount Arlington and Wharton. Established in 2009, the joint municipal court was forecast to offer annual savings in excess of $250,000 over the 10-year life of the agreement.
In 2018, the borough had an average property tax bill of $4,417, the lowest in the county, compared to an average bill of $10,480 in Morris County and $8,767 statewide.
Federal, state and county representation
Victory Gardens is located in the 11th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 25th state legislative district.Politics
As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 523 registered voters in Victory Gardens, of which 234 were registered as Democrats, 58 were registered as Republicans and 231 were registered as Unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties.In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 81.8% of the vote, ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 17.7%, and other candidates with 0.5%, among the 372 ballots cast by the borough's 565 registered voters, for a turnout of 65.8%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 77.4% of the vote, ahead of Republican John McCain with 21.0% and other candidates with 0.5%, among the 390 ballots cast by the borough's 575 registered voters, for a turnout of 67.8%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 63.7% of the vote, outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 32.9% and other candidates with 0.4%, among the 328 ballots cast by the borough's 515 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 63.7.
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie and Democrat Barbara Buono each received 48.4% of the vote, ahead of other candidates with 3.2%, among the 224 ballots cast by the borough's 556 registered voters, for a turnout of 40.3%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 58.4% of the vote, ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 27.2%, Independent Chris Daggett with 8.4% and other candidates with 0.5%, among the 202 ballots cast by the borough's 544 registered voters, yielding a 37.1% turnout.
Education
Victory Gardens is a non-operating school district, with all public school students in kindergarten through twelfth grade in Victory Gardens attending the schools of the Dover School District in Dover, which has been consolidated between the two municipalities since 2010. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprising five schools, had an enrollment of 3,262 students and 211.9 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 15.4:1. Schools in the district areAcademy Street Elementary School with 547 students in grades K-6,
East Dover Elementary School with 468 students in grades K-6,
North Dover Elementary School with 673 students in grades PreK-6,
Dover Middle School with 511 students in grades 7-8 and
Dover High School with 983 students in grades 9-12. Public school students in grades 7-12 from Mine Hill Township attend Dover Middle School and Dover High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Mine Hill School District. The high school was recognized with the National Blue Ribbon School Award in 2013.
Transportation
Roads and highways
, the borough had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality and by Morris County.County Route 665 runs through the northwest corner of the borough, connecting Randolph on both sides.