KINNELON, NJ

Kinnelon is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, located approximately west of New York City. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 10,248, reflecting an increase of 883 (+9.4%) from the 9,365 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 895 (+10.6%) from the 8,470 counted in the 1990 Census. It is a low-density, suburban community, with many parks and trails.

Once known as Charlotteburg, Kinnelon was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 20, 1922, from portions of Pequannock Township, based on the results of a referendum passed on March 21, 1922. The borough's name comes from Francis S. Kinney, who purchased of land in the 1880s for an estate that included Lake Kinnelon, and built St. Hubert's Chapel in 1886 on an island in the lake.

Kinnelon is home to Smoke Rise, an upscale private gated community that describes itself as one of the oldest gated communities in the United States. It includes more than 900 unique homes located on in addition to Lake Kinnelon.

In 2012, Forbes.com listed Kinnelon as 462nd in its listing of "America's Most Expensive ZIP Codes", with a median home price of $630,414.

The borough is one of the state's highest-income communities. Based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) for 2014–2018, Kinnelon residents had a median household income of $156,048, almost double the statewide median of $79,363.

History

Once known as Charlotteburg (named after Charlotte, wife of King George III of Great Britain), Kinnelon was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 20, 1922, from portions of Pequannock Township, based on the results of a referendum passed on March 21, 1922.

By the 1880s Francis Kinney, a 19th-century industrialist who founded Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company built an estate that dates back to 1884. Kinney purchased upwards of of land and built a colossal "summer cottage" known as Smoke Rise. The name (Smoke Rise) is a translation of the Pequannock Indian name for the mountainous area, where a heavy mist often rises at sunset. His son, Morris Kinney, for whom the borough of Kinnelon was named 41 years later, lived most of his life on the estate.

Upon Morris Kinney's death in 1945, he left the estate to longtime friend John Talbot, Sr., former mayor of the borough, and a founder of the Chilton Memorial Hospital, Pompton Plains (John Talbot, Sr. was a real estate developer in New York City and a patron of the arts and was credited with the revival of ballet as a major art form in the United States in the 1930s), as a tribute to their lifetime friendship and mutually shared love of Smoke Rise.

Following the Second World War, the need for suburban housing became evident, John Talbot, Sr., went on to create The Smoke Rise Club, one of the earliest community club plans in the United States. Unlike so many developers, he insisted that the land be kept in its natural state as far as possible. When friends asked to purchase land on the estate to build homes, Talbot decided to develop a planned community designed primarily to serve New York corporation executives. The Smoke Rise Club was the result in November 1946.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 19.24 square miles (49.82 km²), including 18.03 square miles (46.70 km²) of land and 1.21 square miles (3.13 km²) of water (6.27%).

The borough is home to Silas Condict County Park, which covers and was dedicated in 1964. Tripod Rock is located in Kinnelon's Pyramid Mountain Natural Historical Area, portions of which are located in the borough. Its largest lake is Lake Kinnelon, which is within Smoke Rise, a private gated community of 900 homes located on .

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Bald Hill, Brook Valley, Charlottesburg, Fayson Lakes, Ideal Lake, Jacksonville, Saw Mill Pond, Smoke Rise, Stickle Pond, Sun Tan Lake, Surprise Lake and Untermeyer Lake.

Splitrock Reservoir is of wilderness, located on the borders of Kinnelon and Rockaway Township.

The highest mountain in Kinnelon is Kitty Ann Mountain. Located in Smoke Rise, the mountain offers views of northern New Jersey at an elevation of from the Smoke Rise Tower.

Portions of the borough are owned by the City of Newark, Essex County, for their Pequannock River Watershed, which provides water to the city from an area of that also includes portions of Hardyston Township, Jefferson Township, Rockaway Township, Vernon Township and West Milford.

Kinnelon borders the municipalities of Boonton Township, Butler, Lincoln Park, Montville, Pequannock Township, Riverdale and Rockaway Township in Morris County; and West Milford in Passaic County.

Demographics

Census 2010

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $129,664 (with a margin of error of +/- $11,416) and the median family income was $144,318 (+/- $7,698). Males had a median income of $98,094 (+/- $7,382) versus $71,886 (+/- $9,897) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $56,826 (+/- $3,939). About 1.4% of families and 1.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 0.8% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 9,365 people, 3,062 households, and 2,685 families residing in the borough. The population density was 523.5 people per square mile (202.1/km²). There were 3,123 housing units at an average density of 174.6 per square mile (67.4/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 95.60% White, 0.58% African American, 0.04% Native American, 2.84% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.33% of the population.

There were 3,062 households, out of which 45.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 80.6% were married couples living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 12.3% were non-families. 9.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.06 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 30.0% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.9 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $105,991, and the median income for a family was $110,593. Males had a median income of $88,870 versus $65,069 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $45,796. About 2.3% of families and 2.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 0.6% of those age 65 or over.

Club communities

Kinnelon is home to two club communities: Smoke Rise and Fayson Lakes.

Parks and recreation

Economy

Government

Local government

Kinnelon is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 565) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey. The governing body is comprised of a Mayor and a 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 Kinnelon 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 Kinnelon is Republican James J. Freda, whose term of office ends December 31, 2022. Members of the Borough Council are Council President William "Bill" Yago (R, 2021), Randall I. Charles (R, 2020), James Lorkowski (R, 2022), Robert R. Roy (R, 2022), Vincent Russo (R, 2021) and Glenn L. Sisco (R, 2020).<

Vincent Russo was appointed to fill the seat expiring in December 2018 that had been held by Carol M. Sventy. In January 2018, James Lorkowski was appointed to fill the seat expiring in December 2019 that had been held by James Freda.

In January 2017, Glenn Sisco was selected from three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee and appointed to fill the council seat expiring in December 2017 that had been held by Adam N. Barish; Sisco, served on an interim basis until the November 2017 general election. Sisco served as the mayor of Kinnelon for 42 years, making him one of the longest-serving mayors in the state of New Jersey.

In March 2016, the Borough Council unanimously selected William Neely from three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2016 that had been held by Stephen Cobell until his resignation the previous month after nearly 12 years in office; Neely will serve on an interim basis until the November 2016 general election, when voters will choose a candidate to serve the balance of the term of office.

Selected by a 3–2 majority of the borough council from among three potential candidates, Clifford Giantonio was sworn into office in April 2014 to fill the vacant seat of Ronald Mondello, who had resigned in the previous month citing personal and work conflicts.

Federal, state and county representation

Kinnelon is located in the 11th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 26th state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 7,122 registered voters in Kinnelon, of which 1,117 (15.7%) were registered as Democrats, 3,310 (46.5%) were registered as Republicans and 2,694 (37.8%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There was one voter registered to another party.

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 65.5% of the vote (3,497 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 33.2% (1,772 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (68 votes), among the 5,354 ballots cast by the borough's 7,463 registered voters (17 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 71.7%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 62.4% of the vote (3,638 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 36.1% (2,105 votes) and other candidates with 0.9% (55 votes), among the 5,829 ballots cast by the borough's 7,334 registered voters, for a turnout of 79.5%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 64.4% of the vote (3,517 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 34.7% (1,895 votes) and other candidates with 0.5% (35 votes), among the 5,463 ballots cast by the borough's 6,955 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 78.5.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 75.3% of the vote (2,419 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 23.5% (754 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (41 votes), among the 3,260 ballots cast by the borough's 7,424 registered voters (46 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 43.9%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 66.2% of the vote (2,669 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 25.6% (1,032 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 5.9% (237 votes) and other candidates with 1.5% (61 votes), among the 4,034 ballots cast by the borough's 7,167 registered voters, yielding a 56.3% turnout.

Education

The Kinnelon Public Schools serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2017–18 school year, the district, comprised of four schools, had an enrollment of 1,899 students and 169.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.2:1. Schools in the district (with 2017–18 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are

Kiel Elementary School with 288 students in grades PreK-2,

Stonybrook Elementary School with 461 students in grades 3–5,

Pearl R. Miller Middle School with 471 students in grades 6–8 and

Kinnelon High School with 664 students in grades 9–12. In 2016, Kinnelon High School was named #3 in the state by New Jersey Monthly magazine, the school's highest ranking ever in the magazine's biannual rankings, and was listed as a top 500 high school by Newsweek.

Our Lady of the Magnificat School, a Catholic school that had been operated since 1964 under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson, closed after the 2009–10 school year in the face of declining enrollment and increasing deficits that the parish could no longer sustain.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the borough had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Morris County and by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Route 23 runs along the northern border of the town. Interstate 287 passes through in the southeastern area, but the closest exit is along Route 23 in neighboring Riverdale.

Public transportation

NJ Transit provides bus service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 194 route. The 304 route provides seasonal service to Mountain Creek in Vernon Township.

Notable people

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