Irvington is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 61,176, an increase of 7,250 (+13.4%) from the 2010 census count of 53,926, which in turn reflected a decline of 6,769 (−11.2%) from the 60,695 counted in the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.QuickFacts Irvington township, Essex County, New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 20, 2022.
The township had the ninth-highest property tax rate in New Jersey in 2020, with an equalized rate of 4.890% in 2020, compared to 2.824% in the county as a whole and a statewide average of 2.279%."Here are the 30 N.J. towns with the highest property tax rates", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, March 15, 2021. Accessed January 19, 2022. "The average equalized tax rate in New Jersey was 2.279 in 2020, according to data from the Department of Community Affairs. Here is the list of 30 New Jersey towns with the highest property tax rates.... 9. Irvington Equalized tax rate in Irvington Township, Essex County, was 4.890 in 2020 Average equalized tax rate in Essex County: 2.824"
History Clinton Township, which included what is now Irvington, Maplewood and parts of Newark and South Orange, was created on April 14, 1834. The area was known as Camptown until the mid-1800s. In 1850, after Stephen Foster published his ballad, Camptown Races, residents were concerned that the activities described in the song would be associated with their community. The town was renamed, Irvingtown, in honor of Washington Irving.Gannett, Henry. The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, p. 166. United States Government Printing Office, 1905. Accessed December 23, 2014.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 2, 2015.
Irvington was incorporated as an independent village on March 27, 1874, from portions of Clinton Township.Siegel, Alan A. History of Irvington, Township of Irvington. Accessed December 10, 2024. "On March 27, 1874, the state approved legislation that created 'a body politic' known as the Village of Irvington. Until then only a section of Clinton Township, Irvington was now an independent municipality with its own mayor, village trustees, police department (1893) and fire department (1894).... Clinton Township, which included what is now Irvington, Maplewood and parts of Newark and South Orange, was created in 1834. What remained of the old township was absorbed into Newark in 1902." What remained of Clinton Township was absorbed into Newark on March 5, 1902.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 Clinton Township, p. 128 re Irvington. Accessed May 29, 2024. On March 2, 1898, Irvington was incorporated as a town, replacing Irvington Village. In 1982, the town was one of four Essex County municipalities to pass a referendum to become a township, joining 11 municipalities that had already made the change, of what would ultimately be more than a dozen Essex County municipalities to reclassify themselves as townships in order take advantage of federal revenue sharing policies that allocated townships a greater share of government aid to municipalities on a per capita basis."Chapter VI: Municipal Names and Municipal Classification", p. 73. New Jersey State Commission on County and Municipal Government, 1992. Accessed September 24, 2015."Removing Tiering From The Revenue Sharing Formula Would Eliminate Payment Inequities To Local Governments", Government Accountability Office, April 15, 1982. Accessed September 24, 2015. "In 1978, South Orange Village was the first municipality to change its name to the 'township' of South Orange Village effective beginning in entitlement period 10 (October 1978 to September 1979). The Borough of Fairfield in 1978 changed its designation by a majority vote of the electorate and became the 'Township of Fairfield' effective beginning entitlement period 11 (October 1979 to September 1980). ... However, the Revenue Sharing Act was not changed and the actions taken by South Orange and Fairfield prompted the Town of Montclair and West Orange to change their designation by referendum in the November 4, 1980, election. The municipalities of Belleville, Verona, Bloomfield, Nutley, Essex Fells, Caldwell, and West Caldwell have since changed their classification from municipality to a township."Narvaez, Alfonso A. "New Jersey Journal", The New York Times, December 27, 1981. Accessed September 24, 2015. "Under the Federal system, New Jersey's portion of the revenue sharing funds is disbursed among the 21 counties to create three 'money pools.' One is for county governments, one for 'places' and a third for townships. By making the change, a community can use the 'township advantage' to get away from the category containing areas with low per capita incomes."Karcher, Alan J. New Jersey's Multiple Municipal Madness, pp. 119–120. Rutgers University Press, 1998. . Accessed September 24, 2015.
From 1887 to 1965, Irvington was home to Olympic Park, a amusement park that straddled the border of Irvington and Maplewood, with the main entrance on Chancellor Avenue and a side entrance on 40th Street. After the park closed, the merry-go-round was sold and transported to Disney World, in Orlando, FL. The book, Smile: A Picture History of Olympic Park, 1887–1965 written by Alan A. Siegel was published in 1983 by Rutgers University Press.Di Ionno, Mark. "Di Ionno: An Irvington theme park's magic etched in stone", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, August 28, 2012, updated March 30, 2019. Accessed August 16, 2020. "'Smile' was the theme at Olympic Park, a 40-acre amusement wonderland on the Irvington-Maplewood border, and from 1887 to 1965, it put smiles on millions of faces.... Renamed Olympic Park after the 1904 Games in St. Louis (the world was Olympic-crazy back then, too), it quickly grew into New Jersey’s largest amusement park. Called 'Newark’s Coney Island,' the landlocked park compensated for its lack of ocean with the nation’s largest fresh-water swimming pool."
The 1967 Newark riots hastened an exodus of families from Newark, many relocating to neighboring Irvington. Until 1965, Irvington was almost exclusively white. By 1980, the town was nearly 40% black; by 1990 it was 70%.Pasculli, Diana. The Divergent Paths of Irvington and Maplewood, New Jersey, Spring 2012. Accessed June 27, 2022. "In the 1970s, almost all Irvington residents were white. However, the mass exodus following the Newark riots of 1967 drastically and quickly changed the racial make-up of Irvington. By 1980, Irvington was 40% black and 70% black by 1990."
On July 1, 1980, Fred Bost, was sworn in as East Ward Councilman, making him the first black person to serve on the Town Council. At age 24, Michael G. Steele became the first black elected to public office in Irvington when he won a seat on the school board on March 25, 1980, then became the township's first black mayor ten years later, when he was elected in 1990 and served for four years, followed by Sarah Brockington Bost in 1994. In 1994 Steele returned to the Board of Education to pursue his career as the district's certified School Business Administrator, serving over 22 years. The current mayor is Tony Vauss.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 2.92 square miles (7.55 km2), including 2.91 square miles (7.55 km2) of land and <0.01 square miles (0.01 km2) of water (0.07%).
The Elizabeth River runs through the township, passing Civic Square and Clinton Cemetery. Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Irving Place.Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed May 21, 2015.
The township is bordered by Maplewood to the west and Newark to the east, both in Essex County, and Hillside to the south and Union to the southwest, both in Union County, New Jersey.Areas touching Irvington, MapIt. Accessed February 24, 2020.Municipalities, Essex County, New Jersey Register of Deeds and Mortgages. Accessed February 24, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
Demographics
2020 census +Irvington township, Essex County, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010% 1990% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)11,3233,4651,43098318.56%5.71%2.65%1.61%Black or African American alone (NH)41,64648,85245,28548,20868.25%80.49%83.98%78.80%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)133100125840.22%0.16%0.23%0.14%Asian alone (NH)1,2566614624132.06%1.09%0.86%0.68%Pacific Islander alone (NH)N/A39187N/A0.06%0.03%0.01%Some Other Race alone (NH)2052281934290.34%0.38%0.36%0.70%Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)N/A2,2646982,067N/A3.73%1.29%3.38%Hispanic or Latino (any race)6,4555,0865,7168,98510.58%8.38%10.60%14.69%Total61,01860,69553,92661,176100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 53,926 people, 20,093 households, and 12,839 families in the township. The population density was . There were 23,196 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 5.64% (3,042) White, 85.41% (46,058) Black or African American, 0.38% (204) Native American, 0.87% (471) Asian, 0.07% (38) Pacific Islander, 5.42% (2,922) from other races, and 2.21% (1,191) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.60% (5,716) of the population.
Of the 20,093 households, 30.9% had children under the age of 18; 27.6% were married couples living together; 27.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 36.1% were non-families. Of all households, 31.0% were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.33.
25.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.0 years. For every 100 females, the population had 88.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 84.2 males.DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 for Irvington township, Essex County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 8, 2012.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $42,580, and the median family income was $50,798. Males had a median income of $38,033 versus $36,720 for females. The per capita income for the township was $20,520. About 14.4% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.4% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over.DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for Irvington township, Essex County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 1, 2012.
2000 census