Victory Gardens, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Victory Gardens, New Jersey
Borough
Victory Gardens Municipal Building
Seal
Location in Morris County and the state of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Victory Gardens, New Jersey
Victory Gardens, New Jersey Location in Morris County, New Jersey Show map of Morris County, New Jersey Victory Gardens, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Victory Gardens, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Morris
Incorporated	September 18, 1951
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	0.14 sq mi (0.38 km2)
• Land	0.14 sq mi (0.38 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0.00%
Area rank	562nd of 565 in state 39th of 39 in county
Elevation	646 ft (197 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,582
• Estimate  (2023)	1,583
• Rank	508th of 565 in state 39th of 39 in county
• Density	10,901.3/sq mi (4,209.0/km2)
• Density rank	34th of 565 in state 1st of 39 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07801 – Dover
Area code(s)	862/973 and 908
FIPS code	3402775890
GNIS feature ID	0885427
Website

Victory Gardens is a borough in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 1,582, an increase of 62 (+4.1%) from the 2010 census count of 1,520, which in turn reflected a decline of 26 (−1.7%) from the 1,546 counted in the 2000 census.

Victory Gardens is Morris County's smallest municipality, measured both by size and population, and its most densely populated. Additionally, the borough is the state's fourth-smallest municipality by area.

History

Along Washington Avenue

The origins of the borough began in 1941, when the federal government acquired 91 acres (370,000 m²) 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. 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 92 acres (37 ha). 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.

The small town made news on November 16, 1958, when 262 members of its 297 families participated voluntarily as "refugees" in a civil defense exercise, while other residents of the town — "school boys with Geiger counters, staff men with fancy helmets, girls with typewriters, Explorer Scouts, police and fire crews, medical teams and the dozens who just washed pots and pans and ladled stew" — volunteered to assist. "Those who remained home," The New York Times wrote, "were restricted in their movements by guards who patrolled the town."

A project approved in 1973 brought the construction of 184 units of garden apartments on a site covering 12.4 acres (5.0 ha), 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 0.15 square miles (0.38 km²), all of which was land.

The borough borders the Morris County municipalities of Dover and Randolph.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 1,520 people, 533 households, and 398 families in the borough. The population density was 10,419.2 per square mile (4,022.9/km²). There were 566 housing units at an average density of 3,879.8 per square mile (1,498.0/km²). The racial makeup was 58.49% (889) White, 16.25% (247) Black or African American, 0.66% (10) Native American, 2.43% (37) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 17.43% (265) from other races, and 4.74% (72) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 62.96% (957) of the population.

Of the 533 households, 41.7% had children under the age of 18; 43.0% were married couples living together; 21.8% had a female householder with no husband present and 25.3% were non-families. Of all households, 20.3% were made up of individuals and 3.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.16.

26.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 34.2% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 6.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 92.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 90.8 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $53,269 (with a margin of error of +/− $3,599) and the median family income was $52,500 (+/− $6,885). Males had a median income of $34,063 (+/− $5,135) versus $33,750 (+/− $9,755) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $18,340 (+/− $1,640). 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.

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 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of five schools, had an enrollment of 3,448 students and 244.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.1:1. Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Academy Street Elementary School with 470 students in grades K-6, East Dover Elementary School with 389 students in grades K-6, North Dover Elementary School with 658 students in grades PreK-6, Dover Middle School with 524 students in grades 7-8 and Dover High School with 1,094 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

County Route 665 in Victory Gardens

Roads and highways

As of May 2010^[update], the borough had a total of 2.89 miles (4.65 km) of roadways, of which 2.78 miles (4.47 km) were maintained by the municipality and 0.11 miles (0.18 km) by Morris County.

County Route 665 (South Salem Street) runs through the northwest corner of the borough, connecting Randolph on both sides.

Public transportation

NJ Transit offers local bus service on the 875 route. NJ Transit had previously offered service in the borough on the MCM2 and MCM7 routes.

See also

In Spanish: Victory Gardens para niños