Livingston, NJ
Livingston is a township in Essex County and as of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 27,391.
Today, the population enjoys a high end suburban lifestyle with the proximity to the city. Its school system and other programs have been drawing new residents to the town. Its population has become increasingly diverse while the residents maintain the tradition of community volunteerism. Livingston boasts a rich arts commitment with a community based symphony orchestra, community players, and children's theater.
Although largely a bedroom community, there are numerous stores and restaurants located in Livingston. There are three main shopping areas. The first area is located in the center of the town. It stretches along Livingston Avenue from Route 10 to Northfield Avenue. Historically, the area had been dominated by small local shops and restaurants. With recent addition of Livingston Town Center – a mixed-use development, more well-known stores have been opened in the area. Those include Nicole Miller & Nicole Miller Bridal Salon, and Destination Maternity superstore which combines many of its brands in one location.
The second area is the Livingston Mall located at the south-western corner of the town. Macy's, Lord & Taylor and Sears department stores are located in the original three wings of the mall. The fourth wing was added in 2008 as a new home of Barnes & Noble.
The third shopping area is located at the outer skirt of the town on the western side. It is the starting point of Route 10 shopping corridor that extends to East Hanover.
There are numerous parks in Livingston. The parks are integrated with recreational and municipal sport facilities including two swimming pools, eight baseball diamonds, three basket ball courts, ten tennis courts, and a fishing/ice skating pond. Livingston school district also permits usages of school fields including lacrosse, soccer, and football fields for local teams after school hours.
Livinsgton Official Website.
- Livingston to New York City Port Authority via public transportation - 50 minutes.
- Livingston to Newark Airport - 26 minutes
- Livingston to Short Hills Mall - 10 minutes (and seconds from the Livingston Mall!)
- Livingston to Giant Stadium - 30 minutes
Livingston is a wonderful community located about 22 miles from New York City. There is a Coach USA (Community Coach) bus to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. This commute by bus into New York City is approximately 45 minutes. New Jersey Transit bus service 70, 71, and 73 travel between Livingston and Newark Penn Station stopping at other towns and shopping malls on the way. At Newark Penn Station the commuter can catch a NJ transit train to NYC, a NJ Path train to Hoboken, NYC or Jersey City and the new NJ Transit Light Rail. Those who would prefer to commute to New York by train directly can take a quick trip down South Orange Ave and catch the NJ Transit Train located South Orange.
In and near Livingston are Eisenhower Parkway, County Route 508, County Route 527, Interstate 280, Route 10 and the Morristown and Erie Railway.
NJ Transit website
As of the census of 2000, there were 27,391 people, 9,300 households, and 7,932 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,973.1 people per square mile (761.9/km²). There were 9,457 housing units at an average density of 681.2/sq mi (263.1/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 82.64% White, 14.54% Asian, 1.20% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.69% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.54% of the population.
According to the 2002 results of the National Jewish Population Survey, there are 12,600 Jews in Livingston, approximately 46% of the population. This is one of the higher percentages of Jews in any American municipality.
There were 9,300 households out of which 41.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.0% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.7% were non-families. 13.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the township the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.
The median income for a household in the township is $98,869, and the median income for a family was $108,049. Males had a median income of $77,256 versus $41,654 for females. The per capita income for the town was $47,218. About 1.1% of families and 1.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.
Livingston has a strong commitment to its public education system.[24] This may partly attribute to the population markup with 26.7% of population 25 years and older who attain professional, Masters or Doctorate degree.
Roughly 60% of local property tax goes toward Livingston Board of Education. Additionally, a separate budget of just over 7% of all municipal services goes toward the operation of public library and supplemental education programs run by recreation department. According to library statistics collected by Institute of Museum and Library Services, Livingston public library was ranked 22 out of 232 municipal libraries in New Jersey based on total circulation in 2006.
The Livingston Public Schools serves students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are six K-5 elementary schools — Burnet Hill School (417 students), Collins (419), Harrison (486), Hillside (442), Mount Pleasant (385) and Riker Hill (440) — Mount Pleasant Middle School for grade 6 (364), Heritage Middle School for grades 7 and 8 (826) and Livingston High School for grades 9-12 (1,588).
For the 1997-98 school year, Livingston High School received the Blue Ribbon Award from the United States Department of Education, the highest honor that an American school can achieve. Livingston High School was the 14th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 316 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2006 cover story on the state's Top Public High Schools.
Livingston's schools participate in many county, interschool, state, and national competitions. Some of these include the popular "Cognetics" program, MathCounts, various national, state, and county math contests, debate contests, Academically Speaking (a county competition to test broad knowledge), Knowledge Master Open (KMO, a national computer-based contest to test broad knowledge), and many more.
NJ Department of Education Narrative on Livingston High School
NJ Department of Education Statistics on Livingston High School
