Prospect Park, New Jersey

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 0.47 square miles (1.22 km2), including 0.47 square miles (1.20 km2) of land and 0.01 square miles (0.01 km2) of water (1.06%). ==Demographics==

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Prospect Park had a population of 6,372. The median age was 33.7 years. 26.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 10.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.4 males age 18 and over. 100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas. There were 1,932 households in Prospect Park, of which 48.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 41.0% were married-couple households, 16.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 35.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 16.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Same-sex couples headed 8 households in 2010, a decline from the 11 counted in 2000. 2000 census As of the 2000 United States census There were 1,822 households, out of which 44.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples living together, 20.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.4% were non-families. 17.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.17 and the average family size was 3.56. In the same census, 3.2% of Prospect Park's residents identified themselves as being of Arab American ancestry. This was the sixth-highest percentage of Arab American people in any place in the United States with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry. ==Government==

Local government Prospect Park is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) 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. The mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes 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 Prospect Park 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 Prospect Park is Democrat Mohamed Khairullah, whose term of office ends December 31, 2026. Khairullah was appointed to the office in 2005, after his predecessor Will Kubofcik vacated his seat to move out of the borough; he has since been elected to four full terms. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Mohammed A. Hussain (D, 2025), Robert Artis (D, 2023), Alaa Matari (D, 2024), Felicia Ortiz (D, 2023), Esther Perez (D, 2024) and Anand Shah (D, 2025). Samir Hayek resigned from office in July 2017, citing personal reason for leaving the seat expiring in December 2018. In September 2016, Esther Perez, who had previously served 12 years on the borough council, was selected to fill the seat expiring in December 2018 that had been held by Richard Esquiche until he resigned from office the previous month. Perez was elected in November 2016 to serve the balance of the term of office. Federal, state and county representation Prospect Park is located in the 9th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 35th state legislative district. Prior to the 2010 Census, Prospect Park had been part of the , a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections. Politics As of March 2011, there were a total of 3,139 registered voters in Prospect Park, of which 1,710 (54.5% vs. 31.0% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 345 (11.0% vs. 18.7%) were registered as Republicans and 1,084 (34.5% vs. 50.3%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties. Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 53.5% (vs. 53.2% in Passaic County) were registered to vote, including 74.8% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 70.8% countywide). In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 82.9% of the vote (1,744 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 16.5% (348 votes), and other candidates with 0.6% (12 votes), among the 2,130 ballots cast by the borough's 3,402 registered voters (26 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 62.6%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 1,721 votes (75.9% vs. 58.8% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 474 votes (20.9% vs. 37.7%) and other candidates with 15 votes (0.7% vs. 0.8%), among the 2,267 ballots cast by the borough's 3,387 registered voters, for a turnout of 66.9% (vs. 70.4% in Passaic County). In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 1,325 votes (64.8% vs. 53.9% countywide), ahead of Republican George W. Bush with 655 votes (32.0% vs. 42.7%) and other candidates with 22 votes (1.1% vs. 0.7%), among the 2,046 ballots cast by the borough's 3,270 registered voters, for a turnout of 62.6% (vs. 69.3% in the whole county). In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Democrat Barbara Buono received 62.3% of the vote (690 cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 36.0% (398 votes), and other candidates with 1.7% (19 votes), among the 1,143 ballots cast by the borough's 3,502 registered voters (36 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 32.6%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 743 ballots cast (66.1% vs. 50.8% countywide), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 310 votes (27.6% vs. 43.2%), Independent Chris Daggett with 33 votes (2.9% vs. 3.8%) and other candidates with 9 votes (0.8% vs. 0.9%), among the 1,124 ballots cast by the borough's 3,116 registered voters, yielding a 36.1% turnout (vs. 42.7% in the county). ==Education==

The Prospect Park School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 834 students and 80.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.3:1. Schools in the district (with 2023–24 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Prospect Park School Number 1, with 652 students in grades PreK–6 and Prospect Park School Number Two / Middle School, with 162 students in grades 7–8. For ninth through twelfth grades, public school students attend Manchester Regional High School, which also serves students from Haledon and North Haledon. As of the 2023–24 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 819 students and 60.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.7:1. Seats on the high school district's nine-member board of education are allocated based on the population of the constituent districts, with two seats assigned to Prospect Park. Students are also eligible to attend the Passaic County Technical Institute, a countywide program located in Wayne. ==Transportation==

following Haledon Avenue on the southwest edge of Prospect Park Roads and highways , the borough had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality and by Passaic County. The only significant road serving Prospect Park is County Route 504. It enters from Haledon, following Haledon Avenue along the borough's southwestern border with Haledon and Paterson. It then crosses completely into Paterson, turns onto Main Street and reenters Prospect Park for a brief stretch before exiting into Hawthorne. Public transportation NJ Transit provides local bus service on the 722 and 744 routes. ==Notable people==

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Prospect Park include: • Lini De Vries (1905–1982, born Lena Moerkerk), author, public health nurse, and teacher • Johnny Vander Meer (1914–1997), MLB pitcher, most notably for the Cincinnati Reds, best known as the only pitcher in Major League Baseball history to throw two consecutive no-hitters ==References==