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 Fort Lee is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 35,461. Fort Lee was formed by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 29, 1904, from the remaining portions of Ridgefield Township.[8][9] With the creation of Fort Lee, Ridgefield Township became defunct and was dissolved as of March 29, 1904.[10] The Fort Lee Police Department was formed under borough ordinance on August 9, 1904, and originally consisted of six marshalls.[11] The New Jersey entrance to the George Washington Bridge is in Fort Lee.
[edit] GeographyFort Lee is located at 40°51′12.32″N 73°58′29.32″W / 40.8534222°N 73.9748111°W (40.853423, -73.97481).[12] It is north of Edgewater, New Jersey and is on the Hackensack Peninsula between the Hackensack River and the Hudson River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.9 square miles (7.5 km2), of which, 2.5 square miles (6.6 km2) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.9 km2) of it (12.15%) is water. [edit] History Fort Lee is named as a result of George Washington and named after General Charles Lee, who camped in this area, defending New York City. George Washington and his troops actually walked on a road which is called Main Street in Fort Lee. In fact, it was during Washington's retreat after Fort Lee was abandoned in November 1776 that Thomas Paine composed his pamphlet, "The American Crisis", which began with the recognized phrase, "These are the times that try men's souls". A statue of Thomas Paine will soon be installed in Monument Park in Fort Lee. The George Washington Bridge, which connects New Jersey to the Washington Heights neighborhood in uptown Manhattan, New York City, has its western terminus located in Fort Lee. In recent years, Fort Lee has seen a surge of residents of Korean origin which has led to the conversion of much of the town into a large Koreatown, similar to Chinatowns of such cities as New York and San Francisco in that many traditional Korean stores and restaurants may be seen in Fort Lee, and the hangul letters of the Korean alphabet are as common as signs in English in parts of the downtown area. The rapid increase of the Korean population has seen the decline of many other immigrant communities once centered in Fort Lee, notably the Greek and Italian communities, once quite large but now all but extinct. A sizable Russian immigrant community has also sprung up in recent years, also attracted by the urban setting of Fort Lee. [edit] America's First Motion Picture IndustryThe history of cinema in the United States can trace its roots to the East Coast where at one time, Fort Lee was the motion picture capital of America. The industry got its start at the end of the 19th century with the construction of Thomas Edison's "Black Maria", the first motion picture studio in West Orange, New Jersey. Cities in New Jersey offered land at costs considerably less than New York City, and the cities and towns of New Jersey near New York benefited greatly as a result of the phenomenal growth of the film industry at the turn of the 20th century. Filmmaking began attracting both capital and an innovative workforce and when the Kalem Company began using Fort Lee in 1907 as a location for filming in the area, other filmmakers quickly followed. In 1909, a forerunner of Universal Studios, the Champion Film Company, built the first studio. They were quickly followed by others who either built new studios or who leased facilities in Fort Lee. In the 1910s and 1920s, film companies such as the Independent Moving Pictures Company, Peerless Studios, The Solax Company, Éclair Studios, Goldwyn Picture Corporation, American Méliès (Star Films), World Pictures, Biograph Studios, Fox Film Corporation, Pathé Frères, Metro Pictures Corporation, Victor Film Company, and Selznick Pictures Corporation were all making pictures in Fort Lee. Such notables as Mary Pickford and Miles Remy got their start at Biograph Studios. With the offshoot businesses that sprang up to service the film studios, for nearly two decades Fort Lee experienced unrivaled prosperity. However, just as the development of Fort Lee production facilities was gaining strength, Nestor Studios of Bayonne, New Jersey, built the first studio in Hollywood in 1911. Nestor Studios owned by David and William Horsley, later merged with Universal Studios, and William Horsley's other company Hollywood Film Laboratory is now the oldest existing company in Hollywood, now called the Hollywood Digital Laboratory. California's more hospitable and cost-effective climate led to the eventual shift of virtually all filmmaking to the West Coast by the 1930s. Some companies, such as American Méliès, moved to San Antonio, Texas, and others moved to Jacksonville, Florida. Since 2000 the Fort Lee film commission has been charged with celebrating the history of film in Fort Lee as well as to attract film and television production companies to the borough. [edit] Demographics
  As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 35,461 people, 16,544 households, and 9,396 families residing in the borough. The population density was 14,001.7 people per square mile (5,411.7/km2). There were 17,446 housing units at an average density of 6,888.5/sq mi (2,662.4/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 62.75% White, 1.73% African American, 0.07% Native American, 31.43% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.69% from other races, and 2.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.87% of the population. There were 16,544 households out of which 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.2% were non-families. 39.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.88. In the borough the population was spread out with 17.5% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $58,161, and the median income for a family was $72,140 (these figures had risen to $67,500 and $83,503 respectively as of a 2007 estimate[15]). Males had a median income of $54,730 versus $41,783 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $37,899. About 5.7% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2000 census, 17.18% of Fort Lee's residents identified themselves as being of Korean ancestry, which was the fifth highest in the United States and third highest of any municipality in New Jersey; behind neighboring Palisades Park (36.38%) and Leonia (17.24%) — for all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.[16] In the same census, 5.56% of Fort Lee's residents identified themselves as being of Chinese ancestry,[17] and 6.09% of Fort Lee's residents identified themselves as being of Japanese ancestry, the highest of any municipality in New Jersey for all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.[18] [edit] Government[edit] Local governmentFort Lee is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office and only votes to break a tie. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.[1] As of 2008[update], the Mayor of Fort Lee is Mark J. Sokolich (D, term ends December 31, 2011). Members of the Borough Council are Council President Michael Sargenti (D, 2011), Joseph L. Cervieri, Jr. (D, 2009), Jan Goldberg (D, 2010), Ila Kasofsky (D, 2010), Armand Pohan (D, 2011) and Harvey Sohmer (D, 2009).[2][19] [edit] Federal, state and county representationFort Lee is in the Ninth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 38th Legislative District.[20] New Jersey's Ninth Congressional District, covering the southern portion of Bergen County and sections of Hudson County and Passaic County, is represented by Steve Rothman (D, Fair Lawn). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken). For the 2008-2009 Legislative Session, the 38th District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Robert M. Gordon (D, Fair Lawn) and in the Assembly by Joan Voss (D, Fort Lee) and Connie Wagner (D, Paramus).[21] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[22] Bergen County's County Executive is Dennis McNerney (D).[23] The executive, along with the seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders administer all county business. As of 2008[update], Bergen County's Freeholders are Chairman James M. Carroll (D, Demarest), Vice-Chairwoman Julie O'Brien (D, Ramsey), Elizabeth Calabrese (D, Wallington), David L. Ganz (D, Fair Lawn), Bernadette P. McPherson (D, Rutherford), Tomas J. Padilla (D, Park Ridge) and Vernon Walton (D, Englewood).[24] Other countywide elected officials are Sheriff Leo McGuire (D), Surrogate Court Judge Mike Dressler (D, Cresskill) and County Clerk Kathleen Donovan (R, Rutherford).[25] [edit] PoliticsAs of April 1, 2006, out of a 2004 Census estimated population of 37,310 in Fort Lee, there were 17,434 registered voters (46.7% of the population, vs. 55.4% in all of Bergen County). Of registered voters, 4,788 (27.5% vs. 20.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 2,016 (11.6% vs. 19.2% countywide) were registered as Republicans and 10,628 (61.0% vs. 60.1% countywide) were registered as Undeclared. There were two voters registered to other parties.[26] In the 2008 presidential election Democrat Barack Obama received 61% of the vote here defeating Republican John McCain who received around 37%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 61% of the vote here, defeating Republican George W. Bush, who received around 38%.[27] [edit] EducationThe Fort Lee School District serves public school students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[28]) include four K-6 elementary schools — School 1 (544 students), School 2 (397 students), School 3 (498 students) and School 4 (466 students) — Lewis F. Cole Middle School (grades 7 and 8; 533 students) and Fort Lee High School (grades 9-12; 1,083 students). [edit] Private SchoolsPrivate schools in the area include Christ the Teacher (PK-8, 314 students), First Step Day Care Center (PK, 101 students), Fort Lee Education Center (7-12, 78 students), Fort Lee Montessori Pre-School (PK, 49 students), Fort Lee Youth Center Playgroup (PK, 30 students), Futures Best Nursery Academy (PK, 98 students), Green House Preschool and Kindergarten (PK-K, 125 students), Happy Kids Pre-School (PK, 75 students), Hooks Lane School (PK, 54 students), Les Enfants Day Care Center (PK, 60 students), Palisades Pre-School (PK, 108 students), Rainbow School DC (PK, 88 students), and Small World Montessori School (PK, 51 students).[29] [edit] Transportation  Fort Lee is served by Palisades Interstate Parkway, New Jersey Route 4, New Jersey Route 5, New Jersey Route 67, Interstate 95/New Jersey Turnpike, U.S. Route 9W, U.S. Route 1-9, U.S. Route 46, and County Route 505. The George Washington Bridge crosses the Hudson River from Fort Lee to Manhattan. Fort Lee is also served by New Jersey Transit buses 154, 156, 158 and 159 to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan; the 171, 175, 178, 181, 182, 186 and 188 lines to the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal; and local service on the 751, 753, 755 and 756..[30] In addition, China Airlines provides private bus service to John F. Kennedy International Airport from the Citibank to feed its flight to Taipei, Taiwan.[31] [edit] Miscellaneous
[edit] Birthplace of Subliminal advertisingIn 1957, market researcher James Vicary claimed that quickly flashing messages on a movie screen, in Fort Lee, had influenced people to purchase more food and drinks. Vicary coined the term subliminal advertising and formed the Subliminal Projection Company based on a six-week test. Vicary claimed that during the presentation of the movie Picnic he used a tachistoscope to project the words "Drink Coca-Cola" and "Hungry? Eat popcorn" for 1/3000 of a second at five-second intervals. Vicary asserted that during the test, sales of popcorn and Coke in that New Jersey theater increased 57.8 percent and 18.1 percent respectively.[35][36] However, in 1962 Vicary admitted to lying about the experiment and falsifying the results, the story itself being a marketing ploy.[37][38] An identical experiment conducted by Dr. Henry Link showed no increase in cola or popcorn sales.[36] The claim that the small cinema handled 45,699 visitors in 6 weeks has led people to believe that Vicary actually did not conduct his experiment at all.[36] [edit] Notable residentsNotable current and former residents of Fort Lee include:
[edit] Sources
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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