Verona 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 14,572, an increase of 1,240 (+9.3%) from the 2010 census count of 13,332, which in turn reflected a decline of 201 (−1.5%) from the 13,533 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.
History Verona and several neighboring towns were all originally one consolidated area known as the Horseneck Tract.
18th century In 1702, a group of settlers left Newark and purchased a large tract of land northwest of their home city for the equivalent of a few hundred dollars from the Lenape Native Americans. This piece of land extended west and north to the Passaic River, south to the town center of what would become Livingston, and east to the First Watchung Mountain, and was called Horseneck by the natives because it resembled the neck and head of a horse. What was then known as Horseneck contained most of the present day northern Essex County towns: Verona, along with Caldwell, West Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Fairfield, North Caldwell, and Roseland are all located entirely in Horseneck, and parts of what are today Livingston, Montclair, and West Orange also were contained in the Horseneck Tract.Lefkowitz, Melanie. "Verona's Small-Town Roots Prove a Draw", The Wall Street Journal, November 19, 2011. "Verona, once part of a large town known as the Horseneck Tract that encompassed many of the now-adjacent communities, has been settled since the early 18th century."
After the Revolutionary War, the area of Horseneck was incorporated as "Caldwell Township" in honor of local war hero James Caldwell, a pastor who used pages from his church's bibles as wadding to ignite the ammo in soldiers' cannons and helped to drive the British out of Horseneck.Caldwell New Jersey Historical Photographs and History , accessed October 15, 2006.
19th century In the 19th century, the area of present-day Verona was part of what was known as Vernon Valley. The name was rejected when residents applied to the United States Postal Service, as the name had already been in use for an area in Sussex County. Verona was chosen as the alternative name for the community.Verona, History of New Jersey. Accessed November 19, 2011. "By the mid-nineteenth century, this area became known as Vernon Valley. However, when application was made for a United States Post Office, the townspeople were informed that another Vernon Valley, in Sussex County, had first claim to the name. The name Verona was put forth by the townspeople as a suitable replacement and was eventually accepted." The township's name is derived from Verona, Italy.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 24, 2015.
At various times between 1798 and 1892, issues arose which caused conflict between the Caldwell and Verona areas. These included a desire of the citizens of Verona to more closely control their own governmental affairs. With the population growing, Verona residents wanted to centrally locate essential services such as schools and places of worship, as well as problems with the water supply; and the disposition of road repair funds.
On February 17, 1892, the citizens of Verona voted to secede from Caldwell Township to form Verona Township.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 194. Accessed May 30, 2024.
20th century Further growth and the need for a water system and other public utilities found Verona moving ahead of the other half of the township and in 1902 the two areas decided to separate into two separate municipalities: Verona Township and Verona Borough. It took two sessions of the state legislature to approve the new borough, but on April 18, 1907, the borough of Verona was approved by an act of the New Jersey Legislature, pending the results of a referendum held on April 30, 1907, in which the new borough passed by a 224–77 margin.Honeyman, Abraham Van Doren. Index-analysis of the Statutes of New Jersey, 1896-1909: Together with References to All Acts, and Parts of Acts, in the 'General Statutes' and Pamphlet Laws Expressly Repealed: and the Statutory Crimes of New Jersey During the Same Period, p. 307. New Jersey Law Journal Publishing Company, 1910. Accessed October 18, 2015.
In 1907, residents of the newly formed borough had sought to disassociate themselves from the Overbrook County Insane Asylum and the Newark City Home, a reform school, and from the settlement of Cedar Grove, which was considered a settlement of farmers.Staff. "Verona Drops Cedar Grove.; Votes Herself Separate Borough at a Special Election.", The New York Times, May 2, 1907. Accessed January 28, 2012. On April 9, 1908, Verona Township changed its name to Cedar Grove Township.
In 1981, the borough was one of seven Essex County municipalities to pass a referendum to become a township, joining four 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."Karcher, Alan J. New Jersey's Multiple Municipal Madness, pp. 119-120. Rutgers University Press, 1998. . Accessed September 24, 2015.
In 1976, Verona Borough received $213,000 in federal aid while similarly sized Cedar Grove Township received $1.24 million, suggesting financial benefits to structuring communities as townships as opposed to boroughs when possible.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." Today, Verona uses just "Township of Verona" in most official documents.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 2.82 square miles (7.29 km2), including 2.79 square miles (7.24 km2) of land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km2) of water (0.74%).
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Hillcrest and Verona Lake.Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed May 21, 2015.
The township is bordered by Cedar Grove Township, Essex Fells, Montclair Township, North Caldwell and West Orange Township.Areas touching Verona, MapIt. Accessed March 9, 2020.Municipalities, Essex County, New Jersey Register of Deeds and Mortgages. Accessed March 9, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019. Verona lies between two mountains, the First and Second Watchung Mountains with a small river, the Peckman, flowing at the bottom of the valley towards the Passaic River at Little Falls.Williams, Robert L. Images of America: Old Verona, p. 7. Arcadia Publishing, 1998. . Accessed May 1, 2012.
Climate Verona has a humid continental climate (Dfa), with warm/hot humid summers and moderately cold winters. The climate is slightly cooler overall than in New York City, especially at night, because there is no urban heat island effect, as well as higher elevation and a more interior location (greater distance away from the moderating effects of the Atlantic Ocean).
January tends to be the coldest month, with average high temperatures in the upper 30s (Fahrenheit) and lows in the lower 20s °F (-6 °C). July is the warmest months with high temperatures in the mid 80s °F (29-30 °C) and lows in the mid 60s °F (17-18 °C). From April to June and from September to early November, Verona enjoys temperatures from the lower 60s to upper 70s °F (16 to 25 °C). Rainfall is plentiful, with around a year. Snowfall is common from December to March and nor'easters can bring significant amounts of snow. In January 1996, a weather station in nearby Newark, New Jersey, recorded over of snow from the North American blizzard of 1996.Historical Weather data, Weather Underground
Demographics
2020 census +Verona township, Essex County, New Jersey – Racial and Ethnic Composition (NH = Non-Hispanic)Race / EthnicityPop 2010Pop 2020% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)11,56911,59186.79%79.54%Black or African American alone (NH)2393231.79%2.22%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)2110.02%0.08%Asian alone (NH)5356964.01%4.78%Pacific Islander alone (NH)120.01%0.01%Some Other Race alone (NH)27520.20%0.36%Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)1644661.23%3.20%Hispanic or Latino (any race)7951,4315.96%9.82%Total13,33214,572100.00%100.00%
2010 census The 2010 United States census counted 13,332 people, 5,315 households, and 3,524 families in the township. The population density was . There were 5,523 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 91.24% (12,164) White, 1.97% (262) Black or African American, 0.03% (4) Native American, 4.03% (537) Asian, 0.01% (1) Pacific Islander, 1.11% (148) from other races, and 1.62% (216) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.96% (795) of the population.
Of the 5,315 households, 30.5% had children under the age of 18; 56.1% were married couples living together; 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 33.7% were non-families. Of all households, 29.7% were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.12.
23.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 29.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.0 years. For every 100 females, the population had 89.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 86.0 males.