Dover is a majority minority community, with nearly 70% of the population as of the 2010 census identifying themselves as Hispanic, up from 25% in 1980.[22]
History
Joseph Latham was deeded the land that includes present-day Dover in 1713, from portions of land that had been purchased from Native Americans by the Proprietors of West Jersey. On May 31, 1722, Latham and his wife Jane deeded 527 acres (2.13 km2) over to John Jackson of Flushing, New York. Jackson settled on the eastern portion of his land along Granny's Brook at the site of what would later become the Ross Ribbon Factory on Park Heights Avenue.[23]
Iron ore at the time was so plentiful that it could be collected off the ground at the nearby Dickerson Mine in Mine Hill. At Jackson's Forge, ore would be processed into bars that would then be transported to Paterson and other industrial areas towards the east. The passage of the Iron Act by the British Parliament led to financial difficulties, leading Jackson into bankruptcy in 1753, with all of his property and belongings sold off at a Sheriff's sale. Quaker Hartshorne Fitz Randolph purchased Jackson's property and annexed to his own existing property, which would later become part of Randolph Township.[24]
Dover was incorporated as a town on April 1, 1869, within Randolph Township and became fully independent as of March 5, 1896.[25] The town charter was amended in 1875. On May 7, 1896, Dover was reincorporated as a city and regained its status as a town on March 21, 1899, after the referendum that approved the change was invalidated by a court ruling.[26][27]
In its past, Dover has had extensive iron and mill works, machine shops, stove, furnace, and range works, boiler and bridge works, rolling mills, drill works, knitting and silk mills, and a large hosiery factory (MacGregors). During this period, Dover was a port on the Morris Canal while it was operational; the boat basin was located at what is today the JFK Commons Park.[28]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town had a total area of 2.73 square miles (7.06 km2), including 2.68 square miles (6.93 km2) of land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km2) of water (1.90%).[1][2]
The 2010 United States census counted 18,157 people, 5,562 households, and 3,877 families in the town. The population density was 6,765.5 per square mile (2,612.2/km2). There were 5,783 housing units at an average density of 2,154.8 per square mile (832.0/km2). The racial makeup was 66.55% (12,083) White, 6.10% (1,108) Black or African American, 0.63% (114) Native American, 2.54% (461) Asian, 0.05% (9) Pacific Islander, 19.88% (3,610) from other races, and 4.25% (772) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 69.38% (12,598) of the population.[19]
Of the 5,562 households, 33.0% had children under the age of 18; 43.6% were married couples living together; 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present and 30.3% were non-families. Of all households, 22.6% were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.21 and the average family size was 3.54.[19]
21.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 110.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 111.2 males.[19]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $59,454 (with a margin of error of +/− $3,227) and the median family income was $61,187 (+/− $2,750). Males had a median income of $34,722 (+/− $4,750) versus $28,098 (+/− $4,993) for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,581 (+/− $990). About 3.6% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 15.8% of those age 65 or over.[41]
The 2010 Census showed that Dover's Hispanic population accounted for 69.4% of all residents, ranked fifth in the state by percentage, while 13% of New Jersey's population was Hispanic; the city was one of 13 municipalities in the state with a Hispanic majority.[42] The town had notable percentages of residents who were Colombians (15.2% of all residents), Mexicans (14.9%), Puerto Ricans (11.1%), Ecuadorians (5.6%), Hondurans (4.7%) and Peruvians (2.8%), with smaller percentages (from 1-2%) of Costa Ricans, Uruguayans, Chileans and Salvadorans.[43]
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census[16] there were 18,188 people, 5,436 households, and 3,919 families residing in Dover. The population density was 6,788.2 inhabitants per square mile (2,620.9/km2). There were 5,568 housing units at an average density of 2,078.1 per square mile (802.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 69.45% White, 6.83% African American, 0.34% Native American, 2.47% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 15.99% from other races, and 4.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 57.94% of the population.[39][40]
11.27% of Dover residents identified themselves as being of Colombian American ancestry in the 2000 Census, the second-highest percentage of the population of any municipality in the United States (behind neighboring Victory Gardens, New Jersey, which had 15.27% of residents so identified) with 1,000 residents identifying their ancestry.[44]
There were 5,436 households, out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.29 and the average family size was 3.55.[39][40]
By age, the population of the town is distributed relatively evenly, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 36.0% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.7 males.[39][40]
The median income for a household in the town was $53,423, and the median income for a family was $57,141. Males had a median income of $31,320 versus $27,413 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,056. About 8.2% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.[39][40]
Dover has a large Hispanic population with the largest concentrations being of Mexican, Colombian, Dominican and Puerto Rican ancestry. Hispanics have been a demographic majority since 1980, and have grown quickly. As of the 2000 Census, Dover's population was 57.9% Hispanic, making it the municipality with the fifth-highest Hispanic population percentage in New Jersey and one of eight New Jersey municipalities with a Hispanic majority. The surrounding Morris County area is predominantly non-Hispanic (7.8% Hispanic or Latino, of any race).[45]
Hedden County Park, on Reservoir Avenue, is a 380-acre (1.5 km2) Morris County park, is partly located in Dover, with park entrances in Randolph. An active park, mostly in Randolph Township, with a picnic pavilion and tables, stone cooking grills for picnics in the woods, paddle boats in season, playgrounds, ball fields and hiking trails.[48]
Hamilton Field is one of Dover's recreation centers, featuring a football field with bleachers, soccer fields, and a historic cinder track. This facility is restricted to school use and is not open to the public.
JFK Memorial Commons Park consists of a children's play park and the town Gazebo. JFK Park hosts the town's annual Christmas tree lighting, Easter egg hunt, Halloween parade, summer concerts and on occasions ceremonies following town parades. The park was constructed by filling in the basin for the old Morris Canal. The name was given following the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963.
Crescent Field includes a new turf soccer field and is the hosting site for Dover's annual Colombian Festival.
Water Works Park consists of a baseball field, picnic area, and accessible banks of the Rockaway River. The Water Commission purchased the lane in 1902 and developed wells for much needed water to a growing community. In 1933, the land became a playground for picnicking and swimming in the nearby Rockaway River.
Hurd Park is a passive park with no playgrounds or ballfields. Ideal location for wedding and graduation photographs with its Greek style pavilion having fluted columns and a circular gazebo-like center with a red-tiled roof and a scenic background. Donated to the town in 1911 by John Hurd, the park is also host to a 1922 World War I Spirit of the American Doughboy statue, one of a few found around the country. The park also displays a Civil War Memorial, a Spanish American War Memorial and a brick-walk memorial naming those on stone bricks who served in the Armed Forces. The park is also adjacent to Indian Falls, a scenic walk along the Jackson Brook to Hedden Park.
Triangle Park. In downtown Dover at the foot of Prospect Street, the small park is maintained by Dover's Renaissance Club and the home of Hudson Favell's "Story Poles."
Hooey Park is a small neighborhood park with a climbing playground for kids located in the Salem Village section of town.
Richards Avenue Park is a small park built on a vacant lot consisting of a small climbing playground for kids.
Bowlby Park and King Field located in North Dover was developed for Little League Baseball, soccer and high school girls softball games.
Mountain Park is located in South Dover on the old Munson Mine Tract and is being developed for hiking trails.
Government
Local government
Dover operates using the Town form of government, one of nine municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government.[49] The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the Town Council who are chosen on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. The Mayor is elected at-large to a four-year term of office. The Towns Council is comprised of eight members, with two council members elected to two-year terms from each of the four wards on a staggered basis, with one seat coming up for election each year in each ward.[6][50] The governing body had been known as the Board of Aldermen until October 2023, when the name was changed to the Town Council, making it the last municipality in the state to have used the term Aldermen.[51]
As of 2024[update], the Mayor of Dover is Democrat James P. Dodd, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2027.[3] Dodd had previously served as Mayor from 2006-2019 and defeated incumbent Mayor Carolyn Blackman in the 2023 Democratic primary en route to returning to office.[52] Members of the Town Council are Geovani Estacio-Carillo (Ward 2; D, 2024), Sergio Rodriguez (Ward 2; D, 2025), Karol Ruiz (Ward 3; D, 2024), Arturo B. Santana (Ward 4; D, 2025), Michael J. Scarneo (Ward 3; D, 2025), Marcos Tapia-Aguilar Sr. (Ward 4; D, 2024), Claudia P. Toro (Ward 1; D, 2025) and Sandra Milena Wittner (Ward 1; D, 2024).[53][54][55][56][57][58]
In February 2023, Michael Scarneo was appointed to fill the Third Ward seat expiring in December 2023 that had been held by Adrian Ballesteros until he resigned the previous month as he was moving out of the town.[59]
Carolyn Blackman took office in 2020 as the first female and first black mayor in the town's history.[60]
Dover serves as the lead agency operating a joint municipal court that also serves the neighboring municipalities of Mine Hill Township, Mount Arlington, Victory Gardens and Wharton.[61] Established in 2009, the joint municipal court was projected to offer annual savings in excess of $250,000 over the 10-year life of the agreement.[62]
Federal, state, and county representation
Dover is located in the 11th Congressional District[63] and is part of New Jersey's 25th state legislative district.[64][65][66]
Morris County is governed by a Board of County Commissioners composed of seven members who are elected at-large in partisan elections to three-year terms on a staggered basis, with either one or three seats up for election each year as part of the November general election.[72] Actual day-to-day operation of departments is supervised by County Administrator Deena Leary.[73]: 8 As of 2025[update], Morris County's Commissioners are:
The county's constitutional officers are:
Clerk Ann F. Grossi (R, Parsippany–Troy Hills, 2028),[81][82]
Sheriff James M. Gannon (R, Boonton Township, 2025)[83][84] and
Surrogate Heather Darling (R, Roxbury, 2029).[85][86]
Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 6,613 registered voters in Dover. Of those, 2,603 (39.4%) were registered as Democrats, 1,125 (17.0%) were registered as Republicans, 2,881 (43.6%) were registered as Unaffiliated, and 4 were registered as Libertarians or Greens.[87]
In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 72.4% of the vote (3,223 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 26.8% (1,195 votes), and other candidates with 0.8% (35 votes), among the 4,494 ballots cast by the town's 7,196 registered voters (41 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 62.5%.[88][89] In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 67.1% of the vote (3,172 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 31.7% (1,500 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (31 votes), among the 4,727 ballots cast by the town's 7,019 registered voters, for a turnout of 67.3%.[90] In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 57.2% of the vote (2,658 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 41.2% (1,914 votes) and other candidates with 0.5% (34 votes), among the 4,643 ballots cast by the town's 7,356 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 63.1.[91]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 54.0% of the vote (1,055 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 43.6% (853 votes), and other candidates with 2.4% (47 votes), among the 1,994 ballots cast by the town's 7,078 registered voters (39 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 28.2%.[92][93] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 55.6% of the vote (1,408 ballots cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 36.3% (919 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 5.6% (142 votes) and other candidates with 0.8% (21 votes), among the 2,532 ballots cast by the town's 6,750 registered voters, yielding a 37.5% turnout.[94]
Education
The Dover School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.[95] 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.[96] Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment from the National Center for Education Statistics[97]) are
Academy Street Elementary School[98] with 470 students in grades K-6,
East Dover Elementary School[99] with 389 students in grades K-6,
North Dover Elementary School[100] with 658 students in grades PreK-6,
Dover Middle School[101] with 524 students in grades 7-8 and
Dover High School[102] with 1,094 students in grades 9-12.[103][104]
Sacred Heart School was a Catholic school serving students in pre-school through eighth grade that operated under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson. A successful fundraising effort in 2006 had kept the school open despite plans to close the school, but in 2009 the Paterson Diocese announced that declining enrollment and financial difficulties would lead to the school's closure at the conclusion of the 2008–2009 school year.[108]
As of May 2010[update], the town had a total of 42.84 miles (68.94 km) of roadways, of which 34.39 miles (55.35 km) were maintained by the municipality, 4.85 miles (7.81 km) by Morris County and 3.60 miles (5.79 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.[110]
Dover is served by NJ Transit bus routes 875 and 880,[111][112] replacing service on the MCM2, MCM5, MCM7 and MCM10 routes until June 2010, when NJ Transit eliminated the subsidy as part of budget cuts.[113][114]
NJ Transit Morristown Line and Montclair-Boonton Line trains stop at the Dover station.[115] Trains operate to Hackettstown, Netcong, Boonton, Morristown, Montclair State University, Summit, the Oranges, Newark, Hoboken, New York City, and intermediate points.[116][117]
Lakeland Bus Lines provides regular service to Sparta, Newton, Mount Olive, Rockaway, Boonton, Parsippany, Wayne, New York City, and intermediate points from their terminal on the Rockaway Township border.[118] Service is also provided from Wednesday to Sunday between Dover and Atlantic City [119]
The Morris County Department of Transportation also operates bus service along Route 46 to Netcong and Mount Olive Township.[120]
Dover is served by St. Clare's Dover General Hospital, located on Route 46, which is the local medical facility for Dover and other communities in western Morris County.[121] Saint Clare's Denville Hospital is located 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Dover in Denville, and Morristown Medical Center is located 11 miles (18 km) east of Dover in Morristown. The Zufall Health Center, founded in 1990, is located on Warren Street and provides basic medical and dental services to low-income residents of Dover and neighboring communities.[122]
Community
The community of Dover is centered around a developed downtown area around Blackwell Street, featuring many eateries primarily owned and run by Hispanics of various countries, offering their ethnic food.[123] Other culinary establishments include sushi, pizza, coffee shops, and popular Irish and Italian food.
Dover has been described as a walking town, as most parts of town are within about a 1/2 mile of the downtown area and most streets have sidewalks.[124]
Popular culture
The climactic scene of the 2008 movie, The Wrestler, was filmed at the Baker Theater.[125]
Metallica played their first ever New Jersey show at Showplace in Dover on April 16, 1983. It was also the first time the band performed live with lead guitarist Kirk Hammett.[126]
The music video for Eddie Money's "I Wanna Go Back" was filmed on Blackwell Street and at the old Dover High School, Dover Middle School, and now Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art.[citation needed]
^Kullen, Charlotte G. "Randolph — A Day in the Life"Archived July 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Daily Record, October 21, 1999. Accessed April 27, 2012. "It is here that in 1722, Dover's first European settler, John Jackson, built an iron forge that gave birth to the industry that for the next 21 centuries would shape the growth of the town... The ban wiped out Jackson, who sold his farm to Hartshorne Fitz Randolph, for whom the modern township is named, and his forge to Josiah Beaman."
^Westhoven, William. "NJ's last aldermen are gone as Morris County town switches to gender-neutral 'council'", Daily Record, October 25, 2023. Accessed November 5, 2023. "Dover no longer has a board of aldermen running things. Neither does New Jersey. The governing body of the Morris County municipality voted by a 5-4 margin on Tuesday to declare itself a 'town council,' effectively relegating the alderman title to Garden State history. Dover was the last holdout in the state after another Morris town, Boonton, made the same change in 2021."
^Cahill, Frank. "Dodd Secures Decisive Victory in Dover Mayoral Race, Clinching 70% of Votes", Morris County Focus, November 9, 2023. Accessed February 4, 2024. "Ex-Mayor James Dodd achieved a resounding victory in Tuesday’s election, securing 70% of the vote in a bid to retake the position he previously occupied for four consecutive terms.... In the June Primary, Dodd competed against the incumbent Mayor Carolyn Blackman and Edward Correa. Dodd emerged with a majority of 50.6% of the votes, totaling 844. Blackman secured 24% of the votes, which amounted to 405, while Correa obtained 25%, equal to 418 votes."
^Westhoven, Michael. "Dover picks alderman to fill vacancy but also replaces longtime town attorney", Daily Record, February 16, 2023. Accessed April 26, 2023. "Dover has a new Third Ward representative after the Board of Alderman picked a former school board member and planning board chairman to fill an open seat. The board also selected a new municipal attorney at last week's meeting. The board chose Michael Scarneo to fill its vacancy after former Adrian Ballesteros moved to California and resigned his seat on Jan. 8."
^Gomez, Jessie. "New Dover mayor sworn in, deals with town employee resignations", Daily Record, January 2, 2020. Accessed March 27, 2020. "After a tight election race in November, Carolyn Blackman was sworn in Wednesday morning as the first black and first woman mayor, ending former Mayor James Dodd's 13-year run."
^Forrest, Cindy. "Victory Gardens Council judges proposal for joint municipal court", The Record, May 18, 2012. Accessed July 29, 2015. "With Dover as the lead agency, four other area towns - Rockaway Borough, Wharton, Mine Hill, and Mt. Arlington - entered into a landmark municipal court shared-services agreement in 2009 anticipating an estimated $2.65 million savings over the 10-year life of the contract."
^Board of County Commissioners, Morris County, New Jersey. Accessed June 1, 2022. "Morris County is governed by a seven-member Board of County Commissioners, who serve three-year terms."
^Dover Public Schools District Policy 0110 - Identification, Dover School District. Accessed February 26, 2023. "Purpose The Board of Education exists for providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades PK through 12 in the Dover School District. Composition: The Dover School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Dover in County of Morris."
^Martin, Liz. "Voters have their say on the budgets", Neighbor News, April 28, 2010. Accessed July 11, 2016. "The school board goes from 11 members to 10 after this election as the temporary Board seat assigned to the Victory Gardens representative Danielle Press expired permanently on April 20. Now that Victory Gardens has merged with the Dover school district, there will no longer be a dedicated Victory Gardens seat on the Board. Any resident from either Dover or Victory Gardens will be eligible to run for any available Board seat."
^Diamant, Jeff; and Adarlo, Sharon. "Dover's Sacred Heart School, saved in 2006, to close in June", The Star-Ledger, January 9, 2009. Accessed September 3, 2003. "An 85-year-old Catholic school in Dover will close in June, two years after parents and alumni worked to stave off that fate by raising money and working to increase enrollment. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson said the student body at Sacred Heart School has since dropped back to unsustainable levels -- 121 from preschool through eighth grade -- and the current term will be the school's last."
^ abcdJennings, Dana. "Paper, Pencil And a Dream", The New York Times, December 14, 2003. Accessed March 29, 2012. "Mr. Kubert said that Dover, which has 18,000 people and is bisected by the Rockaway River, suits him. He and his wife, Muriel, raised their five children here, and it was here that they opened their school."
^Hyman, Vicki. "Baker Theatre", The Star-Ledger, March 18, 2008. Accessed September 3, 2013. "It'll take 9 1/2 weeks to scrub these images out of our brains. Mickey Rourke, in flowing blond locks and lime green spandex, thrilled wrestling fans over the weekend in Dover, where he was filming scenes for his upcoming movie The Wrestler in between real wrestling matches at the historic Baker Theater."
^January 31, 2009 Prudential Center, Newark, NJ , Metallica Live Downloads. "The first time they played the state was on April 16, 1983 in Dover, NJ. It was Kirk Hammett's first show as a member of the band."
^Ewing, Emma Mai. "The 'Funnnies' Can Be Serious", The New York Times, September 12, 1976. Accessed May 20, 2020. "'I moved into the comics business in New York in 1935, first at Fifth Avenue and 32d Street and then at Seventh Avenue and 23d Street. I commuted from Dover for $6.45 a week.'"
^Townsend, Cara. "Paula Kassell, feminist pioneer and Dover resident, dies at 94"Archived January 20, 2013, at archive.today, Daily Record, September 1, 2012. Accessed September 5, 2012. "Kassell was a long-time women's rights activist who in 1972 founded the news tabloid, New Directions for Women, and later convinced the New York Times to use Ms. in addition to Miss and Mrs. on the paper's pages."
^Smith, Bud. "Ben Loory Interview", Hobart Pulp, May 28, 2018. Accessed March 6, 2021. "I grew up in a small town called Dover, which is about a half hour west of New York, off Route 46."
^via Associated Press. "Red Wings claim F Drew Miller off waivers", Sporting News, November 11, 2009. Accessed April 26, 2012. "The Detroit Red Wings have claimed forward Drew Miller off waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 25-year-old native of Dover, N.J., had no points and two penalty minutes with the Lightning in 14 games this season."
^"Harry J. Palmer", The New York Times, February 13, 1948. Accessed May 20, 2020. "Born and educated in Dover, N. J., Mr. Palmer had made his home on Staten Island for thirty-two years and had been a Democratic district leader in the Third Ward for many years."
^Schoonejongen, John. "RNC Chairman Priebus touts his Jersey cred", Asbury Park Press Capitol Quickies, August 30, 2012. Accessed November 8, 2012. "'I have something in common I think a little bit with you all, I was born in New Jersey,' Reince Priebus told New Jersey Republicans at their delegation breakfast. "I was born in Dover, and some of my favorite childhood memories … we moved when I was seven to Wisconsin, but I still remember very fondly, and I think about it, was growing up in Netcong. That's where I grew up.'"
^"N.J. Statehouse to honor Sherry Ross", New Jersey Devils, March 22, 2010. Accessed September 21, 2015. "In May 2007, the native of Dover, NJ was among those inducted into the inaugural class of Randolph (NJ) High School's Hall of Fame."
^"Edgar D. Tillyer", p. 3. Scientific American, Volumes 162-163. Munn & Company, 1940. Accessed August 16, 2019. "Dr. Tillyer was born at Dover, New Jersey, December 7, 1881."
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