Elizabeth, New Jersey
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Elizabeth is a city located in Union County, New Jersey. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 120,568. It is the county seat of Union CountyTemplate:GR. The City of Elizabeth is governed under the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) system of municipal government.
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Geography
Elizabeth is located at 40°39'44" North, 74°12'33" West (40.662152, -74.209066)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.4 km² (13.7 mi²). 31.6 km² (12.2 mi²) of it is land and 3.7 km² (1.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 10.47% water.
History
Elizabeth was founded in 1664 and was named for the wife of Sir George Carteret, not Queen Elizabeth as many people assume.
Elizabeth grew in parallel to its sister city Newark, New Jersey for many years, but has retained a middle class presence much better and was spared riots in the 1960s.
Since WWII, Elizabeth has seen its transportation facilities grow; Port Newark-Elizabeth is one of the busiest ports in the world, as is Newark Liberty International Airport, parts of which are actually in Elizabeth.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 120,568 people, 40,482 households, and 28,175 families residing in the city. The population density is 3,809.5/km² (9,865.5/mi²). There are 42,838 housing units at an average density of 1,353.5/km² (3,505.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 55.78% White, 19.98% African American, 0.48% Native American, 2.35% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 15.51% from other races, and 5.86% from two or more races. 49.46% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 40,482 households out of which 36.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% are married couples living together, 19.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% are non-families. 24.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.91 and the average family size is 3.45.
In the city the population is spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 33.7% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 96.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $35,175, and the median income for a family is $38,370. Males have a median income of $30,757 versus $23,931 for females. The per capita income for the city is $15,114. 17.8% of the population and 15.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 22.2% of those under the age of 18 and 17.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.