Fort Lee, New Jersey

Fort Lee is a borough located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2000 census, the borough had a total population of 35,461.

Geography

Fort Lee is located at 40°50'60" North, 73°58'30" West (40.849879, -73.975014)Template:GR. It is north of Edgewater, New Jersey and is on the Hackensack Peninsula between the Hackensack and Hudson rivers.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 7.5 km² (2.9 mi²). 6.6 km² (2.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.9 km² (0.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 12.15% water.

History

Fort Lee is named as a result of George Washington and named after General Charles Lee, who camped out in this area, defending New York. George Washington and his troops actually walked on a road which is called Main St. in Fort Lee. The George Washington Bridge, which connects New Jersey to uptown New York City, is located in Fort Lee.

In recent years, the Korean population of Fort Lee has expanded very fast. The Hangul characters of the Korean written language are now a familiar sight in Fort Lee. The Asian population also expanded. Fort Lee is a Koreatown.

Fort Lee: the motion picture capital of America

The history of cinema in the United States can trace its roots to 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 phenomonal growth of the film indusry at the turn of the 20th century.

Filmmaking began attracting both capital and an innovative workforce and after the move to Fort Lee by the Kalem Company in 1907, others 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 Motion Picture Co., Peerless Studios, The Solax Company, Éclair Studios, Goldwyn Picture Corporation, World Pictures, Biograph Studios, Fox Film Corporation, Pathé Frères, Metro Pictures Corporation, Victor Film Company, Selznick Pictures Corporation were all making pictures in Fort Lee. Such notables as Mary Pickford 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 facililities was gaining strength, Nestor Studios of Bayonne, New Jersey, built the first studio in Hollywood in 1911. California's more hospitable and cost effective climate led to the eventual shift of virtually all filmmaking to the West Coast by the 1930s.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 35,461 people, 16,544 households, and 9,396 families residing in the borough. The population density is 5,411.7/km² (14,001.7/mi²). There are 17,446 housing units at an average density of 2,662.4/km² (6,888.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough is 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. 7.87% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 16,544 households out of which 22.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% are married couples living together, 7.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 43.2% are non-families. 39.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 15.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.14 and the average family size is 2.88.

In the borough the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 42 years. For every 100 females there are 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.1 males.

The median income for a household in the borough is $58,161, and the median income for a family is $72,140. Males have a median income of $54,730 versus $41,783 for females. The per capita income for the borough is $37,899. 7.9% of the population and 5.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.9% of those under the age of 18 and 7.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

External links

• The Borough's web site (http://www.fortleenj.org/)
• Fort Lee Online community web site (http://www.fortleeonline.com/)
• Fort Lee Film Commission web site (http://www.fortleefilm.org/)
• Fort Lee Board of Education (http://www.fortlee-boe.net/)

de:Fort Lee (New Jersey)

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