The document provides a history and overview of The Wildwoods resort area in New Jersey. It describes Wildwood's origins as a popular summer resort destination in the 1950s, its decline in the 1990s, and its ongoing revitalization through new condominium and hotel construction to attract year-round residents and visitors. It highlights Wildwood's emphasis on family-friendly events and celebrations of its musical and architectural heritage from the 1950s and 60s.
4. Real Estate Marketplace Town Focus
The Wildwoods
By Andrea Adams
Marketing Staff | The Star-Ledger
“S
pring’ll soon be gone,
Summer’s coming on, and
I’m-a dreamin’ of heading
down the Shore to have a ball once
more...Every day’s a holiday and every
night is a Saturday night...Oh those
wild, wild Wildwood days.”
Bobby Rydell’s 1963 hit “Wildwood
Days” is the perfect soundtrack for
memories of vacations spent at one
of the Garden State’s most popular
Shore resorts. A world-famous, 2.5-
mile boardwalk, miles of free beaches,
amusement rides and water slides,
games of chance, kitschzy souvenir
shops and a dizzying array of aromas—
from peppers and sausage and butter-
soaked lobster tails, to Curley’s fries
and funnel cakes—these are just a few
of the enticements to be found in The
Wildwoods.
“One of the uniquities of The
Wildwoods is that three, sometimes
even four, generations of families come
to the Wildwoods together. There’s
something for every person in the fam-
ily, all in one location, which is great,”
says Ben Rose, director of marketing
and public relations for The Greater
Wildwood Tourism Improvement and
Development Authority. “You can find
every kind of Shore environment in The
Wildwoods, including nightlife.”
Cape May County’s Five Mile Island
is composed of North Wildwood, The
City of Wildwood and Wildwood Crest,
collectively referred to as simply, “Wild-
wood” or “The Wildwoods.” A fourth
sister community, West Wildwood Bor-
ough, is located more inland—though
still surrounded by water—and is joined
to Wildwood by a two-lane bridge that
serves as the only road in and out of
town. Those who live in or visit West
Wildwood enjoy its more laid-back
atmosphere, which is unspoiled by
commercial development, rich in fish-
ing and boating opportunities, yet still
close to resort attractions.
Those who haven’t been to Wild-
wood in the past few years may not
recognize it, says Rose. After losing
some of its luster and popularity in the
1990s to nearby Shore towns such as
charming Cape May and family-friendly
Ocean City, Wildwood is undergoing
a renaissance. Many of the colorful
and unique—as well as structurally
outdated—hotels built in 1950s, Doo
Wop-style architecture are quickly
being replaced by beautiful condomini-
ums, townhomes and oceanfront hotel
towers chockfull of luxurious ameni-
ties. Homebuyers generally hail from
Philadelphia, New York and northern
New Jersey, and are purchasing these
residences as vacation homes. Many
of the new units are available for rent
as well. Though some lament the loss
of such landmark sites as The Satellite,
Cavalier Motel and Ebb Tide Motel,
new ratables will provide for economic
growth and ensure a clean, attractive
destination for family fun in the years
to come.
“Even with tearing down some of
those old hotels, we still have 8,000
hotel rooms, the most hotel rooms of
any resort of the Jersey Shore except
for Atlantic City,” Rose notes.
“We have more of a year-round
economy now because of the condos,”
he adds. “A lot of Baby Boomers are
buying them as second homes and
they’re coming down on the weekends
during the Winter, so the town is more
lively now.”
In the past—as in many Shore
towns—Wildwood’s “season” kicked off
Memorial Day weekend and ended
Labor Day weekend. “A week after
Labor Day, after Firemen’s Convention,
the town was a ghost town. Now, it is
thriving and vibrant from about late
March/early April until the end of
October, when we have the big Fabu-
lous ’50s Weekend,” Rose says.
New shops, restaurants and other
businesses have opened to accom-
modate the growing population.
“Main Street Wildwood is thriving
and growing and really coming back.
There are even Boardwalk stores that
have been open year-round,” he says.
“I’ve talked to several restaurateurs
and they said this past Winter wasn’t
excellent—‘phenomenal’ is the term
they used.” There’s even new retail
opening offshore, in Rio Grande on
Route 47. “There’s so many new stores
that opened—Target, Old Navy, Home
Depot, Sam’s Club—all these major
chains are coming into the area.”
Though it is embracing the future,
Rose is quick to point out that Wild-
wood isn’t abandoning its roots.
“We’re known as the funky Doo Wop
Capital of the World and we’re going
to keep it that way,” he asserts. “If
you’ve been to Wildwood lately, you’ve
seen the WaWa, the Harley Davidson
Shop, Commerce Bank and Pizza Hut —
they’ve all been built and fashioned in
the Doo Wop style.” In fact, the WaWa
Rose refers to was the first ever to devi-
ate from the standard corporate design.
“It is completely Doo Wop and really
funky looking,” he says. In addition, five
new high-rise, 250-room luxury hotels
will have Doo Wop-era design and
décor.
The Doo Wop Preservation League
describes “Doo Wop” as the period
post World War II, when the prosperity
and vitality of the 1950s was reflected
in high-voltage visual style. “The island
resort’s architecture built in this era
reflected the spirit of the people: brash,
bold and boastful,” according to the
League’s Web site. “Angular elements,
space-age imagery, tropical themes and
colors, with spectacular neon signage”
all competed for the attention of pass-
ing motorists.
In addition to architecture,
Wildwood has roots in rock-and-roll.
Although its role in music history is little
known, the Shore resort was the epi-
center of rock-and-roll innovation in the
1950s and early ’60s. In 1954, Bill Haley
and His Comets’ debuted “(We’re Gon-
na) Rock Around the Clock” live at the
HofBrau Hotel in Wildwood. The first
5. national television broadcast of Dick
Clark’s “American Bandstand” show
was aired from the Starlight Ballroom
on the Wildwood Boardwalk in 1957,
and in 1960, teen-ager Chubby Checker
jumped on stage at the Rainbow Club
to put his own “twist” on a song written
and recorded two years earlier by Hank
Ballard. One month later, he performed
“The Twist” on “American Bandstand”
and launched a national craze with his
new dance. Legendary singer Tony Ben-
nett also was a frequent performer in
Wildwood in the 1950s.
Wildwood celebrates its musical
roots with events such as the inaugural
Wildwoods Salutes the ’60s Weekend
scheduled for April 28-30. Events will
include a concert featuring Micky Do-
lenz of the Monkees, Herman’s Hermits
starring Peter Noone, The Grass Roots,
The Crystals and the Rip Chords at the
Wildwoods Convention Center; a Friday
evening Record Hop with Jerry Blavat;
an antiques and reproductions show;
free showings of Herman’s Hermits
films of the 1960s; a Street Fair with
live music, contests, classic cars and
vendors; and more. Oct. 20-22, Wild-
wood hosts the Fabulous ’50s Celebra-
tion and Concert.
Family events are the main focus
of the Wildwoods, says Rose. “We
have checked with every other Shore
community on the East Coast as far as
Florida. There’s no other resort commu-
nity that has more exciting, free special
events than we do,” he says. “We start
off the season Memorial Day weekend
with the International Kite Festival.
It is the largest kite festival in North
America and features professional kite-
flyers from all over the world.”
Another big event is the Spring
Thunder on the Sand Motocross Pro/
Am Races. “We have the largest
beaches on the East Coast.” Rose notes.
“They build an actual motocross course
and have Pro/Am races right on the
beach.” That event is scheduled for
June 2-4.
The North Wildwood Original Italian-
American Festival scheduled for June
23-25 is expected to once again attract
more than 150,000 people. “They have
headline entertainment, food, lots of
Italian crafts and merchandise. It’s a fun
time,” says Rose, adding that Wild-
wood’s July 4 fireworks display rivals
Philadelphia’s effort. “It’s pretty big and
it’s synchronized and computerized to
music. It’s a spectacular display.”
Another exciting visual event is the
Wildwood Classic Cup Hobie Cat Races,
scheduled this year for Aug. 26-27.
“Hobie Cats are really colorful little sail-
ing ships,” Rose explains. “When they’re
not racing, we line them up on the
beach and it is an awesome sight.”
So if you haven’t been to Wildwood
in a few years, take a drive down the
Garden State Parkway this Summer and
stroll down the Boardwalk. Relax on the
free beach, go fishing and dive into the
ocean. Play a round of miniature golf,
whoosh down a water slide and enjoy
an orange creamsicle ice cream cone.
Indulge in delicious seafood, go dancing
and shopping, and attend a concert at
the Wildwood Convention Center. Get
your heart racing on a roller coaster
and join in one of the resort’s many
family events. “There’s so much here
for everyone,” says Rose. “Now that it’s
completely turned around and there’s a
whole resurgence and revitalization of
the Wildwoods and economic develop-
ment, it’s just gone crazy.”
Oh those wild, wild Wildwood
days. u
6. Real Estate Marketplace Town Focus
Mount Arlington
By Andrea Adams
Marketing Staff | The Star-Ledger
M
ount Arlington, once a bus-
tling Summer resort and then
a quiet bedroom community,
is slowly waking from its long sleep.
New retail establishments and residen-
tial growth have brought this pretty
Morris County lake community into the
spotlight once again.
Around the mid-1880s, wealthy
New Yorkers began flocking to Mount
Arlington, building grand mansions as
their Summer “cottage” retreats. Many
of these beautiful Victorian homes still
stand and are listed on the National
Register of Historic Places.
“(The town) was a resort, a
playground for rich people,” explains
Virginia Rooney, town historian and a
resident since 1945. “It was a resort
until the early ’40s, when the houses
started to be year-round instead of
bungalows for rent. In 1948, the largest
hotel burned to the ground.”
In the 1920s, Bertrand Island Amuse-
ment Park—it’s not really an island—
opened on an arm of land that jetted
out into Lake Hopatcong.
“When anybody came, the first place
you headed to entertain your guests
was Bertrand Island Amusement Park,”
Rooney says.
With its wooden roller coaster,
aeroplane swing, dance hall, picnic
groves, bathing beach and more, the
park was one of New Jersey’s most
popular attractions for many decades.
Suzanne Boizot, who lived in nearby
Nolan’s Point during the park’s heyday,
has fond memories of her frequent
visits to Bertrand Island.
“The original merry-go-round was
beautiful, with its hand-painted horses.
Along the water, there were booths
with games; there was a wheel where
you could win live parakeets,” she
recalls.
The Lost River was one of the
earliest log flume rides. Riders drifted
in boats through a dark tunnel, then
splashed down a hill at the end of
the ride. The ride was popular among
young couples in search of a little
romance. “I had my first kiss in The Lost
River,” Boizot says.
“The shooty-shoots—that was
something, too,” adds Boizot’s mother,
Helen, referring to the old wooden
roller coaster. As riders descended from
the highest point of the rickety ride,
it looked as though they were headed
straight into the lake. The Boomerang
and the Whip were other favorite rides
at the park.
“That was a pretty good place,” says
Helen’s husband, Joe. “We went there
quite a bit.”
The construction of mega-amuse-
ments parks eventually led to the
closing of the relatively small and aging
Bertrand Island Amusement Park in
1983. Until recently, the land sat
vacant, overgrown with weeds and
debris left after the park was torn
down. Luxury townhomes are rising
there now, some of which, no doubt,
are being purchased as Summer
retreats by wealthy New Yorkers who
have discovered the borough’s quiet
charm, just as those before them did
two centuries ago.
“Mount Arlington is beautiful; it’s a
wonderful place to live,” Rooney says.
“It’s one of the best places to raise
children, and I’ve always said that over
the years.”
Mount Arlington spans 2.9 square
miles in western Morris County. It is one
of four municipalities that borders Lake
Hopatcong, New Jersey’s largest fresh-
water lake and the source of much en-
joyment year-round. In warm-weather
months, boating, swimming and fishing
are popular pastimes; when the lake
freezes in the Winter, ice-skaters and
snow mobiles share the ice.
About three-quarters of the bor-
ough is hugged by Roxbury Township,
but along its western border is Lake
Hopatcong. To the north and northwest
is Jefferson Township and Hopatcong,
respectively. Its approximately 4,700
residents enjoy quick access to I-80,
Route 10 and Route 46, and are about
60 minutes from New York City dur-
ing non-peak travel time. NJ Transit
rail service is available from stations in
nearby Landing or Dover, about 15 min-
utes away. A new 235-space Park-and-
Ride lot off I-80 on Howard Boulevard
opened last April to connect commut-
ers with Lakeland busses that travel to
New York and encourage car-pooling.
About two years from now, phase two
of this project will include space for
735 cars and a train station linked to NJ
Transit’s Midtown Direct line.
Though Mount Arlington lacks a
traditional town center, Mount Arling-
ton Plaza Mall on Howard Boulevard
has become a retail hub. It features a
QuickChek, a pizza parlor, a Chinese
restaurant, a gym, a hair salon, a
martial arts school, a real estate office,
a day-care center, a dry cleaners, a
tanning salon and more. Other small
conveniences stores, a few eateries and
a supermarket can be found in neigh-
boring Hopatcong.
In adjacent Roxbury, retail choices
abound. Further down Howard Bou-
levard, there is BJ’s Wholesale Club.
The Ledgewood Mall features Wal-
Mart, Barnes & Noble, Marshalls,
Macy’s, Circuit City, Men’s Wearhouse
and more. There’s also Home Depot,
ShopRite, Linens-N-Things, Staples and
Walgreen’s.
The closest major shopping mall is
Rockaway Townsquare, about 10 min-
utes away.
When it comes to dining out, Mount
Arlington residents have plenty of
choices both in and around town.
Within the borough, Davy’s Restaurant
is well-known for its delicious hotdogs,
and Pub 199—a locale watering hole
that was built three decades ago by
Rooney’s late husband and former town
mayor Robert Rooney—is the place to
go for lobster specials and good con-
versation. Nearby, family favorites like
Cracker Barrel, Red Lobster, Outback
Steakhouse and Ruby Tuesday are
7. always packed. After dinner, Cinema
10 is a popular place to catch a movie,
then afterward, many indulge in a
sweet treat from Cliff’s Ice Cream.
Mount Arlington boasts several rec-
reational areas and facilities throughout
town, including tennis and handball
courts; a basketball court; a playground;
a baseball and soccer field; a beach,
volleyball court and roller rink site; Me-
morial Park and gazebo; as well as the
Senior Citizen & Civic Center, a rustic
log cabin befitting its lakeview environ-
ment. Members of the Senior Citizen’s
Club enjoy monthly trips, educational
and recreational programs, and refresh-
ments and games after their regular
meetings. Activities planned by the
Mount Arlington Recreation Commis-
sion include women’s volleyball, soccer,
tennis, cheerleading, basketball and
T-ball.
In nearby Landing, Hopatcong State
Park lies at the southwest end of Lake
Hopatcong and is a popular spot for
fishing, picnicking, boating and swim-
ming. Facilities include sand volleyball,
a soccer field, a playground and a bas-
ketball court. In the Wintertime, those
who brave the cold enjoy ice sailing,
sledding, ice fishing and more.
In addition to providing an active,
year-round lifestyle, Mount Arlington
boasts a challenging academic program
for its children.
The Mount Arlington School District
include the Edith M. Decker and Mount
Arlington schools for kindergarten
through grade 8. Students in grades 9
through 12 attend Roxbury High School,
which educated 1,457 students during
the 2001-02 school year. The average
class size was 21, and the student-to-
teacher ratio was 11.4-to-1. Students
who took the SAT earned an average
score of 1,037, above the state aver-
age (1,009). Eighty-eight percent of
graduating seniors planned to continue
their education at two- and four-year
colleges and universities. u
8. Real Estate Marketplace Town Focus
Hoboken
By Andrea Adams
Marketing Staff | The Star-Ledger
W
hile urban areas such as Perth
Amboy and Long Branch are
just entering their renais-
sance, Hudson County’s Hoboken has
already turned the corner, so to speak.
While development of new residential
and retail buildings continues, Hoboken
is a vibrant and dynamic community of
neighborhoods featuring the best of its
past along with modern amenities.
“The artists’ community in the late
1970s is what really drove the renais-
sance of Hoboken,” says Mayor David
Roberts. Affordable loft spaces created
within the former Levelor window
blinds factory drew many creative peo-
ple to the northwest section of the city,
and Hoboken quickly became known
a center for arts and culture—a place
where emerging artists could hone
their skills in a supportive environment.
Today, Metro Village Development is
building a mixed-use, transit-based
community of condominiums and busi-
nesses centered around the old factory,
known as Monroe Center for the Arts.
Ground has been broken on the first
new building.
“The developer has a big site, so
they’re going to be building up around
the existing building,” explains Roberts.
“The owner of Monroe Center is com-
mitted to keeping the loft spaces there
for the artists.” July 12, a new upscale
restaurant called Shades of Hoboken—a
play on the building’s factory past—
will open on the ground floor of Metro
Center. Featuring “American fare with
international flair,” it will be one of few
restaurants in New Jersey to offer Certi-
fied Kobe Beef. Other restaurants, retail
and open space will follow, revitalizing
this once desolate area of the city. In
addition, a new NJ Transit Light Rail
station adjacent to Metro Center now
makes it easier for the public to interact
with the artists’ community, participat-
ing in events like “Artists’ Open Studio
Days,” which invites visitors to the stu-
dios of photographers, painters, fabric
designers, jewelers, quilters and more.
Another major construction project
in Hoboken is The W Hotel, which is
under way and scheduled to open in
Fall 2007.
“The hotel is going to mean a lot to
the business community,” says Rob-
erts. “John Wiley & Sons and Marsh &
McLellan are right next to it, so it will
be an asset for them. It also will help
Hoboken as a tourist destination. All
the restaurants and taverns and cafes
will benefit, too.”
John Wiley & Sons and Marsh &
McLellan account for a workforce of
approximately 3,000 people who have
helped turn the city into a bustling
community morning through night.
About 20 years ago, Hoboken was a
ghost town during the day; restaurants
weren’t open for lunch.
“Today, you can go out and see
moms with strollers. You can go to
Johnny Rockets and it’s filled with kids.
The restaurants are open for lunch,”
Roberts says. “I think the driving force
behind this is Wiley and Marsh &
McLellan’s workforce, who maybe don’t
want to go to the corporate cafeteria
but want to go to the Black Bear Cafe
or different restaurants downtown.
They’ve helped rejuvenate the com-
munity a lot. The hotel will really help,
too.”
In its infancy, the 1.3-square-mile
City of Hoboken thrived as a center for
transportation and commercial enter-
prise, thanks to its proximity to New
York City and the Hudson River. Many of
the immigrants who arrived at the piers
of Hoboken made the city their home,
finding work in one of the manufactur-
ing plants or forming their own small
businesses. Dutch farmers were the
earliest settlers, followed by Germans
and later Italians and Irish, and Puerto
Ricans in the 1960s.
The primary industry during Hobo-
ken’s days as an industrial capital was
shipbuilding, but at various times, the
city was home to household names like
Lipton Tea, Maxwell House coffee and
Hostess, as well as Levelor. The Tootsie
Roll, slide rule, zipper, Oreo cookie
and ice cream cone all originated in
Hoboken. The city was the birthplace
of baseball and Frank Sinatra, as well
as the site of the first brewery in the
United States and the first Blimpie’s
restaurant. Visitors can learn about
these firsts, as well as the comprehen-
sive history of the city, at the Hoboken
Historical Museum.
The industrial decline began during
World War I and Hoboken became
something of a post-industrial waste-
land through the 1950s and ’60s. It
wasn’t until the late 1970s that artists
and Manhattan-bound commuters
began to show interest in Hoboken and
its generous stock of affordable brown-
stones and townhomes.
Today, Hoboken, which is home to
almost 40,000 people, has transformed
itself into a vibrant, close-knit com-
munity that’s renowned for the unique
shops, professional services and excel-
lent ethnic restaurants and that line
the main thoroughfare of Washington
Street. There’s something to please
every palate, with fare ranging from
Italian, Japanese, Greek and French, to
Portuguese, Mexican and Mongolian
barbecue. The many choices are a true
reflection of the city’s diverse ethnic
make-up.
Though Hoboken has become well-
known as a center for arts, culture and
recreation, as well as a hip, convenient
place for young working professionals
to live, it more recently is being recog-
nized by young couples as a great place
to raise a family, and by Baby Boomers
looking for a change of lifestyle after
their children have grown and left the
suburban nest.
“New two- and three-bedroom
apartments make it feasible for families
to live here now,” Roberts says.
The Hoboken landscape also includes
classic brownstones, brick-faced roads,
and restored wrought iron and antique-
replica streetlights—architecture similar
9. to New York’s Greenwich Village. Its
compactness and historic street grid
often make it easier to navigate the city
by foot rather than car. It only takes
about 20 minutes to walk from one
end of the city to the other, so Hobo-
ken residents are never far from food
markets, dry cleaners, delis and coffee
shops for everyday conveniences.
“It’s a very walkable community,”
Roberts says. “It’s got a lot of stores,
vibrant street life and it’s convenient if
you work in Mantattan.”
From Hoboken, residents can reach
Manhattan in about 15 to 20 minutes
by train, bus or ferry. Drivers have
quick access to the New Jersey Turn-
pike, Route 3, I-78 and Routes 1 and 9.
In addition, the Hudson Bergen Light
Rail provides transportation between
Bayonne, Jersey City and Hoboken, and
a short PATH ride takes shoppers to the
nearest large-scale shopping center,
Newport Centre in Jersey City. Other
nearby shopping destinations include
Harmon Cove outlets and The Mall at
Mill Creek, both in Secaucus; Bergen-
line Avenue—the “Miracle Mile of
Shopping”—which runs through West
New York and Union City; The Shops
at Lincoln Harbor in Weehawken; and
Hudson Mall in Jersey City.
Artists, musicians and entertainers
are drawn to Hoboken’s energy. Their
performances and exhibits, combined
with a schedule of festivals and parades
throughout the year, draw thousands
of visitors each year. The town’s many
pubs also make the city a popular
destination for those in search of lively
nightlife. In short, Hoboken is a fun
place to be, no matter your age or
interests.
“Summer is an especially great time
to be a part of the Hoboken scene,
with its outdoor dining, sidewalk cafes,
waterfront views and many outdoor
activities. Pier A Park boasts a great
lawn and views of New York, making
it the perfect setting for the Movies
Under the Stars Summer series
Upcoming screenings include
“Crash,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “March
of the Penguins” and “King Kong.” An-
other popular Summer series is Hudson
Shakespeare Company’s Shakespeare in
the Park. This month’s presentation is
“Pericles.”
The mayor’s “Summer Fun in the
City” program also includes Concerts
in the Park, cultural festivals, and
camp and activities for kids. There’s a
skateboard clinic, fencing instruction,
karate camp, instructional chess, Hip
Hop Dance Academy and much more.
Exercise in the Park gets adults ener-
gized with a women’s self-defense class,
cardio workouts and yoga.
In addition to planned events,
Hoboken residents can enjoy the city’s
sites on their own, especially the parks
and riverfront views—the 14th Street
Pier along the Hudson offers a beauti-
ful view of Manhattan. Dog owners and
their pets can socialize at the Church
Square Park and Elysian Park dog runs.
Columbus Park has tennis courts, a
children’s park and a football field at J.F.
Kennedy Stadium. Frank Sinatra Park
features a soccer field, a running track,
a waterfront walkway and an amphi-
theater.
As part of the mayor’s commitment
to creating 17 acres of open space
around the city, the purchase of more
than 2 acres at 1600 Park Ave. along
the river was funded by the City of
Hoboken, Hudson County and the state.
In addition, construction of Pier C is
scheduled to begin this Fall. The new
park will feature a boating and fishing
pier, a sand volleyball court, a play area,
a promenade and a rookery for birds.
Hoboken’s abundance of recreation
is certainly a big draw for couples with
young children, and the improved pub-
lic school system is another reason the
city has become more family-friendly.
The public school district has three
elementary schools serving preschool-
ers to fifth-graders, two middle schools
for grades 6, 7 and 8, and a high school.
Hoboken High operates under the
“house structure,” whereby each grade
is staffed by an administrator, guidance
counselor, disciplinarian and two clerks.
This system is designed to maximize the
staff’s ability to develop the potential of
every student.
Hoboken High offers a well-rounded
academic program, with interesting
electives such as creative writing, film
study, forensics, TV/media production,
women in society and computer graph-
ics. The Theatre Arts Program has won
numerous awards, including “Outstand-
ing Production of a Musical” by the
Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards
Program.
Complementing the academic
program are more than 26 athletic
teams for boys and girls, plus other
extracurricular activities, such as Math
Team, Sierra Club, Literary Magazine
and Serve America Club. Last year,
Hoboken High became one of the first
schools in the country to receive its
own fully equipped ambulance. It is
primarily used for training the stu-
dent emergency response team (ERT),
which was found in the wake of Sept.
11. ERT students receive more than 50
hours of training and mentoring from
the American Red Cross, the Hoboken
Volunteer Ambulance Corps and staff at
St. Mary Hospital, after which they are
awarded first responder certification
with endorsements for CPR proficiency
from the Red Cross. The ERT Club is ex-
panding into a full Emergency Medical
Technician (EMT) training program.
During the 2004-05 school year,
Hoboken High had a student enroll-
ment of 618. The average class size was
16.3, and the student-to-teacher ratio
was 8.6-to-1. About 44 percent of the
faculty and staff held advanced degrees,
and 49 percent of graduating seniors
planned to continue their education
at two- and four-year colleges and
universities. Approximately 32 percent
entered the workforce full-time.
Other educational opportunities
include The Hoboken Charter School
and the Elysian Charter School, which
are publicly funded but operated by
parents. Hoboken also is home to many
highly rated private schools, as well as
Stevens Institute of Technology, one of
the leading technological universities in
the country. u