When the U.S. Census Bureau released its reports 10 years ago, Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner believed that there was something wrong from the outset.
“I never felt that the 1990 Census was accurate,” Turner said. “The whole county received an undercount. We were all shortchanged for 10 years.”
Turner became incensed when the 1990 Census stated that there apparently were 500 vacant housing units in the township.
“I don’t know where that figure came from,” Turner said. “But it definitely hurt us and cost us a lot of state and federal aid. It’s hard to equate exactly how much it cost us, but just in CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funds, I’d say about $100,000 per year. Over 10 years, that’s $1 million and that’s a significant amount.” Added Turner, “We didn’t add any new housing projects at that time. There was the second phase of Riva Pointe and that added 90 units. And then there was the last phase of Gregory Commons and that was 50 units. That was it. There was no new housing anywhere else. Where the 500 units came from is beyond me, but it hurt us.”
So when the time came for Weehawken to fill out its census forms again last year, it was time for everyone to stand up and be counted. The township made a collective effort to insure that every household was properly tallied.
“We all got involved, got out and made the push to have every resident properly fill out the Census forms,” Turner said. “We knew it was going to take a team effort and we all worked hard to make sure it was done.” Last week, the U.S. Census Bureau released its figures for the 2000 Census, Turner expected to hear good news, which he did.
According to the census figures, Weehawken’s population increased to 13,501, up from 12,385 counted in 1980, an increase of 1,116 residents that Turner firmly believes was residing in the town all along.
Like all of Hudson County’s municipalities (except for Hoboken), there was an increase in the Hispanic population of the township, from 5,132 in 1990 to 5,487 last year. Nearly 32 percent of the township’s growth can be directly attributed to the Hispanic population.
While the township’s Hispanic population grew, the general white population dropped a bit, from 10,337 in 1990 to 9,862 last year.
Weehawken also saw a dramatic growth in the both the Asian/Pacific Islander and Other categories. The Asian population increased from 334 to 644, almost double the amount from 1990, while the Other category rose to 1,882 from 1,127 in 1990.
Again, these are all just statistics in the eyes of Turner, who firmly believes that the latest Census figures are just a reaffirmation of the 1980 Census figures – numbers that he always maintained were more accurate.
“In reality, we have had a very stable population over the last 20 years,” Turner said. “No question, the 1980 Census and the 2000 Census were more accurate counts. The preliminary demographic data proves that there hasn’t been much change in that time, that the indications prove that the town has stayed almost completely status quo. That’s what we pride ourselves on, having a stable community. We have people who love living in Weehawken and don’t choose to leave. I think these figures are a very good estimate of how many people we truly have and it’s a good indication that the people we have want to stay.”
Turner credited the Census Bureau for a job well done.
“My hat goes off to the Census takers for being very effective,” Turner said. “I think the advancement in technology also went a long way to help secure a more accurate account. They also were more thorough this year and went back to insure that they didn’t miss anything and that the count was correct.”
Hudson County Executive Robert Janiszewski was also pleased with the results.
“I think it is a tremendous leap forward,” Janiszewski said. “We all had a serious undercount 10 years ago and frankly, I was anticipating another failure. But this is good news for all of Hudson County, although I still believe that there is an undercount.”
The census figures could project to more state and federal aid for Weehawken and all of Hudson County. However…
“Just when we get the count back up to where it’s supposed to be, the people in Washington are becoming more conservative with their funding,” Turner said. “Now, they want to give the money back to the taxpayer instead of the municipalities. It’s not the right philosophical time.”
However, Turner is encouraged by the figures, which will only increase by the 2010 Census, thanks to the expansive Roseland Properties multi-million dollar waterfront development on line to be built – and perhaps completed – by the next census.