New Brunswick, New Jersey
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City seal of New Brunswick |
New Brunswick (German: "Neu
Braunschweig") is a
city in
Middlesex County,
New Jersey, 31 miles (50 km) southwest of
New York City on the
Raritan River about 15 miles (24 km) from its mouth. In 1900, 20,006 people lived in New Brunswick, New Jersey; 23,388 in 1910, 32,779 in 1920 and 33,180 in 1940. As of the
United States 2000 Census, the city population was 48,573. It is the
county seat of
Middlesex County.
New Brunswick is located at (40.488304, -74.447751).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.9
km² (5.8
mi²). 13.5 km² (5.2 mi²) of it is land and 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (9.04%) is water.
As of the
census of 2000, there were 48,573 people, 13,057 households, and 7,207 families residing in the city. The
population density was 3,585.9/km² (9,293.5/mi²). There were 13,893 housing units at an average density of 1,025.6/km² (2,658.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 48.79%
White, 23.03%
African American, 0.46%
Native American, 5.32%
Asian, 0.08%
Pacific Islander, 18.08% from
other races, and 4.24% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 39.01% of the population.
There were 13,057 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.6% were
married couples living together, 18.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.8% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.23 and the average family size was 3.69.
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New Brunswick street scene |
In the city the population was spread out with 20.1% under the age of 18, 34.0% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 11.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males. The high proportion of 18-24 year olds is due to
Rutgers University being in the city's midst.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,080, and the median income for a family was $38,222. Males had a median income of $25,657 versus $23,604 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $14,308. About 16.9% of families and 27.0% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 25.9% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.
Local government
The City of New Brunswick is governed under the
Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) system of municipal government.
As the legislative body of New Brunswick's municipal government, the City Council is responsible for approving the annual budget, ordinances and resolutions, contracts, and appointments to boards and commissions. The City Council has five members elected at large to staggered four-year terms. The Council President, elected to a 2-year term by the Council presides over all meetings.
Jim Cahill is the 62nd
Mayor of New Brunswick. He was sworn in as Mayor on
January 1,
1991, and has served continuously since.
City Council Members are Council President
Robert Recine, Council Vice President
Elizabeth Sheehan Garlatti,
Jimmie L. Cook, Jr.,
Joseph V. Egan and
Blanquita Valenti[New Brunswick Municipal Government, accessed July 25, 2006].
Federal, state and county representation
New Brunswick is in the Sixth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 17th Legislative District.
Originally inhabited by the
Lenape Native Americans, the first settlement was made in 1681 by immigrants from Europe. The place was first called Prigmore's Swamp, (1681-97), then Inian's Ferry, (1691-1714), and finally New Brunswick in honor of the
House of Brunswick. Centrally located between
New York City and
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and situated along the
Raritan River, New Brunswick became an important hub for Colonial travelers and traders. It was incorporated as a town in 1736 and chartered as a city in 1784. During the
American Revolutionary War it was occupied by the
British in the winter of 1776-1777.
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Much of Downtown New Brunswick's built environment is a result of urban renewal projects. |
New Brunswick contains a number of important examples of
urban renewal in the United States. In the mid to late 20th century, the downtown area became
blighted as
middle class residents moved to newer
suburbs surrounding the city. Beginning in 1975,
Rutgers University,
Johnson & Johnson, and the local government collaborated through the
New Jersey Economic Development Authority to form the New Brunswick Development Company (DevCo), spending 1.6 billion dollars with the goal of revitalizing the city center and redeveloping neighborhoods considered to be blighted and dangerous.[
1] This process has been controversial, and continues to draw ire from both
historic preservationists, those opposing
gentrification[
2], and those concerned with
eminent domain abuses[
3].
New Brunswick continues to undergo constant redevelopment, adding restaurants and cultural outlets that draw people from miles away. New Brunswick has also become a desirable location for upper income commuters to live, as new luxury housing is built throughout downtown. Major employment centers such as
Newark, New Jersey (30 minutes) and
New York City (50 minutes) are easily accessible from New Brunswick by train.
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New Brunswick's NJ Transit train station |
New Brunswick lies on the
Amtrak's
Northeast Corridor rail line, which serves the Northeastern U.S. from
Washington, D.C. to
Boston. Both Amtrak and
New Jersey Transit trains stop at its
railway station. Numerous New Jersey Transit trains provide local service to/from
New York City and
Trenton from New Brunswick.
New Brunswick also lies at the crossroads of a number of major roads, including the
New Jersey Turnpike (I-95),
U.S. Route 1,
Route 18 and
Route 27.
Local bus service is provided by New Jersey Transit, with free campus-wide busing provided by
Rutgers University.
Also note-worthy is
New Brunswick's bicycle community, which includes a bicycle co-op and tool collective.
Today, New Brunswick is the cultural hub of
central New Jersey, which is why it is sometimes referred to as the "Hub City".
Theatre
Several thriving professional theaters are located there, including Crossroads, the George Street Playhouse, and the
State Theater. Those three theaters are located on Livingston Avenue, not George Street, and they are practically next to each other. New Brunswick is also home to American Repertory Ballet and its Princeton Ballet School.
Museums
New Brunswick is home to several fine museums including the
Zimmerli Museum of Fine Art at Rutgers University,
Albus Cavus Art Gallery, the Rutgers University Geology Museum and the New Jersey Agricultural Museum at the Cook College campus of Rutgers University.
Higher Education
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Rutgers Campuses as spread through New Brunswick |
*Home of
Rutgers University, New Brunswick enjoys the fruits of a close proximity to a thriving college scene including sports, concerts, plays and other events. Rutgers splatters all over the city and neighboring
Piscataway, with a campus along College Avenue by the old
Pennsylvania Railroad (now
Amtrak) tracks, another campus on the other side of downtown that houses Douglass and Cook colleges, and several isolated buildings in between the two, along with vast lands in Piscataway. Two schools, the
Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and the Mason Gross School of the Arts, belong to Rutgers as well, and they are next to the three theaters mentioned above.
*New Brunswick is the home to the
New Brunswick Theological Seminary, a seminary of the
Reformed Church in America, founded in 1784.
*
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, part of the
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, is located in New Brunswick and Piscataway.
Restaurants
New Brunswick is filled with an abundance of diverse fine restaurants including Nouvelle American, Italian, Indian, Ethiopian, Thai and Chinese. Popular fine dining restaurants include Stage Left, The Frog and The Peach, Clydz, Makeda's, and Soho on George. (Another popular restaurant is Old Man Rafferty's [
4], which is on Albany St.) While many of the downtown fast-food establishments close after about 6 to 8 pm, those on Easton Avenue are open well into the night. There are Indian restaurants, Chinese restaurants, and numerous bars that are also open relatively late,including a brew pub. Some of the most famous are
Dolls Place, Tumulty's Pub, Olde Queens Tavern, Stuff Yer Face, Marita's Cantina, Harvest Moon Brew Pub and Thinisu [
5]. A vigorous local music scene is also present with live bands appearing at the Court Tavern, Old Bay, Nova Terra, Tumulty's and other locations.
Music
In addition to live bands at bars, New Brunswick has been a center of local
punk rock and underground music, a scene that thrives on quasi-legal live shows in residential basements. Many bands who developed their fan base through such shows have gone on to national and even international acclaim. Early influential bands of the New Brunswick basement punk scene include
the Bouncing Souls,
Midtown,
Lifetime,
Thursday, and
Sticks & Stones. Many of these bands were either stridently socio-political in their messages or at least independently minded, bound together by the "
do it yourself" nature of the scene. Though few of these bands are currently active, it is telling of the nature of the scene that many, if not most shared common members, and these members are by and large still active in local music. The Bouncing Souls' song "Party at 174" refers to the band's old house at 174 Commercial Avenue, and Lifetime's "Theme Song for a New Brunswick Basement Show" memorializes their humble beginnings. Along with
Long Island, New Brunswick has one of the biggest
emo scenes in the country.
*In the movie
"Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle," the main characters attempt to go to the
White Castle in New Brunswick, however find it shuttered. In actuality, the New Brunswick White Castle is operating 24 hours a day and is located at 680 Somerset Street. The movie shuttering of the active fast food restaurant leads the main characters on their journey through New Jersey with wacky hijinks on their quest to find the ubiquitous sliders in
Cherry Hill, which ironically does not actually have a White Castle.
* New Brunswick also pops up in the sci fi romp
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension directed by
W. D. Richter.
*
Buccleuch Mansion in Buccleuch Park*The
Henry Guest House*
Delaware and Raritan Canal*The historic Queen's Campus of Rutgers University
*Birthplace of poet
Joyce Kilmer*Site of
Johnson & Johnson world headquarters
*
Rutgers Gardens*The
Willow Grove Cemetery near downtown
*Grave of
Mary Ellis (1750-1828). This grave is interesting, as it is in a parking lot of the Loew's movie theater on
U.S. Route 1 across the Raritan River from downtown New Brunswick.
*
Garnett Adrain, member of the
United States House of Representatives*
Charlie Atherton, born in New Brunswick,
major league baseball player
[ ]*
Michael Douglas, actor born in New Brunswick
*
Anthony Walton White Evans (1817â€"1886), engineer born in New Brunswick
*All involved in the
Hall-Mills Murder case of the 1920's
*
Mark Helias, (1950- ) jazz bassist
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Adam Hyler, (1735-1782),
Privateer during the
American Revolutionary War*
Jaheim, (1979- ), R&B singer
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Robert Wood Johnson I, (1845-1910), businessman
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Robert Wood Johnson II, (1893-1968), businessman
*
Joyce Kilmer, (1886-1918), poet born in New Brunswick
*
Franke Previte, composer born in New Brunswick
*
William Henry Vanderbilt (1821-1885), businessman born in New Brunswick
*
City of New Brunswick official web site*
New Brunswick Information*
New Brunswick Development Corporation*
Old New Brunswick discussion group at Yahoo*
Historical maps of New Jersey including New Brunswick
