New Brunswick 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 CountyTemplate:GR.
New Brunswick is named for the city of Braunschweig, in state of Lower Saxony, in Germany. Braunschweig was an influential and powerful city in the Hanseatic League, later in the Holy Roman Empire, and was an administrative seat for the Duchy (and later Principality) of Hanover. Shortly after the first settlement of New Brunswick in colonial New Jersey, George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and Elector of Hanover, of the House of Hanover (also known as the House of Brunswick), became King George I of Great Britain (1660-1727). Before receiving its present name in 1714, New Brunswick was known as Prigmore's Swamp and Inian's Ferry.
Geography
New Brunswick is located at 40°29′18″N 74°26′52″W / 40.48833°N 74.44778°WInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (40.488304, -74.447751)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.9 km² (5.8 mi²), with 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²) covered by water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR 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.
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 presence of the university inflates the proportion of the 18-24 population.
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.
Government
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.
The City Council is composed of President Robert Recine, Vice President Elizabeth Sheehan Garlatti, Jimmie L. Cook, Jr., Joseph V. Ega] and Blanquita Valenti[1].
All elected officials in New Brunswick are members of the Democratic Party, which has been the case since the 1970s.
Federal, state and county representation
New Brunswick is in the Sixth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 17th Legislative District[2].
For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 6th congressional district is represented by Frank Pallone (D, Long Branch).[3][4] New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027) and Andy Kim (Moorestown, term ends 2031).[5]
For the 2024-2025 session, the 17th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Bob Smith (D, Piscataway) and in the General Assembly by Joseph Danielsen (D, Franklin Township) and Kevin Egan (D, New Brunswick).[6] Template:NJ Governor
Education
Public Schools
The New Brunswick Public Schools serve students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district include elementary schools (Lincoln, Lincoln Annex, Livingston, McKinleyl, A. Chester Redshaw, Paul Robeson, Paul Robeson Annex, Roosevelt, Lord Stirling and Woodrow Wilson), New Brunswick Middle School, as well as New Brunswick High School [1] and New Brunswick Health Sciences Technology High School [2] for grades 9-12.
Higher education
- Home of Rutgers University, New Brunswick enjoys the fruits of a thriving college scene including sports, concerts, plays and other events. Rutgers' five campuses and various extra buildings sprawl through the city and neighboring Piscataway.
- 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.
History
Originally inhabited by the Lenape Native Americans, the first white settlement was made in 1681; it was first called Prigmore's Swamp (1681-97), then Inian's Ferry, (1691-1714), before settling on 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. It was occupied by the British in the winter of 1776-1777 during the Revolutionary War.
Health Care
City Hall has promoted the nickname "Health Care City" to reflect the importance of the healthcare industry to its economy[7]. The city is home to the world headquarters of Johnson & Johnson, along with several medical teaching and research institutions including Saint Peter's University Hospital, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University's School of Pharmacy, and the Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital[8].
Hungarian community
New Brunswick began attracting a Hungarian immigrant population around the turn of the century. Hungarians were primarily attracted to the city by employment at Johnson & Johnson factories located in the city. Hungarians settled mainly in what today is the second ward.
The immigrant population grew until the end of the early century immigration boom. During the Cold War, the community was revitalized by the decision to house refugees from the failed 1956 Hungarian Revolution at Camp Kilmer, in nearby Edison, New Jersey. Even though the Hungarian population has been largely supplanted by newer immigrants, there continues to be a Hungarian festival in the city held on Somerset Street on the first Saturday of June each year. Many institutions set up by the community remain in the neighborhood, including
- Magyar Reformed Church
- St. Ladislaus Catholic Church
- Hungarian American Athletic Club
- Szechenyi Hungarian Language School
- Hungarian Scout Home
Revitalization and redevelopment
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 due to white flight. 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[9] This process has been controversial, and continues to draw ire from both historic preservationists, those opposing gentrification[10], and those concerned with eminent domain abuses[11].
New Brunswick's process of urban renewal continues, as new luxury housing is built throughout downtown in an attempt to attract commuters to major employment centers such as Newark and New York City to take up residence.
Transportation
New Brunswick is served by Amtrak's Regional and Keystone Service trains along the Northeast Corridor. New Jersey Transit trains on the Northeast Corridor Line provide local service to/from Pennsylvania Station, in Midtown Manhattan, and Trenton. Both Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains stop at the New Brunswick railway station.
New Brunswick also lies at the crossroads 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 Rutgers University campus busing provided by the University.
Also noteworthy is New Brunswick's bicycle community, which includes a bicycle co-op and tool collective.
Culture
Theatre
Three neighboring venues, Crossroads, the George Street Playhouse, and the State Theater, comprise the entirety of the local theatre scene. The State Theatre is also home to the American Repertory Ballet and the Princeton Ballet School.
Museums
New Brunswick is home to the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University, Albus Cavus Art Gallery, the Rutgers University Geology Museum and the New Jersey Agricultural Museum at Cook College.
Restaurants
New Brunswick has a diverse restaurant market including Nouvelle American, Italian, Indian, Ethiopian, Thai and Chinese cuisine. Popular upscale establishments include Stage Left, Old Man Rafferty's, The Frog and The Peach, Clydz, Makeda's, and Soho on George. 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. The main pubs are Dolls Place, Tumulty's Pub, Olde Queens Tavern, Stuff Yer Face, Marita's Cantina and Harvest Moon Brew Pub. 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 such as Hamilton Street and the former Handy Street. 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. 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.
Trivia
- In the movie "Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle," the main characters try to go to the White Castle in New Brunswick, but find it shuttered. In reality, the New Brunswick White Castle is open 24 hours a day at 680 Somerset Street.
- New Brunswick also is referenced in the movie The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension directed by W. D. Richter.
- On April 18, 1872, at New Brunswick, William Cameron Coup developed the system of loading circus equipment and animals on railroad cars from one end and through the train, rather than from the sides. This system would be adopted by other railroad circuses and used through the golden age of railroad circuses and even by the Ringling shows today.
Points of interest
- Albany Street Bridge across the Raritan River to Highland Park
- Buccleuch Mansion in Buccleuch Park
- The Henry Guest House
- Delaware and Raritan Canal
- The historic Old Queens Campus of Rutgers University
- Birthplace of poet Joyce Kilmer
- Kilmer Square, a shopping/commercial complex on Albany Street
- 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.
Famous residents
- David Abeel, born in New Brunswick, noted Dutch Reformed Church missionary[12]
- Garnett Adrain, member of the United States House of Representatives[12]
- Charlie Atherton, born in New Brunswick, major league baseball player[13]
- Michael Douglas, actor born in New Brunswick
- Anthony Walton White Evans (1817–1886), engineer born in New Brunswick
- All involved in the Hall-Mills Murder case of the 1920's
- Mark Helias, (1950- ) jazz bassist
- Adam Hyler, (1735-1782), Privateer during the American Revolutionary War
- Jaheim, (1979- ), R&B singer
- Robert Wood Johnson I, (1845-1910), businessman
- Robert Wood Johnson II, (1893-1968), businessman
- Joyce Kilmer, (1886-1918), poet born in New Brunswick
- Franke Previte, composer born in New Brunswick
- Larry Stark, theater reviewer and creator of Theater Mirror
- William Henry Vanderbilt (1821-1885), businessman born in New Brunswick
References
- ^ New Brunswick Municipal Government, accessed July 25, 2006
- ^ League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 61, accessed August 30, 2006
- ^ Directory of Representatives: New Jersey, United States House of Representatives. Accessed January 3, 2019.
- ^ Biography, Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. Accessed January 3, 2019. "Frank Pallone, Jr., was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, where he grew up and still resides."
- ^ States in the Senate: New Jersey, United States Senate. Accessed January 23, 2025. "Cory A. Booker (D) Hometown: Newark; Andy Kim (D) Hometown: Moorestown"
- ^ Legislative Roster, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 18, 2024.
- ^ Dore Carroll, New Brunswick: Medical field at hub of this transformation, The Star-Ledger, August 29, 2004.
- ^ Id.; see also Health Care, City of New Brunswick website.
- ^ Devco spends $1.6 billion since 1970s, The Daily Targum, January 25, 2006
- ^ Students protest DevCo redevelopment, The Daily Targum, September 15, 1999
- ^ Tenants' place is uncertain, The Daily Targum, November 9, 1999
- ^ a b Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1967. Cite error: The named reference "Marquis 1607-1896" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Reichler, Joseph L., ed. (1979) [1969]. The Baseball Encyclopedia (4th edition ed.). New York: Macmillan Publishing. ISBN 0-02-578970-8.
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External links
- City of New Brunswick official web site
- New Brunswick Public Schools
- School Performance Reports for the New Brunswick Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the New Brunswick Public Schools
- New Brunswick Information
- New Brunswick Development Corporation
- Old New Brunswick discussion group at Yahoo
- Historical maps of New Jersey including New Brunswick