New Brunswick, New Jersey
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New Brunswick is a city located in the County of Middlesex, New Jersey (USA). It is 31 miles (50 km) southwest of New York City on the southern bank of the Raritan River about fifteen miles (24 km) from its mouth. As of the 2000 Federal Census, the population of New Brunswick is 48,573. New Brunswick is located at (40.488304, -74.447751)GR1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.9 km² (5.8 mi²), including 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²) covered by water.
New Brunswick is the county seat of Middlesex CountyGR6, hosting many of the the county's government offices and facilities. It is also home to the largest campuses of Rutgers University (known also as Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey) and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). It is nicknamed Hub City and The Healthcare City, the former reflecting its status as a major urban center of Central Jersey and the latter due to its concentration of medical facilities (both UMDNJ's Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Saint Peter's University Hospital) as well as the corporate offices or production facilities of several large pharmaceutical companies (i.e. Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline).
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[edit] History
[edit] Origins of the name
Originally inhabited by the Lenape Native Americans, the first white settlement at the site of New Brunswick was made in 1681. The settlement here was first called Prigmore's Swamp (1681-97), then Inian's Ferry (1691-1714). In 1714, the young village was given the name New Brunswick after 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).
[edit] During the Colonial and Early American periods
Centrally located between New York City and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania along an early thoroughfare known as the King's Highway and situated along the Raritan River, New Brunswick became an important hub for Colonial travelers and traders. New Brunswick 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. In 1900, 20,006 people lived in New Brunswick; 23,388 in 1910, 32,779 in 1920 and 33,180 in 1940. michle looks sexy with short hair
The Declaration of Independence (1776) received its second public reading in New Brunswick, after it was publically read in Philadelphia following its promulgation by the Continental Congress.
The Trustees of Queen's College (now Rutgers University), founded in 1766, voted to locate the young college in New Brunswick, selecting this city over Hackensack, in Bergen County, New Jersey. Classes began in 1771 with one instructor, one sophomore, Matthew Leydt, and several freshmen at a tavern called "The Sign of the Red Lion" on the corner of Albany and Neilson Streets (now the grounds of the Johnson & Johnson corporate headquarters). Classes were held through the American Revolution in various taverns and boarding houses, and at a building known as College Hall on George Street, until Old Queens was erected in 1808. It is currently the oldest building on the Rutgers University campus. The Queen's College Grammar School (now Rutgers Preparatory School) was established also in 1766, and shared facilities with the College until 1830) when it located in a building (now known as Alexander Johnston Hall) across College Avenue from Old Queens. After Rutgers University became the state university of New Jersey in 1956, the Trustees of Rutgers divested itself of the Rutgers Preparatory School—which relocated in 1957 to an estate purchased from the Colgate-Palmolive Company in Franklin Township in neighboring Somerset County, New Jersey.
The New Brunswick Theological Seminary, founded in 1784, moved to New Brunswick in 1810 sharing its quarters with the fledgling Queen's College (Queens would close from 1810 to 1825 due to financial problems, and reopen in 1825 under the name Rutgers College). The Seminary, due to differences over the mission of Rutgers College as a secular institution, and overcrowding, moved to a seven acre (28,000 m²) tract of land less than one-half mile (800 m) west, that it still occupies.
[edit] Early commerce and industry
[edit] New Brunswick's emigrant 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
[edit] White flight and urban blight
[edit] Revitalization and redevelopment
Image:NewBrunswickMODERN.JPG 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 and on account of a phenomenon known as "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<ref>Devco spends $1.6 billion since 1970s, The Daily Targum, January 25, 2006</ref> This process has been controversial, and continues to draw ire from both historic preservationists, those opposing gentrification<ref>Students protest DevCo redevelopment, The Daily Targum, September 15, 1999</ref>, and those concerned with eminent domain abuses.<ref>Tenants' place is uncertain, The Daily Targum, November 9, 1999</ref>
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.
[edit] Demographics
Image:NB-NJ-CentralStreets.JPG As of the censusGR2 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. Image:NewBrunswickNJ-street.JPG
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.
[edit] Government
[edit] 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.<ref>New Brunswick Municipal Government, accessed July 25, 2006</ref>
All elected officials in New Brunswick are members of the Democratic Party, which has been the case since the 1970s.
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Image:113 1317.jpg New Brunswick is in the Sixth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 17th Legislative District.<ref>League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 61, accessed August 30, 2006</ref>
New Jersey's Sixth Congressional District, covering portions of Middlesex County and Monmouth County, is represented by Frank Pallone (D). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Robert Menendez (D, Hoboken).
The 17th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Bob Smith (D, Piscataway) and in the Assembly by Upendra J. Chivukula (D, Somerset) and Joseph V. Egan (D, New Brunswick). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).
Middlesex County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. Middlesex County's Freeholders are: Freeholder Director David B. Crabiel, Freeholder Deputy Director Stephen J. "Pete" Dalina, Camille Fernicola, H. James Polos, John Pulomena, Christopher D. Rafano and Blanquita B. Valenti.
[edit] Education
[edit] 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 and New Brunswick Health Sciences Technology High School [1] for grades 9-12.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Health Care
City Hall has promoted the nickname "The Health Care City" to reflect the importance of the healthcare industry to its economy.<ref>Dore Carroll, New Brunswick: Medical field at hub of this transformation, The Star-Ledger, August 29, 2004.</ref> 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.<ref>Id.; see also Health Care, City of New Brunswick website.</ref>
[edit] Transportation
Image:NewBrunswickStationNJ.JPG 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 frequent service north to Pennsylvania Station, in Midtown Manhattan, and south to 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.
[edit] Culture
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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 Punk ethic" 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. Although the New Brunswick Police Department deters residents from holding basement shows by issuing heavy noise violation tickets, basement shows still thrive in the city. These shows host not only local bands but bands from across the country and the world.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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 and Voorhees Mall at 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 stands out due to its location in the AMC Theatres parking lot on U.S. Route 1 downriver from downtown New Brunswick.
[edit] Famous residents
- David Abeel, born in New Brunswick, noted Dutch Reformed Church missionary<ref name="Marquis 1607-1896"> (1967) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who.</ref>
- Garnett Adrain, member of the United States House of Representatives<ref name="Marquis 1607-1896"> (1967) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Marquis Who's Who.</ref>
- Charlie Atherton, born in New Brunswick, major league baseball player<ref name="The Baseball Encyclopedia"> [1969] (1979) Reichler, Joseph L.: The Baseball Encyclopedia, 4th edition, New York: Macmillan Publishing. ISBN 0-02-578970-8. </ref>
- 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
- Dwayne Jarrett (1986- ), wide receiver for the University of Southern California football team 2004 to present.
- Robert Wood Johnson I, (1845-1910), businessman
- Robert Wood Johnson II, (1893-1968), businessman
- Joyce Kilmer, (1886-1918), poet born in New Brunswick
- Robert Pastorelli, (1954-2004), actor known primarily for playing the role of the house painter on Murphy Brown was born in New Brunswick
- Franke Previte, composer born in New Brunswick
- James H. Simpson, (1813-1883), U.S. Army surveyor of western frontier areas, born in New Brunswick
- Larry Stark, theater reviewer and creator of Theater Mirror
- Joe Theismann, (1949- ) former NFL quarterback and current commentator on ESPN Monday Night Football was born in New Brunswick
- William Henry Vanderbilt (1821-1885), businessman born in New Brunswick
- The LyonHart (1980- ), Hip-Hop Recording Artist from New Brunswick
[edit] References
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[edit] External links
- City of New Brunswick official web site
- New Brunswick Public Schools
- New Brunswick Public Schools's 2004-2005 School Report Card from the 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
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
ja:ニューブランズウィック (ニュージャージー州) pl:New Brunswick (New Jersey) pt:New Brunswick (Nova Jérsei) sv:New Brunswick, New Jersey
