Manville, New Jersey

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Map of Manville in Somerset County
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Map of Manville in Somerset County

Manville is a Borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 10,343. Manville was named after the Johns-Manville Corporation, which maintained a large manufacturing facility in the borough for decades. Many of Manville's residents are of Polish descent, with many businesses and restaurants geared towards the Polish-American community.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Manville is located at 40°32′20″N, 74°35′36″W (40.539003, -74.593450)GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 6.4 km² (2.5 mi²), all land.

Much of Manville is in a low-lying flood plain and is surrounded by rivers and streams on all but the western side which borders neighboring Hillsborough Township by land. The Raritan River winds through the northern section of the borough and is met by the Millstone River which forms the eastern boundary of the borough, where a dam exists at the confluence of the rivers which is used for water intake purposes by New Jersey American Water. The Delaware and Raritan Canal also runs along east side of the Millstone River, just outside the boundary of Manville in nearby Franklin Township. A stream runs along the southern boundary of Manville and crosses Main Street shortly before emptying into the Millstone River just above the flood prone Lost Valley section of the Borough.

Main Street in Manville, New Jersey, with the Watchung Mountains in background
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Main Street in Manville, New Jersey, with the Watchung Mountains in background

[edit] Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 10,343 people, 4,115 households, and 2,757 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,610.3/km² (4,167.5/mi²). There were 4,296 housing units at an average density of 668.8/km² (1,731.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 95.99% White, 0.45% African American, 0.07% Native American, 1.31% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.14% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.40% of the population.

There were 4,115 households out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the borough the population was spread out with 20.7% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $51,258, and the median income for a family was $61,151. Males had a median income of $40,902 versus $32,030 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $23,293. About 2.1% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

[edit] Local government

The Mayor of Manville is Angelo Corradino.

[edit] Federal, state and county representation

Manville is in the Seventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 16th Legislative District.[1]

New Jersey's Seventh Congressional District, covering portions of Hunterdon County, Middlesex County, Somerset County and Union County, is represented by Mike Ferguson (R). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Robert Menendez (D, Hoboken).

The 16th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Walter Kavanaugh (R, Somerville) and in the Assembly by Christopher Bateman (R, Somerville) and Peter J. Biondi (R, Somerville). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).

Somerset County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. Somerset County's Freeholders are: Freeholder Director Rick Fontana, Freeholder Deputy Director Ken Scherer, Denise Coyle, Peter S. Palmer and Robert Zaborowski.

[edit] Education

The Manville School District serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district are Weston Elementary School (K-3), Roosevelt Elementary School (4&5), Alexander Batcho Intermediate School (6-8) and Manville High School [1] (9-12).

[edit] Redevelopment

While known for decades as the host community for a large manufacturing facility (Johns-Manville Corporation) that utilized asbestos in its manufacturing processes, Manville has begun to leave behind its industrial past and the lingering asbestos pollution that was a legacy of the manufacturing that took place in the borough. The asbestos dumps have been removed or capped in compliance with environmental laws, and the former manufacturing land has been redeveloped into a large movie theater complex known as Reading Cinemas, a medium-sized retail outlet with a Wal-Mart anchor store and a used car wholesale auction company called ADESA New Jersey. Main Street in Manville is once again lively and a place people from all around come for entertainment, dining and shopping.

Other areas of the borough are also undergoing redevelopment as a Federal Superfund project called The Federal Creosote Site is cleaned up by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Superfund cleanup project is ongoing in a 35-acre residential section of town called Claremont Development. The Superfund cleanup project is currently getting underway along Main Street, along the southern end the commercial district, in a 15-acre commercial area called the Rustic Mall.

[edit] Flooding problems

Manville suffers from occasional flooding events that occur after prolonged heavy rainfall events, when the Raritan River and Millstone River overflow their banks into the northern section (Raritan) and the Lost Valley section (Millstone). The southern parts of Main Street also suffer from flooding, due to the presence of a stream that backs up with water from the nearby Millstone River in which it empties.

There are studies being undertaken to address the flooding problems in the Millstone River basin and Manville; however, none of the flood control ideas in the Millstone River basin have gotten beyond the initial study stages as of late 2006.

See Flood Control Feasibility Study for Manville, NJ by the United States Army Corps of Engineers for more information on flood control proposals for the borough.

[edit] Hurricane Floyd Flood of 1999

Manville was severely hit by a flood in the wake of Hurricane Floyd in September 1999, which dropped ten to twelve inches of rain in the areas surrounding the borough. The floods devastated the Lost Valley section, some of the South side area along Main Street and a large portion of the North side. Water levels reached between 12 feet and 17 feet in parts of the borough on September 17, 1999. The only way residents could get help was by boat or helicopter. There was also a large amount of fuel oil floating on the flood water which further damaged homes, many of which came off their foundations.

The North side was hit by a wall of water coming from the Raritan at Dukes Parkway that inundated the streets with floodwaters from Main Street to 4th Street, where there is a rise in the land. The water reached the freight tracks that run through the center of the borough, and spilled over, flooding some on the South Street side, but leaving tons of water dammed in on the North Street side, where people had to be rescued from rooftops, or second floor windows and landings, by boat.

The problem was doubled in the Lost Valley section, as floodwaters backed up where the Raritan and Millstone rivers meet near the dam. All trapped and injured people had to be taken out by helicopter, as there was no way to get in or out of the Lost Valley section. The September 1999 flood disaster was the worst ever to hit Manville, although it had been flooded once before in the 1950s.

[edit] Lost Valley flooding

Manville has the distinction of being the location where the slow moving Raritan River (which passes to the north) and the tributary Millstone River (which passes to the east) join together, in the far southeastern corner of the borough. The Lost Valley section in eastern Manville is situated on the natural flood plain between the Raritan and Millstone Rivers, and bears the brunt of occasional flooding events which affect the river basins. Hurricane Floyd in September 1999 produced a particularly severe flood (a record for the river basins) in Manville, especially in the Lost Valley section of the borough, which experienced flooding all the way to the railroad tracks, with twelve feet or more water on many properties, which inundated houses with damaging flood waters.

[edit] Flood Gauge on Raritan River

NOAA Flood gauge in Manville, NJ on Raritan River - Realtime river level data. Flooding occurs at a 14 foot stage, and severe flooding occurs when the water reaches 18 feet.

[edit] Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Manville include:

[edit] References

  1. ^ League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 60, accessed August 30, 2006

[edit] External links

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Municipalities of Somerset County, New Jersey
(County Seat: Somerville)
Boroughs Bernardsville | Bound Brook | Far Hills | Manville | Millstone | North Plainfield | Peapack-Gladstone | Raritan | Rocky Hill | Somerville | South Bound Brook | Watchung
Townships Bedminster | Bernards | Branchburg | Bridgewater | Franklin | Green Brook | Hillsborough | Montgomery | Warren
Communities Basking Ridge | Belle Mead | Blackwells Mills | Blawenburg | East Millstone | Flagtown | Griggstown | Harlingen | Lamington | Martinsville | Middlebush | Neshanic | North Branch | Pleasant Plains | Six Mile Run | Somerset | South Branch | Zarephath
Historic Houses Meadows Foundation | Old Dutch Parsonage | Wallace House
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