Roselle, New Jersey

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Map of Roselle in Union County
Map of Roselle in Union County

Roselle is a Borough in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 21,274.

On January 19, 1883, the first electric lighting system employing overhead wires began service in Roselle, and was built by Thomas Edison, as part of an experiment to demonstrate that an entire community could be lit by electricity. The First Presbyterian Church, located on the corner of West 5th and Chestnut, was the first church in the world to be lit by electricity.[1]

Roselle was incorporated on December 20, 1894, at the height of the Boroughitis phenomenon sweeping through New Jersey at the time, based on the results of a referendum held two days earlier, from portions of Linden.[2]

Contents

[edit] Geography

Roselle is located at 40°39′13″N, 74°15′38″W (40.653502, -74.260584)GR1.

The borough is bordered by Roselle Park to the north, Elizabeth to the east, Linden to the south and Cranford to the west.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 6.9 km² (2.7 mi²). 6.8 km² (2.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.38% is water.

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1930 13,021
–
1940 13,597 4.4%
1950 17,681 30.0%
1960 21,032 19.0%
1970 22,585 7.4%
1980 20,641 -8.6%
1990 20,314 -1.6%
2000 21,274 4.7%
historical data source: [3]

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 21,274 people, 7,520 households, and 5,226 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,111.3/km² (8,048.8/mi²). There were 7,870 housing units at an average density of 1,151.0/km² (2,977.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 35.58% White, 51.32% African American, 0.31% Native American, 2.71% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 6.07% from other races, and 3.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.11% of the population.

There were 7,520 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.41.

In the borough the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.8 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $51,254, and the median income for a family was $58,841. Males had a median income of $37,604 versus $32,535 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $21,269. About 5.8% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.5% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

[edit] Local government

Roselle is incorporated under the Borough system of municipal government. The governing body is the Borough Council which is made up of six members and a mayor. The mayor and council representative-at-large are elected by the entire borough. The remaining five council members are elected from five wards, one from each ward in which the member resides. The Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.

Roselle has the "weak" mayor-council form of government. The mayor has less control and the council more over fiscal operations and the appointment and removal of executive officers. The mayor has no vote except in case of a tie. The mayor can veto legislation, but the veto can be overridden by two-thirds vote of the council.

A borough administrator, appointed by the Borough Council, tends to the day-to-day operations of the municipal government.

The Mayor of the Borough of Roselle is Garrett Smith, whose term of office expires on December 31, 2007. Member of the Roselle Borough Council are:[4]

  • Jamel Holley - Councilman At Large (2007)
  • Sally Samuel - Council Member, Ward 1 (2008)
  • Hazel Walker - Council Member, Ward 2 (2006)
  • Cecilia Dallis-Ricks - Council Member, Ward 3 (2008)
  • Clarence Cunningham - Council Member, Ward 4 (2007)
  • Richard Buska - Council Member, Ward 5 (2006)

[edit] Federal, state and county representation

Roselle Borough is in the Tenth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 20th Legislative District.[5]

New Jersey's Tenth Congressional District, covering portions of Essex County, Hudson County, and Union County, is represented by Donald M. Payne (D, Newark). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).

The 20th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Raymond Lesniak (D, Union) and in the Assembly by Neil M. Cohen (D, Union) and Joseph Cryan (D, Union). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).

Union County is governed by a nine-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. As of the January 2006 reorganization, Union County's Freeholders are: Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella, Freeholder Vice Chairman Bette Jane Kowalski, Angel G. Estrada, Chester Holmes, Adrian O. Mapp, Rick Proctor, Deborah P. Scanlon, Daniel P. Sullivan and Nancy Ward.

[edit] Education

The borough is served by the Roselle Public Schools. Schools in the district are three K-3 elementary schools ( Dr. Charles C. Polk Elementary School, Harrison Elementary School and Washington Elementary School), two middle schools ( Grace Wilday Junior High School for grades 6&7 and Leonard V. Moore Middle School for grades 4&5 ) and Abraham Clark High School [1] for grades 8-12.

[edit] Transportation

New Jersey Transit provides bus service to New York City and New Jersey points.

Conrail's freight-only Lehigh Line passes through the community along the tracks of the former Lehigh Valley Railroad. The town once shared a passenger station with Roselle Park on the mainline of the Central Railroad of New Jersey. That line is abandoned.

The Staten Island Railway passed through the community but is currently out of service.

Newark Liberty International Airport is approximately six miles from Roselle.

[edit] Noted residents

[edit] References

  1. ^ A Brief History of Roselle, accessed November 18, 2006
  2. ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 240.
  3. ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990. Retrieved on March 3, 2007.
  4. ^ Borough of Roselle Municipal Government, accessed July 8, 2006
  5. ^ League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 63, accessed August 30, 2006

[edit] External links

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Municipalities of Union County, New Jersey
(County seat: Elizabeth)
Boroughs Fanwood | Garwood | Kenilworth | Mountainside | New Providence | Roselle | Roselle Park
Cities Elizabeth | Linden | Plainfield | Rahway | Summit
Town Westfield
Townships Berkeley Heights | Clark | Cranford | Hillside | Scotch Plains | Springfield Township | Union Township | Winfield Township


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