| Roosevelt, New Jersey | |
|---|---|
| — Borough — | |
| Map of Roosevelt in Monmouth County. Inset: Location of Monmouth County highlighted in the State of New Jersey. | |
| Census Bureau map of Roosevelt, New Jersey | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Monmouth |
| Incorporated | May 29, 1937 as Jersey Homesteads |
| Renamed | November 9, 1945 as Roosevelt |
| Government[1] | |
| • Type | Borough (New Jersey) |
| • Mayor | Beth Battel |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.0 sq mi (5.1 km2) |
| • Land | 2.0 sq mi (5.1 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 154 ft (47 m) |
| Population (2010)[2] | |
| • Total | 882 |
| • Density | 447.9/sq mi (172.9/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 08555 |
| Area code(s) | 609 |
| FIPS code | 34-64410[3][4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0879779[5] |
| Website | http://www.web2sons.org/ |
Roosevelt is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 882.[2]
The borough was established as Jersey Homesteads by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 29, 1937, from portions of Millstone Township. The name was changed to Roosevelt as of November 9, 1945, based on the results of a referendum held three days earlier, in honor of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had died on April 12, 1945.[6]
New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Roosevelt as its 12th best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.[7]
Contents |
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Jersey Homesteads Historic District
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| NRHP Reference#: | 83004053 |
|---|---|
| NJRHP #: | 2052[8] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP: | December 5, 1983 |
| Designated NJRHP: | October 14, 1983 |
Roosevelt was originally called Jersey Homesteads, and was created during the Great Depression as part of President Roosevelt's New Deal. The town was home to a cooperative farming and manufacturing project. The project fell under the discretion of the Resettlement Administration, but was conceived and largely planned out by Benjamin Brown[9] and Hyman Alef.
Farmland in Central Jersey was purchased by Brown. Construction started around 1936. Soon after there were 150 homes and various public facilities in place. The plan was to construct 50 more homes eventually. The economy of the town consisted of a garment factory and a farm.[9]
Albert Einstein gave the town his political and moral support. Artist Ben Shahn lived in the town and painted a fresco mural viewable in the current Roosevelt Public School. The three panels show the history of the Jersey Homesteads, starting with the eastern European origins of its Jewish residents, their passage through Ellis Island and making plans for the community in Roosevelt.[9][10]
Objectives of the community were to help residents escape poverty, to show that cooperative management can work, and as an experiment in government intervention.
David Dubinsky and the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union opposed the project, arguing that the factory town would cause unions to lose their power over wages. Political opposition came from those who thought too much money was being spent on the project, as well as those opposed to the New Deal in general.
The Jersey Homesteads cooperative didn't last through World War II. It failed for a number of reasons.
Roosevelt is a historic landmark and is the subject of the 1983 documentary, Roosevelt, New Jersey: Visions of Utopia. The Jersey Homesteads Historic District was added to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Roosevelt is located at (40.218296, -74.470786).[11]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km2), all of it land.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1940 | 698 |
|
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| 1950 | 720 | 3.2% | |
| 1960 | 764 | 6.1% | |
| 1970 | 814 | 6.5% | |
| 1980 | 835 | 2.6% | |
| 1990 | 884 | 5.9% | |
| 2000 | 933 | 5.5% | |
| 2010 | 882 | −5.5% | |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[12] | |||
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 933 people, 337 households, and 258 families residing in the borough. The population density was 477.0 people per square mile (183.8/km2). There were 351 housing units at an average density of 179.4 per square mile (69.1/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 88.96% White, 2.57% African American, 2.04% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 2.25% from other races, and 4.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.50% of the population.
There were 337 households out of which 39.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.1% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.4% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the borough the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $61,979, and the median income for a family was $67,019. Males had a median income of $50,417 versus $38,229 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $24,892. About 3.9% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 18.4% of those age 65 or over.
Roosevelt is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government by a mayor and a six-member Borough Council. The mayor is directly elected by the voters to a four-year term of office. The six members of the Borough Council are elected in partisan elections to three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.[1]
The Mayor of Roosevelt is Beth Battel.[13]
Roosevelt is in the 4th Congressional district. New Jersey's Fourth Congressional District is represented by Christopher Smith (R). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
Roosevelt is in the 30th District of the New Jersey Legislature, which is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Robert Singer (R, Lakewood Township) and in the New Jersey General Assembly by Ronald S. Dancer (R, New Egypt) and Joseph R. Malone (R, Bordentown).[14]
Monmouth County is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders consisting of five members who are elected at-large to serve three year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one or two seats up for election each year. [15] As of 2011, Monmouth County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Robert D. Clifton (R, Matawan; term ends December 31, 2013)[16], Freeholder Deputy Director John P. Curley (R, Red Bank; 2012)[17], Thomas A. Arnone (R, Neptune City; 2013), Lillian G. Burry (R, Colts Neck Township; 2011)[18] and Amy A. Mallet (D, Fair Haven, 2011).[19][20][21]
Students in Kindergarten through 6th grade attend the Roosevelt Public School District. The school had an enrollment of 74 students as of the 2005-06 school year.[22]
For grades 7 - 12, public school students attend the East Windsor Regional School District, a comprehensive public school district serving students from East Windsor Township and Hightstown Borough, along with students in grades 7 - 12 from Roosevelt Borough as part of a sending/receiving relationship.[23] The schools in the East Windsor Regional School District attended by students from Roosevelt Borough are Melvin H. Kreps School which covers grades 6 - 8 and has a total of 1,139 students and Hightstown High School with 1,370 students in grades 9 - 12.
Notable current and former residents of Roosevelt include:
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