Frenchtown, New Jersey

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Frenchtown, New Jersey
—  Borough  —
Map of Frenchtown in Hunterdon County. Inset: Location of Hunterdon County in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Frenchtown, New Jersey
Coordinates: 40°31′33″N 75°03′22″W / 40.52583°N 75.05611°W / 40.52583; -75.05611Coordinates: 40°31′33″N 75°03′22″W / 40.52583°N 75.05611°W / 40.52583; -75.05611
Country United States
State New Jersey
County Hunterdon
Incorporated April 4, 1867
Government [1][2]
 - Type Borough (New Jersey)
 - Mayor Ronald M. Sworen
Area
 - Total 1.3 sq mi (3.5 km2)
 - Land 1.3 sq mi (3.3 km2)
 - Water 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation [3] 190 ft (58 m)
Population (2008)[4]
 - Total 1,454
 - Density 1,160.7/sq mi (448.1/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 08825
Area code(s) 908
FIPS code 34-25350[5][6]
GNIS feature ID 0885227[7]

Frenchtown is a Borough in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 1,488, which had declined to 1,454 as of the Census Bureau's 2008 estimate.[4]

Frenchtown Borough is located along the banks of the Delaware River. Various names have been applied to this settlement, after the many ferry operators residing on both sides of the river. Alexandria Ville, Sunbeam, and Frenchtown were the official names by which this community was known over the years. The Borough was formed by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 4, 1867, from portions of Alexandria Township. Additional territory was gained from Kingwood Township in 1865.[8]

The first bridge across the Delaware at Frenchtown was a six-span covered wooden bridge built in 1841 on the five piers that still stand today, and the community became a gateway to Pennsylvania. The Uhlerstown-Frenchtown Bridge, a free Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission bridge over the Delaware River connects Frenchtown to Uhlerstown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.[9]

Contents

[edit] History

In 1757, three joint owners of a tract purchased from the West Jersey Land Society began laying out streets and building lots at Calvin's Ferry. The developing town was to be called "Alexandria" in honor of William Alexander, one of the three owners. In 1776, the three sold the settlement to Thomas Lowrey, a Flemington speculator.

In 1794, Lowrey sold the tract to Paul Henri Mallet-Prevost, a Swiss fugitive from the French Revolution. He and other early settlers were French speaking, leading some to begin calling the place "Frenchtown."

The town grew substantially in the next four decades. A trade in grain and other farm products developed. Boatmen and river men helped fuel Frenchtown's growth through their buying of cargo and food, and hiring of pilots. In the years after Henri Mallet-Prevost's death, his sons sold off portions of their property; no longer was the town privately owned.

The arrival of the Belvidere Delaware Railroad in 1853 sparked continued growth in Frenchtown. Steam-powered industry became widely developed, and by the 1860s, mills were being converted into larger factories. Around the same time, the town had three major hotels. In 1889, Britton Brothers Big Brick Store, which sold a variety of goods, opened on Bridge Street.

In the early 20th century, growth was spurred by the arrival of Frenchtown Porcelain Works, the establishment of the Milford plant of the Warren Paper Company, and the rise of the poultry industry.[10]

[edit] Geography

Frenchtown is located at 40°31′40″N 75°03′39″W / 40.527820°N 75.060953°W / 40.527820; -75.060953 (40.527820, -75.060953).[11]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.5 km2), of which, 1.3 square miles (3.3 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km2) of it (4.48%) is water.

Frenchtown borders Kingwood Township and Alexandria Township. Frenchtown also borders the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is south of Milford borough.

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop.  %±
1930 1,189
—
1940 1,238 4.1%
1950 1,305 5.4%
1960 1,340 2.7%
1970 1,459 8.9%
1980 1,573 7.8%
1990 1,528 −2.9%
2000 1,488 −2.6%
Est. 2008 1,454 [4] −2.3%
Population 1930 - 1990.[12]

As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 1,488 people, 613 households, and 375 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,160.7 people per square mile (448.8/km2). There were 630 housing units at an average density of 491.4/sq mi (190.0/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 95.97% White, 0.40% African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.21% Asian, 1.34% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.62% of the population.

There were 613 households out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.7% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the borough the population was spread out with 22.5% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 35.2% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.4 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $52,109, and the median income for a family was $62,132. Males had a median income of $42,321 versus $30,952 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $27,765. About 2.4% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 1.4% of those age 65 or over.

According to the NJSP Website there are no registered sex offenders located in Frenchtown in 2007.

[edit] Government

[edit] Local government

Frenchtown is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.[1]

The Mayor of Frenchtown Borough is Ronald M. Sworen. Members of the Frenchtown Borough Council are Brad Myhre, Adam Liebtag, Gerry St. Onge, Robb Arent, Bryan Davison, and John Wagner.[2]

[edit] Federal, state and county representation

Frenchtown is in the Twelfth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 23rd Legislative District.[13]

New Jersey's 12th congressional district, covering portions of Hunterdon County (8 municipalities), Mercer County (9), Middlesex County (12), Monmouth County (14) and Somerset County (1), is represented by Rush D. Holt Jr. (D).[14] New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).

For the 2008-2009 Legislative Session, the 23rd District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Michael J. Doherty (R, Oxford Township). He was sworn in on November 23, 2009, after winning an election to fill the seat that had been vacated by Marcia A. Karrow, who had earlier been selected by a party convention to succeed Congressman Leonard Lance, who resigned from the Senate after his election to the U.S. House of Representatives.[15] The district is represented in the Assembly by John DiMaio (R, Hackettstown), who won a special convention on February 21, 2009.[16] The vacant Assembly seat will be filled on December 5, 2009, by a special convention of the district's Republican Party county committee members.[15] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[17]

Hunterdon County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, who serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis. As of 2008, Hunterdon County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Erik Peterson (Franklin Township), Freeholder Deputy Director William Mennen (Tewksbury Township), Matt Holt (Clinton Town), George B. Melick (Tewksbury Township) and Ronald Sworen (Frenchtown).[18]

[edit] Education

The Frenchtown School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. Edith Ort Thomas Elementary School had an enrollment of 133 students in the 2005-06 school year.[19]

Public school students in grade 9 - 12 attend the Delaware Valley Regional High School in Frenchtown, which serves almost 1,000 students in western Hunterdon County. Students from Alexandria, Holland and Kingwood Townships along with the boroughs of Frenchtown and Milford attend the high school. The school is part of the Delaware Valley Regional High School District.[20]

[edit] Transportation

Frenchtown is the northern terminus of Route 29, the western terminus of Route 12, and the southern terminus of Route 513.

[edit] Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Frenchtown include:

[edit] Trivia

  • The Robert Cormier novel Heroes is set in Frenctown, New Jersey.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 103.
  2. ^ a b Frenchtown Borough, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Accessed June 2, 2008.
  3. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographical Names Information System: Borough of Frenchtown, Geographic Names Information System. Accessed January 4, 2008.
  4. ^ a b c Census data for Frenchtown borough, United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 28, 2009.
  5. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  6. ^ A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 14, 2008.
  7. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  8. ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 155.
  9. ^ Uhlerstown-Frenchtown bridge, Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. Accessed June 2, 2008.
  10. ^ Friends of the Frenchtown Library. The Growth of Frenchtown.
  11. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  12. ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, accessed March 1, 2007
  13. ^ 2008 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey league of Women Voters, p. 57. Accessed September 30, 2009.
  14. ^ Municipalities, Congressman Rush D. Holt Jr. Accessed June 29, 2008.
  15. ^ a b Wichert, Bill. "Michael Doherty sworn in as new state senator representing Warren, Hunterdon counties", Warren County News, November 23, 2009. Accessed November 24, 2009.
  16. ^ Legislative Roster: 2008-2009 Session, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed June 6, 2008.
  17. ^ "About the Governor". New Jersey. http://www.nj.gov/governor/about/. Retrieved 6 June 2008. 
  18. ^ Hunterdon County Board of Chosen Freeholders, accessed February 22, 2008.
  19. ^ Data for the Frenchtown School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed June 2, 2008.
  20. ^ Home, Delaware Valley Regional High School. Accessed June 2, 2008. "Delaware Valley Regional High School serves over 1000 students in western Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Students from Alexandria, Holland, & Kingwood Townships along with the boroughs of Frenchtown and Milford attend Del Val."
  21. ^ "Agee Chronology". Agee Films. http://www.ageefilms.org/ageebio.html. Retrieved 2009-11-19. 
  22. ^ David Madden and Jeffrey J. Folks, ed (1997). Remembering James Agee. University of Georgia Press. p. 66. http://books.google.com/books?id=qcSQQUnsInEC&pg=PA66. 
  23. ^ Grimes, William. "Lois Hunt, Half of Popular Operatic Duo, Dies at 84", The New York Times, July 28, 2009. Accessed July 28, 2009.
  24. ^ Cosdon, Christina K. " Kappler lands 2nd Invitational", St. Petersburg Times, March 30, 2003. Accessed August 12, 2007. "Anne Kursinski, 43, of Frenchtown, N.J., and Eros placed third for $26,000."
  25. ^ Harvey Spencer Lewis - Introduction. The Global Oneness Commitment. Accessed June 2, 2008.
  26. ^ Staff. "Pauch wins for the 72nd time at NES", The Times of Trenton, April 27, 2009. Accessed July 28, 2009. "Billy Pauch of Frenchtown proved just why he is the all-time leading winner at the New Egypt Speedway."
  27. ^ Rich, Motoko. "Eat, Pray, Love. Then What? Get Married.", The New York Times, August 19, 2009. Accessed August 20, 2009.

[edit] External links

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Municipalities and communities of
Hunterdon County, New Jersey
County seat: Flemington
City
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