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Highland Park, New Jersey

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Highland Park, New Jersey
Borough
Highland Park highlighted in Middlesex County
Highland Park highlighted in Middlesex County
CountryUnited States
StateNew Jersey
CountyMiddlesex
Area
 • Total1.8 sq mi (4.8 km2)
 • Land1.8 sq mi (4.8 km2)
 • Water0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation
98 ft (30 m)
Population
 (2000)
 • Total13,999
 • Density7,614.1/sq mi (2,939.8/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
08904
Area code732
FIPS code34-31470Template:GR
GNIS feature ID0877108Template:GR

Highland Park is a Borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 13,999.

Highland Park was formed as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 15, 1905, when it broke away from the then Raritan Township (present day Edison).[1]

Geography

Highland Park is located at 40°30′1″N 74°25′33″W / 40.50028°N 74.42583°W / 40.50028; -74.42583Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (40.500254, -74.425700)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 4.8 km² (1.8 mi²), all land.

Highland Park received its name for its "Park-like setting", on the highland of the banks of the Raritan River, overlooking New Brunswick.

Highland Park borders Edison, New Brunswick, and Piscataway.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
19308,691—
19409,0023.6%
19509,7218.0%
196011,04913.7%
197014,38530.2%
198013,396−6.9%
199013,279−0.9%
200013,9995.4%
2005 (est.)14,268[2]
Population 1930 - 1990.[3]

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 13,999 people, 5,899 households, and 3,409 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,937.5/km² (7,614.1/mi²). There were 6,071 housing units at an average density of 1,273.9/km² (3,302.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 72.06% White, 7.94% African American, 0.11% Native American, 13.63% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 3.59% from other races, and 2.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.18% of the population.

There were 5,899 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the borough the population was spread out with 21.7% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 37.1% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $53,250, and the median income for a family was $71,267. Males had a median income of $47,248 versus $36,829 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $28,767. About 5.3% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

The borough supports several active Jewish communities, and in 1978 was one of the first communities in New Jersey to gain an Eruv. Through an arrangement with New Jersey Bell (now Verizon), a continuous wire was strung from pole to pole around the borders of the borough. The wires are inspected every Friday to ensure that the connections are complete. When intact, this Eruv, or symbolic wall, satisfies most Orthodox Jewish religious requirements allowing residents to treat the entire borough as their home during the Sabbath. (The eruv now extends into parts of Edison, New Jersey.)

Highland Park has at times been a bedroom community for nearby Rutgers University and Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, with a resulting academic flair to the community. Nobel laureate Selman Waksman (Medicine, 1952) lived in the borough until he moved to Piscataway in 1954, and laureate Arno Penzias (Physics, 1978) lived in the borough until the 1990s.

Government

Local government

Of New Jersey's 566 municipalities, Highland Park is one of 222 Boroughs in the state. It has a Mayor-Council form of government in which the Mayor and Borough Council have executive and legislative powers. This was meant to provide a system of checks and balances by avoiding a large concentration of power in either the Council or the office of Mayor. The Mayor votes only in case of a tie. The municipal governing body is empowered to acquire and dispose of property; make contracts; tax and enact laws. Terms of all elected officers begin January 1 following their election. The Mayor serves for four years; the six Council Members serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.

The Borough operates through Committees of the Council: Administration, Finance, Public Works, Public Safety, Community Affairs, Public Utilities, and Health, Welfare, and Recreation. The various departments, boards and commissions report to the Council through these committees.

The Mayor of Highland Park is Meryl L. Frank. She is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition,[4] a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The Borough Council consists of Council President Elsie Foster-Dublin, Jon Erickson, Fern Goodhart, Gary Minkoff, Jeffrey Morris and Mark Watson.[5]

Federal, state and county representation

Highland Park is in the Sixth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 17th Legislative District.[6]

For the 118th United States Congress, New Jersey's 6th congressional district is represented by Frank Pallone (D, Long Branch).[7][8] New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027)[9] and George Helmy (Mountain Lakes, term ends 2024).[10][11]

For the 2024-2025 session, the 17th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Bob Smith (D, Piscataway) and in the General Assembly by Joseph Danielsen (D, Franklin Township) and Kevin Egan (D, New Brunswick).[12] Template:NJ Governor

Template:NJ Middlesex County Freeholders

Education

The Highland Park Public Schools serve students in prekindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district are Irving Primary School PreK-1. Principal: Romano Bartle Elementary School grades 2-5, Principal: Lauren Fraser; Highland Park Middle School grades 6-8, Principal: Horowitz; Highland Park High School grades 9-12, Building Principal: Frederick Williams.

Transportation

New Jersey Transit local bus service is provided on the 810 and 814 routes.[13]

Community

There is a new state of the art Environmental Center under construction on River Road, just a few hundred feet upstream from the Albany Street Bridge. The Borough's Environmental Commission envisions this center as a stop along a riverbank walking trail that would link Johnson Park with Donaldson Park and beyond, to the Meadows environmental area on the Edison border.[14]

History

The native Lenape people hunted on this hilly land aside the gently flowing Raritan River and their trails crisscrossed the area. One of the earliest European settlers was Henry Greenland, who owned 384 acres of land and operated an inn along the Mill Brook section of the Assunpink Trail during the late 1600s. Others early settlers included George Drake, Reverend John Drake, and Captain Francis Drake, kinsmen of the famous explorer. In the early 1700s, a few wealthy Europeans including the Van Horns and Merrills settled on large tracts of land establishing an isolated farmstead pattern of development that would continue for the next 150 years.

In 1685, John Inian bought land on both shores of the Raritan River and built two new landings downstream from the Assunpink Trail's fording place. He established a ferry service and the main road then was redirected to lead straight to the ferry landing. This river crossing was run by generations of different owners and a ferry house tavern operated for many years in the 1700s.[15] A toll bridge replaced the ferry in 1795. The wood plank Albany Street Bridge was dismantled in 1848 and reconstructed in 1853. The present day stone arch road bridge was built in 1892. It became the Lincoln Highway Bridge in 1914 and was widened in 1925.

The Reverend John Henry Livingston, newly chosen head of Queen's College, purchased a 150-acre plot of land in 1809, which would hereafter be known as the Livingston Manor. Now, a gracious Greek Revival house built around 1843 by Robert and Louisa Livingston stands on this property. The Livingston Homestead, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, was owned by the Waldron family throughout most of the 20th century.[16] It remains Highland Park's most prominent historic house.

In the early 19th century, both the Delaware & Raritan Canal and a railroad were constructed largely to serve the commercial center of New Brunswick across the river. In 1836, the New Jersey Railroad and Transportation Company built a rail line that terminated on the Highland Park side of the Raritan River and established a station named "East New Brunswick." The Camden and Amboy Railroad built a wood, double-deck bridge which eliminated the station stop in 1838. It was destroyed by a suspicious fire in 1878.[17] An iron truss bridge was quickly built upon enlarged stone piers, which in turn was replaced in 1902 by the twelve span, concrete-covered, stone arch bridge currently standing.

Despite the canal and the railroad, Highland Park's land continued to be used for agriculture. Residential development slowly began 30 years later, with several stately houses constructed on Adelaide Avenue and more modest houses constructed on Cedar, First, and Second Avenues and Magnolia, Benner, and Johnson Streets. In the 1870s, the small hamlet became better known as "Highland Park," a name derived from the suburban housing development although the area adjacent to the railroad tracks continued to be called "East New Brunswick."[18] 1870 was also the year in which Highland Park was annexed to the newly formed Raritan Township.[19]

The seeds were sown for Highland Park's independence from Raritan Township over the issue of public schooling. Highland Park had its own school district and on March 15, 1905 the Borough of Highland Park was formed. Important factors were the desire for an independent school system and a related dispute over school taxes. The fire department, which had formed in 1899, also wanted more local control over their affairs. The 1905 New Jersey census counted 147 dwellings in the new borough. In 1918, Robert Wood Johnson II was appointed to the Highland Park Council and became mayor in 1920. His summer house and estate was located on River Road, just north of the railroad tracks.

Over the past 100 years, Highland Park's lands have been parceled into ever-smaller suburban residential plots. Planned developments included Watson Whittlesey's Livingston Manor development begun in 1906; the Viehmann Tract, also on the north side; Riverview Terrace on the south side; Raritan Park Terrace in the triangle between Raritan and Woodbridge Avenues; and East New Brunswick Heights in the Orchard Heights neighborhood. It has taken years of continuously constructing houses and apartment buildings to create the largely residential borough.

Highland Park's industrial development in the 19th and 20th centuries included such businesses as a brewery, Johnson & Johnson, The John Waldron Machine Company, Turner Tubes, Flako Products, and the Janeway & Carpender Wallpaper factory. The borough is the birthplace of the Band-Aid[20] and Flako Products packaged mixes for baked goods. However, the industrial nature of the borough completely declined by the 1960s. The commercial zones along both Raritan and Woodbridge Avenues continue to thrive with "mom & pop" shops, many that have lasted for generations.

Throughout the 20th century, Highland Park's religious institutions, educational facilities, and municipal governance have kept pace with the growth of the town. The trends of local autonomy and control that shaped Highland Park in the past continue to this day.

Livingston Manor Historic District

Livingston Manor was a subdivision built upon the lands surrounding the Livingston family homestead. This subdivision was the brainchild of Watson Whittlesey (1863-1914), a real estate developer born in Rochester, New York. Whittlesey was more than a typical land speculator; he was a community builder, which was noted by his residency in various Livingston Manor houses from 1906 to 1914, and by his active involvement in the municipal affairs of Highland Park. Instead of auctioning lots like his 19th century predecessors, Whittlesey sold subdivided lots with either a house completely built by his company or with the promise of providing a company-constructed house similar to those previously constructed.

The suburban development grew between 1906 and 1925 when Whittlesey's company, the Livingston Manor Corporation and its successor, the Highland Park Building Company, constructed single-family houses from plans produced by a select group of architects. While a variety of building types and styles are present on each block, the buildings in the district are distinct by the use of specific building plans found nowhere else in Highland Park and by the embellishments that are typical of the Craftsman philosophy, which emphasized the value of the labor of skilled artisans who showed pride in their abilities.

In the first years of this development, the houses were constructed one entire block at a time beginning with the southeast side of Grant Avenue between Lawrence Avenue and North Second Avenue. The next block to be developed was the northwest side of Lincoln Avenue between Lawrence Avenue and North Second Avenue. Six stucco bungalows were then constructed on the southern side of Lawrence east of Lincoln Avenue. As the housing development grew in popularity, houses were constructed less systematically by block, and more often on lots that individual homeowners randomly selected from the remaining available properties. Whittlesey used plans from architects George Edward Krug and Francis George Hasselman, as well as plans generated by several local architects including John Arthur Blish and William Boylan. Several of Livingston Manor's Tudor Revival houses were designed by Highland Park's eminent architect, Alexander Merchant. Merchant created numerous buildings in New Brunswick and Highland Park (see list below). Like other early-20th century architects, he was active during the period of early American modernism, but having trained at the firm of Carrère and Hastings, Merchant developed and maintained a classical design vocabulary.

Many workers in the building trades such as Harvey E. Dodge, Frederick Nietscke, a carpenter and Harold Richard Segoine, a contractor, have also been identified as Livingston Manor Corporation employees as well as Livingston Manor residents. Whittlesey, with his wife Anna, also lived in several Livingston Manor houses including the Spanish Colonial style house at 35 Harrison Avenue designed specifically for them.

The Manor is now celebrating its centennial. On December 1, 1906, the first deeds were transferred to two individual homeowners. Many prominent New Brunswick and Highland Park residents bought houses in this new neighborhood. They included Rutgers College professors, school teachers, bank employees, factory owners, and store owners. Census data shows that most of the women were housewives and mothers. There were many extended families. Some families took in boarders and several households included live-in servants.[21] Sixty-two houses had been constructed in Livingston Manor by 1910.

In 1912, Watson Whittlesey hired a sales agent, John F. Green, and began selling bungalow lots. These properties were smaller and less expensive, and a set of plans for a bungalow was given to any purchaser. By 1913, 120 houses had been constructed in Livingston Manor.

Dubbed "Lord of the Manor," Whittlesey created a neighborhood spirit by giving receptions to the residents; by providing playgrounds for the children; and by encouraging the men to take a more active part in public affairs. After his death on April 8, 1914, Manor residents turned out in the hundreds to attend a memorial service at his house.

The Highland Park Building Company was incorporated in 1914 by long-standing members of his company including builder Robert Lufburrow and engineer Harold Richard Segoine. In 1916, Mrs. Whittlesey, who was president of the Livingston Manor Corporation, turned over the privately owned streets, sidewalks, and curbs to the Borough. Remarkably, there were no provisions for the borough to accept public ownership of the sewers. That required an act of legislation at the statehouse in Trenton, which was accomplished by Senator Florance, Assemblyman Edgar, and signed by Governor Walter Evans Edge the following year. Anna Wilcox Whittlesey, "Lady of the Manor," died on August 16, 1918. She was remembered as "a woman of rare refinement and culture, and the soul of hospitality."

Highland Park's identity as a streetcar suburb was transformed to that of an automobile suburb during the 1920s. Two hundred and ten dwellings had been constructed in Livingston Manor by 1922. The Livingston Manor Corporation continued to have transactions into the 1960s, but the area's significant development had taken place by 1925.

It has always been locally recognized that Livingston Manor is an important neighborhood in Highland Park. The Livingston Manor Historic District was listed in the New Jersey Register on April 1, 2004 and in the National Register of Historic Places on July 7, 2004. This text was condensed from the National Register nomination written by Borough Historian, Jeanne Kolva.[22]

Buildings designed by Alexander Merchant

  • 55 South Adelaide Avenue (1909)
  • Lafayette School on South Second Avenue and Benner Street (original school-1907 and Second Avenue wing-1915. The third wing on Second Avenue was designed by Merchant's son Alexander Merchant, Jr. in 1952)
  • Reformed Church on South Second Avenue (original church-1897 and auditorium wing circa 1920)
  • Irving School on Central Avenue (original building-1914)
  • The Center School on North Third Avenue (formerly the Hamilton School in 1914)
  • The Pomeranz Building on Raritan Avenue and South Third Avenue (1920)
  • 82 Harrison Avenue (1913)
  • Two houses on Cliff Court (1914)
  • Several houses on South Adelaide Avenue near Cliff Court (1910-1914)
  • The Highland Park High School (original building-1926)
  • The Masonic Temple on Raritan Avenue at North Fourth Avenue (1923)
  • The Brody House at corner of Raritan and North Adelaide Avenues (built 1911--demolished 1997)
  • The former Police Station at 137 Raritan Avenue (now a deli).

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Highland Park include:

References

  1. ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 170.
  2. ^ Census data for Highland Park borough, United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 1, 2007.
  3. ^ Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, accessed March 1, 2007.
  4. ^ "Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Members".
  5. ^ Mayor & Borough Council Members, Borough of Highland Park. Accessed March 18, 2007.
  6. ^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 58. Accessed August 30, 2006.
  7. ^ Directory of Representatives: New Jersey, United States House of Representatives. Accessed January 3, 2019.
  8. ^ Biography, Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. Accessed January 3, 2019. "Frank Pallone, Jr., was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, where he grew up and still resides."
  9. ^ U.S. Sen. Cory Booker cruises past Republican challenger Rik Mehta in New Jersey, PhillyVoice. Accessed April 30, 2021. "He now owns a home and lives in Newark's Central Ward community."
  10. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/23/nyregion/george-helmy-bob-menendez-murphy.html
  11. ^ Tully, Tracey (August 23, 2024). "Menendez's Senate Replacement Has Been a Democrat for Just 5 Months". The New York Times. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  12. ^ Legislative Roster, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 18, 2024.
  13. ^ Middlesex County Bus/Rail Connections, New Jersey Transit. Accessed June 21, 2007.
  14. ^ Highland Park Environmental News 2007, accessed January 3, 2007.
  15. ^ Kolva, Jeanne and Joanne Pisciotta. Highland Park; Borough of Homes. (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2005) pp. 18-19.
  16. ^ Spies, Stacy. National Register nomination for Livingston Homestead (Washington, DC, National Park Service, 2001).
  17. ^ Kolva, Jeanne and Joanne Pisciotta. Highland Park; Borough of Homes. (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2005)p. 42.
  18. ^ Kolva, Jeanne and Joanne Pisciotta. Highland Park; Borough of Homes. (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2005)
  19. ^ Snyder, John P. "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968." (Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969) p. 170.
  20. ^ Kolva, Jeanne and Joanne Pisciotta. Highland Park; Borough of Homes. (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2005) p. 109.
  21. ^ US Census 1910, 1920, and New Jersey Census of 1915.
  22. ^ Kolva, Jeanne and Joanne Pisciotta. Highland Park; Borough of Homes. (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2005).
  23. ^ a b c Granieri, Laurie. "Actor, journalists honored as alumni", Home News Tribune, May 6, 2005."On May 14, the borough high school will honor alumni Willie Garson, best known as Stanford Blatch on the former HBO series Sex and the City, CBS news correspondent Jim Axelrod and WNYC Public Radio news anchor and Morning Edition host Soterios Johnson."
  24. ^ a b The Mayor's Viewpoint: Celebrating a century of progress, accessed April 8, 2007.
  25. ^ "Goldstein and Howard Receive MacArthur 'Genius' Fellowships", Columbia University Record, September 6, 1996. Accessed July 22, 2007. "Her works include The Mind-Body Problem (1983), The Late-Summer Passion of a Woman of Mind (1989), The Dark Sister (1991), Strange Attractors (1993) and Mazel (1995). She lives in Highland Park, N.J."
  26. ^ ALAN H. GUTH, Victor F. Weisskopf Professor of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Accessed June 11, 2007. "Professor Alan Guth was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in 1947. He grew up and attended the public schools in Highland Park, NJ, but skipped his senior year of high school to begin studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology."
  27. ^ Kolva, Jeanne and Joanne Pisciotta. Highland Park; Borough of Homes. (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2005)
  28. ^ Gardner, Joel R. and Harrison, Andrew R. "The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: The Early Years", The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2005, p. 2. Accessed July 22, 2007. "Johnson married Elizabeth Dixon Ross, of New Brunswick, in 1916, and their wedding was the social event of the year. They moved into Bellevue, an estate in Highland Park, and their son, Robert Wood Johnson III, was born in 1920. While living in Highland Park, Johnson became involved in local politics and served a term as mayor while he was still in his twenties."
  29. ^ Stephen B. Nolan, Acting Director, New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. Accessed July 22, 2007. "He served as a councilman in Highland Park, where he currently resides, and continues as a member of the town’s Planning Board and Redevelopment Agency."
  30. ^ L.J. Smith profile, Philadelphia Eagles. Accessed June 9, 2007. "Growing up in the small town of Highland Park, NJ (2 square miles, population 14,500), Smith graduated from the local high school as part of a 115-person class.
  31. ^ Ronnen, Meir. "Joan Snyder at the Jewish Museum", The Jerusalem Post, September 23, 2005. "Born in Highland Park, New Jersey in 1940..."
  32. ^ Greats go down - Alan Voorhees, Rand Brown, Tollroadsnews. December 24, 2005. Accessed July 22, 2007. "Born in Highland Park NJ, he was a distinguished Navy Seal in World War II, part of a team that regularly reconnoitered enemy occupied shores mapping beaches for good landing sites - for which he was awarded a Silver Star."

John Hulme and Michael Wexler wrote The Seems: the Glitch in Sleep

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