New Brunswick

New Brunswick is a city in and the seat of government of Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The city is both a regional commercial hub for central New Jersey and a prominent and growing commuter town for residents commuting to New York City within the New York metropolitan area. New Brunswick has evolved into a major center for the sciences, arts, and cultural activities. The Declaration of Independence received one of its first public readings, by Colonel John Neilson in New Brunswick on July 9, 1776, in days following its promulgation by the Continental Congress. For 2020, New Brunswick had a population of 55,266 residents, representing a 0.2% increase from the 55,181 people enumerated at the 2010 United States census, which in turn had reflected an increase of 6,608 (+13.6%) from the 48,573 counted in the 2000 Census. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 55,708 in 2021, ranking the city the 707th-most-populous in the country. Due to the concentration of medical facilities in the area, including Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and medical school, and Saint Peter's University Hospital, the city is known as both the Hub City and the Healthcare City. The corporate headquarters and production facilities of several global pharmaceutical companies are situated in the city, including Johnson & Johnson and Bristol Myers Squibb. The first European settlement at the site of New Brunswick was made in 1681. The settlement here was called Prigmore's Swamp (1681-1697), then known as Inian's Ferry (1691-1714).

History

The first European settlement at the site of New Brunswick was made in 1681. The city gets its name from King George II of Great Britain, the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. The Declaration of Independence received one of its first public readings, by Colonel John Neilson in New Brunswick on July 9, 1776. Local slaveholders routinely bought and sold African American children, women, and men in the late 19th and early 20th century. New Brunswick is located between New York City and Philadelphia along an early thoroughfare known as the King's Highway. It was incorporated as a town in 1736 and chartered as a city in 1784. The Trustees of Queen's College (now Rutgers University), founded in 1766, voted by a margin of ten to seven in 1771 to locate the young college in the city over Hackensack, in Bergen County, New Jersey. The New Brunswick Theological Seminary, founded in1784 in New York, moved to New Brunswick in 1810, sharing its quarters with the fledgling Queen's college. The Seminary moved to a tract of land covering 7 acres (2.8 ha) located less than 12 mile (0.80 km) to the west, which it still occupies, although the land is now in the middle of Rutgers University's Avenue Campus. After Rutgers University became the state university of New Jersey in 1945, the trustees divested itself of Rutgers Preparatory School, which relocated in 1957 to an estate purchased from the Colgate-Palmolive Company in neighboring Somerset County.

Geography

New Brunswick lies southwest of Newark and New York City and northeast of Trenton and Philadelphia. The city is bordered by the municipalities of Piscataway, Highland Park and Edison across the Raritan River to the north by way of the Donald and Morris Goodkind Bridges. New Brunswick falls within either a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) if the 0 °C (32 °F) is used or a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) under the Köppen climate classification. It has humid, hot summers and moderately cold winters with moderate to considerable rainfall throughout the year. There is no marked wet or dry season. The U.S. Census Bureau says the city has a total area of 5.75 square miles (14.90 km²), including 5.23 square miles [13.55 km²] of land and 0.52 sq miles (1.35 km²) of water (9.06%). New Brunswick is on the south side of Raritans Valley along with Pisc ataway, Highlands Park, Edison, and Franklin Township. The mayor of New Brunswick has a bachelor's degree from the University of New York, where he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa fraternity. He has a master's degree in business administration from the City College of New Jersey. He is married to his wife, who has been married for more than 30 years. The couple have a son and a daughter, both of whom live in New Brunswick.

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States census, there were 48,573 people, 13,057 households, and 7,207 families residing in the city. The 2010 U.S. census counted 55,181 people, 14,119 households, & 7,751 families. The racial makeup of the city was 51.7% White, 24.5% African American, 1.2% Native American, 5.9% Asian, 0.2%, Pacific Islander, 21.0% from other races, and 4.2%. The median household income was $44,543 (with a margin of error of +/ $2,356) The per capita income for the borough was $16,395 (+/ $979). About 15.5%. of families and 25.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 16.9%. of those age 65 or over. The median age was 23.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 105.0 males. There were 15,053 housing units at an average density of 2,879.7 per square mile (1,111.9/km²) The average household size was 3.36 and the average family size was3.91. The city's median income in 2010 was $38,222 and the median income for a family was $28,858 (+/$1,771) for females.

Economy

The city is home to the world headquarters of Johnson & Johnson, along with several medical teaching and research institutions. New Brunswick Health Sciences Technology High School is a public high school, that operates as part of the New Brunswick Public Schools, focused on health sciences. Portions of the city are part of an Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ), one of 32 zones covering 37 municipalities statewide. In addition to other benefits to encourage employment and investment within the Zone, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3.3125% sales tax rate (half of the 6+58% rate charged statewide) at eligible merchants. Established in December 2004, the city's Urban Enterprise zone status expires in December 2024. The city was selected in 2004 as one of two zones added to participate in the program. It is one of the first cities in New Jersey to have a magnet secondary school program teaching directly affiliated with a teaching hospital and a medical school. The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, and The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital are also located in the city. The City of New Brunswick is located on the New Jersey Turnpike, which connects to the New York City and New Jersey railroads. It has a population of 2.2 million. The New Jersey Medical Examiner's Office is based in New Brunswick and has an office in the town of Paramus, New Jersey. It was the first city in the state to have its own medical examiner, which was established in 1973. The medical examiner's office has been in charge of the state's medical examiner since 1978.

Arts and culture

New Brunswick was an important center for avant-garde art in the 1950s1970s with artists such as Allan Kaprow, George Segal, George Brecht, Robert Whitman, Robert Watts, Lucas Samaras, Geoffrey Hendricks, Wolf Vostell and Roy Lichtenstein. New Brunswick's bar scene has been the home to many original rock bands, including some which went on to national prominence such as The Smithereens and Bon Jovi. As the New Brunswick basement scene grows in popularity, it was ranked the number 4 spot to see Indie bands in New Jersey. The "Grease trucks" were a group of truck-based food vendors located on the College Avenue campus of Rutgers University. They were known for serving "Fat Sandwiches," sub rolls containing several ingredients such as steak, chicken fingers, French fries, falafel, cheeseburgers, mozzarella sticks, gyro meat, bacon, eggs and marinara sauce. In 2013 the grease trucks were removed for the construction of a new Rutgers building and were forced to move into various other areas of the Rutgers-New Brunswick Campus. In 1999, the Crossroads Theatre won the prestigious Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. In March 2017, NJ.com wrote that "even if Asbury Park has recently returned as our state's musical nerve center, with the brick-and-mortar venues and infrastructure to prove it, New Brunswick remains as the New Jersey scene's unadulterated, pounding heart".

Government

The City of New Brunswick is governed under the Mayor-Council system of municipal government. The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the five-member City Council, all of whom are elected at-large on a partisan basis to four-year terms of office in even-numbered years as part of the November general election. The City Council is responsible for approving the annual budget, ordinances and resolutions, contracts, and appointments to boards and commissions. The current professional city fire department was established in 1914, but the earliest volunteer fire company in the city dates back to 1764. The department operates out of three stations, with a total of approximately 80 officers and firefighters. The New Brunswick Police Department has received attention for various incidents over the years. In 1991, the fatal shooting of Shaun Potts, an unarmed black resident, by Sergeant Zane Grey led to multiple local protests. In 2011, Officer Brad Berdel fatally shot Barry Deloatch, a black man who had run from police (although police claim he struck officers with a stick); this sparked daily protests from residents. For the 117th U.S. Congress, New Jersey's Sixth Congressional District is represented by Frank Pallone (D, Long Branch). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027) and Bob Menendez (Harrison, term end 2025). For the 2022-2023 session, the 17th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature isrepresented in the General Assembly by Joseph Danielsen and Joseph V. Egan.

Education

The New Brunswick Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts statewide that were established pursuant to the decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Abbott v. Burke. As of the 201819 school year, the district, comprised of 11 schools, had an enrollment of 10,422 students and 781.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a studentteacher ratio of 13.3:1. The community is also served by the Greater Brunswick Charter School, a K8 charter school serving students from New Brunswick, Edison, Highland Park and Milltown. The New Brunswick Theological Seminary, a seminary of the Reformed Church in America, was founded in New York in 1784, then moved to New Brunswick in 1810. Rutgers University has three campuses in the city: College Avenue Campus (seat of the University), Douglass Campus, and Cook Campus. Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools, a county-wide vocational school district, offers full-time career and technical education at its East Brunswick, Perth Amboy and Piscataway technical high schools, with no tuition charged to students for attendance. New Brunswick is the site to the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, part of Rutgers University, which is located in New Brunswick and PISCataway. The city is also the site of the New Brunswick High School, which offers high school and college preparatory classes for eighth grade.

Transportation

As of May 2010, the city had 73.24 miles (117.87 km) of roadways, of which 56.13 miles (90.33 km) were maintained by the municipality. In the city is the intersection of U.S. Route 1 and Route 18, and is bisected by Route 27. New Brunswick hosts less than a mile of the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95). A few turnpike ramps are in the city that lead to Exit 9 which is just outside the city limits in East Brunswick. The New Brunswick Parking Authority manages 14 ground-level and multi-story parking facilities across the city. Local bus service is provided by NJ Transit's 810, 811, 814, 815, 818 routes and 980 route. OurBus Prime offers intercity bus service from New Brunswick to Columbia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., and along 42nd Street to the United Nations. Suburban Trails offers service to and from New York City on Route 100 between Princeton and the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Proposals have been made to use the NewarkTrenton Fast Line as a light rail route that would provide an option for commuters now driving in cars on Route 18. The Raritan River Railroad ran to New Brunswick, but is now defunct along this part of the line. The track and freight station still remain, and there are remnants surviving or rebuilt along the river. The city was at the eastern terminus of the Delaware and Raritans Canal.

Popular culture

On April 18, 1872, at New Brunswick, William Cameron Coup developed the system of transporting circus equipment, staff and animals from city to city using railroad cars. The 1980s sitcom, Charles in Charge, was set in New Brunswick. The 2007 Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is primarily set in the city. The 2013 novel Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie features a taxi driver bragging about having a daughter on the dean's list at Rutgers. Bands from New Brunswick include The Gaslight Anthem, Screaming Females, Streetlight Manifesto, Thursday and Bouncing Souls. The independent record label Don Giovanni Records was established in 2003 to document the music scene in the state. The 2004 movie Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle revolves around Harold and. Kumar's attempt to get to a White Castle restaurant and includes a stop in a fictionalized New Brunswick in the movie. The play and movie 1776 discusses the Continental Army under General George Washington being stationed at New. Brunswick in June 1776 and being inspected by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Samuel Chase of Maryland as members of the War Committee. The 2012 film Americanah is based on the book Americanah, which is about the life of a Rutgers student. The movie Americanah was released on September 14, 2013. The film was directed by Andy Samberg and stars Amy Adams and Amy Poehler. It is the second installment of a two-part series, Americanah: The First Half of the Movie.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey = 26.8. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 20. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in New Brunswick = 3.9 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 28,433 individuals with a median age of 26 age the population grows by 5.62% in New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 10,561.1 residents per square mile of area (4,077.7/km²). There are average 3.32 people per household in the 13,531 households with an average household income of $43,654 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.90% of the available work force and has dropped -3.54% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 25.02%. The number of physicians in New Brunswick per 100,000 population = 254.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in New Brunswick = 48.2 inches and the annual snowfall = 27.5 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 122. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 208. 85 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 21 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 46, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey which are owned by the occupant = 24.57%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 51 years with median home cost = $198,500 and home appreciation of -22.37%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $23.65 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $12,082 per student. There are 11.5 students for each teacher in the school, 680 students for each Librarian and 486 students for each Counselor. 3.46% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 12.09% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 7.82% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).