Linden, New Jersey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Linden, New Jersey | |
 |
|
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Union |
| Incorporated | January 1, 1925 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Richard J. Gerbounka |
| Area | |
| - City | 11.2 sq mi (29.1 km²) |
| - Land | 10.8 sq mi (28.0 km²) |
| - Water | 0.4 sq mi (1.1 km²) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - City | 39,394 |
| - Density | 3,645.5/sq mi (1,407.0/km²) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Website: http://www.linden-nj.org | |
Linden is a city in southeastern Union County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area, being about 13 miles southwest of Manhattan, and bordering Staten Island, a borough of New York City.
Linden was originally formed as a township on March 4, 1861, from portions of Elizabeth, Rahway and Union Township. Portions of the township were taken to form Cranford (March 14, 1871), Linden Borough (March 30, 1882) and Roselle (December 20, 1894). Linden was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on January 1, 1925, replacing both Linden Township and Linden Borough (which had been formed in 1882 from the township), based on the results of a referendum held on November 8, 1923.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Linden is located at (40.633803, -74.249940)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.1 km² (11.2 mi²). 28.0 km² (10.8 mi²) of it is land and 1.1 km² (0.4 mi²) of it (3.65%) is water.
Linden is bordered by many municipalities: to the northeast by Elizabeth, to the east by Staten Island via Arthur Kill, and to the southeast by Carteret in Middlesex County. To the southwest lies Rahway, to the west, Clark, Winfield and Cranford, and to the northwest, Roselle.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 21,206 |
|
|
| 1940 | 24,115 | 13.7% | |
| 1950 | 30,644 | 27.1% | |
| 1960 | 39,931 | 30.3% | |
| 1970 | 41,409 | 3.7% | |
| 1980 | 37,836 | -8.6% | |
| 1990 | 36,701 | -3.0% | |
| 2000 | 39,394 | 7.3% | |
| historical data source: [2] | |||
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 39,394 people, 15,052 households, and 10,084 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,407.0/km² (3,645.5/mi²). There were 15,567 housing units at an average density of 556.0/km² (1,440.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 66.08% White, 22.80% African American, 0.14% Native American, 2.35% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.88% from other races, and 3.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.40% of the population.
There were 15,052 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.5% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $46,345, and the median income for a family was $54,903. Males had a median income of $39,457 versus $30,395 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,314. About 5.0% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.1% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
The Mayor of Linden is Richard J. Gerbounka. Gerbounka, who served twelve years on the City Council and ras an indepedent, defeated long-time mayor John T. Gregorio by an unofficial vote of 4,786 to 4,717. City Council President Robert Bunk was re-elected unopposed. Democrat Nominee Christopher J. Kolibas defeated independent Pat Hero in the 1st Ward race to replace retiring incumbent Edwin Schulhafer. Incumbent independent Robert Frazier was re-elected in the 9th Ward.[3]
The former longtime Mayor of Linden (term ended 12/31/06) is 80 year old John T. Gregorio, who served as mayor of Linden for 30, nonconsecutive years and was repeatedly tagged with scandal during his mayoral career, including one felony conviction, later pardoned, which forced him from office for two terms.[4]
Members of the City Council are:
- Council President - Robert F. Bunk
- First Ward - Christopher Kolibas
- Second Ward - Richard Koziol
- Third Ward - Thomas R. Boland
- Fourth Ward - Derek Armstead
- Fifth Ward - Gene Davis
- Sixth Ward - Charles J. Crane
- Seventh Ward - Ralph Strano
- Eighth Ward - Michele Yamakaitis
- Ninth Ward - Robert Frazier
- Tenth Ward - Mary Ann Dorin
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Linden is split between the Seventh, Tenth and Thirteenth Congressional Districts and is part of New Jersey's 22nd Legislative District.[5]
New Jersey's Seventh Congressional District, covering portions of Hunterdon County, Middlesex County, Somerset County and Union County, is represented by Mike Ferguson (R). 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's Thirteenth Congressional District, covering portions of Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, and Union Counties, is now represented by Albio Sires (D, West New York), who won a special election held on November 7, 2006 to fill the vacancy the had existed since January 16, 2006. The seat had been represented by Bob Menendez (D), who was appointed to the United States Senate to fill the seat vacated by Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine. New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
The 22nd legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Nicholas Scutari (D, Linden) and in the Assembly by Jerry Green (D, Plainfield) and Linda Stender (D, Scotch Plains). 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] Union County Freeholder Meetings
Union County Freeholders meet publicly on a monthly basis. Citizens have the ability to provide feedback and comment on issues that concern them. A sample Freeholder meeting held in September 2003 can be viewed by clicking:
[edit] Education
The Linden Public Schools serve students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. There are eight elementary schools which serve from prekindergarten through seventh grade in some cases (School No. 1, School No. 2, School No. 4, School No. 5, School No. 6, School No. 8, School No. 9, School No. 10), two middle schools covering grades 6-8 (McManus Middle School and Joseph E. Soehl Middle School) and Linden High School for grades 9-12.
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Highways
Linden is served by U.S. Route 1/9 and Route 27. It is also the western terminus of Interstate 278, which travels through all five boroughs of New York City.
The Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike are located less than a mile west and east of the city limits, respectively.
[edit] Public Transportation
Local public transportation is provided by New Jersey Transit with bus service to Elizabeth, Perth Amboy and Newark.
New Jersey Transit buses 112 and 115 provide local service and interstate service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan.
Linden Train station is on the NJ Transit's North Jersey Coast Line and the Northeast Corridor Line.
[edit] Airport
Linden Airport is a small general aviation facility located on the eastern side of the city along U.S. Route 1/9.
Newark Liberty International Airport is approximately 15 minutes away.
[edit] Industry
Together with Elizabeth, Linden is home to the Bayway Refinery, a ConocoPhillips refining facility that helps supply petroleum-based products to the New York/New Jersey area, producing approximately 230,000 barrels per day.
In the mid-20th century, Linden was the headquarters for the Regal Records and the De Luxe Records record labels.
For many years, Linden was also home to a General Motors manufacturing plants, which produced cars from 1937 through 2005. The plant produced Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Buick and other GM automobiles, but also produced planes during World War II.[6]
Linden, together with Rahway, is home to Merck & Co., one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies. The site of this pharmaceutical company recently celebrated 100 years in Rahway and Linden.
[edit] References
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 239.
- ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990. Retrieved on March 3, 2007.
- ^ Gerbounka upsets Gregorio in Linden, Home News Tribune, November 8, 2006
- ^ A Man of Influence, New Jersey Monthly, May 2006
- ^ League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 59, accessed August 30, 2006
- ^ GM to End Blazer/Jimmy Production and Close New Jersey Plant, Automobile.com, dated December 6, 2004
[edit] External links
- Linden website
- Linden Public Schools
- Linden Public Schools's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Linden Public Schools
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
|
(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 | |
 |
State of New Jersey Trenton (capital) |
|---|---|
| Regions |
Central Jersey | Delaware Valley | Jersey Shore | Meadowlands | North Jersey | Pine Barrens | Shore Region | Skylands Region | South Jersey | New York metro area | Tri‑State Region |
| Cities |
Atlantic City | Bayonne | Camden | Cherry Hill | Clifton | East Orange | Edison | Elizabeth | Hackensack | Hoboken | Jersey City | Linden | Long Branch | New Brunswick | Newark | Passaic | Paterson | Perth Amboy | Plainfield | Princeton | Toms River | Trenton | Union City | Vineland |
| Counties |
Atlantic | Bergen | Burlington | Camden | Cape May | Cumberland | Essex | Gloucester | Hudson | Hunterdon | Mercer | Middlesex | Monmouth | Morris | Ocean | Passaic | Salem | Somerset | Sussex | Union | Warren |
