Raritan

Raritan is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 6,881, reflecting an increase of 543 (+8.6%) from the 6,338 counted in the 2000 Census. The borough's name is derived from the Raritans, a Native American group of Lenapes. The name of the tribe is said to mean "forked river", "stream overflows" or "point on a tidal river". Raritan town was originally established as a subdivision within Bridgewater Township by act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 3, 1868. It became a fully independent Borough by an Act on May 12, 1948, based on the results of a referendum passed on June12, 1948. The KnoxPorter Resolution ending United States involvement in World War I was signed by President Harding at the estate of New Jersey Senator Joseph S. Frelinghuysen Sr. on July 2, 1921. The Borough borders the Somerset County municipalities of Bridgewater Township, Hillsborough Township and Somerville. It is in the western division of the Rritan Valley (a line of cities in central New Jersey), along with Branchburg and Bridgewater. The median household income in 2010 was $70,116 (with a margin of error of +/ $10,294) and the median family income was $79,813 (+/ $8,715). Males had a median income of $54,617 (+/$44,125) versus $34,5,703 for females.

History

Raritan town was originally established as a subdivision within Bridgewater Township by act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 3, 1868. The Legislature allowed Raritan to become a fully independent Borough by an Act on May 12, 1948, based on the results of a referendum. The new borough incorporated the old town and an additional portion of Bridgewater Township. The KnoxPorter Resolution ending United States involvement in World War I was signed by President Harding at the estate of New Jersey Senator Joseph S. Frelinghuysen Sr. on July 2, 1921. The borough is located in the northern part of the town of Bridgewater, New Jersey, and is located on the Delaware River. It is the only borough in New Jersey that is not part of a single county or county-wide municipality. It was founded in 1868 by the Legislature and was originally a subdivision of Bridgewater. It became an independent town in 1948 after a referendum passed on June 12, 1947. The Borough was established by the Act of the Legislature on May12, 1948 and incorporated into Bridgewater Township on May 13, 1948. It has a population of 1,816. It also has a small portion of the city of Bridgewater that was incorporated into the borough on June 13, 1949. The town has a total population of 2,715. It had a population increase of 1.7% in the year 2000, and a population decrease of 1% in 2010. It currently has a size of 2.7 square miles (4.7 km).

Geography

Raritan is in the western division of the Raritan Valley (a line of cities in central New Jersey), along with Branchburg and Bridgewater.According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.03 square miles (5.27 km²) of land and 0.04 square miles of water (2.02%) The borough borders the Somerset County municipalities of Bridgewater Township, Hillsborough Township and Somerville. The borough is part of the New Jersey City-Somerset County Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes the towns of Bridgewater, Somerville, Branchburg, and Hillsborough. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the borough has a population of 2,068. The population of the borough as of the 2010 Census was 2,071. The Borough is located in the eastern part of Somerset County, along with Hillsborough, Bridgewater, Bridgewater and Somerset County. It is the only borough in Somerset County that is not part of New Jersey's Atlantic City metropolitan area. It has a latitude and longitude of 45.7 miles (72.2 km²), and a land area of 1.99 square miles, or 5.16 km². It also has a small amount of water, at 0.11 sq miles (0.11 km²). The borough's name is derived from the town of Raritans, which means "ranger" in English, and "ritan" means "river" or "stream" in French.

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 6,338 people, 2,556 households, and 1,671 families residing in the borough. The median household income was $70,116 (with a margin of error of +/ $10,294) and the median family Income was $79,813 (+/ $8,715) In the borough, the population was spread out, with 22.3% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 35.0% from 25 to 44, 20% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The racial makeup of the borough was 87.74% White, 0.93% African American, 0.08% Native American, 8.17% Asian, 0,16% Pacific Islander, 1.64% from other races, and 2.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.39% (1,128) of the population. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.16. The borough has a population of 6,881 people, with 2,847 housing units at an average density of 1,428.3 per square mile (551.5/km²) The median income for a household in the Borough was $51,122, with a median income of $59,962 for a family. The per capita income for the borough is $34,617.

Parks and recreation

Frelinghuysen Park is the only public park in Raritan, except for Basilone Park and Elizabeth Ave Park. It includes two little league baseball fields, two full-sized outdoor basketball courts and two full sized tennis courts. It is located at the end of Sherman Avenue before getting onto Highway 206. During the summer months the parks have recreational pools open to children. The parks offers tables for picnicking. The park is dedicated to General John Frederick Frelinghuiesen. It was built in 1883. It has been named after him by the New Jersey Department of Public Welfare.

Government

Raritan is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council is comprised of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis. Somerset County is governed by a five-member Board of County Commissioners. New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027) and Bob Menendez (Harrison, term end 2025). New Jersey's 7th Congressional District is represented by Tom Malinowski (D, Rocky Hill) and Erik Peterson (R, Franklin Township, Hunterdon County) The County Clerk and County Sheriff are elected on a county-wide basis for five-year Terms of Office. As of March 2011, there were a total of 3,926 registered voters in Raritan, of which 1,122 (6% vs. 26% countywide) were Democrats (22%) and 8,082 (82%) as Republicans (22%). The borough is located in the 23rd state legislative district and is part of the 7th congressional district. The borough's mayor is Republican Zachary Bray, whose term ofOffice expires December 31, 2023. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council. The council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The town's mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote.

Education

The Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District has an enrollment of 8,603 students and 782.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a studentteacher ratio of 11.0:1. The overwhelming majority of students in the district are from Bridgewater, with approximately 1,000 students from Raritan. St. Ann Classical Academy is a classical, liberal-arts Catholic school for students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. Public high school students also have the option to attend the Somerset County Vocational and Technical High School, a four-year magnet school located in Bridgewater that provides occupational and academic training to students from all of Somerset County. The district's high school was recognized with the National Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education for the 2009-10 school year. It is the highest award an American school can receive from the federal government. The school district is made up of 11 schools: Adamsville Primary School (569 students; in grades Pre-K4), Bradley Gardens Primary School, John F. Kennedy Primary School and Milltown Primary School. All schools are in Bridgewater except for Kennedy, which is in Raritans, and Hillside Intermediate School (770; 56). The district also has a middle school, middle and high school, with enrollment of 1,411; 78 and 2,882; 912, respectively. The high school is Bridgewater High School (2,882), which was recognized for its achievement of the Blue Ribbon Award in 2009-2010.

Transportation

As of May 2010, the borough had a total of 24.34 miles (39.17 km) of roadways, of which 18.26 miles (29.39 km) were maintained by the municipality, 2.85 miles (4.59 km) by Somerset County and 3.23 miles (5.20km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. U.S. Route 202 traverses the borough from east to west. New Jersey Route 28 has one side of the roadway within the borough as it follows the border with Bridgewater Township. The northern terminus of County Route 567 is in Raritan. The borough is served by the CAT-1R, 2R, and 3R routes (which all continue to Raritans Valley Community College on the western end) and by the Community Access Transit (CAT-1, 2, 3, and 4) bus lines. The station is north of the town center on Thompson Street and was built in the early 1890s. There is limited service farther west to High Bridge. The train station is usually the most frequent terminus on the Rritan Valley Line to Newark Penn Station. There are also three other small lots for this station. It is located south of the tracks in the main parking lot and is located in the area known as "The Backlot" The borough has a population of 2,816 (as of May 2013) and is home to a number of non-profit organizations.

Community

The Raritan Public Library is located in what was originally the homestead of General John Frederick Frelinghuysen. The library is open to the public on weekdays and on weekends.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Raritan, Somerset County, New Jersey = 48.2. 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 Raritan = 3.6 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 7,835 individuals with a median age of 40.2 age the population grows by 15.38% in Raritan, Somerset County, New Jersey population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 3,933.2 residents per square mile of area (1,518.6/km²). There are average 2.51 people per household in the 2,907 households with an average household income of $64,546 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.40% of the available work force and has dropped -3.55% 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 25.50%. The number of physicians in Raritan per 100,000 population = 363.2.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Raritan = 45.5 inches and the annual snowfall = 27.2 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 115. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 205. 86 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 20.2 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 49, 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 Raritan, Somerset County, New Jersey which are owned by the occupant = 60.67%. 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 = $285,910 and home appreciation of -11.51%. 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 $19.49 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 $7,728 per student. There are 12 students for each teacher in the school, 737 students for each Librarian and 460 students for each Counselor. 6.24% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 17.88% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 9.21% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).