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For the river called Rahway, see Rahway River.
Rahway (pronounced /ˈrɔːweɪ/) is a city in southern Union County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the New York metropolitan area, being fifteen miles southwest of Manhattan and five miles west of Staten Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city population was 26,500.
[edit] HistoryRahway and the surrounding area were once the home of the Lenni Lenape Native Americans, and tradition states that the city was named after Rahwack, a local tribal chief.[7] Formal European settlement began in 1664 with the purchase by the English from the Lenape of the Elizabethtown Tract, which encompassed lands from the mouth of the Raritan River and included all of present-day Union County as well as parts of Somerset, Middlesex, Morris and Essex counties.  Elm Ave. looking west, Early 1900s Rahway saw limited action during the American Revolutionary War because of its proximity to Staten Island, Elizabethtown and Perth Amboy. In January 1777, rebels were victorious against the British in the Battle of Spanktown, which resulted in the death of some 100 British troops. The battle was named this after Rahway's original name given to it by the first settlers, Spanktown.[7] The Merchants and Drovers Tavern resides at the corner of St. Georges and Westfield Avenues. The earliest buildings at the site date to 1795 and the property remains one of Rahway's most prominent historical landmarks.[8] George Washington visited Rahway during his travel to New York City prior to his presidential inauguration in 1789. A marker across the street from the tavern reads:
Following the Revolution, Rahway became the home of the first national mint to create a coin bearing the inscription E pluribus unum. A United States Post Office established in Rahway was one of only six in the entire state in 1791. Rahway grew due to its location along the major stagecoach and later, railroad lines between New York City and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The navigable Rahway River, which flows through the city, also aided the city's commercial growth. As immigrants from Britain, Ireland and Germany streamed into what was then Rahway Township in the 1850s, Rahway became incorporated as a city by an act of the State Legislature on April 19, 1858 from portions of Rahway Township in Union and Woodbridge Township, in Middlesex County. In 1860, the portion of Rahway that had been part of Middlesex County was transferred to Union. On March 13, 1861, the remainder of Rahway Township became part of Rahway City.[9] The first municipal elections for the Mayor and Council were conducted on April 19, 1858, and the Council held its first meeting on May 3, 1858. The city became home to dozens of major manufacturers, including the Regina Music Box Company, Wheatena, Mershon Bros. and, most importantly, Merck & Co., which was established in Rahway in 1903, when George Merck moved his small chemical company to Rahway from New York City. The company remained in Rahway through the presidency of George W. Merck and after. The national decline in industry after World War II led to the closure of most of Rahway's major manufacturing facilities except for Merck and a general deterioration of the city's central business district. [edit] Geography Rahway is located at 40°36′26″N 74°16′52″W / 40.607103°N 74.280998°W (40.607103, -74.280998).[10] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.0 square miles (10.5 km2), of which, 4.0 square miles (10.3 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km2) of it (1.24%) is water. Rahway is bordered to the Northwest by Clark, to the Northeast by Linden and to the South by Woodbridge in Middlesex County. The city is home to about ten parks. The best-known park is Rahway River Park, which is maintained by Union County, and is also partially located in Clark. The park hosts a number of baseball fields, picnic areas, a lake and a public pool.  The Rahway River travels through Rahway, entering from Clark at Rahway River Park. The river receives the waters of Robinsons Branch at Elizabeth Avenue between West Grand Avenue and West Main Street, and then receives the waters of the South Branch at East Hazlewood Avenue and Leesville Ave. Finally the river leaves Rahway to enter the city limits of Linden and Carteret before flowing into the Arthur Kill. [edit] Demographics
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 26,500 people, 10,028 households, and 6,728 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,642.7 people per square mile (2,564.3/km2). There were 10,381 housing units at an average density of 2,602.2/sq mi (1,004.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 60.19% White, 27.07% African American, 0.16% Native American, 3.58% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 5.62% from other races, and 3.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.87% of the population. There were 10,028 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.24. In the city the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $50,729, and the median income for a family was $61,931. Males had a median income of $41,047 versus $32,091 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,481. About 5.4% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over. [edit] Government [edit] Local governmentThe City of Rahway is governed under a Mayor-Council system of municipal government under the Faulkner Act.[12] Under the City of Rahway's form of government, all executive and administrative authority is vested in the office of the Mayor who appoints the Business Administrator and department directors. The Mayor of Rahway is James J. Kennedy (Democrat), who was first elected in 1990 and is serving his fifth term in office.[13] The Business Administrator is responsible for development of the Mayor’s annual budget, the administration of the city’s personnel system and the supervision of the management of the city’s departments. This form of government gives citizens a centralized line of authority for the efficient management of the city’s business.[1] The Municipal Council is made up of nine members elected by the citizens of Rahway. There are six wards in the City of Rahway and a Councilmember is elected for a four-year term by the citizens from each respective ward. There are three Councilmembers-at-large who represent the entire City and run with the Mayor for four-year terms.[14] Members of the Municipal Council are[15]:
[edit] Federal, state and county representationRahway is in the Tenth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 22nd Legislative District.[16] 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 is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken). For the 2008-2009 Legislative Session, the 22nd 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, Fanwood).[17] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[18] Union County is governed by a nine-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, elected at-large to three-year terms on a staggered basis. Union County's Freeholders are Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella (Roselle Park), Freeholder Vice Chairman Daniel P. Sullivan (Elizabeth), Angel G. Estrada (Elizabeth), Chester Holmes (Rahway), Bette Jane Kowalski (Cranford), Rick Proctor (Rahway), Deborah P. Scanlon (Union), Rayland Van Blake (Plainfield), and Nancy Ward (Linden).[19] [edit] EducationThe Rahway Public Schools serve students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[20]) are four K-5 elementary schools, one 6-8 Middle School and one 9-12 High School.
[edit] Transportation[edit] HighwaysRahway is served by U.S. Route 1/9, and Route 27. The city is sandwiched in between the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike, which are each located about two miles outside of the city limits. [edit] Public TransportationLocal public transportation is provided by New Jersey Transit with bus service to Elizabeth, Perth Amboy and Newark via the 62 bus. New Jersey Transit bus 115 provides local service and interstate service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. Rahway Train Station serves New Jersey Transit's North Jersey Coast Line and Northeast Corridor Line. The City of Rahway and New Jersey Transit helped fund a US$16 million renovation for the station in 1999 and a public plaza in front of the station was completed in 2001. The station has spurred cleanup and revitalization downtown. A new US$11.2 million 524-space parking deck opened across the street from the station in January 2005, helping train commuters and allowing the city to transform old parking lot space into new buildings and residences. [edit] AirportNewark Liberty International Airport is located 10.2 miles northeast of Rahway, approximately a twenty minute drive by car [21]. [edit] Downtown revitalization Beginning in the early 1990s and continuing through the present day, the City of Rahway has rebounded as its downtown began to see the construction of new restaurants, art galleries, market-rate housing and the old Rahway Theatre reopening as the Union County Arts Center. The theater underwent a $6.2-million renovation and expansion project, completed in 2007. As part of the expansion, the facility was purchased by the County of Union for $1.3 million and leased back for $1 a year. It also was officially renamed as the Union County Performing Arts Center. In September 1999, remnants of Hurricane Floyd swept across New Jersey and caused severe damage. The Rahway Public Library was on a flood plain and suffered over US$1 million in flood damage. The building was demolished in October 2001. A new library along a less flood-prone area of the Rahway River was constructed and opened on March 22, 2004, behind the city's municipal building. The area where the former Rahway Public Library now contains tennis courts and a small playground. In 2003, an indoor soccer/flag football complex opened just south of the Rahway Public Library. It is the only one of its kind in Northern New Jersey. Rahway Rising, a community blog written by a local resident, has covered redevelopment issues since late 2007. [edit] East Jersey State PrisonEast Jersey State Prison, formerly known as Rahway State Prison, is actually located in Woodbridge Township at the border with Rahway. The prison's mailing address is in Rahway, leading many to believe the facility resides there. The prison's official name was changed to East Jersey State Prison as of November 30, 1988, at the request of the citizens of Rahway.[22] [edit] Noted residentsSee also: Category:Rahway High School alumni
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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