Roselle, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Roselle, New Jersey
Borough
Borough of Roselle
The boathouse at Warinanco Park in Roselle
Map of Roselle in Union County. Inset: Location of Union County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Roselle, New Jersey
Roselle, New Jersey Location in Union County, New Jersey Show map of Union County, New Jersey Roselle, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Roselle, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Union
Incorporated	December 20, 1894
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	2.65 sq mi (6.86 km2)
• Land	2.64 sq mi (6.82 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)  0.49%
Area rank	366th of 565 in state 16th of 21 in county
Elevation	56 ft (17 m)
Population  (2010 Census)
• Total	21,085
• Estimate  (2019)	21,811
• Rank	123rd of 566 in state 11th of 21 in county
• Density	7,953.5/sq mi (3,070.9/km2)
• Density rank	46th of 566 in state 5th of 21 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07203
Area code(s)	908
FIPS code	3403964620
GNIS feature ID	0885379
Website

Roselle ( row-zell) is a borough located in Union County in the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 21,085, reflecting a decline of 189 (-0.9%) from the 21,274 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 960 (+4.7%) from the 20,314 counted in the 1990 Census.

On January 19, 1883, the world's first electric lighting system employing overhead wires began service in Roselle. It had been built by Thomas Edison to demonstrate that an entire community could be lit by electricity. This success encouraged the installation of electric lighting in numerous other villages and cities. The First Presbyterian Church, located on the corner of West 5th Avenue and Chestnut Street, was the first church in the United States to be lit by electricity, and the second in the world after the City Temple church in London.

Roselle was incorporated on December 20, 1894, at the height of the Boroughitis phenomenon sweeping through New Jersey at the time, based on the results of a referendum held two days earlier, from portions of Linden. Roselle's name is derived from the Roselle Land Improvement Company, which was created in 1866 to lay out a community around the Mulford Station on the Central Railroad of New Jersey. The name "Roselle" is said to have been based on the company's founder, John Conklin Rose or from John Pierre Roselle, a friend of the railroad's president.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.664 square miles (6.899 km²), including 2.651 square miles (6.866 km²) of land and 0.013 square miles (0.033 km²) of water (0.47%),

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Aldene.

The borough is bordered by Roselle Park to the north, Elizabeth to the east, Linden to the south and Cranford to the west. Morses Creek runs through the town.

Demographics

Census 2010

As of the census of 2010, there were 21,085 people, 7,407 households, and 5,096 families residing in the borough. The population density was 7,953.5 per square mile (3,070.9/km²). There were 7,939 housing units at an average density of 2,994.7 per square mile (1,156.3/km²)^*. The racial makeup of the borough was 29.59% (6,240) White, 55.06% (11,610) Black or African American, 0.31% (65) Native American, 2.23% (471) Asian, 0.02% (5) Pacific Islander, 9.63% (2,030) from other races, and 3.15% (664) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic or Latino of any race were 26.77% (5,644) of the population.

There were 7,407 households out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 19.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.44.

In the borough, the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.0 years. For every 100 females there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and old there were 85.6 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $58,041 (with a margin of error of +/- $3,948) and the median family income was $64,038 (+/- $4,495). Males had a median income of $40,163 (+/- $3,874) versus $36,210 (+/- $1,612) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $25,678 (+/- $1,130). About 7.5% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.9% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 21,274 people, 7,520 households, and 5,226 families residing in the borough. The population density was 8,048.8 people per square mile (3,111.3/km²). There were 7,870 housing units at an average density of 2,977.5 per square mile (1,151.0/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 51.32% African American, 35.58% White, 0.31% Native American, 2.71% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 6.07% from other races, and 3.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.11% of the population.

8.0% of the population of Roselle (Creole: Wozel) was of Haitian ancestry. This was the third-highest such percentage in New Jersey and the 16th-highest of any municipality in the nation.

There were 7,520 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.41.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.8 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $51,254, and the median income for a family was $58,841. Males had a median income of $37,604 versus $32,535 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $21,269. About 5.8% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.5% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Roads and highways

Route 27 northbound on the southeast edge of Roselle

As of May 2010^[update], the borough had a total of 49.96 miles (80.40 km) of roadways, of which 40.32 miles (64.89 km) were maintained by the municipality, 8.60 miles (13.84 km) by Union County and 1.04 miles (1.67 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

New Jersey Route 27 is the most significant highway in Roselle. It forms the borough's southeastern border with Linden.

Public transportation

NJ Transit provides bus service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City on the 112 and 115 routes, to Newark on the 59, 62 and 94 routes, with local service available on the 56 and 57.

Conrail's freight-only Lehigh Line passes through the community along the tracks of the former Lehigh Valley Railroad. The town once shared a passenger station with Roselle Park on the mainline of the Central Railroad of New Jersey. That line is abandoned.

The Staten Island Railway passed through the community before being dormant for years. It was reactivated by the Morristown & Erie Railway, but Morristown & Erie did not renew their option and their 10-year lease ceased as of May 15, 2012.

Newark Liberty International Airport is approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) from Roselle.

Economy

Portions of the borough are part of an Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ), one of 32 zones covering 37 municipalities statewide. Roselle was selected in 2002 as one of a group of three zones added to participate in the program. 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+5⁄8% rate charged statewide) at eligible merchants. Established in July 2002, the borough's Urban Enterprise Zone status expires in December 2023.

Education

Students are educated by the Roselle Public Schools, which serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2017–18 school year, the district, comprised of eight schools, had an enrollment of 2,863 students and 224.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.8:1. Schools in the district (with 2017–18 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Roselle Presechool (73 students in PreK) Kindergarten Success Academy (201; Kindergarten), Harrison Elementary School (323; 1–4), Dr. Charles C. Polk Elementary School (311; 1–4), Washington Elementary School (310; 1–4), Leonard V. Moore Middle School for grades 5-6 (465), Grace Wilday Junior High School for grades 7-8 (422) and Abraham Clark High School for grades 9-12 (740).

Roselle Catholic High School, a parochial high school run by the Marist Brothers, serves grades 9-12 under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.

St. Joseph the Carpenter School, which was founded in 1913, serves students in preschool through eighth grade, operating under the supervision of the Newark Archdiocese.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Roselle include:

• Eddie Fontaine, singer
• Rabih Abdullah (born 1975), running back who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots.
• Charles Augustus Briggs (1841–1913), Presbyterian theologian.
• Abraham Clark (1725–1794), a founding father of the United States of America and a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence.
• Greg Cook (1958-2005), basketball player.
• Harold Dobbs (1918–1994), Republican politician and civic leader in San Francisco who founded Mel's Drive-In and served as president of the city's Board of Supervisors.
• Jameel Dumas (born 1981), linebacker who played in NFL Europe.
• William Perry Fogg (1826–1909), author and adventurer
• Jerry Green (born 1939), politician, who has served in the New Jersey General Assembly since 1992, where he represents the 22nd Legislative District.
• Rosey Grier (born 1932), former football player in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams, a member of the original Fearsome Foursome.
• Al Harrington (born 1980), professional basketball player who formerly played for the NBA's New York Knicks.
• Jamel Holley (born 1979), politician who was chosen in 2015 to serve as a member of the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 20th Legislative District, after having served as mayor of Roselle since 2012.
• Jesse Holley (born 1984), signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2007, he was winner of the Spike TV reality show 4th and Long.
• Gene-Ann Polk Horne (1926–2015), physician and hospital administrator, director of pediatric ambulatory care at Harlem Hospital and professor of pediatrics at Columbia University.
• Phil Ivey (born 1976), professional poker player.
• Kendall James (born 1991), football cornerback who has played in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns.
• Emil Milan (born 1922), mid-century designer craftsman who worked primarily in wood.
• Barron Miles (born 1972), defensive back for the BC Lions in the Canadian Football League.
• Rebecca Morse (born 1992), ice hockey defender, currently playing for the Metropolitan Riveters of the National Women's Hockey League.
• Carole Dawn Reinhart (born 1941), trumpet player and professor in Vienna
• Charles August Sulzer (1879–1919), delegate to the United States House of Representatives from the Alaska Territory.
• William H. Tunner (1906–1983), general officer in the United States Air Force.
• Lucius Walker (1930–2010), Baptist minister best known for his opposition to the United States embargo against Cuba.

See also

In Spanish: Roselle (Nueva Jersey) para niños