Rahway, New Jersey

For the river called Rahway, see Rahway River.

Rahway is a City in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city population was 26,500.

Geography

Rahway is located at (40.607103, -74.280998).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.5 km² (4.0 mi²). 10.3 km² (4.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.24%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 26,500 people, 10,028 households, and 6,728 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,564.3/km² (6,642.7/mi²). There were 10,381 housing units at an average density of 1,004.5/km² (2,602.2/mi²). 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.

Government

Local government

The City of Rahway is governed under the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) system of municipal government.

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 fourth term in office.

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.

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.

Members of the Municipal Council are:

First Ward - Robert Rachlin, Council Vice President
Second Ward - Francis Janusz
Third Ward - Jerry Scaturo
Fourth Ward - David Brown
Fifth Ward - Jennifer Wenson-Maier, Council President
Sixth Ward - Samson Steinman
At Large - James C. Jones
At Large - Salvatore Mione
At Large - Nancy Saliga

Federal, state and county representation

Rahway is in the Tenth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 22nd Legislative District.

History

Rahway 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. 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. 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.

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 landmarksThe Merchants and Drovers Tavern: Historical background, accessed June 7, 2006. 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:

Here, on April 23, 1789, on his way to New York City, Washington

was received by troops from Elizabethtown and Newark. He was

entertained at the inn kept by Samuel Smith by gentlemen of the town.

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 in 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 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.

Recent Improvements

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.

New Jersey Transit and the City of Rahway helped fund a US$16 million Rahway train station in 1999 and a plaza 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 residencies.

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 wwas 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.

Noted residents

Clifford P. Case - Former United States Senator, lived in Rahway.
Abraham Clark - Signer of the Declaration of Independence, is buried at the Rahway Cemetery.
Milton Friedman - Economist, was born in New York City but raised in Rahway.
U.S. Congressman Wayne Gilchrest was born in Rahway.
Carl Sagan - Astronomer, lived in Rahway and was a Rahway High School graduate.
U.S. Congressman Christopher H. Smith was born in Rahway.
Dr. P. Roy Vagelos - Retired Merck & Co. CEO, was a graduate of Rahway High School and lived in Rahway for many years.

External links

Union County, New Jersey | Cities in New Jersey | New Jersey District Factor Group CD | Faulkner Act | Merck

Rahway | Rahway (New Jersey)

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