Sayreville, New Jersey

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Sayreville, New Jersey
Location of Sayreville in Middlesex County. Inset: Location of Middlesex County in New Jersey.
Location of Sayreville in Middlesex County. Inset: Location of Middlesex County in New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Sayreville, New Jersey
Census Bureau map of Sayreville, New Jersey
Coordinates: 40°27′56″N 74°19′19″W / 40.46556, -74.32194
Country United States
State New Jersey
County Middlesex
Incorporated April 29, 1919
Government
 - Type Borough (New Jersey)
 - Mayor Kennedy O’Brien
Area
 - Total 18.7 sq mi (48.6 km²)
 - Land 15.9 sq mi (41.2 km²)
 - Water 2.8 sq mi (7.4 km²)
Elevation [1] 23 ft (7 m)
Population (2006)[2]
 - Total 42,560
 - Density 2,539.4/sq mi (980.5/km²)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 08871-08872, 08859, 08879
Area code(s) 732
FIPS code 34-65790[3]
GNIS feature ID 0885386[4]
Website: http://www.sayreville.com

Sayreville is a borough located on the Raritan River, near Raritan Bay in Middlesex County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 40,377.[5]

Sayreville was originally incorporated as a township on April 6, 1876, from portions of South Amboy Township. On April 2, 1919, the borough was reincorporated as the Borough of Sayreville, based on the results of a referendum held on April 29, 1919.[6]

Contents

[edit] Geography

Sayreville is located at 40°27′57″N, 74°19′27″W (40.465769, -74.324043)[7].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 18.8 square miles (48.6 km²), of which, 15.9 square miles (41.2 km²) of it is land and 2.8 square miles (7.4 km²) of it (15.20%) is water.

Sayreville is bordered on the north by Woodbridge Township, the northwest by Edison, the northeast by Perth Amboy, the east by South Amboy, the southwest by South River and East Brunswick, and the south by Old Bridge Township. Sayreville touches East Brunswick and Edison, although there are no ways to go directly from one town to the other.

The borough is approximately 35 miles southwest of New York City and 66 miles northeast of Philadelphia on the southern bank of the Raritan River. Area code 732 and 848 are used in Sayreville. It used to carry Area code 908, until 908 was allocated to Union, Hunterdon, and Warren Counties and Sayreville was designated as 732. Rahway and Clark in Union County still use the 732 area code.

Sayreville uses four ZIP codes 08872, 08871, 08879, and 08859. 08872 and 08871 are the Sayreville zip located in the borough itself. 08879 is the South Amboy zip located in the informal sections of Morgan and Melrose of Sayreville, the City of South Amboy, and the informal section of Laurence Harbor of Old Bridge Township. 08859 is the Parlin ZIP code located partially in the Borough of Sayreville and Old Bridge Township.

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop.  %±
1930 8,658
—
1940 8,186 -5.5%
1950 10,338 26.3%
1960 22,553 118.2%
1970 32,508 44.1%
1980 29,969 -7.8%
1990 34,986 16.7%
2000 40,377 15.4%
Est. 2006 42,560 [2] 5.4%
Population 1930 - 1990.[8]

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 40,377 people, 14,955 households, and 10,917 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,539.4 people per square mile (980.5/km²). There were 15,235 housing units at an average density of 958.1/sq mi (370.0/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 76.47% White, 8.62% African American, 0.13% Native American, 10.56% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.12% from other races, and 2.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.29% of the population.

There were 14,955 households out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the borough the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 34.2% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $58,919, and the median income for a family was $66,266. Males had a median income of $47,427 versus $35,151 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $24,736. About 3.4% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

[edit] Local government

Sayreville is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a six-member Borough Council, with all positions elected at large in partisan elections. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. Members of the Borough Council are elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.[9]

The Mayor of Sayreville is Kennedy O’Brien. As of 2008, members of the Borough Council are Council President Dennis Grobelny, Stanley Drwal, David M. Kaiserman, Kathy Makowski, Paula A. Siarkiewicz and Rory Zach.[10]

[edit] Federal, state and county representation

Sayreville is in the Sixth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 19th Legislative District.[11]

New Jersey's Sixth Congressional District, covering portions of Middlesex County and Monmouth County, is represented by Frank Pallone (D). 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 19th District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Joseph Vitale (D, Woodbridge) and in the Assembly by Joseph Vas (D, Perth Amboy) and John S. Wisniewski (D, Sayreville).[12] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[13]

Middlesex County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, elected at-large to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis. As of 2008, Middlesex County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director David B. Crabiel (Milltown), Freeholder Deputy Director Stephen J. "Pete" Dalina (Fords), Camille Fernicola (Piscataway), H. James Polos (Highland Park), Ronald Rios (Carteret), Christopher D. Rafano (South River) and Blanquita B. Valenti (New Brunswick).[14]

[edit] Education

The Sayreville 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[15]) are four K-3 elementary schools — Emma Arleth Elementary School (518 students), Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary School (460), Harry S. Truman Elementary School (442) and Woodrow Wilson Elementary School (334) — Sayreville Upper Elementary School for grades 4&5 (887), Sayreville Middle School for grades 6-8 (1,361), and Sayreville War Memorial High School for grades 9-12 (1,677). Jesse Selover Elementary School (77 students) offers a half-day program for children ages 3 to 5 years with mild to moderate disabilities, and a full-day program for children of the same age with moderate disabilities who require a greater degree of time and attention.

[edit] History

Native Americans were the first settlers of Sayreville. Tribes of the Navesink lived along the South River where Jernee Mill Road is located today. This was noted on a 1656 New Jersey map by A. Vanderdonck, a Dutch surveyor and map maker. During the 20th century, amateur archaeologists have found thousands of Indian artifacts at the location shown on the map.[16]

Predating the incorporation of Sayreville in 1703, the Morgan Inn - later known as the Old Spye Inn - was established in what is now the Morgan section of Sayreville. The inn was located on a hill overlooking the Raritan Bay. The original owners, the Morgans were said to be related to the famous pirate, Captain Henry Morgan, who is said to have visited the Inn on more than one occasion.[17]

It was during the American Revolutionary War that the Morgan Inn gained its new name, the Old Spye Inn, according to local legends. A local British loyalist Abe Mussey was captured by American troops while signaling to British Ships on the Raritan Bay in 1777. He was tried as a spy at the Inn, convicted in one-day trial and sentenced to death by hanging. Mussey's execution was carried out using a tree near the Inn's entrance. Mussey was reported to be buried behind the inn in an unmarked grave. The Inn was destroyed by fire in the late 20th century, but its ruins remain on the National Register of Historic Places.[18]

Originally known as Roundabout (for the river bends in the area) and then as Wood's Landing, it was renamed in the 1870s for James R. Sayre, Jr. of Newark, co-owner of Sayre & Fisher Brick Company (along with Peter Fisher of New York) that once flourished here. Extensive clay deposits supported the brick industry from the early 1800s until 1970. From its inception, Sayre & Fisher Brick Company quickly grew into one of the top brick making companies in Middlesex County. Brick production grew from 54,000,000 bricks annually in 1878, to 178,000,000 bricks in 1913. Company representatives in 1950 had estimated that a total of 6,250,000,000 bricks had been produced since the founding of the company.[19]

In 1898 DuPont begins production of gun powder at its plant on Deerfield Road.[20] The company would later build additional facilities in Sayreville for the production of Paint and Photo Products.

At one time the Raritan River Railroad passed though Sayreville and had several spurs to service Sayre & Fisher and other local industries. Featured in a 1914 episode titled "The Juggernaut" of the silent movie serial "The Perils of Pauline", the railroad got a brief taste of stardom.[21] The episode was staged on the line, including the construction of a bridge over Ducks Nest Pond in Sayreville.[22]

[edit] Redevelopment

Although the borough remains an industrial town, the addition of many technology companies and a growing residential population has changed the landscape of this central New Jersey town.

Randy Corman, Executive Director of the Sayreville Economic and Redevelopment Agency (SERA), has been heading up the development of the parcel of land commonly referred to as the National Lead Site / Amboy Cinemas lot since about 2000. This new "City" will clear woods, trees, and wetlands and install an entire city complete with commercial, industrial, residential, and recreational, all near the Middlesex County Utilities Authority (Sewerage Authority) and the Middlesex County Fire Academy.[23] There has also been much litigation as to the makeup of the members and public opinion about this project has never been put to a ballot.[24] In addition, closed door meetings have been accused of going against the Sunshine Open Meeting Act.[25]

Further, the redevelopment plan has run behind schedule and the County threatened not to give SERA any more extensions on choosing a developer.[26] SERA also voted to replace the Hanlon law firm with the New Brunswick-based Hoagland firm, which is a major contributor to the Democratic Party.[27]

[edit] Transportation

Sayreville enjoys proximity to several major roadways - the Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95), Interstate 287 which becomes Route 440 — providing access to Staten Island and Long Island, New York points — U.S. 1, U.S. 9, Route 18, Route 34 and Route 35.

Three highway bridges span the Raritan River from the Sayreville side. The Edison Bridge on U.S. 9 and the Driscoll Bridge on the Garden State Parkway connect Woodbridge on the north with Sayreville on the south. The Victory Bridge carries Route 35, connecting Sayreville with Perth Amboy.

New Jersey Transit offers service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan via the 131 and 139. Service within New Jersey is offered to Newark on the 67, to Jersey City on the 64, and to other local destinations on the 815 and 817 routes.[28]

[edit] Community

Sayreville is a gateway to the Jersey Shore because the Raritan River is the line that is often considered to be the start of the shore region.

Sayreville's EMS-Rescue System is operated by an all-volunteer membership. The Sayreville Emergency Squad was founded in 1936 and provides EMS-Rescue Service with its sister Squad, Morgan First Aid. Both squads provide Emergency medical services, Motor Vehicle Extrication, Boat and Water Rescue, Search and Rescue, and any other rescue function needed. As one of the only completely volunteer first aid squads remaining in central New Jersey, they provide these services free to the citizens of Sayreville. The Sayreville Emergency Squad has been offering rescue services to the Borough since it's formation in 1936 and has had a dedicated extrication crash truck as early as the 1940's.

Sayreville also has an all-volunteer fire department. It has four fire companies, Sayreville Engine Company #1, Melrose Hose Company #1, Morgan Hose & Chemical Company, and the President Park Volunteer Fire Company.

Sayreville also operates an all-volunteer Auxiliary Police. The Auxiliary police are seen though the town doing numerous jobs from patrols to various borough events. They are the volunteers that are out there crossing citizens at church and providing protection at carnivals and celebrations such as the 4th of July and parades. The Sayreville Auxiliary police are a group of individuals whose sole propose is to serve by volunteering countless unseen hours for the greater good of the community.

Sayreville is also home to the Starland Ballroom concert venue.

Sayreville also has several night clubs such as Club Abyss and Club 35.

Sayreville has two community football and cheerleading teams, the Sayreville Leprechauns and Morgan-Parlin Panthers.

[edit] Noted residents

Notable current and former residents of Sayreville include:

  • Jon Bon Jovi (1962-), rocker's boyhood home.[29]
  • Greg Evigan (1953-), Actor on television hits B.J. and the Bear and My Two Dads.[30]
  • David Frank, former clown & performer for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus; Co-Founder, actor and Director for "Us Presents" Theatre company.[31]
  • Marilyn Ghigliotti (1961-), Actress. Played the character Veronica Loughran in Kevin Smith's cult hit Clerks.[32]
  • Dulé Hill (1975-), Actor (The West Wing, Psych) who graduated Sayreville War Memorial High School in 1993.[33]
  • Tom Kelly (1950-), Former Minnesota Twins manager at one time lived in the Parlin section of Sayreville.
  • Madelyn Noe, Track & Field[34]. American women's indoor mile record holder. [35]
  • Eddie Popowski (1913-2001), Known as "Buddy". Long time coach and two time interim manager of the Boston Red Sox.[36]
  • Rhonda Rompola, Coach of the Southern Methodist University women's basketball team since 1991. In her 15 years at SMU, Rompola has tallied a 270-176 mark, earning her 250th career win on Jan. 29, 2005, at Boise State.[37] Rompola attended War Memorial High School in Sayreville. She was a three-time All-State and All-Conference performer, leading her team to a 44-8 record and the 1978 Central Jersey Championship. As a player, Rompola was SMU’s first women’s basketball All-American.
  • Dave Sabo, AKA "The Snake" - rock guitarist who plays in the heavy metal band Skid Row.[38]
  • Charles Wiley, child actor, Republican Congressional political candidate (vs. Edward J. Patten[39]), journalist whose search for truth led to his arrest eight times by secret police, including the KGB and imprisonment in Castro's Cuba. He has covered several wars, including four trips to Vietnam reporting for NBC, UPI, The London Express and many other U.S. and foreign news media. His articles and photographs have appeared in TIME, Newsweek and the New York Times. Wiley is also a well known radio/TV talk show personality and commentator.[40]
  • Timothy Wiltsey, a 5 year old boy from Sayreville, NJ who was reported missing by his mother, Michelle Lodzinski, on May 25, 1991 from a local carnival. [41] The Wiltsey story was featured on "America's Most Wanted". Almost a year later in April 1992, Timmy’s remains were discovered in a creek in marshy area near Raritan Center in Edison, New Jersey where Lodzinski once worked as a secretary. His murder has never been solved, even though Michelle Lodzinski was considered a primary suspect. It has been alleged that Lodzinski failed two lie detector tests and there have been inconsistencies in her story. She was never charged in the case.
  • John S. Wisniewski (1962-), represents the 19th legislative district in the New Jersey General Assembly.[42]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ USGS GNIS: Borough of Sayreville, Geographic Names Information System, accessed January 4, 2008.
  2. ^ a b Census data for Sayreville borough, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 12, 2007.
  3. ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  4. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  5. ^ Sayreville (borough) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. Retrieved on September 25, 2006.
  6. ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 173.
  7. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  8. ^ Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
  9. ^ 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 87.
  10. ^ Borough of Sayreville Borough Council. Retrieved on May 7, 2008.
  11. ^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 63. Accessed August 30, 2006.
  12. ^ Legislative Roster: 2008-2009 Session, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed June 6, 2008.
  13. ^ About the Governor, New Jersey. Accessed June 6, 2008.
  14. ^ Elected County Officials, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Accessed February 21, 2007.
  15. ^ Data for the Sayreville Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed May 7, 2008.
  16. ^ "Significant facts about Sayreville history" by Ed Pytel, Sayreville Historian
  17. ^ The Old Spye Inn, New Jersey History's Mysteries. Accessed September 2, 2007.
  18. ^ New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places: Middlesex County, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Historic Preservation Office. Accessed September 2, 2007.
  19. ^ New Jersey History & Mysteries. Retrieved on March 23, 2006.
  20. ^ Sayreville Timeline from "Home News Tribune"
  21. ^ All about The Raritan River Railroad
  22. ^ Suburban Weekly
  23. ^ Borough Set to Buy Tract for $32M, Cityfeet.com, January 4, 2005.
  24. ^ Sera to court
  25. ^ Get rid of play to play at NL.
  26. ^ NL behind schedule.
  27. ^ NL Developer unresolved.
  28. ^ Middlesex County Bus/Rail Connections, New Jersey Transit. Accessed June 19, 2007.
  29. ^ Goodnough, Abby. "IN BRIEF; A Town Bids for Recognition By Renaming Highway Stops", The New York Times, October 15, 1995. Accessed December 28, 2007. "It used to be enough that the rock star Jon Bon Jovi hailed from Sayreville. Lately, though, the Middlesex County town is yearning for more recognition."
  30. ^ Dencker, Martha. "Picking berries, making bricks: Memories of old-time Sayreville.", The Star-Ledger, April 15, 1999. "Among other indigenous pieces of Sayreville in the museum are memorabilia from two native sons: the rock star Jon Bon Jovi and actor Greg Evigan, who had leads in the television shows 'BJ and the Bear' and 'My Two Dads'."
  31. ^ ONTIK.
  32. ^ Beckerman, Jim. "IT WAS SLOW GOING AT THE QUICK STOP: `CLERKS' STARS KEPT WAITING", The Record (New Jersey), November 4, 1994. Accessed August 15, 2007. "A 20-year Sayreville resident, she plays Veronica, girlfriend of the hapless clerk Dante (O'Halloran).... A graduate of Sayreville High School and a friend of O'Halloran's for several years, Ghigliotti has acted opposite him in theater productions of Wait Until Dark and the off-off Broadway production Sabona."
  33. ^ Bio of Dulé Hill, NBC's The West Wing. Accessed December 17, 2006.
  34. ^ University of Rhode Island Alumni Profile
  35. ^ American Masters Indoor Record
  36. ^ THE OBIT FOR EDDIE POPOWSKI, copy of article from Home News Tribune. Accessed September 2, 2007.
  37. ^ SMU Team Profile.
  38. ^ Iozzia, David. "Dave's On Tour 2005: Psychotherapy–Feeding My Head/Banging My Head". Accessed September 2, 2007. "Skid Row guitarist Dave 'Snake' Sabo was raised in Sayreville, the home of New Jersey's premier rock club, Starland Ballroom."
  39. ^ (1994) in John L. Moore: Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections, 3rd, Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, 1543. 0-87187-996-4.  pg. 1251
  40. ^ Accuracy In Media Profile.
  41. ^ In Memory of Timothy Wiltsey.
  42. ^ Assembly Member John S. Wisniewski, Project Vote Smart . Accessed August 12, 2007.

[edit] External links

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