South River, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids South River, New Jersey
Borough
Borough of South River
South River, 1936
Seal
Motto(s):  "A Community With a Proud Past and a Bright Future"
South River highlighted in Middlesex County. Inset: Location of Middlesex County in New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of South River, New Jersey
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Middlesex
Incorporated	February 28, 1898
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	2.94 sq mi (7.61 km2)
• Land	2.79 sq mi (7.21 km2)
• Water	0.16 sq mi (0.40 km2)  5.27%
Area rank	336th of 565 in state 17th of 25 in county
Elevation	26 ft (8 m)
Population  (2010 Census)
• Total	16,008
• Estimate  (2019)	15,779
• Rank	159th of 566 in state 15th of 25 in county
• Density	5,781.4/sq mi (2,232.2/km2)
• Density rank	90th of 566 in state 6th of 25 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Codes	08882
Area code(s)	732
FIPS code	3402369420
GNIS feature ID	0885403

South River is a borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 16,008, reflecting an increase of 686 (+4.5%) from the 15,322 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 1,630 (+11.9%) from the 13,692 counted in the 1990 Census.

What is now South River was originally formed as the town of Washington within East Brunswick Township on February 23, 1870. South River was incorporated as an independent borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 28, 1898, replacing Washington town. It was named after the South River, which marks the borough's eastern and northeastern boundary.

Demographics

Residential neighborhood along Main Street (County Route 535) in South River

Census 2010

As of the census of 2010, there were 16,008 people, 5,652 households, and 4,019 families residing in the borough. The population density was 5,781.4 per square mile (2,232.2/km²). There were 5,957 housing units at an average density of 2,151.4 per square mile (830.7/km²)^*. The racial makeup of the borough was 76.18% (12,195) White, 7.13% (1,142) Black or African American, 0.31% (50) Native American, 4.84% (775) Asian, 0.06% (9) Pacific Islander, 8.18% (1,309) from other races, and 3.30% (528) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.20% (2,913) of the population.

There were 5,652 households out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.5% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.32.

In the borough, the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.2 years. For every 100 females there were 103.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and old there were 101.5 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $62,284 (with a margin of error of +/- $9,691) and the median family income was $78,109 (+/- $8,122). Males had a median income of $51,599 (+/- $6,269) versus $46,014 (+/- $3,025) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $28,178 (+/- $1,766). About 4.4% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.9% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 15,322 people, 5,606 households, and 3,985 families residing in the borough. The population density was 5,444.7 people per square mile (2,105.3/km²). There were 5,769 housing units at an average density of 2,050.0 per square mile (792.7/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 83.55% White, 9.66% Hispanic or Latino, 6.06% African American, 0.12% Native American, 3.54% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.83% from other races, and 2.85% from two or more races.

Most common ancestries of the population are Polish (18.9%), Italian (14.6%), Irish (13.0%), German (12.5%), Portuguese (9.3%), Russian (4.5%).

There were 5,606 households, out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $52,324, and the median income for a family was $62,869. Males had a median income of $42,186 versus $31,098 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $23,684. About 3.7% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

A large Polish, Russian, and Portuguese immigrant population moved into the borough in the 1950s-1980s. Today South River's largest incoming immigrant population are Asian, Mexican and Brazilian populations.

Belarusians in South River

Monument for "Those who fought for Freedom and Independence of Byelorussia"

South River has become a center for Belarusian Americans in the postwar-period.

The first immigrants from present-day Belarus (from the areas of modern-day western Minsk Voblast and Hrodna Voblast, around the towns of Vilejka, Maladziečna and others) arrived to South River in the late 19th century. Most of the immigrants of that time identified themselves as Polish or Russian depending on their faith. Immigrants from Belarus established a Roman Catholic church of Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn (a prominent Catholic icon in Vilnius venerated primarily by Catholics in Western Belarus and Lithuania) and a 250 members strong Russian Orthodox parish of St. Peter and St. Paul.

The postwar immigrants founded the Belarusian Congress Committee of America here in 1951. In the 1950s they reestablished the Belarusian Orthodox parish of St. Eufrasinnia, that previously existed in Germany. A Belarusian cemetery was opened in 1953, that houses also Radasłaŭ Astroŭski.

Government

Local government

The town government council has a Mayor and a Borough Council. It has 6 members that serve three-year terms. Two members are up for election each year.

Federal Representation

South River is located in the 12th Congressional District

Education

The South River Public Schools serve students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2017–18 school year, the district, comprised of four schools, had an enrollment of 2,224 students and 175.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.7:1. Schools in the district (with 2017-18 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are South River Primary School for grades K-2 (473 students), South River Elementary School for grades 3-5 (538), South River Middle School for grades 6-8 (539) and South River High School for grades 9-12 (640).

Transportation

Roads and highways

CR 535 in South River

As of May 2010^[update], the borough had a total of 49.25 miles (79.26 km) of roadways, of which 43.50 miles (70.01 km) were maintained by the municipality and 5.75 miles (9.25 km) by Middlesex County.

The mains roads that travel through are CR 535 and CR 527. Route 18 passes just west of the borough, which provides access to the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95).

Public transportation

NJ Transit bus service is provided on the 811 and 815 routes.

Notable people

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

• Radasłaŭ Astroŭski (1887–1976), Belarusian political leader and Nazi Collaborator
• George Brasno (1911–1982), vaudevillian performer known for his appearances alongside his sister Olive in the Our Gang comedies and Charlie Chan movie series
• Olive Brasno (1917–1998), vaudevillian performer known for her appearances in the Our Gang comedies and Charlie Chan movie series
• Joseph Csatari (born 1929), painter
• Janet Evanovich (born 1943), author
• John H. Froude (born 1930), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1972 to 1980.
• Angelica Generosa, ballet dancer who is a principal dancer with the Pacific Northwest Ballet
• Lyle Goodhue (1903–1981), scientist
• Kenny Jackson (born 1962), former professional football player
• Jonathan Janson (born 1950), painter
• Stanley Kamel (1943–2008), actor who performed in the USA Network series Monk as Dr. Charles Kroger
• Barys Kit (1910–2018), Belarusian-American rocket scientist
• Evan Louro (born 1996), soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer
• Melbourne MacDowell (1856–1941), stage and silent screen actor, when the borough was still known as Little Washington
• Frank Mula (1950-2021), writer for The Simpsons
• Alfred Nisonoff (1923–2001), immunology researcher
• Drew Pearson (born 1951), former professional football player
• Brian Sicknick (1978–2021), officer of the United States Capitol Police who died following the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol.
• Pete Sivess (1913–2003), pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies
• Elmer Stout (1929–2013), football player
• Joe Susan (born 1955), former head coach of the Bucknell Bison football team and current Special Assistant to The Head Football Coach at Rutgers University
• Joe Theismann (born 1949), former professional football player
• Alex Wojciechowicz (1915–1992), professional football player
• Russell Zavistovich (1928–2000), leader of the Belarusian American community

See also

In Spanish: South River (Nueva Jersey) para niños