Roselle, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Roselle, New Jersey
Borough
The boathouse at Warinanco Park in Roselle
Seal
Map of Roselle in Union County. Inset: Location of Union County in 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	2.63 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  (2020)
• Total	22,695
• Estimate  (2023)	22,342
• Rank	120th of 565 in state 10th of 21 in county
• Density	8,612.9/sq mi (3,325.5/km2)
• Density rank	45th of 565 in state 4th 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 (/roʊˈzɛl/ row-zell) is a borough located in Union County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 22,695, an increase of 1,610 (+7.6%) from the 2010 census count of 21,085, which in turn reflected a decline of 189 (−0.9%) from the 21,274 counted in the 2000 census.

History

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 illuminated 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 2.65 square miles (6.86 km²), including 2.64 square miles (6.82 km²) of land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km²) of water (0.49%).

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

The borough is bordered by the Union County municipalities of Roselle Park to the north, Linden to the south and Cranford to the west and Elizabeth, along the edges of Warinanco Park, to the east. Morses Creek runs through the borough.

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 21,085 people, 7,407 households, and 5,096 families 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 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 or Latino of any race were 26.77% (5,644) of the population.

Of the 7,407 households, 31.1% had children under the age of 18; 42.0% were married couples living together; 19.8% had a female householder with no husband present and 31.2% were non-families. Of all households, 26.7% 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.

23.5% of the population were 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, the population had 90.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older 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.

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.

Arts and culture

The Roselle House Music Festival is held each July in Warinanco Park, sponsored by the borough council, the Union County Board of County Commissioners and commercial brand sponsors.

Parks and recreation

Warinanco Park is a Union County park created in 1920 that covers 205 acres (83 ha) in Roselle and Elizabeth.

Education

Students are educated by the Roselle Public Schools, which serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of eight schools, had an enrollment of 2,897 students and 289.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.0:1. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Kindergarten Success Academy with 184 students in Kindergarten, Harrison Elementary School with 268 students in grades 1–4, Dr. Charles C. Polk Elementary School with 295 students in grades 1–4, Washington Elementary School with 317 students in grades 1–4, Leonard V. Moore Middle School with 460 students in grades 5–6, Grace Wilday Junior High School with 503 students in grades 7–8 and Abraham Clark High School with 781 students in grades 9–12.

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.

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.

Notable people

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

See also

In Spanish: Roselle (Nueva Jersey) para niños