Rumson, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rumson, New Jersey
Borough
Lauriston
Seal
Map of Rumson in Monmouth County. Inset: Location of Monmouth County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Rumson, New Jersey
Rumson, New Jersey Location in Monmouth County, New Jersey Show map of Monmouth County, New Jersey Rumson, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Rumson, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Monmouth
Incorporated	June 18, 1907
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	7.11 sq mi (18.42 km2)
• Land	5.07 sq mi (13.12 km2)
• Water	2.04 sq mi (5.30 km2)  28.76%
Area rank	242nd of 565 in state 16th of 53 in county
Elevation	36 ft (11 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	7,343
• Estimate  (2023)	7,178
• Rank	309th of 565 in state 23rd of 53 in county
• Density	1,449.2/sq mi (559.5/km2)
• Density rank	340th of 565 in state 41st of 53 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07760
Area code(s)	732
FIPS code	3402565130
GNIS feature ID	0885381

Rumson is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,343, an increase of 221 (+3.1%) from the 2010 census count of 7,122, which in turn reflected a decline of 15 (−0.2%) from 7,137 in 2000.

Rumson was formed by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 15, 1907, from portions of Shrewsbury Township, based on results of a referendum held on June 18, 1907.

The borough has been one of the state's highest-income communities. In the 2013–2017 American Community Survey, Rumson had a median household income of $158,229 (ranked 24th in the state) and included 43.9% of households earning more than $200,000 annually.

Rumson ranked among the highest annual property tax bills in New Jersey, and was the highest in Monmouth County, at $20,602 in 2018, compared to a statewide average of $8,767.

In 2010, Forbes.com listed Rumson as 192nd in its listing of "America's Most Expensive ZIP Codes", with a median home price of $1,104,271.

History

Legend has it that the borough's name is derived from early European settlers who bought the land from the local Lenape Native Americans in exchange for some rum. But as far back as 1663, long before the area was officially named Rumson, Native Americans called it "Navarumsunk". Over the years it has been shortened to "Rumson", though sources also talk of a Chief Alumson as a source of the name. Other names Rumson has been known by include Black Point, Port Washington and Oceanic.

Rumson was purchased by English settlers in pieces. The first purchase was dated January 25, 1665, and it included parts of Middletown. The rest of the area was purchased later that year.

Rumson is known for its many sprawling 19th-century estates located alongside the shores of the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers and also dotted along the historic Rumson Road (serving as one of Rumson's main thoroughfares). Now an upscale commuter suburb, Rumson was once a prominent summer colony for wealthy New York bankers and industrialists during the turn of the century, c. 1900. The oldest of Rumson's homes was the Tredwell House, named after a family that summered there for almost 100 years. The oldest part of the house was from 1670, and the estate once occupied 700 acres (2.8 km²). It was the second-oldest building in Monmouth County when it was destroyed by fire in June 2006.

The Lauriston Mansion, built in 1870 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002, is a 10,000-square-foot (930 m²) home constructed in the Colonial Revival style. Originally, the home sat on 39 acres (16 ha) of land, which over the years were parceled out, leaving 6 acres (2.4 ha) of land. Plans have been submitted to demolish the building, which the developer stated could not be renovated, and to replace it with townhomes that would include affordable housing, leading Preservation New Jersey to declare the home "endangered" as of 2020.

In the 19th century, Rumson's summer residents enjoyed many activities, such as swimming and boating in the adjacent Navesink River and the Atlantic Ocean, or taking wagon rides. In winter, residents used the river for ice boating.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 7.11 square miles (18.4 km²), including 5.07 square miles (13.1 km²) of land and 2.05 square miles (5.3 km²) of water (28.76%). It has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa) and average monthly temperatures range from 32.5 °F (0.3 °C) in January to 75.2 °F (24.0 °C) in July. [1]

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include East Oceanic, Elsemere, Oceanic, Rumson Bluffs, Rumson Hills and Waterloo.

The borough borders the Monmouth County municipalities of Fair Haven, Little Silver, Middletown Township, and Sea Bright directly; and it borders Oceanport and Monmouth Beach only by water.

Demographics

2010 census

Cows on a property in Rumson

The 2010 United States census counted 7,122 people, 2,344 households, and 1,957 families in the borough. The population density was 1,408.0 per square mile (543.6/km²). There were 2,585 housing units at an average density of 511.0 per square mile (197.3/km²). The racial makeup was 97.22% (6,924) White, 0.25% (18) Black or African American, 0.07% (5) Native American, 1.26% (90) Asian, 0.03% (2) Pacific Islander, 0.15% (11) from other races, and 1.01% (72) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.43% (173) of the population.

Of the 2,344 households, 46.8% had children under the age of 18; 72.4% were married couples living together; 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 16.5% were non-families. Of all households, 14.3% were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.38.

32.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 18.0% from 25 to 44, 32.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 94.0 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 89.9 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $134,281 (with a margin of error of +/− $18,300) and the median family income was $157,188 (+/− $28,308). Males had a median income of $140,885 (+/− $25,278) versus $56,071 (+/− $16,014) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $79,388 (+/− $10,219). About 3.8% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Sports

The Seabright Lawn Tennis and Cricket Club, established in 1877, is the oldest continuously active tennis club in the United States.

Parks and recreation

Public parks consist of Meadowridge Park, Piping Rock Park, Riverside Park, Rogers Park, "Teddy's Playground" at Victory Park, and West Park. Teddy's Playground was named after Edward “Teddy” Hall Gmelich, a 1-1/2-year-old who loved going to the park, and had died from a disease that had spread to his heart. The Rumson Country Club is a consolidation of the Rumson Polo Club and the Meadow Yacht Club and the Sea Bright Yacht Club. Bingham Hall serves as a center for social gatherings, recreational activities, and fundraisers.

Education

Wildlife on the Rumson shore

The Rumson School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 911 students and 96.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.4:1. Schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Deane-Porter Elementary School with 384 students in grades PreK-3 and Forrestdale School with 525 students in grade 4-8.

Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, a regional, four-year comprehensive public high school serving students from both Fair Haven and Rumson, where the school is located. As of the 2022–23 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 876 students and 83.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.5:1. In 2016, Newsweek ranked RFH the 144th best high school in the United States. Seats on the high school district's nine-member board of education are allocated based on the population of the constituent municipalities, with five seats assigned to Rumson.

Private schools in Rumson include Holy Cross School for grades K–8, which operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton. In 2015, Holy Cross School was one of 15 schools in New Jersey, and one of six private schools, recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School in the exemplary high performing category by the United States Department of Education.

Founded in 1926 and developed under the principles of its organizer B. Lord Buckley, Rumson Country Day School serves students in preschool through eighth grade and was recognized in 1998-99 by the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program.

Transportation

County Route 520 (Rumson Road) in Rumson

Roads and highways

As of May 2010^[update], the borough had a total of 49.56 miles (79.76 km) of roadways, of which 40.15 miles (64.62 km) were maintained by the municipality and 9.41 miles (15.14 km) by Monmouth County.

No Interstate, U.S. or state highways directly serve Rumson. The most prominent road through the town is County Route 520 (Rumson Road).

Public transportation

Transportation to New York is available via NJ Transit's train service from stations at Little Silver or Red Bank. Commuter service is provided on the North Jersey Coast Line, offering express and local service. Diesel service operates from Hoboken Terminal to Bay Head, New Jersey. Electric service operates from Penn Station to Long Branch, New Jersey, where the electrified portion of the line ends. Mid-line stations include Newark Penn Station, Newark Liberty International Airport Station, and Secaucus Junction.

Many of Rumson's residents work in the financial services industry and commute to Wall Street on the high-speed SeaStreak ferry that leaves from nearby Atlantic Highlands. The ferry ride is 40 minutes to the foot of Wall Street or an hour to Midtown Manhattan.

NJ Transit offers local bus service on the 835 route.

Notable people

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

Gallery

• 

  New home construction in Rumson

• 

  New borough hall construction

• 

  Battle of Black Point historical marker

• 

  Rumson World War I memorial

• 

  Rumson shield

See also

In Spanish: Rumson para niños