Spotswood, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Spotswood, New Jersey
Borough
St. Peter's Church
Seal
Location of Spotswood in Middlesex County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Middlesex County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Census Bureau map of Spotswood, New Jersey
Spotswood, New Jersey Location in Middlesex County, New Jersey Show map of Middlesex County, New Jersey Spotswood, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Spotswood, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Middlesex
Incorporated	May 12, 1908
Government
• Type	Faulkner Act (mayor–council)
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	2.42 sq mi (6.27 km2)
• Land	2.31 sq mi (5.99 km2)
• Water	0.11 sq mi (0.28 km2)  4.46%
Area rank	380th of 565 in state 20th of 25 in county
Elevation	36 ft (11 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,163
• Estimate  (2023)	8,078
• Rank	288th of 565 in state 20th of 25 in county
• Density	3,538.4/sq mi (1,366.2/km2)
• Density rank	191st of 565 in state 15th of 25 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	08884
Area code(s)	732
FIPS code	3402369810
GNIS feature ID	0885405
Website

Spotswood is a borough in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The community is nestled within the heart of the Raritan Valley region, with the Manalapan Brook and Matchaponix Brook forming the confluence of the South River (a Raritan River tributary) inside the borough. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 8,163, a decrease of 94 (−1.1%) from the 2010 census count of 8,257, which in turn reflected an increase of 377 (+4.8%) from the 7,880 counted in the 2000 census.

History

Graveyard on the premises of St. Peter's Church

Camden and Amboy Railroad Memorial near East Spotswood Park

Its first settler James Johnston originally called the place "Spottiswoode", named for his old place of residence in Scotland, and dates back to its original settlement in 1685. It was also historically spelled Spottswood.

The Bordentown and South Amboy Turnpike, a stagecoach route built in 1816, passed through Spotswood. The Camden and Amboy Railroad, chartered in 1830, followed this stagecoach route and reached Spotswood in 1832. It used stone sleepers to support the track. The locomotive, John Bull, operated on the railroad. A trackside memorial is located near East Spotswood Park. In addition to the Spotswood station, Outcalt and East Spotswood had passenger and freight stations on the Pennsylvania Railroad, the United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company subsidiary.

Spotswood was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 15, 1908, from portions of East Brunswick Township, based on the passage of a referendum held on May 12, 1908.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.42 square miles (6.3 km²), including 2.31 square miles (6.0 km²) of land and 0.11 square miles (0.28 km²) of water (4.46%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Outcalt, which is located along the border of Spotswood and Monroe Township.

The borough borders the Middlesex County municipalities of East Brunswick, Helmetta, Monroe Township and Old Bridge Township.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 8,257 people, 3,128 households, and 2,143 families in the borough. The population density was 3,642.2 per square mile (1,406.3/km²). There were 3,242 housing units at an average density of 1,430.1 per square mile (552.2/km²). The racial makeup was 88.63% (7,318) White, 2.98% (246) Black or African American, 0.11% (9) Native American, 5.14% (424) Asian, 0.01% (1) Pacific Islander, 1.27% (105) from other races, and 1.87% (154) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.32% (687) of the population.

Of the 3,128 households, 29.3% had children under the age of 18; 55.0% were married couples living together; 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present and 31.5% were non-families. Of all households, 27.1% were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.16.

21.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 86.1 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $70,360 (with a margin of error of +/− $9,861) and the median family income was $90,652 (+/− $8,741). Males had a median income of $59,226 (+/− $4,823) versus $43,365 (+/− $4,935) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $31,249 (+/− $1,696). About 2.5% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.7% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

World War Two Memorial at East Spotswood Park

Tennis courts are located on Summerhill Road. Spotswood parks are located on Rieder Road, Mundy Avenue, Michael Road, and East Spotswood. A World War Two Memorial is located in the East Spotswood Park.

Education

The Spotswood Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of four schools, had an enrollment of 1,610 students and 136.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.8:1. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are G. Austin Schoenly Elementary School with 207 students in grades PreK–1, E. Raymond Appleby Elementary School with 334 students in grades 2–5, Spotswood Memorial Middle School with 349 students in grades 6–8 and Spotswood High School with 692 students in grades 9–12.

Students from Helmetta, a non-operating district, attend school in Spotswood beginning in grammar school. Students from Milltown attend the high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Milltown Public Schools.

Immaculate Conception Pre-School (toddler–Pre-K) and Immaculate Conception School (K–8), which opened in September 1960, operate under the supervision of Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen.

Transportation

Roads and highways

Exit signage on Route 18 southbound directing to Spotswood's Main Street

Middlesex County Route 615 (Main Street) in Spotswood

As of July 2015^[update], the borough had a total of 29.51 miles (47.49 km) of roadways, of which 25.52 miles (41.07 km) were maintained by the municipality and 4.07 miles (6.55 km) by Middlesex County.

The main roads that pass through Spotswood include Middlesex County Route 613 (Devoe Avenue / Main Street / Summerhill Road) connecting Monroe Township to the south and East Brunswick Township to the north and Middlesex County Route 615 (Manalapan Road / Main Street) connecting Helmetta in the southwest to East Brunswick Township in the borough's northwest corner.

Both Route 18 and County Route 527 just miss the borough by less than a mile. The closest limited access road is the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95) which is accessible in both neighboring East Brunswick Township (Exit 9) and bordering Monroe Township (Exit 8A).

Public transportation

NJ Transit provides bus service between the borough and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 138 route.

See also

In Spanish: Spotswood (Nueva Jersey) para niños