Rumson is an affluent community Borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 7,137.
Rumson was formed as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 15, 1907, from portions of Shrewsbury Township, based on the results of a referendum held on June 18, 1907.[7]
Geography
Rumson is located at 40°22′11″N 74°00′06″W / 40.369644°N 74.001667°W / 40.369644; -74.001667 (40.369644, -74.001667).[8][page needed]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 7.2 square miles (18.8 km2), of which, 5.2 square miles (13.5 km2) of it is land and 2.0 square miles (5.2 km2) of it (27.76%) is water.
Public parks include Meadowridge Park, Piping Rock Park, Riverside Park, Rogers Park, Victory Park and West Park.[9]
Demographics
| Historical populations |
| Census |
Pop. |
|
%± |
| 1930 |
2,073 |
|
—
|
| 1940 |
2,926 |
|
41.1% |
| 1950 |
4,044 |
|
38.2% |
| 1960 |
6,405 |
|
58.4% |
| 1970 |
7,421 |
|
15.9% |
| 1980 |
7,623 |
|
2.7% |
| 1990 |
6,701 |
|
−12.1% |
| 2000 |
7,137 |
|
6.5% |
| Est. 2007 |
7,226 |
[3] |
1.2% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[10] |
As of the census[4][page needed] of 2000, there were 7,137 people, 2,452 households, and 1,988 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,366.0 people per square mile (527.9/km2). There were 2,610 housing units at an average density of 499.5/sq mi (193.1/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 0% African American, 98.6% White, 0.06% Native American, 1.06% Asian, 0.36% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.39% of the population. Pot smoking teenagers make up 90 % of the 11-18 demographic.
There were 2,452 households out of which 44.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.3% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.9% were non-families. 16.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.29.
In the borough the population was spread out with 31.9% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median resident age is 39.2 years old. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $120,865, and the median income for a family was $140,668. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $47,260 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $73,692. About 3.4% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 0.7% of those age 65 or over.
The ancestries of residents are: Irish (33.4%), German (17.9%), Italian (16.4%), English (13.8%), Polish (6.2%), United States (5.3%).[11]
History
Legend has it that the borough's name is derived from early settlers who bought the piece of land now known as Rumson from the Native Americans 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”. In 1907, Rumson was officially incorporated as a Borough. Other names Rumson has been known by include Black Point, Port Washington, and Oceanic.[12]
Rumson was purchased by English settlers in pieces. The first purchase is dated January 25, 1665, and it included parts of Middletown. The rest of the area was purchased April 7, 1665 and June 5, 1665.
Rumson is known for its many sprawling turn of the century estates located along the shores of the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers and along historic Rumson Road, which serves as one of Rumson's main thoroughfares. Rumson's many old estates were built as summer homes for wealthy New York bankers and industrialists. The oldest of Rumson's homes was the Tredwell House, named after a family that summered here for almost 100 years. The oldest part of the house being from 1670 once occupied 700 acres, it was the second oldest building in Monmouth County as of June 2006, when it was destroyed by fire.[13]
In the Nineteenth Century Rumson's summer residents enjoyed many activities, such as swimming and boating in the adjacent Navesink River and, the Atlantic Ocean, or taking a wagon ride. In winter, residents used the river for ice boating.
Originally a summer colony for wealthy New Yorkers, Rumson is today an upscale suburb of New York. Many of Rumson's residents work in the financial services industry and commute to Wall Street on the high speed ferry that leaves from nearby Atlantic Highlands. The ferry ride is 35 minutes to the foot of Wall Street or slgithly less than an hour to Midtown Manhattan. Transportation to New York is also available via New Jersey Transit train service from Middletown or Red Bank.
Government
Local government
Rumson is governed by the Borough form of government, with a mayor and a six-member Borough Council. The mayor serves a four-year term. Borough Council members serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year. All officials are elected at-large on a partisan basis.[1]
The Mayor of Rumson is John E. Ekdahl, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2011. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Shaun Broderick (2011), Benjamin Day (2011), Joan P. DeVoe (2010), Joseph K. Hemphill (2010), Mark E. Rubin (2012) and Frank Shanley (2012). Rumson Borough and Council, Borough of Rumson.
Rumson is a participating municipality in an initiative to study regionalizing their municipal police force with one or more municipalities. The borough received a grant from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs in the amount of $40,950 along with the Boroughs of Fair Haven, Little Silver, Oceanport and Shrewsbury to hire professional consultants to conduct the study on their behalf. A report is due before the end of 2007.
Federal, state and county representation
Rumson is in the 12th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 11th Legislative District.[14]
New Jersey's 12th congressional district, covering portions of Hunterdon County (8 municipalities), Mercer County (9), Middlesex County (12), Monmouth County (14) and Somerset County (1), is represented by Rush D. Holt Jr. (D).[15] 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 11th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Sean T. Kean (R, Wall Township) and in the Assembly by Mary Pat Angelini (R, Ocean Township) and Dave Rible (R, Wall Township).[16] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[17]
Monmouth County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. As of 2009[update], Monmouth County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Barbara J. McMorrow (D, Freehold Township), Freeholder Deputy Director John D'Amico, Jr. (D, Oceanport), Lillian G. Burry (R, Matawan), Robert D. Clifton (R, Matawan) and Amy A. Mallet (D, Fair Haven).[18]
Education
The Rumson School District serves public school students in Kindergarten through eighth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[19]) are Deane-Porter Elementary School (K-3, 381 students) and Forrestdale Middle School (4-8, 591 students).
Public school students in grades 9 - 12 attend the Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, a regional, four-year comprehensive public high school, serving students from both Fair Haven and Rumson.[20]
Private Schools in Rumson are Holy Cross School and Rumson Country Day School.
Wildlife on the Rumson shore.
Dad Vail Regatta
Beginning in 2010, Rumson will host the Dad Vail Regatta rowing event.
Noted residents
Noted current and former residents of Rumson include:
- James C. Auchincloss (1885-1976), served eleven terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1943–1965 as a Republican from New Jersey's 3rd congressional district. Auchincloss was a member of the Rumson borough council from 1930-1937 and served as mayor of Rumson from 1938-1943, until he was elected to Congress.[21]
- Thomas Barbour (1884-1946), general naturalist and herpetologist; Director of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University.[citation needed]
- William Warren Barbour (1888-1943), Represented New Jersey in the United States Senate from 1931-37 and 1938-48. Barbour was a member of the Rumson Borough Council in 1922 and served as mayor of Rumson from 1923-1928.[22]
- John Berry, software developer, co-founder of Net2Phone.
- Jon Bon Jovi (born 1962), rock star, actor and former resident, currently lives along the Navesink River in Middletown (across the river from Rumson).[23][24]
- Charles Briggs (born 1920), jazz musician, and frontman of Charlie Briggs & the Brigadiers.[25]
- Peter Hood Ballantine Cumming (1910-1988), mayor in 1950s[26]
- Pete Dawkins (born 1938), former U.S. Army Brigadier General, Heisman Trophy winner, Rhodes Scholar, and businessman. Dawkins ran in 1988 for the United States Senate seat held by Frank Lautenberg, losing 54%-46%.[27]
- Randy Foye (born 1983), NBA Point guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves.[28]
- Mason Welch Gross (1911-1977), TV quiz show personality and academic who served as the sixteenth President of Rutgers University.[29]
- Kevork Hovnanian (1923-2009), businessman and home builder, founder of Hovnanian Enterprises.[30]
- Kristjan Järvi (born 1972), conductor.[31]
- Neeme Järvi (born 1937), Estonian-born conductor who emigrated to the United States and settled in Rumson, with his musician sons Paavo and Kristjan.[31]
- Paavo Järvi (born 1962), conductor.[31]
- Queen Latifah (born 1970), actress.[32]
- Heather Locklear (born 1961), actress, lived in Rumson while married to Richie Sambora.[33]
- Enrique Marcatili (born 1925), winner of the IEEE's Baker Prize and pioneer in optical fiber research.[34]
- John A. Mulheren (1949-2003), philanthropist and New York financier.[citation needed]
- Bob Ojeda (born 1957), Former pitcher in the major leagues, pitched for the Mets, Yankees, Indians, Red Sox and Dodgers between 1980 and 1994. Most notably was his Game 3 win for the Mets in the 1986 World Series; a game that would turn the series around and allow the Mets to defeat the Red Sox.[35]
- Rob Petitti (born 1982), offensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints of the NFL.[36]
- James Randi (born 1928), "The Amazing Randi" Stage magician and scientific skeptic.[citation needed]
- Nelson Riddle (1921-1985), arranger and composer. Riddle spent his summers as a teen in Rumson and attended high school in Rumson during his senior year.[37]
- Bruce Springsteen (born 1949), rock 'n roll musician.[38]
- Richie Sambora (born 1959), guitarist for Bon Jovi, lived in Rumson for a short time.[33]
- Sergei Rachmaninoff (1878-1943), Russian-born composer had a home in Locust[39][citation needed]
- Henry Selick (born 1952), stop motion director, producer and writer who is best known for directing both The Nightmare Before Christmas, and James and the Giant Peach.[40]
- Frank Sinatra (1915-1998) actor and singer had a summer house here.[citation needed]
- Melissa Stark (born 1973), former NFL sideline correspondent.[citation needed]
- Broeck Steadman, science fiction illustrator.[41]
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