- for the former Roosevelt in Middlesex County, see Carteret, New Jersey
Roosevelt is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 933.
The borough was established as Jersey Homesteads by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 29, 1937, from portions of Millstone Township. The name was changed to Roosevelt as of November 9, 1945, based on the results of a referendum held three days earlier, in honor of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had died on April 12, 1945.[6]
New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Roosevelt as its 12th best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.[7]
History
Jersey Homesteads, late 1930s
Roosevelt was originally called Jersey Homesteads, and was created during the Great Depression as part of President Roosevelt's New Deal. The town was home to a cooperative farming and manufacturing project. The project fell under the discretion of the Resettlement Administration, but was conceived and largely planned out by Benjamin Brown[8] and Hyman Alef.
Farmland in Central Jersey was purchased by Brown. Construction started around 1936. Soon after there were 150 homes and various public facilities in place. The plan was to construct 50 more homes eventually. The economy of the town consisted of a garment factory and a farm.[8]
Albert Einstein gave the town his political and moral support. Artist Ben Shahn lived in the town and painted a mural.
Objectives of the community were to help residents escape poverty; show that cooperative management can work, and as an experiment in socialism.
David Dubinsky and the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union opposed the project arguing that the factory town would cause unions to lose their power over wages. Political opposition came from those who thought too much money was being spent on the project, as well as those opposed to the New Deal in general.
The Jersey Homesteads cooperative didn't last through World War II. It failed for a number of reasons.
Roosevelt is a historic landmark.
Geography
Roosevelt is located at 40°13′06″N 74°28′15″W / 40.218296°N 74.470786°W / 40.218296; -74.470786 (40.218296, -74.470786).[9]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.1 km2), all of it land.
Demographics
| Historical populations |
| Census |
Pop. |
|
%± |
| 1940 |
698 |
|
—
|
| 1950 |
720 |
|
3.2% |
| 1960 |
764 |
|
6.1% |
| 1970 |
814 |
|
6.5% |
| 1980 |
835 |
|
2.6% |
| 1990 |
884 |
|
5.9% |
| 2000 |
933 |
|
5.5% |
| Est. 2008 |
907 |
[2] |
−2.8% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[10] |
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 933 people, 337 households, and 258 families residing in the borough. The population density was 477.0 people per square mile (183.8/km2). There were 351 housing units at an average density of 179.4/sq mi (69.1/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 88.96% White, 2.57% African American, 2.04% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 2.25% from other races, and 4.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.50% of the population.
There were 337 households out of which 39.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.1% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.4% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the borough the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $61,979, and the median income for a family was $67,019. Males had a median income of $50,417 versus $38,229 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $24,892. About 3.9% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 18.4% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Local government
Roosevelt is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government by a mayor and a six-member Borough Council. The mayor is directly elected by the voters to a four-year term of office. The six members of the Borough Council are elected in partisan elections to three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.[1]
The Mayor of Roosevelt is Beth Battel.[11]
Federal, state and county representation
Roosevelt is in the Fourth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 30th Legislative District.[12]
New Jersey's Fourth Congressional District, covering portions of Burlington County, Mercer County, Monmouth County and Ocean County, is represented by Christopher Smith (R). 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 30th District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Robert Singer (R, Lakewood Township) and in the Assembly by Ronald S. Dancer (R, New Egypt) and Joseph R. Malone (R, Bordentown).[13] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[14]
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).[15]
Education
Students in Kindergarten through 6th grade attend the Roosevelt Public School District. The school had an enrollment of 74 students as of the 2005-06 school year.[16]
For grades 7 - 12, public school students attend the East Windsor Regional School District, a comprehensive public school district serving students from East Windsor Township and Hightstown Borough, along with students in grades 7 - 12 from Roosevelt Borough as part of a sending/receiving relationship.[17] The schools in the East Windsor Regional School District attended by students from Roosevelt Borough are Melvin H. Kreps School which covers grades 6 - 8 and has a total of 1,139 students and Hightstown High School with 1,370 students in grades 9 - 12.
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Roosevelt include:
References
- ^ a b 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 135.
- ^ a b Census data for Roosevelt borough, United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 28, 2009.
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 14, 2008.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 184 re Roosevelt, p. 180 re Jersey Homesteads.
- ^ "Best Places To Live - The Complete Top Towns List 1-100", New Jersey Monthly, February 21, 2008. Accessed February 24, 2008.
- ^ a b History Of Roosevelt, New Jersey, Rutgers University Library, accessed April 11, 2007.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
- ^ Boro Hall, Borough of Roosevelt. Accessed November 11, 2008. Web site does not list council members as of date accessed.
- ^ 2008 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 63. Accessed September 30, 2009.
- ^ Legislative Roster: 2008-2009 Session, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed June 6, 2008.
- ^ "About the Governor". New Jersey. http://www.nj.gov/governor/about/. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
- ^ Board of Chosen Freeholders, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed July 21, 2009.
- ^ Data for the Roosevelt Public School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 15, 2008.
- ^ East Windsor Regional School District 2007 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2008. "The East Windsor Regional School District, located in central New Jersey at New Jersey Turnpike Exit 8, is a growing K-12 public school district serving the communities of the East Windsor Township and the Borough of Hightstown as well as Roosevelt Borough students grades 7 through 12."
- ^ Jamieson, Wendell. "CITY LORE; Hard-Boiled Tales, Told by a Gentleman", The New York Times, January 1, 2006. Accessed August 11, 2009. "BENJAMIN APPEL was an author of more than 25 novels from 1934 to 1977, many of them set in New York. He was raised in Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan and lived much of his life in Roosevelt, N.J., but after he moved he still came back to New York often."
- ^ Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living In/Roosevelt, N.J.; A New Deal Enclave Friendly to the Arts", The New York Times, February 3, 2002. Accessed July 28, 2009.
External links
