South Amboy is a suburban

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

, located on

Raritan Bay Raritan Bay is a bay located at the southern portion of Lower New York Bay between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey and is part of the New York Bight. The bay is bounded on the northwest by New York's Staten Island, on the west by Per ...

. As of the

2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

, the city's population was 9,411.DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 for South Amboy city, Middlesex County, New Jersey
,

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

. Accessed March 1, 2012.Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2010 for South Amboy city
,

New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north ...

. Accessed May 9, 2012. South Amboy and

Perth Amboy Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 55,436. Perth Amboy has a Hispanic majority population. In the 2010 census, th ...

, across the

Raritan River Raritan River is a major river of New Jersey. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean. History Geologists assert that the lower Raritan provided t ...

, are collectively referred to as

The Amboys The Amboys are a pair of municipalities in Middlesex County, New Jersey, both of which have the word ''Amboy'' in their name. The two municipalities are the City of Perth Amboy and the City of South Amboy, located across from each other on the R ...

. Signage for exit 11 on the

New Jersey Turnpike The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highways in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although maintained by NJTA, is not cons ...

refers to "The Amboys" as a destination.

History

First settled by the

Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory inclu ...

Native Americans, who called the area around

by the name "Ompoge" (meaning "level ground"), the settlement ultimately became a key port for commerce between

Lower New York Bay Lower New York Bay is a section of New York Bay south of the Narrows (the strait between Staten Island and Brooklyn). The eastern end of the Bay is marked by two spits of land, Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and Rockaway, Queens. The waterway ...

and

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, connected first by stagecoach and eventually by railroad. When settled by Europeans in 1684, the city was named New Perth in honor of James Drummond, Earl of Perth, one of the associates of a company of Scottish proprietaries. The Algonquian language name was corrupted to Ambo, or Point Amboy, and eventually a combination of the native and colonial names was used. South Amboy has passed through three of the five types of New Jersey municipalities. It was first mentioned on May 28, 1782, in minutes of the

Board of chosen freeholders In New Jersey, a Board of County Commissioners (until 2020 named the Board of Chosen Freeholders) is the elected county-wide government board in each of the state's 21 counties. In the five counties that have an elected county executive, the ...

as having been formed from Perth Amboy Township. It was formally incorporated as a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, ...

by the

Township Act of 1798 The Township Act of 1798 ("An Act incorporating the Inhabitants of Townships, designating their Powers, and regulating their Meetings", PL 1798, p. 289) is an Act passed by New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, that formally incorporat ...

on February 21, 1798. Over the next 90 years, portions split off to form Monroe Township (April 9, 1838), Madison Township (March 2, 1869; later renamed as Old Bridge Township) and Sayreville Township (April 6, 1876; later Borough of Sayreville). As of February 25, 1888, South Amboy

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

was formed, replacing South Amboy Township. On April 11, 1908, South Amboy was incorporated as a city, replacing South Amboy borough, confirmed by a referendum held on July 21, 1908.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 173. Accessed May 9, 2012.

Ammunition explosions

As a result of South Amboy's strategic location as a transportation hub, the city has been heavily damaged by military explosives in two major incidents. The 1918 explosions occurred during World War I at the Gillespie Shell Loading Plant, just south of the town. The 1950 explosion struck as Healing Lighterage Company dockworkers were transferring ammunition from a freight train onto barges. Both disasters killed dozens and injured hundreds of local victims, damaged hundreds of South Amboy buildings, required emergency declarations of martial law, and scattered wide areas of ammunition remnants that continue to surface occasionally.

Geography

According to the

, the city had a total area of 2.68 square miles (6.95 km²), including 1.54 square miles (3.98 km²) of land and 1.15 square miles (2.97 km²) of water (42.76%). South Amboy is bordered by land with

Sayreville Sayreville is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. Sayreville is within the heart of the Raritan Valley region, located on the south banks of the Raritan River, and also lo ...

to the south and west, by

to the north (across the

), and

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey b ...

to the east (across the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Area codes 732 and 848 Area codes 732 and 848 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for parts of the U.S. state of New Jersey. History In the original configuration of the first nationwide telephone numbering plan of 1947, all of New Jer ...

are used in South Amboy. The city had been in

area code 908 Area code 908 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) in the northern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The numbering plan area (NPA) comprises communities in Union County, Somerset County, northern parts of M ...

, until January 1, 1997, when 908 was split forming area code 732. South Amboy has an enclave of apartments near Kohl's in Sayreville, whose residents use a South Amboy mailing address. The Melrose and Morgan sections of Sayreville and the Laurence Harbor section of Old Bridge also use the South Amboy Zip Code of 08879. Mechanicsville, White's Dock, and Thomas J. Dohany Homes are neighborhoods in the city.

Demographics

As ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' said of South Amboy in 2000: "The population mix has not changed much since the beginning of the 20th century, when Irish and Polish immigrants came to work on the three railroads that crisscrossed the city." South Amboy remains a strong enclave of Polish ethnicity, including 21% of its population in the 2000 census, and the historic Sacred Heart Church and School.

2010 Census

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...

showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars)

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways ...

was $61,566 (with a margin of error of +/− $6,388) and the median family income was $80,815 (+/− $4,285). Males had a median income of $54,000 (+/− $5,767) versus $49,303 (+/− $4,574) for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the borough was $31,590 (+/− $2,232). About 10.2% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 15.7% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

2000 Census

As of the

2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 c ...

there were 7,913 people, 2,967 households, and 2,041 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 5,102.1 people per square mile (1,971.1/km²). There were 3,110 housing units at an average density of 2,005.3 per square mile (774.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.22%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.86%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.19% Native American, 1.38% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 1.71% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.62% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 6.75% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for South Amboy city, New Jersey
,

. Accessed November 27, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for South Amboy city, Middlesex County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed November 27, 2012. There were 2,967 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.22. In the city the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $50,529, and the median income for a family was $62,029. Males had a median income of $42,365 versus $29,737 for females. The

for the city was $23,598. About 6.7% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the

, including 10.6% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

South Amboy is governed within the

Faulkner Act The Optional Municipal Charter Law or Faulkner Act (, et seq.) provides New Jersey municipalities with a variety of models of local government. This legislation is called the Faulkner Act in honor of the late Bayard H. Faulkner, former mayor ...

, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the Mayor-Council system of municipal government. The city is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide governed under this form. The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the five-member City Council. The mayor is elected directly by the voters. The City Council is comprised of five members, two of whom are elected on an

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

basis while three are elected from wards. All members of the governing body are elected in partisan elections to serve four-year terms of office on a staggered basis in even-numbered years as part of the November general election, with the three ward seats up for election together and the two at-large seats and the mayoral seat up for vote together two years later.''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'',

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 87. , the

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of South Amboy is Democrat Fred Henry, whose term of office ends December 31, 2022.Mayor Fred Henry
City of South Amboy. Accessed March 8, 2020. Members of the City Council are Council President Michael "Mickey" Gross (D, 2022; at-large), Council Vice President Christine Noble (D, 2022; at-large), Zusette Dato (D, 2024; Third Ward), Brian H. McLaughlin (D, 2024; First Ward) and Thomas B. Reilly (D, 2024; Second Ward).Official Results of the 2020 General Election

Middlesex County, New Jersey Middlesex County is located in central New Jersey, United States, extending inland from the Raritan Valley region to the northern portion of the Jersey Shore. As of the 2020 United States Census, the county's population was enumerated at 863, ...

. Accessed January 1, 2021.November 6, 2018 General Election Official Results

. Accessed January 1, 2019. In February 2015, the City Council appointed Thomas Reilly to fill the Second Ward expiring in December 2016 that became vacant when Christine Noble took office in an at-large seat. In the 2015 November general election, Reilly was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.November 3, 2015 General Election Results

. Accessed July 12, 2016. Following the death of Russell Stillwagon in June 2010, after serving nearly two decades on the City Council, Donald Applegate was chosen the following month by council members from among three names proposed to fill the vacancy representing the First Ward.

Federal, state and county representation

South Amboy is located in the 6th Congressional DistrictPlan Components Report
New Jersey Redistricting Commission, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020. and is part of New Jersey's 19th state legislative district.Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District

New Jersey Department of State The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing artistic, cultural, and historical programs within the U.S. state of New Jersey, as ...

. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

. Accessed October 30, 2019. Middlesex County is governed by a

Board of County Commissioners A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States; such commissions usually comprise ...

, whose seven members are elected

on a partisan basis to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election. At an annual reorganization meeting held in January, the board selects from among its members a commissioner director and deputy director. , Middlesex County's Commissioners (with party affiliation, term-end year, and residence listed in parentheses) are Commissioner Director Ronald G. Rios (D, Carteret, term as commissioner ends December 31, 2024; term as commissioner director ends 2022), Commissioner Deputy Director Shanti Narra (D, North Brunswick, term as commissioner ends 2024; term as deputy director ends 2022), Claribel A. "Clary" Azcona-Barber (D,

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

, 2022), Charles Kenny (D, Woodbridge Township, 2022), Leslie Koppel (D, Monroe Township, 2023), Chanelle Scott McCullum (D,

Piscataway Piscataway may refer to: *Piscataway people, a Native American ethnic group native to the southern Mid-Atlantic States *Piscataway language *Piscataway, Maryland, an unincorporated community *Piscataway, New Jersey, a township *Piscataway Creek, Ma ...

, 2024) and Charles E. Tomaro (D, Edison, 2023). Constitutional officers are County Clerk

Nancy Pinkin Nancy J. Pinkin is an American Democratic Party politician, who has been the County Clerk of Middlesex County, New Jersey since 2021, before which she served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2014 to 2020 where she represented the 18th Le ...

(D, 2025,

East Brunswick East Brunswick is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The suburban bedroom community is part of the New York City metropolitan area and is located on the southern shore of the Raritan River, directly adjacent to the city ...

), Sheriff Mildred S. Scott (D, 2022, Piscataway) and Surrogate Claribel Cortes (D, 2026; North Brunswick).

Politics

As of November 6, 2018, there were a total of 5,876 registered voters in South Amboy, of which 2,948 (50.%) submitted ballots in the last General Election. Incumbent Mayor Fred Henry (1,490) secured his third term by defeating Republican candidate Peter Pisar (923) and independent amateur Brandon Russell (403). https://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/assets/pdf/election-results/2018/2018-general-election-ballotscast-results-middlesex.pdf Of the 5,876 registered voters: 2,410 (41.0%) were registered as Democrats, 658 (11.2%) were registered as Republicans and 2,803 (47.7%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 3 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens. In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

received 55.6% of the vote (1,790 cast), ahead of Republican

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts ...

with 42.7% (1,373 votes), and other candidates with 1.7% (54 votes), among the 3,269 ballots cast by the city's 5,491 registered voters (52 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 59.5%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 50.8% of the vote (1,875 cast), ahead of Republican

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two te ...

with 46.6% (1,722 votes) and other candidates with 1.7% (64 votes), among the 3,693 ballots cast by the city's 5,382 registered voters, for a turnout of 68.6%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...

received 52.4% of the vote (1,784 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 46.0% (1,566 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (37 votes), among the 3,405 ballots cast by the city's 4,971 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 68.5. In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Christie, who was born in N ...

received 65.0% of the vote (1,341 cast), ahead of Democrat

Barbara Buono Barbara A. Buono (born July 28, 1953) is an American politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2014, where she represented the 18th Legislative District. She served from 2010 to 2012 as the Majority Leader in the Senate, succ ...

with 33.4% (689 votes), and other candidates with 1.6% (33 votes), among the 2,104 ballots cast by the city's 5,486 registered voters (41 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 38.4%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 52.7% of the vote (1,288 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat

Jon Corzine Jon Stevens Corzine ( ; born January 1, 1947) is an American financial executive and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from New Jersey from 2001 to 2006 and the 54th governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. Corzine ran fo ...

with 35.4% (865 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 9.2% (226 votes) and other candidates with 1.7% (41 votes), among the 2,445 ballots cast by the city's 5,298 registered voters, yielding a 46.1% turnout.

Education

The

South Amboy Public Schools The South Amboy Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from South Amboy, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States.

serve students in

pre-kindergarten Pre-kindergarten (also called Pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool ...

through

twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 1,100 students and 81.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...

of 13.6:1.District information for South Amboy School District

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district financ ...

. Accessed February 15, 2022. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the

) are South Amboy Elementary School with 514 students in grades PreK-5 and

South Amboy Middle High School South Amboy Middle / High School (also known as H. G. Hoffman High School) is a seven-year comprehensive community public high school that serves students in sixth through twelfth grades from South Amboy in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state ...

with 559 students in grades 6-12. Eighth grade students from all of Middlesex County are eligible to apply to attend the high school programs offered by the

Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools The Middlesex County Magnet Schools, formerly known as the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools, is a public school district that provides a network of high schools serving the vocational and technical education needs of students ...

, a county-wide vocational school district that offers full-time career and technical education at

Middlesex County Academy The Edison Academy Magnet School (formerly known as the Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies) is a four-year career academy and college preparatory magnet public high school located on the campus of ...

in Edison, the Academy for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences in Woodbridge Township and at its

and

technical high schools, with no tuition charged to students for attendance. Raritan Bay Catholic Preparatory—Sacred Heart School was a parochial elementary school opened in 1895 and serving Pre-K–3 to eighth grade that operated under the auspices of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen The Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen ( la, Dioecesis Metuchenis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in New Jersey, centered in the borough of Metuchen. It was established on November 19, 1981, from the territory of the Diocese of Trenton. The diocese ...

, until it was closed in June 2016 due to insufficient enrollment.

Cardinal McCarrick High School Cardinal McCarrick High School (CMHS), later known as Cardinal McCarrick/St. Mary's High School, was a Catholic secondary school located in South Amboy, New Jersey, that operated under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen. ...

closed at the end of the 2014–2015 school year, in the wake of an increasing financial deficit.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the city had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Middlesex County, and by the

New Jersey Department of Transportation The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transportat ...

. Several major roads and highways traverse the city. These include portions of

U.S. Route 9 U.S. Route 9 (US 9) is a north–south United States highway in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the Northeastern United States. It is one of only two U.S. Highways with a ferry connection (the Cape May–Lewes Ferry, between ...

, Route 35 and CR 615, 621, 670, 684, 686, 688. Three

Garden State Parkway The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a controlled-access toll road that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May to the New York state line at Montvale. Its name refers to New Jerse ...

exits (123–125) are just beyond the city's western border.

Public transportation

The

South Amboy station South Amboy is a station on NJ Transit's North Jersey Coast Line located in South Amboy, New Jersey, United States. The station is south of Perth Amboy (NJT station), Perth Amboy station and northwest of Aberdeen-Matawan (NJT station), Aberdeen-M ...

provides frequent service on

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bu ...

North Jersey Coast Line The North Jersey Coast Line is a commuter rail line running from Rahway to Bay Head, New Jersey, traversing through the Jersey Shore region. Operated by New Jersey Transit, the line is electrified as far south as Long Branch. On rail system m ...

, with most northbound trains heading to

Newark Penn Station Pennsylvania Station (also known as Newark Penn Station) is an intermodal passenger station in Newark, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, Newark Penn Station is served by multiple rail and bus carriers, ...

Secaucus Junction Secaucus Junction (known as Secaucus Transfer during planning stages and signed simply as Secaucus) is a NJ Transit Rail Operations commuter rail hub in Secaucus, New Jersey. The $450 million, station opened on December 15, 2003, and was ded ...

and

Penn Station Pennsylvania Station is a name applied by the Pennsylvania Railroad to several of its grand passenger terminals. Pennsylvania Station or Penn Station may also refer to Current train stations * Baltimore Penn Station * Pennsylvania Station (Cinc ...

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildi ...

and some heading to

Hoboken Terminal Hoboken Terminal is a commuter-oriented intermodal passenger station in Hoboken, Hudson County, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, it is served by nine NJ Transit (NJT) commuter rail lines, one Metr ...

. NJ Transit local bus service is available on the

815 __NOTOC__ Year 815 ( DCCCXV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Byzantine–Bulgarian Treaty: Emperor Leo V the Armenian signs a 30-yea ...

and

817 __NOTOC__ Year 817 ( DCCCXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – Emperor Louis I issues an ''Ordinatio Imperii'', an imperial d ...

routes. Plans for ferry service to Lower and Midtown Manhattan were announced in November 2018. In June 2020, the project received $5.3 million in federal funding for construction of a terminal near the train station. The

Raritan River Railroad The Raritan River Rail Road was a shortline railroad in Middlesex County, New Jersey U.S., Founded in 1888, it was based in South Amboy, from which it ran west as far as New Brunswick. It served both passengers and freight in its heyday and op ...

provided passenger service to the city from 1888 to 1938. The railroad is now defunct along this part of the line. Proposals have been made to use the line as a light rail route.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with South Amboy include: * Don Campbell (1916–1991), tackle who played for two NFL seasons *

Allie Clark Alfred Aloysius "Allie" Clark (June 16, 1923 – April 2, 2012) was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for seven seasons in the American League with the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Athletics and Chi ...

(1923–2012), former New York Yankee * Richard Field Conover (1858–1930), tennis player, lawyer and real estate manager *

Craig Coughlin Craig John Coughlin (born January 31, 1958) is an American Democratic Party politician, who has represented the 19th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly since 2010. He has served as the Speaker of the New Jersey General Asse ...

(born 1958),

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

member who has represented the 19th Legislative District since 2010 *

Greg Evigan Gregory Ralph Evigan (born October 14, 1953) is an American film, stage, and television actor. He began his career in theater, appearing in the Broadway production of ''Jesus Christ Superstar'', followed by a stage production of the musical '' Gr ...

(born 1953), actor best known for appearing on the TV series ''

B. J. and the Bear ''B.J. and the Bear'' is an American action comedy television series which aired on NBC from February 10, 1979, to May 9, 1981. Created by Glen A. Larson and Christopher Crowe, the series stars Greg Evigan. The series was produced when the CB ...

'' and ''

My Two Dads ''My Two Dads'' is an American sitcom television series that was produced by Michael Jacobs Productions in association with Tri-Star Television (later Columbia Pictures Television) and distributed by TeleVentures. It starred Paul Reiser, Greg ...

'' * John H. Froude (born 1930), politician who served in the

from 1972 to 1980 * Monroe Green (–1996), businessman and long-time advertising director of ''

'' *

Harold G. Hoffman Harold Giles Hoffman (February 7, 1896 – June 4, 1954) was an American politician of the Republican Party who served as the 41st governor of New Jersey from 1935 to 1938. He also served two terms representing in the United States House of R ...

(1896–1954), mayor, congressman, and governor, for whom South Amboy Elementary School is named *

Benjamin Franklin Howell Benjamin Franklin Howell (January 27, 1844 – February 1, 1933) was an American Republican Party politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1895 to 1911. Early life and education Born in Cedarville, New Jer ...

(1844–1933), banker and congressman, buried in Christ Church Cemetery *

Jack McKeon Jack Aloysius McKeon (; born November 23, 1930), nicknamed "Trader Jack," is an American former Major League Baseball manager and front-office executive. In , at age 72, he won a World Series as manager of the Florida Marlins. Two full seasons ...

(born 1930),

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...

of the

2003 World Series The 2003 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2003 season. The 99th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Florida Marlins and the American Lea ...

Champion

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fran ...

Johnny O'Brien John Thomas O'Brien (born December 11, 1930) is a former backup second baseman and pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1953, 1955–58), St. Louis Cardinals (1958) and Milwaukee Braves (1959). O'Brien batted ...

(born 1930) and Eddie O'Brien (1930–2014), twin baseball players for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

* Charles Pettit (1736–1806), lawyer, merchant, and delegate to the

Congress of the Confederation The Congress of the Confederation, or the Confederation Congress, formally referred to as the United States in Congress Assembled, was the governing body of the United States of America during the Confederation period, March 1, 1781 – Mar ...

* Thomas J. Scully (1864–1921), mayor and congressman * Elmer Stout (1929–2013), football player *

Marques Townes Marques Townes (born September 3, 1995) is a Dominican-American basketball player for Kecskeméti TE of the Nemzeti Bajnokság I/A, the top division in Hungary. He played college basketball for the Loyola Ramblers, after beginning his career ...

(born 1995), basketball player for the

Loyola Ramblers men's basketball The Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team represents Loyola University Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. The Ramblers participate as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Ramblers joined the Missouri Valley Conference from 2013 to 2022, ending ...

team, who transferred out of Cardinal McCarrick after his sophomore year *

Ted Weiss Theodore S. Weiss (September 17, 1927 – September 14, 1992) was an American Democratic Party politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for New York from 1977 until his death in 1992. Life and career Weiss was born in ...

(1927–1992), politician who served in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for New York from 1977 until his death in 1992 * Timothy Wiltsey (1985–1991), child murder victim whose mother was convicted 25 years later, a conviction vacated on appeal in 2021 by the

state Supreme Court In the United States, a state supreme court (known by other names in some states) is the highest court in the state judiciary of a U.S. state. On matters of state law, the judgment of a state supreme court is considered final and binding in b ...

In popular culture

Scenes from the 1985

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

movie ''

The Purple Rose of Cairo ''The Purple Rose of Cairo'' is a 1985 American fantasy romantic comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen, and starring Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, and Danny Aiello. Inspired by the films '' Sherlock Jr.'' (1924) and '' Hellzapoppin ( ...

'' were filmed in the former Raritan Diner. Scenes from the 2000 film '' Coyote Ugly'' starring

Piper Perabo Piper Lisa Perabo () (born October 31, 1976) is an American actress. Following her breakthrough in the comedy-drama film '' Coyote Ugly'' (2000), she starred in ''The Prestige'' (2006), ''Angel Has Fallen'' (2019), and as CIA agent Annie Walke ...

were filmed in South Amboy and the main character is from the city.''Coyote Ugly''
Cinema Review. Accessed July 24, 2020. "Filming commenced in New Jersey and in the meat district on Manhattan's lower West Side. The cast and crew spent the first month on location in Manhattan and in several other small towns in New Jersey including South Amboy and Sea Bright."

References

External links

South Amboy official website

Middlesex County webpage for South Amboy

Sadie Pope Dowdell Library

South Amboy Police Department

South Amboy Public Schools
*
Data for the South Amboy Public Schools

South Amboy First Aid & Safety Squad
{{Authority control 1798 establishments in New Jersey Cities in Middlesex County, New Jersey Faulkner Act (mayor–council) Populated places established in 1798 Raritan Bayshore Jersey Shore communities in Middlesex County