Union County, New Jersey
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Union County is a
county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
in the northern part 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 and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...
. As of the
2020 U.S. 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 county's population was 575,345, making it the seventh-most populous of New Jersey's 21 counties. Its
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...
is Elizabeth.New Jersey County Map
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 July 10, 2017.
In 2015, the county had a per capita personal income of $60,089, the seventh-highest in New Jersey and ranked 152nd of 3,113 counties in the United States. The
Bureau of Economic Analysis The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) of the United States Department of Commerce is a U.S. government agency that provides official macroeconomic and industry statistics, most notably reports about the gross domestic product (GDP) of the United ...
ranked the county as having the 119th-highest
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 ...
of all 3,113 counties in the United States (and the eighth-highest in New Jersey) in 2009. A study by Forbes.com determined that Union County pays the second-highest property taxes of all U.S. counties, based on 2007 data. With a population density of 4,955 people per square mile (water excluded), Union County was the 15th-most densely populated county in the United States as of the 2010 Census, and third-densest in New Jersey, behind Hudson County (ranked 6th nationwide at 9,754 per square mile) and Essex County (ranked 11th at 6,126). The county is located in the North Jersey region.


History


Etymology

As the last county created in New Jersey in 1857, it was named after the Union threatened by slavery dispute during this period, which would erupt into civil war in 1861.


History

All of present-day Union County was part of the Elizabethtown Tract, which was purchased in 1664, by English colonists from 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 that lived in the area of present-day
Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a city and the county seat of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New J ...
. Union County was formed on March 19, 1857, from portions of Essex County; it was the last of New Jersey's 21 counties to be established.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 237. Accessed January 21, 2013. Many historic places and structures are to be found in the county, including on the
National Register of Historic Places listings in Union County, New Jersey List of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Union County, New Jersey __NOTOC__ Current listings This is intended to be a complete list of properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Unio ...
. Every fall, Union County holds its annual "Four Centuries in a Weekend" festival for the public, celebrating and touring historic buildings, museums and sites in the county.


Geography

According to the 2010 Census, the county had a total area of , including of land (97.6%) and of water (2.4%).Census 2010 U.S. Gazetteer Files: New Jersey Counties
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 22, 2017.
Much of Union County is relatively flat and low-lying. Only in the northwestern corner does any significant relief appear as the Watchung Mountains cross the county. It is there that highest elevations, two areas approximately above sea level, are found in Berkeley Heights. The lowest elevation is sea level along the eastern shore at the Arthur Kill.


Rivers, lakes and streams

*
Arthur Kill The Arthur Kill (sometimes referred to as the Staten Island Sound) is a tidal strait between Staten Island (also known as Richmond County), New York and Union and Middlesex counties, New Jersey. It is a major navigational channel of the Port o ...
* Rahway River * Elizabeth River * Nomahegan Brook * Marshes Creek * Morses Creek * Peach Orchard Brook * Robinson's Brook *
Robinson's Branch Reservoir The Robinson's Branch Reservoir is a decommissioned water reservoir in Clark, New Jersey. It is the largest body of water in Union County. Other names for the reservoir include the "Clark Reservoir" and the "Middlesex Reservoir," after its fo ...


Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Elizabeth have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in February 1934 and a record high of was recorded in July 1993. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in July. In Berkeley Heights average monthly temperatures range from 29.4 °F in January to 74.7 °F in July. The climate in the county is hot-summer humid continental (''Dfa'') except east of approximately the New Jersey Turnpike where a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
(''Cfa'') exists.


Parks and recreation

County parks are maintained and operated by the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation, the successor agency to the Union County Park Commission.


County-run parks

*Ash Brook Reservation, Scotch Plains * Black Brook Park, Kenilworth *Briant Park, SummitMap of Hidden Valley Park and Houdaille Quarry
Union County, New Jersey. Accessed October 23, 2017.
*Brookside Park, Scotch Plains *
Cedar Brook Park Cedar Brook Park is a county park situated mostly in Plainfield, New Jersey, Plainfield in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, within the U.S. state of New Jersey, with a smaller portion of the park extending into South Plainfield, New Jersey ...
, Plainfield **Home to the Shakespeare Garden. * Echo Lake Park, Westfield and Mountainside **The privately owned Echo Lake Country Club donated the parkland for this park in the 1920s. The name arises from the echo heard off the high bluff on the far side of the lake. Echo Lake itself was created by damning when mills were established on Nomahegan Brook, a tributary of the Rahway River. The Great Minisink Trail passed by Echo Lake Park. *
Elizabeth River Parkway Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
*Esposito Park, Clark **Features a 1/2-mile path with exercise equipment and a skate park *Green Brook Park, Plainfield (partial) *Hidden Valley Park, Springfield and Summit **Eastern border is adjacent to the now-closed Houdaille Quarry. *
Houdaille Quarry The Houdaille Quarry is a former rock quarry located in Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey bordering the northern edge of the Baltusrol Golf Club. Bisected by Interstate 78, it is directly east of the Watchung Reservation and touches ...
, Springfield (closed to public) *Kawameeh Park, Union *
Lenape Park Lenape Park is a 450-acre wildlife reserve and park that is part of the Rahway River Parkway in Union County, New Jersey. The park is located in four towns: Westfield, Springfield, Kenilworth, and Cranford. It is linked by a crosswalk to Nomahe ...
, Cranford, Westfield, and Kenilworth **In the 1930s, workers digging Lenape Lake found
mastodon A mastodon ( 'breast' + 'tooth') is any proboscidean belonging to the extinct genus ''Mammut'' (family Mammutidae). Mastodons inhabited North and Central America during the late Miocene or late Pliocene up to their extinction at the end of the ...
bones here. *Madison Avenue Park, Rahway **Adjacent to Rahway 7th and 8th Grade Academy * Clark Reservoir Recreation Area *Mattano Park, Elizabeth **Named for a
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 ...
tribal leader, whose name was recorded by colonists as Mattano. In 1664, a group called the Elizabethtown Associates bought land in the Union County area from Mattano and another Lenape leader named Warinanco. *McConnell Park, Cranford **Named for the first town doctor in Cranford *Milton Lake Park, Clark and Rahway *Mindowaskin Park, Westfield *
Nomahegan Park Cranford is a township in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located southwest of Manhattan. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 23,847, an increase of 1,222 (+5.4%) from the 2010 census coun ...
, Cranford ** Contains Nomahegan Park Pond and encircles the Rahway River. *Oak Ridge Park, Clark * Passaic River Parkway, Berkeley Heights, New Providence, and Summit *Phil Rizzuto Park, Elizabeth *Ponderosa Farm Park, Scotch Plains * Rahway River Park, Rahway **Environmental groups protested at the building of a stadium here in 2016. The movement gave birth to Friends of Rahway River Parkway. * Rahway River Parkway *Snyder Avenue Park, Berkeley Heights *Sperry Park, Cranford *Stanley Avenue Park, Summit *Tamaques Park, Scotch Plains *Unami Park, Cranford, Garwood, and Westfield *Washington Avenue Park, Springfield *
Watchung Reservation Watchung Reservation is the largest nature reserve in Union County, New Jersey, United States. Covering 1,945 acres, it is bounded by the city of Summit, the borough of Mountainside, and the townships of Berkeley Heights, Scotch Plains, and ...
, Mountainside and Scotch Plains * Warinanco Park, Elizabeth and Roselle **Named for the Native American known as "Warinanco." Designed by the Olmsted Brothers firm. *Wheeler Park, Linden


Other notable parks

Parks that are not managed by the county government include: * Hawk Rise Sanctuary. A bird sanctuary was built in 2012 on the banks of Rahway River in Linden. Hawk Rise Sanctuary is a 95-acre ecological preserve and wetland complex in Linden in an area previously concealed by various industrial land uses. Its trails were created adjacent to the former Linden Landfill area by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the city of Linden and the
New Jersey Audubon Society The New Jersey Audubon is an environmental education and conservation advocacy organization. Founded in 1897, it is one of New Jersey's largest environmental organizations, with several staffed nature centers, dozens of unstaffed sanctuaries, and ...
. The trails in the Hawk Rise forest are boardwalk, with some continuing as gravel along the edge of the former Linden Landfill. It has an overlook area where hikers can view the Rahway River and nearby marshes. It has been open to the public since 2012. The site includes diverse environments: forested
wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (Anoxic waters, anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in t ...
s, vernal pools,
grasslands A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur nat ...
, shrublands,
salt marsh A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is domin ...
, mudflats, a
pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from tha ...
, and the tidal Rahway River. 163 bird species have been spotted there. It has been reported as vandalized. * Reeves-Reed Arboretum in Summit. *Kennedy Reservation in Union. *The grounds of
Liberty Hall Liberty Hall ( ga, Halla na Saoirse), in Dublin, Ireland, is the headquarters of the Services, Industrial, Professional, and Technical Union (SIPTU). Designed by Desmond Rea O'Kelly, it was completed in 1965. It was for a time the tallest ...
Museum near the campus of Kean University in Union and Elizabeth.


Rahway River Parkway

The Rahway River Parkway is a greenway of parkland that hugs the Rahway River and its tributaries, such as Nomahegan Brook. It was the inaugural project of the Union County Parks Commission designed in the 1920s by the Olmsted Brothers firm, who were the sons of landscape architect
Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co- ...
. Several county and municipal parks run along the Rahway River.


Elizabeth River Parkway

The Elizabeth River Parkway is a greenway of parkland alongside the Elizabeth River and its tributaries. It runs through Kean University and Liberty Hall Museum on the river's way to the
Arthur Kill The Arthur Kill (sometimes referred to as the Staten Island Sound) is a tidal strait between Staten Island (also known as Richmond County), New York and Union and Middlesex counties, New Jersey. It is a major navigational channel of the Port o ...
. The Elizabeth River Parkway is broken down into separate sections. *Chatfield/Zimmerman - Hillside and Union Township *Lightning Brook - Hillside and Union *Pruden/Pearl Oval - Elizabeth *Salem/Rutgers/Liberty - Hillside and Union *Woodruff/Conant Street - Hillside and Union *Ursino - Hillside and Union Township


Public golf courses

Union County's Division of Golf Operations runs two golf courses, which offer golf lessons and practice areas. *Ash Brook Golf Course in Scotch Plains. *
Galloping Hill Golf Course Galloping Hill Golf Course is a golf course in Kenilworth, New Jersey, with part of the course located in Union Township, New Jersey. It was designed by Willard G. Wilkinson in 1928, who had previously worked for A. W. Tillinghast's firm, and w ...
and Golf Learning Center in Kenilworth. The facility, which hosts the headquarters of the New Jersey State Golf Association, hosted the 2016
New Jersey State Open The New Jersey State Open Championship is the New Jersey state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the New Jersey State Golf Association. It has been played annually since 1921 at a variety of co ...
golf tournament, the first public golf course to host the tournament since it was established in 1921.


Private golf courses

*
Baltusrol Golf Club The Baltusrol Golf Club is a private 36- hole golf club in the eastern United States, located in Springfield, New Jersey, about west of New York City. It was founded in 1895 by Louis Keller. In 1985, Baltusrol became the first club to h ...
is a private 36- hole
golf club A golf club is a club used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a club head. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variet ...
in Springfield founded in 1895 by Louis Keller. Both courses were originally designed by
A. W. Tillinghast Albert Warren "Tilly" Tillinghast (May 7, 1876 – May 19, 1942) was an American golf course architect. Tillinghast was one of the most prolific architects in the history of golf; he worked on more than 265 different courses. He was inducted into ...
in 1918. The club has hosted seven U.S. Opens and the
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...
and 2016
PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It is one of the four men's major championships ...
s. * Echo Lake Country Club is a private, member-owned country club located in Westfield, founded in 1899. The 18-hole golf course was designed by Donald Ross in 1913. *Hyatt Hills Golf Complex in Clark. * Shackamaxon Country Club * Suburban Golf Club


Other recreational facilities

*Clark Community Pool *Centennial Avenue Pool in Cranford, NJ *Oak Ridge Archery Range *Orange Avenue Pool in Cranford, NJ *Trailside Nature and Science Center at
Watchung Reservation Watchung Reservation is the largest nature reserve in Union County, New Jersey, United States. Covering 1,945 acres, it is bounded by the city of Summit, the borough of Mountainside, and the townships of Berkeley Heights, Scotch Plains, and ...
*Warinanco Ice Skating Rink *Wheeler Park *Westfield Memorial Pool *Spray Pool – Wheeler Park (Linden) *County Pool – Rahway River Park (Rahway)


Demographics

Union County is diverse ethnically. Berkeley Heights,
Clark Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin language, Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone ...
,
Roselle Park Roselle may refer to: * Roselle (plant), a species of hibiscus (''Hibiscus sabdariffa'') **A drink made from that plant, also called "Hibiscus tea" Roselle is the/a name of: ; People * Mike Roselle - American environmental activist and author ; ...
, Cranford,
Kenilworth Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, south-west of Coventry, north of Warwick and north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a tributary of the River Sowe, which joins the ...
, Linden,
New Providence New Providence is the most populous island in the Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. It is the location of the national capital city of Nassau, whose boundaries are coincident with the island; it had a population of 246 ...
, Scotch Plains, Springfield,
Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for a m ...
, Union and Westfield have high percentages of
Italian American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, w ...
residents. Elizabeth, Plainfield, Rahway, Roselle and Union all have large
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 ...
communities.
Roselle Park Roselle may refer to: * Roselle (plant), a species of hibiscus (''Hibiscus sabdariffa'') **A drink made from that plant, also called "Hibiscus tea" Roselle is the/a name of: ; People * Mike Roselle - American environmental activist and author ; ...
has a notably large
Indian American Indian Americans or Indo-Americans are citizens of the United States with ancestry from India. The United States Census Bureau uses the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Native Americans, who have also historically been referred to ...
community, while
Roselle Park Roselle may refer to: * Roselle (plant), a species of hibiscus (''Hibiscus sabdariffa'') **A drink made from that plant, also called "Hibiscus tea" Roselle is the/a name of: ; People * Mike Roselle - American environmental activist and author ; ...
, Roselle, Linden, Rahway, Plainfield and particularly Elizabeth have fast-growing
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 ...
and Portuguese populations. The county's
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
population was 35,000 as of 2004, with notable communities located in Cranford, Elizabeth, Hillside, Linden, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Union, and Westfield.


2020 Census

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''


2010 Census


Government


County Government

Union County is governed by a nine-member
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 ...
. The members are elected
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 ...
in partisan elections to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with three seats coming up for election each year. The Board sets policies for the operation of the county. The Commissioners perform the county's legislative and executive functions. In their legislative role, they formulate and adopt a budget and set county policies and procedures. In their executive role, they oversee county spending and functioning. Many of the administrative duties are delegated by the Board of County Commissioners to the County Manager. Each of the commissioners serves on various committees and boards as a part of their duties. These include committees on Economic Development, Parks and Recreation, and Public Works and Policy. In addition, the Board oversees the county's Open Space Trust Fund. Day-to-day operation of the county and its departments is supervised by an appointed County Manager, Edward Oatman. In 2016, freeholders were paid $30,692, while the Freeholder vice chairman received $31,732 and the Freeholder chairman had an annual salary of $32,773. Union 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 nine members are elected
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 ...
to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis with three seats coming up for election each year, with an appointed County Manager overseeing the day-to-day operations of the county. At an annual reorganization meeting held in the beginning of January, the board selects a Chair and Vice Chair from among its members. , Union County's County Commissioners are:
Union County, New Jersey. Accessed December 7, 2022.
*Chair Rebecca Williams ( Democratic Party (United States), D, Plainfield, term as commissioner and as chair ends December 31, 2022) *James E. Baker Jr. (D, Rahway, 2024) *Joseph Bodek (D, Linden, 2023) *Angela R. Garretson (D, Hillside, 2023) *Sergio Granados (D, Elizabeth, 2022) *Bette Jane Kowalski (D, Cranford, 2022) *Lourdes M. Leon (D, Elizabeth, 2023) *Alexander Mirabella (D, Fanwood, 2024) *Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded (D, Westfield, 2024) Constitutional officers elected on a countywide basis are: *County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi (D, Westfield, 2025) *Sheriff Peter Corvelli (D,
Kenilworth Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, south-west of Coventry, north of Warwick and north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a tributary of the River Sowe, which joins the ...
, 2023) *Surrogate Christopher E. Hudak (D,
Clark Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin language, Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone ...
, 2027) The County Manager is Edward Oatman. Union County constitutes Vicinage 12 of the New Jersey Superior Court and is seated at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth, with additional facilities also located in Elizabeth; the Assignment Judge for Vicinage 12 is Karen M. Cassidy. Law enforcement at the county level includes the Union County Police Department, the Union County Sheriff's Office, and the Union County Prosecutor's Office. Union County's Acting Prosecutor is Michael A. Monahan. Union County has the only county seal in the nation that depicts a woman being shot, the murder of Elizabethtown's
Hannah Caldwell James Caldwell (April 1734 – November 24, 1781) was a Presbyterian minister who played a prominent part in the American Revolution. Biography Caldwell was born in Cub Creek in Charlotte County, Province of Virginia, the seventh son of John an ...
by British soldiers during the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
.


Federal representatives

Four
Congressional District Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts and legislative districts, electorates, or wards in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional bod ...
s cover the county, including portions of the 7th, 8th, 10th and 12th Districts.


State representatives

The 21 municipalities of Union County are represented by three separate legislative districts.


Sheriff's Office

The Union County Sheriff's Office is located in
Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a city and the county seat of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New J ...
. It is currently headed by Peter Corvelli. It was headed by Ralph Froehlich, a Union resident who was first elected in 1977 and served in office for 37 years, making him the longest-serving
Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
in New Jersey history. There are two top deputies, known as undersheriffs, and they are Dennis Burke and Amilcar Colon. A 1981 investigation of the Union County Jail reviewed issues relating to overcrowding, escapes, escape attempts and suicides in the detention facility. On July 1, 2021, the Sheriff's Office regained control of the Union County Jail and made it a division within the organization; the Division of Corrections. The New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association Local 108 is the official
labor union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits (s ...
and the collective bargaining agent for the Sheriff's Officers of Union County. This body is subdivided into Local 108 for the line officers and Local 108A for the supervisors (sergeants, lieutenants, & captains).


Union County Police

Union County is the only county with a
county police County police, often (but not always) called county sheriffs in the United States, are police forces existing primarily in the United States that possess primary jurisdiction over an entire county. England and Wales, two constituent countries of th ...
department. The Union County Police Department operates independently of the Sheriff's office. The Union County Police Department originally began as the Union County Park Police. The Union County Police are tasked with patrolling Union County's properties. They also supplement the local municipalities with police presence and patrol when requested. Captain James Debbie is the current Officer in Charge. The Union County Police have several divisions and are relied upon for their multiple services. Currently assigned are Patrol, Detective Bureau, Emergency Services Unit, and the Marine Unit. Union County Regional 911 and Dispatch is one of the many services that the County Police provide. They are the primary PSAP for multiple municipalities, provide police/fire/EMS dispatch, dispatch medics, and Union County Fire Mutual Aid. The PD belongs to the New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association, Local 73. The only line of duty death was under the Union County Park Police. After two years of service, Patrolman Fitzpatrick was killed by a drunk driver October 17, 1928.


Politics

As of October 1, 2021, there were a total of 362,501 registered voters in Union County, of whom 178,449 (49.2%) were registered as Democrats, 57,878 (16.0%) were registered as Republicans and 121,478 (33.5%) were registered as unaffiliated. There were 4,696 voters (1.3%) registered to other parties. Among the county's 2010 Census population, 53.3% were registered to vote, including 70.6% of those ages 18 and over.Voter Registration Summary – Union
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 ...
Division of Elections, March 23, 2011. Accessed May 26, 2013.
In the 2008 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 141,417 votes here (63.1%), 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 78,768 votes (35.2%) and other candidates with 1,912 votes (0.9%), among the 223,951 ballots cast by the county's 299,762 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.7%. In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 139,752 votes here (66.0%), 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 68,314 votes (32.3%) and other candidates with 1,765 votes (0.8%), among the 211,597 ballots cast by the county's 307,628 registered voters, for a turnout of 68.8%. In the 2016 election, Democrat
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
won by a slightly wider margin than Barack Obama in 2012, even as the nation shifted to the right. In the 2020 election, Democrat Joe Biden received the highest share of the vote for a Democrat in the county's history. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 68,867 ballots cast (50.6%), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 56,769 votes (41.7%), Independent Chris Daggett with 7,999 votes (5.9%) and other candidates with 1,058 votes (0.8%), among the 136,110 ballots cast by the county's 292,490 registered voters, yielding a 46.5% turnout. In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Governor Chris Christie narrowly won the county 51.2% (58,135 votes) to 47.4% (53,869 votes) over Democrat Barbara Buono, marking the only time the county voted Republican in the 21st century. In the 2017 gubernatorial election, Republican
Kim Guadagno Kimberly Ann Guadagno (; ''née'' McFadden; born April 13, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the first lieutenant governor and 33rd secretary of state of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Guadagno was the Republican nomine ...
received 32.6% of the vote (39,552 ballots cast) to Democrat Phil Murphy with 65.2% (79,113 votes). In the 2021 gubernatorial election, Republican Jack Ciattarelli received 37.6% of the vote (51,279 ballots cast) to Democrat Phil Murphy's 61.6% (83,913 votes).


Education


Tertiary education

Kean University, a co-educational, public research university dating back to 1855 is located in Union and Hillside, serving nearly 13,000 undergraduates. Kean University educates its students in the liberal arts, the sciences and the professions; it is best known for its programs in the humanities and social sciences and in education, graduating the most teachers in the state of New Jersey annually, along with a physical therapy program which it holds in conjunction with the
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) was a state-run health sciences institution of New Jersey, United States. It was founded as the Seton Hall College of Medicine and Dentistry in 1954, and by the 1980s was both a majo ...
.
Union County College Union College (formerly Union County College) is a public community college in Union County, New Jersey. It was founded in 1933 as the first of New Jersey's public community colleges. The college has four campuses: Cranford, Elizabeth, Plainfi ...
is the two-year
community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior s ...
for Union County, one of a network of 19 county colleges in New Jersey. Union County College was founded in 1933 and has campuses in Cranford, Elizabeth, Plainfield and Scotch Plains.


School districts

Most municipalities have their own public high schools, exceptions being Garwood, whose students attend
Arthur L. Johnson High School Arthur L. Johnson High School is a four-year public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Clark and Garwood in Union County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Clark Public ...
in Clark;
Winfield Winfield may refer to: Places Canada * Winfield, Alberta * Winfield, British Columbia United States * Winfield, Alabama * Winfield, Arkansas * Winfield, Georgia * Winfield, Illinois * Winfield, Indiana * Winfield, Iowa * Winfield, Kansas * W ...
, whose students attend David Brearley High School in Kenilworth; and Mountainside, whose students attend Governor Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights. Fanwood is mostly merged with Scotch Plains educationally and the two towns have one high school. The county has the following school districts: ;K-12: * Berkeley Heights Public Schools * Clark Public School District * Cranford Township Public Schools * Elizabeth Public Schools * Hillside Public Schools * Kenilworth Public Schools * Linden Public Schools * New Providence School District * Plainfield Public School District * Rahway Public Schools *
Roselle Public Schools The Roselle Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from the borough of Roselle, in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020–21 school ...
*
Roselle Park School District The Roselle Park School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade from Roselle Park, in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2018–19 school year ...
* Scotch Plains-Fanwood Regional School District * Springfield Public Schools * Summit Public Schools * Union Public School District *
Westfield Public Schools The Westfield Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Westfield, in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2018–19 school year, the ...
;Elementary (K-8) * Garwood Public Schools * Mountainside School District * Winfield Township School District The county also has
Union County Vocational Technical Schools The Union County Vocational-Technical Schools (UCVTS) are a grouping of schools on the Union County Vocational Technical Schools Campus in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, United States, which offers educational programs for students across Union C ...
, which has both full-time magnet programs that students must apply to, and split-time vocational programs.


Economy

The top employers in 2011, according to the Union County Economic Development Corporation, were:


Transportation

The county is served by rail, air, highways and ports.


Roads and highways

, the county had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the local municipality, by Union 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 ...
, by the
New Jersey Turnpike Authority The New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) is a state agency responsible for maintaining the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, which are two toll roads in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The agency is headquartered in Woodbridge T ...
and by the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ, is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate compact authorize ...
. Major highways which traverse the county include 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 ...
( I-95), the Garden State Parkway,
I-78 Interstate 78 (I-78) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Northeastern United States, running from I-81 northeast of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, through Allentown to western and northern New Jersey and terminating at the Holland T ...
,
I-278 Interstate 278 (I-278) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in New Jersey and New York in the United States. The road runs from US Route 1/9 (US 1/9) in Linden, New Jersey, northeast to the Bruckner Interchange in the New York ...
, Route 1/9, Route 22, Route 24. Route 27,
Route 28 Highway 28 may refer to: Australia * Cumberland Highway * Mountain Highway (Victoria) * - NT Canada * Alberta Highway 28 * British Columbia Highway 28 * Nova Scotia Trunk 28 * Ontario Highway 28 * Saskatchewan Highway 28 China Taiwan * Prov ...
, Route 35 (only in Rahway), Route 82, Route 124, Route 439, and the Goethals Bridge. At 0.15 miles, Route 59, located entirely in Union County, is the shortest state highway in New Jersey.


Public transportation

Passenger rail service is provide by NJ Transit via the
Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston through Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, ...
, North Jersey Coast Line, Raritan Valley Line, the Morristown Line and the
Gladstone Branch The Gladstone Branch (also known as the Gladstone Line) is a commuter rail line operated by NJ Transit from Gladstone station, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, to either Hoboken Terminal or New York Penn Station. It is one of two branches of t ...
. Freight service is provided by on
Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do bus ...
's Lehigh Line and Chemical Coast Branch. Freight and passenger rail service was provided by the
Rahway Valley Railroad The Rahway Valley Railroad (RVRR) was a short-line railroad in the Northeastern United States which connected the Lehigh Valley Railroad in Roselle Park and the Central Railroad of New Jersey in Cranford with the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western ...
from 1897 until 1992 when the short line closed due to lack of customers. NJ Transit provides bus service to the
Port Authority Bus Terminal The Port Authority Bus Terminal (colloquially known as the Port Authority and by its acronym PABT) is a bus terminal located in Manhattan in New York City. It is the busiest bus terminal in the world by volume of traffic, serving about 8,000 bus ...
in
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 ...
, as well as service to major cities in New Jersey and within Union County. The Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal is part of the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ, is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate compact authorize ...
. The southern portion of Newark Liberty International Airport is located in Elizabeth, within Union County.


Potential rail-to-trails

Union County Park Line rail trail is a proposed walking and/or biking trail proposed on old railroad tracks. Two abandoned rails exist in the county. The City of
Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for a m ...
and the Summit Park Line Foundation are working on turning the line from Morris Avenue to Briant Park in Summit into
rail trail
that will be approximately one mile long. This rail trail, potentially called the Summit Park Line, could provide a greenway to connect several county parks, akin to a Summit High Line. A path could run directly from Summit to the
Arthur Kill The Arthur Kill (sometimes referred to as the Staten Island Sound) is a tidal strait between Staten Island (also known as Richmond County), New York and Union and Middlesex counties, New Jersey. It is a major navigational channel of the Port o ...
in
Linden, New Jersey Linden is a city in southeastern Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area, located about southwest of Manhattan and bordering Staten Island, a borough of New York City, across the Arthur Kill ...
on the
Rahway Valley Railroad The Rahway Valley Railroad (RVRR) was a short-line railroad in the Northeastern United States which connected the Lehigh Valley Railroad in Roselle Park and the Central Railroad of New Jersey in Cranford with the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western ...
and the Staten Island Rapid Transit line. The Summit city council applied for a $1 million grant toward the Summit Park Line project in November 2016. "If Summit is able to complete the project, it might help other parts of the greenway come through," said Union County Public Relations Coordinator, Sebastian Delia.http://unionnewsdaily.com/news/2465 The
Rahway Valley Railroad The Rahway Valley Railroad (RVRR) was a short-line railroad in the Northeastern United States which connected the Lehigh Valley Railroad in Roselle Park and the Central Railroad of New Jersey in Cranford with the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western ...
runs from Summit to Roselle Park. Beginning in Hidden Valley Park, the railroad right-of-way continues by connecting
Houdaille Quarry The Houdaille Quarry is a former rock quarry located in Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey bordering the northern edge of the Baltusrol Golf Club. Bisected by Interstate 78, it is directly east of the Watchung Reservation and touches ...
, Briant Park, Meisel Park, Rahway River Parkway,
Galloping Hill Golf Course Galloping Hill Golf Course is a golf course in Kenilworth, New Jersey, with part of the course located in Union Township, New Jersey. It was designed by Willard G. Wilkinson in 1928, who had previously worked for A. W. Tillinghast's firm, and w ...
and Black Brook Park. The ending of the railway is on Westfield Avenue in
Roselle Park Roselle may refer to: * Roselle (plant), a species of hibiscus (''Hibiscus sabdariffa'') **A drink made from that plant, also called "Hibiscus tea" Roselle is the/a name of: ; People * Mike Roselle - American environmental activist and author ; ...
. The Staten Island Rapid Transit runs from Cranford to
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 ...
, although the project would only include the section that runs from Cranford to Linden. The possible inception in Cranford would be a lot on South Avenue East. The ending of this trail would be in Linden at an empty lot. A boardwalk would run over the existing tracks to ease line reactivation.


Municipalities

The 21 municipalities in Union County (with 2010 Census data for population, housing units and area) are:


Arts and culture

*The Union County Performing Arts Center, located in the Rahway Arts District, offers professional productions in music and theater as well as training in the performing arts. *Kean Stage is the professional performing arts arm of Kean University. It is home to Wilkins Theatre on the Kean Main Campus in Union, Enlow Recital Hall directly across the Elizabeth River in East Campus in Hillside, as well as Premiere Stages, the professional equity theater company in residence at Kean University. *The Cranford Dramatic Club is New Jersey's oldest continually producing theater and has been putting on theatrical productions since its establishment in 1919. *Tomasulo Art Gallery is in the MacKay Library at
Union County College Union College (formerly Union County College) is a public community college in Union County, New Jersey. It was founded in 1933 as the first of New Jersey's public community colleges. The college has four campuses: Cranford, Elizabeth, Plainfi ...
's Cranford campus. *The Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts, located in Berkeley Heights and New Providence, is a center for music training and other training in performing arts, particularly aimed at children. It consists of the Performing Arts School (formerly Wharton Music Center), New Jersey Youth Symphony, and Paterson Music Project. *The Plainfield Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1919, making it the state's oldest community orchestra. *The duCret School of Art in Plainfield was founded in 1926. *The Swain Gallery, in Plainfield, was founded in 1868 and is the oldest privately owned art gallery in the state.


Union County Historical Society

In 1869, the Union County Historical Society of New Jersey was incorporated. The society meets at the Hanson House in Cranford.


Municipal historical societies

*Berkeley Heights - The Berkeley Heights Historical Society. *
Clark Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin language, Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone ...
- The Clark Historical Society was founded in 1970. It operates the Dr. William
Robinson Plantation House The Robinson Plantation House is a historic house in Clark, New Jersey built around 1690 on territory that was part of the Elizabethtown Tract, and was once part of Rahway. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 as Sev ...
Museum, built in 1690 by a doctor from Scotland. * Cranford - The Cranford Historic Preservation Advisory Board is an official township committee body, while the Cranford Historical Society itself is citizen-run. It is located in the Hanson House in Hanson Park on Springfield Avenue and maintains the Crane-Phillips House () a couple of blocks south on North Union Avenue as a museum. * Garwood - Garwood Historical Committee. * Hillside - The Hillside Historical Society, founded in 1975, meets at the Woodruff House. *
Kenilworth Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, south-west of Coventry, north of Warwick and north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a tributary of the River Sowe, which joins the ...
- The Kenilworth Historical Society dates to 1974. It runs the Oswald J. Nitschke House (). *Linden - The Linden Society for Historical Preservation is an offshoot of an official cultural board in the city. * Mountainside - The Mountainside Restoration Committee, Inc. is also called the Mountainside Historic Committee, founded in 1984. *Plainfield - The Historical Society of Plainfield is headquartered at the
Nathaniel Drake House The Nathaniel Drake House is located at 602 West Front Street in the city of Plainfield in Union County, New Jersey. The house was built in 1746 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 19, 1973, for its significance in ...
Museum, built in 1746 on the
Old York Road Old York Road (originally York Road, with reference to New York) is a roadway that was built during the 18th century to connect Philadelphia with New York City. Through New Jersey it was built along the Raritan (Unami tribe) "Naraticong Trail ...
. * Rahway - The Rahway Historical Society is now called the Merchants' and Drovers' Tavern Museum Association. * Scotch Plains and Fanwood - The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Historical Society runs the Osborn Cannonball House. * Springfield - The Historic Cannon Ball House serves as the home of the Springfield Historical Society. * Westfield - The Westfield Historical Society is in the Reeve History & Cultural Resource Center, a structure from the 1870s. The Society also runs the Miller-Cory House Museum, in a home that dates back to the 1740s. *Union - Union Township Historical Society is located in the 1782 historic Caldwell Parsonage. The Society's mission is to preserve and promote the rich and diverse history of the Township of Union.


Other historical preservation groups

*Friends of Rahway River Parkway is dedicated to preserving Olmsted design principles and features of county parkland along the Rahway River as it flows to the
Arthur Kill The Arthur Kill (sometimes referred to as the Staten Island Sound) is a tidal strait between Staten Island (also known as Richmond County), New York and Union and Middlesex counties, New Jersey. It is a major navigational channel of the Port o ...
.


Sister city

The county has a
sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...
relationship with
Wenzhou Wenzhou (pronounced ; Wenzhounese: Yuziou y33–11 tɕiɤu33–32 ), historically known as Wenchow is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Zhejiang province in the People's Republic of China. Wenzhou is located at the extreme south east o ...
in
Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Ji ...
, China.Dennis, Anita
"New Jersey & Co.; The Selling of New Jersey, and Its Difficulties"
''
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 ...
'', October 1, 2000. Accessed February 25, 2017. "In addition, the Chinese province has a long relationship with the state and with Union County. Zheijiang and New Jersey are sister states, and Wenzhou, another city in the province, has been a sister city with Union County for the past 19 years -- though there has been little trade between them."


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Union County, New Jersey List of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Union County, New Jersey __NOTOC__ Current listings This is intended to be a complete list of properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Unio ...


References


External links

*
Changing Landscape of Union County

Official website of Union County
{{authority control 1857 establishments in New Jersey Counties in the New York metropolitan area Populated places established in 1857