Union County, New Jersey

Union County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 575,345, making it the seventh-most populous of New Jersey's 21 counties. Its county seat is Elizabeth.New Jersey County Map
New Jersey Department of State. 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 ranked the county as having the 119th-highest per capita income 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 Native Americans that lived in the area of present-day Elizabeth, New Jersey. 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.

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. 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
* Rahway River
* Elizabeth River
* Nomahegan Brook
* Marshes Creek
*Morses Creek
*Peach Orchard Brook
*Robinson's Brook
*Robinson's Branch Reservoir

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 (''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, 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
*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, Springfield (closed to public)
*Kawameeh Park, Union
*Lenape Park, Cranford, Westfield, and Kenilworth
**In the 1930s, workers digging Lenape Lake found mastodon 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 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
** 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, 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 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 wetlands, vernal pools, grasslands, shrublands, salt marsh, mudflats, a pond, 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 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. 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 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 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 golf tournament, the first public golf course to host the tournament since it was established in 1921.

Private golf courses

* Baltusrol Golf Club is a private 36- hole golf club in Springfield founded in 1895 by Louis Keller. Both courses were originally designed by A. W. Tillinghast in 1918. The club has hosted seven U.S. Opens and the 2005 and 2016 PGA Championships.
*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
*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, Roselle Park, Cranford, Kenilworth, Linden, New Providence, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Summit, Union and Westfield have high percentages of Italian American residents. Elizabeth, Plainfield, Rahway, Roselle and Union all have large African American communities. Roselle Park has a notably large Indian American community, while Roselle Park, Roselle, Linden, Rahway, Plainfield and particularly Elizabeth have fast-growing Hispanic and Portuguese populations.

The county's Jewish 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. The members are elected at-large 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, whose nine members are elected at-large 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,