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Union Township, Union County, New Jersey

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Union is a Township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township had a total population of 54,405.

Union Township was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on November 23, 1808, from portions of Elizabeth Township, while the area was still part of Essex County. It became part of the newly-formed Union County on March 19, 1857. Portions of the township have been taken to form Clinton Township (November 8, 1809), Linden Township (March 4, 1861), Roselle Park, (March 22, 1901), Kenilworth (May 13, 1907) and Hillside (April 3, 1913).

Geography

The Township of Union is located on the northern-central edge of Union County and is bordered by eight municipalities: Hillside to the east, Elizabeth to the southeast, Roselle Park and Kenilworth to the south and Springfield Township to the west. Northwest of the township lies Millburn, to the north lies Maplewood and to the northeast lies Irvington, all in Essex County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 9.1 square miles (23.6 km²). 9.1 square miles (23.6 km²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 54,405 people, 19,534 households, and 14,162 families residing in the township. The population density was 5,968.1 people per square mile (2,303.3/km²). There were 20,001 housing units at an average density of 2,194.1/sq mi (846.8/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 67.66% White, 19.76% African American, 0.15% Native American, 7.72% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.44% from other races, and 2.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.93% of the population.

There were 19,534 households out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.25.

In the township the population was spread out with 22.3% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.2 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $59,173, and the median income for a family was $68,707. Males had a median income of $45,299 versus $35,604 for females. The per capita income for the township was $24,768. About 3.0% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

UnionTownship is governed under the Township form of government with a three-member Township Committee. The Township Committee is elected directly by the voters in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year. At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor. The Mayor, in addition to voting as a member of the Township Committee, presides over the meetings of the committee and carries out ceremonial duties.

As of 2008, members of the Union Township Committee are Mayor Clifton People, Jr., Deputy Mayor Anthony Terrezza, Peter A. Capodice, Joseph Florio and Brenda C. Restivo

Federal, state and county representation

Union Township is split between the Seventh and Tenth Congressional Districts and is part of New Jersey's 20th Legislative District.

Education

The Union Public School District serves students in preschool through grade twelve. The ten schools currently in operation (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics are six K-4 elementary schools — Battle Hill School (441 students), Hannah Caldwell School (541), Connecticut Farms Elementary School (457), Franklin School (536), Livingston School (447) and Washington School (569) — Central Five-Jefferson School for grade 5 (591), both Burnet Middle School (1,020) and Kawameeh Middle School for grades 6 though 8 (763) and Union High School for grades nine through twelve (2,573).

The annual operating budget for the district is approximately 91 million dollars. The district employs 635 professional staff and 380 support personnel. The current enrollment of students in the district is 8,006.

Union was threatened with being the first town north of the Mason-Dixon Line to suffer from penalties as a result of school segregation. The area of Vauxhall was primarily black and Jefferson Elementary School was disproportionately black compared to the rest of the town. Union avoided problems by converting Jefferson Elementary into a sixth-grade only school called Central 6 and bused the Jefferson students to nearby Franklin Elementary. Central 6 is still used as a one-year school, but it's used for fifth graders now.

Union is also home to Kean University, several private nursery schools, two Roman Catholic elementary schools: St. Michael’s and Holy Spirit, and a private special education school, The Deron School.

History

Union Township was the site of the Battle of Connecticut Farms, one of the last battles between British and American forces during the American Revolutionary War. On June 6, 1780, British troops, led by Hessian General Wilhelm von Knyphausen, boarded boats on Staten Island bound for Elizabeth, New Jersey. At midnight, 5,000 troops started to land. They expected the Continental Army to give little resistance, believing that they were tired of the war and were poorly fed and paid. They also expected the citizens of New Jersey to welcome them. They were wrong on both counts and were unable to make their way to and through the Hobart Gap.

Transportation

Union is traversed by a network of local and regional roadways including the Garden State Parkway, Interstate 78, U.S. Route 22, and Route 82 (Morris Avenue).

Union has an NJ Transit rail station on the Raritan Valley Line, formerly the mainline of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. NJ Transit also provides bus service to New York City and New Jersey points.

Former Rahway Valley Railroad freight line, now abandoned, crosses through Union. This line, presently licensed to Morristown & Erie Railroad, is in the process of revitalization after which it will link NJ Transit's Morris & Essex lines at Summit to Staten Island.

Newark Liberty International Airport is approximately six miles east of Union.

Trivia

  • Union is home to the tallest watersphere (a type of water tower) in the world (Another recently built tower in Edmund, Oklahoma is taller and holds more water, but is officially a "water spheroid", not a "water sphere"). The Union Watersphere, a local landmark and icon that has its own fan website , stands 212 feet tall, holds 250,000 gallons of drinking water and is now also used as a cell phone tower.
  • Union is also home to several houses constructed totally of poured concrete, an experiment of Thomas Edison. The homes on Ingersoll Terrace include poured concrete interior walls with formed concrete plumbing.
  • Prior to World War II, Union was home to many supporters of Nazi Germany, who were organized enough to meet occasionally at a German bar. At least one home in Union, on Crawford Terrace, was confiscated from supposed German spies.
  • The area that is now Union was in the 18th Century called Connecticut Farms. The small farming village was the site of the Revolutionary War Battle of Connecticut Farms that took place on June 7, 1780.
  • Union was the original home to the New York office and studios of Shadow Traffic.
  • Union is home to the Galloping Hill Inn, located at Five Points, whose renowned hot dogs and other "road food" has been featured on Food Network.
  • Union is home to a building in the shape of a ship at 2262 US Route 22. Originally restaurant and night club, it has changed ownership over the years, becoming a furniture store known as "The Flagship" and later The Wiz Home Electronics. It is currently a P. C. Richard & Son store

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Union Township include:

References

External links



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Last updated on Saturday July 26, 2008 at 00:03:53 PDT (GMT -0700)
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