CARTERET, NJ

Carteret is a borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the borough's population was 25,326.

History

Carteret was originally created as the borough of Roosevelt on April 11, 1906, from portions of Woodbridge Township, based on the results of a referendum approved on May 22, 1906. The name was changed to Carteret as of November 7, 1922. The borough was also called Carteret during the period from December 19, 1921, to January 16, 1922. The borough was named after Sir George Carteret, one of the first proprietors of New Jersey, and his son Philip Carteret, the first royal governor of New Jersey.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 4.96 square miles (12.86 km²), including 4.39 square miles (11.37 km²) of land and 0.57 square miles (1.48 km²) of water (11.53%).

The Rahway River forms the northern boundary of Carteret, with Linden on the other side of the river in Union County. Joseph Medwick Park is a greenway of parkland along the banks of the river. The Arthur Kill is the eastern boundary (with Staten Island, New York City, New York on the opposite side. Woodbridge Township borders Carteret on all land-based boundaries.

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Canda, Chrome (in the borough's southeast), East Rahway, Lamar, Silvan Beach, South Carteret, West Carteret (the portion west of the New Jersey Turnpike) and West Chrome.

Demographics

Carteret's Sikh community, variously estimated at 1,000 to 2,500, is the largest concentration of Sikhs in the state. The Gurudwara Singh Sabha Sahib, the borough's first gurudwara, had rented a location in Carteret in 1998 before moving to a permanent location in the nearby Port Reading section of Woodbridge Township in 2005.

Census 2010

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $58,614 (with a margin of error of +/- $5,733) and the median family income was $69,192 (+/- $10,119). Males had a median income of $47,405 (+/- $4,676) versus $42,971 (+/- $4,266) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $25,346 (+/- $2,095). About 11.8% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 20,709 people, 7,039 households, and 5,208 families residing in the borough. The population density was 4,747.4 people per square mile (1,833.9/km²). There were 7,320 housing units at an average density of 1,678.1 per square mile (648.2/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 50.7% White, 14.9% African American, 0.4% Native American, 19.0% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 11.2% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.4% of the population.

There were 7,039 households, out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.0% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.38.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $47,148, and the median income for a family was $54,609. Males had a median income of $40,172 versus $28,132 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $18,967. About 8.6% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.8% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Portions of the borough are part of an Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ), one of 32 zones covering 37 municipalities statewide. The borough was selected in 1994 as one of a group of 10 zones added to participate in the program and one of four of those chosen based on a competition. In addition to other benefits to encourage employment and investment within the UEZ, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3.3125% sales tax rate (half of the % rate charged statewide) at eligible merchants. Established in March 1995, the borough's Urban Enterprise Zone status expires in March 2026.

Carteret is the location of the primary data center for the NASDAQ OMX Group's stock exchange.

Carteret was the headquarters of the defunct electronics chain Nobody Beats the Wiz.

Government

Local government

thumb|left|225px|Mayor Daniel J. Reiman and Sultan M. Babar on the ballot as Obama delegates to

Carteret is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey. The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the Borough Council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council is comprised of six members, who are elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle. The Borough form of government used by Carteret is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.

, the mayor of Carteret is Democrat Daniel J. Reiman, whose term of office ends December 31, 2022. The members of the Borough Council are Council President Vincent Bellino (D, 2022), Jorge Diaz (D, 2022), Dennis DiMascio (D, 2024), Ajmar "AJ" Johal (D, 2024), Randy Krum (D, 2023) and Susan R. Naples (D, 2023).

First elected in 2002, Reiman was paid an annual salary of $102,610 in 2016, placing him 13th among the highest-paid mayors in the state.

In May 2016, the borough council selected Ajmar Singh Johal from three candidates nominated by the Democratic municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2018 that became vacant following the death of Joseph W. "Skippy" Sitarz the previous month.

Members of Carteret's 13.9% South Asian community have been active in local government, serving on several governing boards and contesting elections. Members of notable activity in the government include Sultan M. Babar, an alternate member of the board of health and the head of its medical department. Babar also ran for borough council and was a candidate in the Democratic primaries. He has been chosen to represent the 10th delegate district part of Middlesex County, which consists of 18th and 19th state legislative districts, as a delegate to the 2012 Democratic National Convention. Other members of notability are Amijit Cheema, member of the Planning Board; and Hardyal Singh Johal, former member of the Planning Board.

Emergency services

The borough maintains a 50-person police department. An October 2017 report by NJ.com found that Officer Joseph Reiman, brother of Mayor Daniel Reiman, accounted for 20% of the police department's 115 arrests that involved the use of force in the two years following his July 2015 hiring.

The Carteret Volunteer First Aid Squad, established in 1934, ended operations in April 2013 after becoming financially insolvent. Starting in April 2013, emergency medical services in the borough are provided around the clock by the EMS division of the Carteret Fire Department.

The Borough of Carteret hired its first firefighter in the late 19th century. It relied on a single paid firefighter up until 1920, when paid staff was expanded to five firefighters to operate the Borough's first motorized fire truck. In the 1950s with the construction of the New Jersey Turnpike, which included an exit in Carteret, the department started to purchase trucks designed for safe operation fighting vehicle fires on busy high-speed highways.

In August 1990 a pipeline carrying jet fuel burst in Carteret. The Carteret Fire Department joined with personnel from GATX Terminals Corporation and the Middlesex County Hazardous Materials Unit to construct a temporary dike to prevent the fuel from flowing into the Arthur Kill.

Up until 2011 Carteret would request help from fireboats of the Fire Department of New York when there was a waterfront fire. In 2011, through the assistance of a FEMA Port Security Grant, the department acquired its first fireboat. The vessel cost $297,000.

In December 2014, the Courier News reported on an investigation of serious sexual harassment targeting the department's sole female firefighter.

Federal, state and county representation

Carteret is located in the 6th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 19th state legislative district. Prior to the 2010 Census, Carteret had been part of the , a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 12,538 registered voters in Carteret, of which 5,187 (41.4%) were registered as Democrats, 1,373 (11.0%) were registered as Republicans and 5,974 (47.6%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 4 voters registered to other parties.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 74.5% of the vote (5,997 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 24.9% (2,002 votes), and other candidates with 0.6% (46 votes), among the 8,124 ballots cast by the borough's 13,032 registered voters (79 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 62.3%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 65.8% of the vote (5,387 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 32.3% (2,643 votes) and other candidates with 0.8% (63 votes), among the 8,182 ballots cast by the borough's 12,390 registered voters, for a turnout of 66.0%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 57.1% of the vote (4,283 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 41.3% (3,097 votes) and other candidates with 0.5% (56 votes), among the 7,495 ballots cast by the borough's 11,749 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 63.8.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Democrat Barbara Buono received 50.8% of the vote (2,224 cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 48.2% (2,112 votes), and other candidates with 1.0% (42 votes), among the 4,564 ballots cast by the borough's 13,247 registered voters (186 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 34.5%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 51.6% of the vote here (2,460 ballots cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 40.7% (1,938 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 4.5% (213 votes) and other candidates with 0.8% (36 votes), among the 4,765 ballots cast by the borough's 12,073 registered voters, yielding a 39.5% turnout.

Education

The Carteret School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2017–18 school year, the district, comprised of five schools, had an enrollment of 3,821 students and 288.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.3:1. Schools in the district (with 2017–18 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are

Columbus School (723 students; in grades PreK-5),

Nathan Hale School (487; PreK-5),

Private Nicholas Minue School (678; PreK-5),

Carteret Middle School (862; 6-8) and

Carteret High School (994; 9-12).

In 2016, borough voters turned down a ballot proposal to switch from an elected school board to an appointed board.

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, a county-wide vocational school district that offers full-time career and technical education at Middlesex County Academy in Edison, the Academy for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences in Woodbridge Township and at its East Brunswick, Perth Amboy and Piscataway technical high schools, with no tuition charged to students for attendance.

Saint Joseph School serves students in PreK-8 as part of Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Church and is overseen by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen.

A private rabbinical college, Yeshiva Gedola of Carteret, opened in 2006.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the borough had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Middlesex County and by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

The only major road that passes through Carteret is the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95). Interchange 12 of the turnpike, located in the borough, was updated as part of an $80 million project that added five additional toll lanes and new ramps to CR 602.

Public transportation

NJ Transit local bus service is provided on the 116 route to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, New York City and on the 48 route to Elizabeth.

Studies are being conducted to introduce ferry service between Waterfront Park and Midtown Manhattan via Arthur Kill and Kill van Kull. As of 2021, funding for the construction of a landing dock and purchase of a boat was in place.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Carteret include: