| Rahway, New Jersey |
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Information AboutRahway, New Jersey |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT RAHWAY, NEW JERSEY | |
| union county, new jersey | |
| cities in new jersey | |
| faulkner act mayor-council | |
| merck | |
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Rahway is a City located in Union County , New Jersey . As of the United States 2000 Census , the city had a total population of 26,500. GEOGRAPHY Rahway is located at 40°36'26" North, 74°16'52" West (40.607103, -74.280998). According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 10.5 Km&2 (4.0 Mi&2 ). 10.3 km&2 (4.0 mi&2) of it is land and 0.1 km&2 (0.1 mi&2) of it is water. The total area is 1.24% water. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census of 2000, there were 26,500 people, 10,028 households, and 6,728 families residing in the city. The Population Density was 2,564.3/km&2 (6,642.7/mi&2). There were 10,381 housing units at an average density of 1,004.5/km&2 (2,602.2/mi&2). The racial makeup of the city was 60.19% White , 27.07% African American , 0.16% Native American , 3.58% Asian , 0.05% Pacific Islander , 5.62% from Other Races , and 3.33% from two or more races. 13.87% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 10,028 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were Married Couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.24. In the city the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $50,729, and the median income for a family was $61,931. Males had a median income of $41,047 versus $32,091 for females. The Per Capita Income for the city was $22,481. 7.1% of the population and 5.4% of families were below the Poverty Line . 9.3% of those under the age of 18 and 8.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. GOVERNMENT Local government The City of Rahway is governed under the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) system of municipal government. Under the City of Rahway’s form of government, all executive and administrative authority is vested in the office of the Mayor who appoints the Business Administrator and department directors. The Mayor of Rahway is James Kennedy ( Democrat ), who was first elected in 1990 and is serving his fourth term in office. The Business Administrator is responsible for development of the Mayor’s annual budget, the administration of the city’s personnel system and the supervision of the management of the city’s departments. This form of government gives citizens a centralized line of authority for the efficient management of the city’s business. The Municipal Council is made up of nine members elected by the citizens of Rahway. There are six wards in the City of Rahway and a Councilmember is elected by the citizens from each respective ward. There are three Councilmembers-at-large who represent the entire City and run with the Mayor. Members of the Municipal Council are:
Federal, state and county representation Rahway is in the Tenth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 22nd Legislative District. HISTORY Rahway and the surrounding area were once the home of the Lenni Lenape Native Americans , and tradition states that the city was named after Rahwack, a local tribal chief. Formal European settlement began in 1664 with the purchase by the English from the Lenape of the Elizabethtown Tract , which encompassed lands from the mouth of the Raritan River and included all of present-day Union County as well as parts of Somerset , Middlesex , Morris and Essex counties. Rahway saw limited action during the American Revolutionary War because of its proximity to Staten Island , Elizabethtown and Perth Amboy . In January 1777, rebels were victorious against the British in the Battle Of Spanktown , which resulted in the death of some 100 British troops. Abraham Clark , a signer of the Declaration Of Independence , is buried in the Rahway Cemetery. Following the Revolution, Rahway became the home of the first national mint to create a coin bearing the inscription '' E Pluribus Unum ''. A United States Post Office established in Rahway was one of only six in the entire state in 1791. Rahway grew due to its location along the major stagecoach and later, railroad lines between New York City and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . The navigable Rahway River , which flows through the city, also aided the city's commercial growth. As immigrants from Britain , Ireland and Germany streamed into what was then Rahway Township in the 1850s, Rahway became incorporated as a city in 1858. The city became home to dozens of major manufacturers, including the Regina Music Box Company, Wheatena, Mershon Bros. and, most importantly, Merck & Co. , which was established in Rahway in 1903 when George Merck moved his small chemical company to Rahway from New York City. The national decline in industry after World War II led to the closure of most of Rahway's major manufacturing facilities except for Merck and a general deterioration of the city's central business district. Beginning in the early 1990s and continuing through the present day, the City of Rahway has rebounded as its downtown began to see the construction of new restaurants, art galleries and market-rate housing, the old Rahway Theatre reopening as the Union County Arts Center and the construction of a new railroad station by New Jersey Transit in 1999. The city presently enjoys one of the lowest property tax rates in Union County, a diverse population and a wide variety of municipal services not available in other locales. FAMOUS RAHWAY RESIDENTS
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