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GEOGRAPHY New Brunswick is located at 40°29'18" North, 74°26'52" West (40.488304, -74.447751). According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 14.9 Km&2 (5.8 Mi&2 ). 13.5 km&2 (5.2 mi&2) of it is land and 1.3 km&2 (0.5 mi&2) of it is water. The total area is 9.04% water. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census of 2000, there were 48,573 people, 13,057 households, and 7,207 families residing in the city. The Population Density was 3,585.9/km&2 (9,293.5/mi&2). There were 13,893 housing units at an average density of 1,025.6/km&2 (2,658.1/mi&2). The racial makeup of the city was 48.79% White , 23.03% African American , 0.46% Native American , 5.32% Asian , 0.08% Pacific Islander , 18.08% from Other Races , and 4.24% from two or more races. 39.01% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 13,057 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.6% were Married Couples living together, 18.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.8% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.23 and the average family size was 3.69. In the city the population was spread out with 20.1% under the age of 18, 34.0% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 11.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males. The high proportion of 18-24 year olds is due to Rutgers University being in the city's midst. The median income for a household in the city was $36,080, and the median income for a family was $38,222. Males had a median income of $25,657 versus $23,604 for females. The Per Capita Income for the city was $14,308. 27.0% of the population and 16.9% of families were below the Poverty Line . 25.9% of those under the age of 18 and 13.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. GOVERNMENT Local government The City of New Brunswick is governed under the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) system of municipal government. As the legislative body of New Brunswick's municipal government, the City Council is responsible for approving the annual budget, ordinances and resolutions, contracts, and appointments to boards and commissions. The City Council has five members elected at large to staggered four-year terms. The Council President, elected to a 2-year term by the Council presides over all meetings. Jim Cahill is the 62nd Mayor Of New Brunswick . He was sworn in as Mayor in January 1991 and has served continuously since. City Council Members are Robert Recine (Council President), Elizabeth Sheehan Garlatti (Council Vice President), Jimmie L. Cook Jr., Joseph V. Egan and Blanquita Valenti. Federal, state and county representation New Brunswick is in the Sixth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 17th Legislative District. HISTORY Originally inhabited by the Lenape Native Americans , the first settlement was made in 1681 by immigrants from Europe. The place was first called Prigmore's Swamp, (1681-97), then Inian's Ferry, (1691-1714), and finally New Brunswick in honor of the House Of Brunswick . Centrally located between New York City and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , and situated along the Raritan River , New Brunswick became an important hub for Colonial travelers and traders. It was incorporated as a town in 1736 and chartered as a city in 1784. During the American Revolutionary War it was occupied by the British in the winter of 1776-1777. REVITALIZATION AND REDEVELOPMENT New Brunswick is held out as a premiere example of urban redevelopment in the United States that has worked exceptionally well. The State, County and City governments and the local businesses, especially (30 minutes) and New York City (50 minutes) are easily accessible from New Brunswick by train. TRANSPORTATION New Brunswick lies on the Northeast Corridor rail line, which serves the Northeastern U.S. from Washington to Boston; both Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains stop at its Railway Station . Numerous New Jersey Transit trains provide local service to/from New York and Trenton from New Brunswick. New Brunswick also lies at the crossroads of a number of major roads, including the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95), Route 1, Route 18 and Route 27. Local bus service is provided by New Jersey Transit, with free campus-wide busing provided by Rutgers University . Also note-worthy is New Brunswick's bicycle community, including a bicycle co-op and tool collective. {Link without Title} CULTURE Today, New Brunswick is the cultural hub of Central New Jersey , which is why it is sometimes referred to as the "Hub City". Theatre Several thriving professional theaters are located there, including Crossroads, the George Street Playhouse, and the State Theater . Those three theaters are located on Livingston Avenue, not George Street, and they are practically next to each other. New Brunswick is also home to American Repertory Ballet and its Princeton Ballet School. Museums New Brunswick is home to several fine museums including the Zimmerli Museum Of Fine Art at Rutgers University, the Rutgers University Geology Museum and the New Jersey Agricultural Museum at the Cook College campus of Rutgers University. Higher Education
Restaurants New Brunswick is filled with an abundance of diverse fine restaurants including Nouvelle American, Italian, Indian, Ethiopian, Thai and Chinese. Popular fine dining restaurants include Stage Left, The Frog and The Peach, Clydz, Makeda's, and Soho on George. (Another popular restaurant is Old Man Rafferty's which is on Albany St.) While many of the downtown fast-food establishments close after about 6 to 8 pm, those on Easton Avenue are open well into the night. There are Indian restaurants, Chinese restaurants, and numerous bars that are also open relatively late,including a brew pub. Some of the most famous are Dolls Place , Tumulty's Pub, Olde Queens Tavern, Stuff Yer Face, Marita's Cantina, Harvest Moon Brew Pub and Thinisu [http://www.thinisu.com/ . A vigorous local music scene is also present with live bands appearing at the Court Tavern, Old Bay, Nova Terra, Tumulty's and other locations. Music In addition to live bands in bars, New Brunswick has long been an enclave of local punk rock and underground music, a scene which thrives on quasi-legal live shows in residential basements. Many bands who developed their fan base through such shows have gone on to national and even international acclaim. Early influential bands of the New Brunswick basement punk scene included The Bouncing Souls , Lifetime , and Sticks & Stones . Through the years, many more bands have come and gone with varying degrees of success outside the basements of New Brunswick and defunct venues such as the Melody Bar. Many of these bands were either stridently socio-political in their messages or at least independently minded, bound together by the hardcore DIY (do-it-yourself) nature of the scene. Though none of these bands are currently active, it is telling of the nature of the scene that many, if not most shared common members, and these members are by and large still active in the local music. This tradition continues to the present with leading bands including the Ergs, Sparks Fly From a Kiss, the Sunshine Will, the Hunchback, the Measure (SA), Mother Night, and the Bloodreds. Many bands consider their status as a New Brunswick basement band essential to their identity even years after the fact, often memorializing the experience in song, such as in the notable examples of the Bouncing Souls' "Party at 174" (referring to the band's old house at 174 Commercial Avenue) and Lifetime's "Theme Song for a New Brunswick Basement Show." Along with New York 's Long Island , New Brunswick is one of the biggest Emo scenes in the country. TRIVIA
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