Dunellen, New Jersey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dunellen, New Jersey
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Borough
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| Nickname(s):
"The Railroad Town"
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| Motto(s):
"Small Enough to Know You, Large Enough to Serve You."
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Location of Dunellen in Middlesex County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Middlesex County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
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Census Bureau map of Dunellen, New Jersey
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 Dunellen, New Jersey
Location in Middlesex County, New Jersey
Dunellen, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Dunellen, New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  New Jersey |
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| County | Middlesex | |
| Incorporated | October 28, 1887 | |
| Named for | Dunellen station | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Borough | |
| • Body | Borough Council | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 1.06 sq mi (2.75 km2) | |
| • Land | 1.06 sq mi (2.75 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) 0.00% | |
| Area rank | 495th of 565 in state 23rd of 25 in county |
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| Elevation | 52 ft (16 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 7,637 | |
| • Estimate
(2023)
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8,176 | |
| • Rank | 305th of 565 in state 21st of 25 in county |
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| • Density | 7,191.1/sq mi (2,776.5/km2) | |
| • Density rank | 65th of 565 in state 4th of 25 in county |
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| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST)) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT)) | |
| ZIP Code |
08812
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| Area code(s) | 732 and 908 | |
| FIPS code | 3402318490 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0885198 | |
Dunellen (/dʌ.nɛl.ən/) is a borough in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located within the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,637, an increase of 410 (+5.7%) from the 2010 census count of 7,227, which in turn reflected an increase of 404 (+5.9%) from the 6,823 counted in the 2000 census.
Dunellen was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on October 28, 1887, when it broke away from Piscataway Township, based on the results of a referendum held on March 23, 1886. Dunellen's incorporation was confirmed on April 15, 1914. The borough was named for the Dunellen station of the Central Railroad of New Jersey.
Contents
History
The earliest inhabitants of the area that would become Dunellen were the Lenape Native Americans; several Lenape sites in Dunellen were identified as part of a comprehensive survey in 1915. European settlers were drawn to the area as early as 1682, attracted by the productive agricultural land.
Railroad access from New York City to present-day Dunellen began in 1840. Dunellen grew from its start in 1867 with the construction of a railroad station, which was originally called New Market station, serving the nearby community of the same name in Piscataway. When it was originally constructed, the tracks were at grade level with North Avenue and the railroad was the Elizabethtown and Somerville Railroad, which later became part of the Central Railroad of New Jersey. The Central Railroad of New Jersey, created the residential development in the area which it owned surrounding its train station. The railroad brought industry to the area.
The Art Color factory built in 1925 was Dunellen's principal industry and produced as many as 10 million magazines a month. The W. F. Hall Printing Company of Chicago bought Art Color in 1931, and ran it until 1968, when it closed the plant there.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.06 square miles (2.75 km2), all of which was land. Dunellen is in the Raritan Valley, a line of communities in central New Jersey. Dunellen is in the central division along with Bound Brook, South Bound Brook and Middlesex.
The borough borders Middlesex and Piscataway Township in Middlesex County; Green Brook Township in Somerset County; and Plainfield in Union County.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 817 | — | |
| 1890 | 1,060 | 29.7% | |
| 1900 | 1,239 | 16.9% | |
| 1910 | 1,990 | 60.6% | |
| 1920 | 3,394 | 70.6% | |
| 1930 | 5,148 | 51.7% | |
| 1940 | 5,360 | 4.1% | |
| 1950 | 6,291 | 17.4% | |
| 1960 | 6,840 | 8.7% | |
| 1970 | 7,072 | 3.4% | |
| 1980 | 6,593 | −6.8% | |
| 1990 | 6,528 | −1.0% | |
| 2000 | 6,823 | 4.5% | |
| 2010 | 7,227 | 5.9% | |
| 2020 | 7,637 | 5.7% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 8,176 | 13.1% | |
| Population sources: 1880–1920 1880–1890 1890–1910 1910–1930 1940–2000 2000 2010 2020 |
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2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 7,227 people, 2,566 households, and 1,763 families in the borough. The population density was 6,894.8 per square mile (2,662.1/km2). There were 2,683 housing units at an average density of 2,559.7 per square mile (988.3/km2). The racial makeup was 73.46% (5,309) White, 8.62% (623) Black or African American, 0.26% (19) Native American, 4.51% (326) Asian, 0.06% (4) Pacific Islander, 9.67% (699) from other races, and 3.42% (247) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 26.75% (1,933) of the population.
Of the 2,566 households, 33.0% had children under the age of 18; 49.4% were married couples living together; 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present and 31.3% were non-families. Of all households, 24.9% were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.36.
23.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 101.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 100.4 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $74,375 (with a margin of error of +/− $13,504) and the median family income was $88,527 (+/− $13,868). Males had a median income of $48,542 (+/− $13,495) versus $43,920 (+/− $12,613) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $30,960 (+/− $3,015). About 5.6% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The Dunellen Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 1,238 students and 112.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.1:1. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are John P. Faber School with 591 students in grades PreK-5, Lincoln Middle School with 246 students in grades 6-8 and Dunellen High School with 372 students in grades 9-12.
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.
Transportation
_at_Middlesex_County_Route_529_(Washington_Avenue)_in_Dunellen,_Middlesex_County,_New_Jersey.jpg)
Roads and highways
As of May 2010[update], the borough had a total of 17.82 miles (28.68 km) of roadways, of which 14.29 miles (23.00 km) were maintained by the municipality, 2.48 miles (3.99 km) by Middlesex County and 1.05 miles (1.69 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
No Interstate or U.S. highways serve Dunellen directly. The most prominent roads passing through the borough include New Jersey Route 28 and County Route 529.
Public transportation
The Dunellen station offers NJ Transit service on the Raritan Valley Line. There is a ticket office open only during morning rush hour and a small waiting area at this stop. There are now automated ticket machines located next to the office. A simple station, there are two tracks with two small side platforms. The station is located on a high embankment.
NJ Transit bus service is provided on the 113 and 114 routes to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, with local service on the 59, 65 and 66 routes.
Suburban Transit offers service between Dunellen and Atlantic City on its 700 route.
Organizations
- Juggling Life is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to inspire and emotionally heal ill and/or disadvantaged children through juggling and the arts.
Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Dunellen include:
- Tom Brislin (born 1973), keyboardist/songwriter/vocalist for the band Kansas since 2018
- Bob Fitzsimmons (1863–1917), boxer who was the sport's first three-division world champion
- Bob Maier (1915–1993), third baseman who played for the Detroit Tigers team that won the 1945 World Series in his only season in the Major Leagues
- Sydney McLaughlin (born 1999), hurdler and sprinter who won the Gold Medal in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2020 Summer Olympics
- Judith Persichilli (born 1949), nurse and health care executive who has served as the commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health
- William Marsh Rice (1816–1900), businessman who bequeathed his fortune to found Rice University
- Tom Scharpling (born 1969), author, screenwriter, broadcaster, and media executive; creator and host of The Best Show
- Walter Stone (1920–1999), writer for The Honeymooners and The Jackie Gleason Show
- Frank Umont (1917–1991), Major League Baseball umpire
Twin towns — Sister cities
Dunellen is twinned with:
See also
In Spanish: Dunellen para niños
