Linden, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Linden, New Jersey
City
Magnaplate building
Seal
Motto(s):  "Big enough to lead, small enough to care"
Location of Linden in Union County highlighted in yellow (left). Inset map: Location of Union County in New Jersey highlighted in black (right).
Census Bureau map of Linden, New Jersey
Linden, New Jersey Location in Union County, New Jersey Show map of Union County, New Jersey Linden, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Linden, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Union
Incorporated	January 1, 1925
Government
• Type	City
• Body	City Council
Area
• Total	11.35 sq mi (29.39 km2)
• Land	10.69 sq mi (27.68 km2)
• Water	0.66 sq mi (1.71 km2)  6.37%
Area rank	199th of 565 in state 2nd of 21 in county
Elevation	7 ft (2 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	43,738
• Estimate  (2023)	43,950
• Rank	52nd of 565 in state 4th of 21 in county
• Density	4,092.3/sq mi (1,580.0/km2)
• Density rank	153rd of 565 in state 13th of 21 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07036
Area code(s)	908
FIPS code	3403940350
GNIS feature ID	0885278

Linden is a city in southeastern Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area, located about 13 miles (21 km) southwest of Manhattan and bordering Staten Island, a borough of New York City, across the Arthur Kill. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 43,738, an increase of 3,239 (+8.0%) from the 2010 census count of 40,499, which in turn reflected an increase of 1,105 (+2.8%) from the 39,394 counted in the 2000 census.

History

Linden was originally formed as a township on March 4, 1861 from portions of Elizabeth, Rahway and Union Township. Portions of the township were taken to form Cranford (March 14, 1871), Linden Borough (March 30, 1882) and Roselle (December 20, 1894). Linden was incorporated as a city by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on January 1, 1925, replacing both Linden Township and Linden Borough, based on the results of a referendum held on November 8, 1923. The city's name derives from linden trees brought from Germany.

Geography

Linden lies west of the Arthur Kill and north of the Rahway River

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 11.407 square miles (29.545 km²), including 10.675 square miles (27.648 km²) of land and 0.732 square miles (1.897 km²) of water (6.42%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the city include Bayway, Grasselli, Morris Mills, Tremley, Vreeland Hills, Warners and Wheatshead.

The city borders the municipalities of Clark Township, Cranford Township, Elizabeth, Rahway, Roselle and Winfield Township in Union County; Carteret and Woodbridge Township in Middlesex County; and Staten Island in New York City across the Arthur Kill tidal strait.

Polish and Polish-American community

As a regional hub of Polish immigration, Linden is known for its Polish cuisine such as pierogis

Linden is a regional hub of Polish immigration and features a significant number of establishments featuring the food and culture of Poland. 13.1% of residents are of Polish origin and 15.6% of its residents five years old and above in the center of the city of Linden primarily speak the Polish language at home. The Skulski Art Gallery of the Polish Cultural Foundation of neighboring Clark has exhibited Linden-based artists.

Polish-American grocery specialty shop Pulaski Meats takes up nearly a city block. Polish language services are held at two Roman Catholic churches, including at the heavily Polish parish St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Roman Catholic Church, established in the 1920s.

Linden holds an annual Polish Heritage Day Festival to showcase local Polish cuisine, pottery, dance, traditional fashion and other Polish arts for visitors. In 2021, the mayor of Linden hosted a state visit by Poland’s president Andrzej Duda and first lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda to the Polish community in Linden.

In old pagan Slavic mythology, the tree for which the city is named, the linden tree (lipa, as called in all Slavic languages) was considered a sacred tree.

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 40,499 people, 14,909 households, and 10,272 families in the city. The population density was 3,793.8 per square mile (1,464.8/km²). There were 15,872 housing units at an average density of 1,486.8 per square mile (574.1/km²). The racial makeup was 59.15% (23,957) White, 26.88% (10,888) Black or African American, 0.29% (118) Native American, 2.71% (1,099) Asian, 0.02% (8) Pacific Islander, 7.57% (3,066) from other races, and 3.37% (1,363) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 24.93% (10,095) of the population.

Of the 14,909 households, 29.9% had children under the age of 18; 45.1% were married couples living together; 17.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 31.1% were non-families. Of all households, 26.2% were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.27.

21.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.8 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 87.7 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey shows that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $55,859 (with a margin of error of +/− $2,529) and the median family income was $64,439 (+/− $4,027). Males had a median income of $45,890 (+/− $3,397) versus $39,288 (+/− $2,842) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $27,011 (+/− $1,161). About 5.9% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The east side of Linden is located along the Arthur Kill, a navigable strait which plays an important role in bulk cargo transportation in the Port of New York and New Jersey.

Together with Elizabeth, Linden is home to the Bayway Refinery, a Phillips 66 refining facility that helps supply petroleum-based products to the New York/New Jersey area, producing approximately 230,000 barrels per day (37,000 m³/d), making it the second-largest on the East Coast of the United States and one of the country's 25 largest facilities.

From 1937 to 2005, Linden was home to Linden Assembly, a General Motors manufacturing plant that produced Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Buick and other GM automobiles, but also produced planes during World War II. By early 2008 most of the plant has been torn down for redevelopment by Duke Realty Corporation, which purchased the 100 acres (40 ha) site for $76.5 million.

Linden, together with Rahway, is home to Merck & Co., one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies. In 2003, the pharmaceutical company celebrated 100 years in Rahway and Linden.

Sunnyside section of Linden and the Jewish community

Linden station offers direct trains to Manhattan

The residential area of Linden west of St. Georges Avenue is known as Sunnyside, named for the former Sunnyfield Golf Club located in that area. It borders on Clark, Cranford and Winfield on the west and Roselle on the east.

Jewish community of Linden

Like the rest of Linden, Sunnyside is a diverse neighborhood featuring residents of many different backgrounds. Congregation Anshe Chesed is a Modern Orthodox synagogue in the Sunnyside section that was founded in 1914. It has a large modern building on St. Georges Avenue and its former synagogue building on Blancke Street was converted for use for community athletics.

Among the parks in the Sunnyside section is Sunnyside Park, at the corner of Summit Terrace and Edgewood Road, dubbed the “Shabbos park” by the area's Modern Orthodox community as a place where families meet on Saturday afternoons.

An eruv links the Sunnyside section of Linden to Roselle, Warinanco Park, the Jewish Educational Center of Elizabeth, and Hillside. A mikveh was constructed in 2015.

Following the move in recent years of members of the Koson congregation to the Sunnyside section of Linden, other Hasidic communities have recently arisen in Linden as well, including Bobov, Rachmastrivka, Pupa, and Satmar communities. In 2022, Aaron Teitelbaum, chief rabbi of the Satmar community in Kiryas Joel, New York, attended the opening of a Satmar school in the Sunnyside section.

Local media

Linden media includes:

• Union News Daily. A news outlet covering Union County news, it has a dedicated Linden section. It is part of LocalSource and published by Worrall Community Newspapers of Union.
• TAPInto Linden is a local digital news site covering Linden news exclusively, part of the TAPinto network of news in Central and Northern New Jersey.
• Life in Linden is published by Renna Media, located on Walnut Street in Cranford, NJ.
• LindenTV is the city's own channel, and is available to cable and Verizon FiOS television subscribers.
• The City of Linden shares news and events via its official website.
• Remaining multi-community newspapers include the Courier News, a daily newspaper based in Bridgewater Township, and The Star-Ledger and the Suburban News based in Newark.
• Linden is the official city of license for WNJU (channel 47), a television station serving the New York metropolitan area as the flagship station of the Spanish-language Telemundo network.

Parks and recreation

• Hawk Rise Sanctuary is a bird sanctuary created by the City of Linden and the New Jersey Audubon Society on the banks of the Rahway River at the lower reaches of the Rahway River Parkway.
• John Russell Wheeler Park is home to the Linden Skatepark for skateboarders at Winans Avenue and West Edgar Road near where Morses Creek winds through the park. an 11,000-square-foot (1,000 m²) spray park opened in 2019, replacing a pool that dated back to 1931.
• Peach Orchard Park sits at Dill Avenue, Hussa Street and Cranford Avenue, behind School #4. It is home to Peach Orchard Brook, a tributary of Morses Creek.
• Warinanco Park's Park Drive entrance connects the park to Linden.

Education

Public schools

The Linden Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of 11 schools, had an enrollment of 6,159 students and 555.0 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 School No. 1 (with 420 students; in grades PreK–5), School No. 2 (593; PreK-5), School No. 4 (425; PreK-5), School No. 5 (275; PreK-5), School No. 6 (324; PreK-5), School No. 8 (341; PreK-5), School No. 9 (327; PreK-5), School No. 10 (243; PreK-5), Myles J. McManus Middle School (693; 6-8), Joseph E. Soehl Middle School (685; 6-8) and Linden High School (1,729; 9–12). School No. 5 was one of nine schools in New Jersey honored in 2020 by the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program, which recognizes high student achievement.

Private schools

Sinai Christian Academy serves grades Pre-K through 12th grade.

Saints Mary and Elizabeth Academy was a Catholic school serving students in Pre-K through 8th grade that operated under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark until its closure at the end of the 2013–2014 school year due to declining enrollment.

Transportation

Roads and highways

The New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95) northbound in Linden

As of May 2010^[update], the city had a total of 109.72 miles (176.58 km) of roadways, of which 87.01 miles (140.03 km) were maintained by the municipality, 13.53 miles (21.77 km) by Union County, 6.19 miles (9.96 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 2.99 miles (4.81 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

The New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95) passes through the eastern portion of the city, with a few ramps that lead to the nearest exit (Exit 13 for I-278) which is right on the city limits with nearby Elizabeth. The city is also the western terminus of Interstate 278, which travels through all five boroughs of New York City. Linden is also served by U.S. Route 1/9 and Route 27. The Garden State Parkway passes about 500 feet (150 m) west of the city limits.

Public transportation

Bus

Local public transportation is provided by NJ Transit with bus service to Elizabeth, Perth Amboy and Newark. New Jersey Transit routes 112 and 115 provide local service and interstate service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, on the 48 to Elizabeth and 94 routes to Newark, and local service on the 56 and 57 routes.

Rail

The Linden train station offers a one-seat ride to Manhattan in 39 minutes via service on NJ Transit's North Jersey Coast Line and the Northeast Corridor Line. Trains travel northbound to Newark Penn Station, Secaucus Junction and New York Penn Station, and southbound towards the Trenton Transit Center, with connections available at those locations

Airport

Linden Airport is a small general aviation facility and reliever airport located on the eastern side of the city along U.S. Route 1/9. The airport was constructed for the United States Navy in 1942 for use in development and testing of the Grumman F4F Wildcat and was taken over by the City of Linden after World War II. The airport served as a road racing course in June 1954 for a race in the then-NASCAR Grand National Division (now known as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series), with Al Keller winning the 50-lap race over a 2 miles (3.2 km) course.

Newark Liberty International Airport is approximately 15 minutes away.

Arts and culture

• Raymond Wood Bauer Promenade is the home of outdoor concerts and other performing arts in Linden. Live bands play R&B, funk and jazz at several live performance venues, and late R&B and jazz vocalist Linda Hayes, who played with the well-known Platters (of which her brother was lead singer) was from Linden.
• Catholic-born artist Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt grew up in poverty in 1950s and 1960s Linden. ..... Lanigan-Schmidt worked as a 1960s Linden youth doing "odd jobs to help support his family and was bullied by high school thugs," moving to New York City as a young man. As a child in 1950s Linden, after Lanigan-Schmidt was assigned to decorate the school bulletin board in his Catholic elementary school, he built a detailed model of a church altar. The impressive model was featured in a local paper while Lanigan-Schmidt was a student at St. Elizabeth School at 170 Hussa Street. The school closed in 2014; it is a part of the campus of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Roman Catholic Church in Linden.
• One of the artists from New Jersey hardcore (now LA-based) punk hip-hop group Ho99o9 (pronounced "Horror"), theOGM, has Linden roots.
• 1910 Fruitgum Company, a bubblegum pop band from the 1960s, was formed by five Linden residents.
• De Luxe Records (later DeLuxe Records) was a record company and label formed in 1944 in Linden, New Jersey, and is known for its famed R&B and early rock recordings.
• In the mid-20th century, Linden was the headquarters for the Regal Records, as well as the budget record label Springboard International Records later in the century. Transco, before acquisition by Apollo, made sound recording industry acetate discs (also called acetate blanks, dubplates or lacquers) out of Linden.
• The Linden Cultural and Heritage Committee exists to bring entertainment events to area residents such as craft bazaars, street fairs, concerts, and plays, and the Linden Society for Historic Preservation works to preserve the history of the city.
• Linden was chosen as the primary filming location for Volume 2 of the streetball video series, AND1 Mixtapes. One of the original five streetballers to sign with AND1, Waliyy Dixon, a Linden native who also goes by the nickname "Main Event," helped host a night of basketball at 4th Ward Park that claimed attendance by 2,000 spectators.
• Several scenes from the 2008 Mickey Rourke film The Wrestler, later nominated for several Academy Awards, were filmed in Linden.
• Hal Linden, the stage and screen actor, television director and musician best known as the star of the ABC TV series Barney Miller, based his stage name on the city's name, after seeing the word "Linden" on a water tower while heading from Philadelphia to perform in New York City.

Notable people

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

See also

In Spanish: Linden (Nueva Jersey) para niños