Dunellen, New Jersey

Dunellen () is a borough in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located within the Raritan Valley region of central New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,637,

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.

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. 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 km<sup>2</sup>), all of which was land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Dunellen had a population of 7,637. The median age was 37.3 years. 24.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 11.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 103.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.5 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,620 households in Dunellen, of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.7% were married-couple households, 20.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census

There were 2,451 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.30. The governing body is composed 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 includes six members 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 Dunellen 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 Dunellen is Republican Jason F. Cilento, whose term of office ends December 31, 2027. Members of the borough council (with party and term-end year in parentheses) are Council President Crisol-Iris Lantz (R, 2026), Teresa Albertson (R, 2027), Trina G. Rios (R, 2028), William R. Scott (R, 2027), Daniel Cole Sigmon (R, 2028) and Harold VanDermark (R, 2026).

In October 2021, the borough council selected Harold VanDermark from a list of three candidates nominated by the Democratic municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2023 that had been held by Tremayne Reid until he resigned earlier that month. VanDermark will serve on an interim basis until the November 2021 general election, when voters will choose a candidate to serve the balance of the term of office.

Federal, state and county representation

Dunellen is located in the 12th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 21st state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 3,775 registered voters in Dunellen, of which 1,063 (28.2%) were registered as Democrats, 726 (19.2%) were registered as Republicans and 1,983 (52.5%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 3 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 56.1% of the vote (1,387 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 42.3% (1,047 votes), and other candidates with 1.6% (39 votes), among the 2,488 ballots cast by the borough's 3,842 registered voters (15 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 64.8%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 52.9% of the vote (1,478 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 44.5% (1,244 votes) and other candidates with 1.8% (50 votes), among the 2,794 ballots cast by the borough's 3,883 registered voters, for a turnout of 72.0%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 50.0% of the vote (1,260 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 48.0% (1,211 votes) and other candidates with 1.2% (44 votes), among the 2,521 ballots cast by the borough's 3,666 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 68.8.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 64.7% of the vote (982 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 33.2% (503 votes), and other candidates with 2.1% (32 votes), among the 1,540 ballots cast by the borough's 3,894 registered voters (23 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 39.5%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 54.6% of the vote (944 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 34.1% (589 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 8.9% (153 votes) and other candidates with 1.9% (33 votes), among the 1,728 ballots cast by the borough's 3,744 registered voters, yielding a 46.2% turnout.

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 Magnet Schools, a county-wide vocational school district that offers full-time career and technical education at its schools in East Brunswick, Edison, Perth Amboy, Piscataway and Woodbridge Township, with no tuition charged to students for attendance.

Transportation

thumb|right|[[New Jersey Route 28|Route 28 in Dunellen]]

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 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

Commuter rail service is available at the Dunellen station. 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. Service on the Raritan Valley Line, with most trains terminating at Newark Penn Station, where passengers are able to transfer to other NJ Transit service using a combined ticket or PATH and Amtrak to New York City. A limited number of weekday trains continue directly to New York Penn Station.

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
Horace Butterworth (1868–1939), sports coach, college athletics administrator and educator
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-Levrone (born 1999), hurdler and sprinter who won the Gold Medal in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2020 and 2024 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:

Borgonovo Val Tidone, Italy
Castel San Giovanni, Italy