Garwood, New Jersey

Garwood is a borough in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,454,

History

Garwood was incorporated as a borough on March 19, 1903, from portions of Cranford and Westfield Town.

The Westwood event venue opened in the early 1900s as Britz's Garwood Hotel, and was later known as Scandia Hall.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 0.65 square miles (1.68 km2), all of which was land.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Garwood borough, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|3,851

|3,666

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,436

|92.73%

|86.75%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |77.14%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|15

|42

|style='background: #ffffe6; |69

|0.36%

|0.99%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.55%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1

|0.00%

|0.02%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.02%

|Asian alone (NH)

|55

|86

|style='background: #ffffe6; |119

|1.32%

|2.04%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.67%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0

|0.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%

|Other race alone (NH)

|17

|style='background: #ffffe6; |32

|0.02%

|0.40%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.72%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|24

|41

|style='background: #ffffe6; |127

|0.58%

|0.97%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.85%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|207

|373

|style='background: #ffffe6; |670

|4.98%

|8.83%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |15.04%

|Total

|4,153

|4,226

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,454

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Garwood had a population of 4,454. The median age was 42.5 years. 17.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 87.3 males.

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

There were 1,920 households in Garwood, of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.2% were married-couple households, 18.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census

There were 1,731 households, out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.96. The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. The 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 Garwood 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 Garwood is Democrat Jen Blumenstock, whose term of office ends December 31, 2026. Members of the Garwood Borough Council are Council President Karina Boto (D, 2026), Kathleen Annarelli (D, 2028), Stephanie Bianco (D, appointed to an unexpired term ending 2027), Clarissa Nolde (D, 2028), Chase Padusniak (D, 2027), and Hursh Sureka (D, appointed to an unexpired term ending 2026).

The Borough Administrator is John Arthur. The Borough Clerk is Nicole Kotiga. and is part of New Jersey's 21st state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 2,685 registered voters in Garwood, of which 796 (29.6% vs. 41.8% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 496 (18.5% vs. 15.3%) were registered as Republicans and 1,393 (51.9% vs. 42.9%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties. Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 63.5% (vs. 53.3% in Union County) were registered to vote, including 78.7% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 70.6% countywide).

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 968 votes (48.8% vs. 66.0% countywide), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 957 votes (48.2% vs. 32.3%) and other candidates with 38 votes (1.9% vs. 0.8%), among the 1,985 ballots cast by the borough's 2,812 registered voters, for a turnout of 70.6% (vs. 68.8% in Union County). In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 1,090 votes (51.6% vs. 35.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 971 votes (46.0% vs. 63.1%) and other candidates with 31 votes (1.5% vs. 0.9%), among the 2,111 ballots cast by the borough's 2,782 registered voters, for a turnout of 75.9% (vs. 74.7% in Union County). In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 995 votes (50.5% vs. 40.3% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 928 votes (47.1% vs. 58.3%) and other candidates with 30 votes (1.5% vs. 0.7%), among the 1,970 ballots cast by the borough's 2,539 registered voters, for a turnout of 77.6% (vs. 72.3% in the whole county).

In the 2017 gubernatorial election, Democrat Phil Murphy received 698 votes (49.8% vs. 65.2% countywide), ahead of Republican Kim Guadagno with 654 votes (46.6% vs. 32.6%), and other candidates with 51 votes (3.6% vs. 2.1%), among the 1,466 ballots cast by the borough's 3,007 registered voters, for a turnout of 48.8%. In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 64.1% of the vote (802 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 34.3% (429 votes), and other candidates with 1.6% (20 votes), among the 1,297 ballots cast by the borough's 2,763 registered voters (46 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 46.9%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 823 votes (56.4% vs. 41.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 477 votes (32.7% vs. 50.6%), Independent Chris Daggett with 127 votes (8.7% vs. 5.9%) and other candidates with 18 votes (1.2% vs. 0.8%), among the 1,460 ballots cast by the borough's 2,681 registered voters, yielding a 54.5% turnout (vs. 46.5% in the county).