South River, New Jersey

South River is a borough in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 16,118,

What is now South River was originally formed as the town of Washington within East Brunswick Township on February 23, 1870. South River was incorporated as an independent borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 28, 1898, replacing Washington town. It was named after the Raritan River's South River tributary, which marks the borough's eastern and northeastern boundary.

History

thumb|300px|South River in 1936

South River was originally part of East Brunswick Township. Originally referred to as Washington, the community eventually split away, as did Spotswood and Milltown.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.94 square miles (7.61 km2), including 2.79 square miles (7.21 km2) of land and 0.16 square miles (0.40 km2) of water (5.27%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Newton Heights, which is situated along the border of South River and East Brunswick.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, South River had a population of 16,118, with 5,694 households and 4,220 families. The population density was 5,787.4 per square mile (2,234.5/km2), and there were 5,977 housing units at an average density of 2,146.1 per square mile (828.6/km2). The median age was 39.1 years; 21.2% of residents were under age 18 and 13.7% were age 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 101.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.2 males age 18 and over. The borough had 8,127 males and 7,991 females, including 6,355 males age 18 and over and 6,345 females age 18 and over.

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

Of the 5,694 households, 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.3% were married-couple households, 16.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present; 25.9% were non-families. About 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals, including 9.9% with a male householder living alone and 11.5% with a female householder living alone. About 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, including 3.2% with a male householder and 6.2% with a female householder.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census

The most common ancestries of the population are Polish (18.9%), Italian (14.6%), Irish (13.0%), German (12.5%), Portuguese (9.3%), and Russian (4.5%).

There were 5,606 households, out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.23. Most of the immigrants of that time identified themselves as Polish or Russian, depending on their faith.

Government

Local government

South River is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey. 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. 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 South River 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 South River is Republican Peter S. Guindi, whose term of office ends December 31, 2027. Members of the Borough Council are Council President John Krenzel (R, 2024; appointed to serve an unexpired term), Donna Balazs (R, 2025), Anthony Ciulla (R, 2025), John Frost (R, 2024; appointed to serve an unexpired term), Henry Dziemian (R, 2026) and James Gurchensky (R, 2026).

John Frost was appointed in May 2024 to fill the term ending December 2024 that had been held by Jason Oliveira until he resigned from office the previous month.

In January 2014, the borough council selected former councilmember Michael Trenga from among three names nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the nearly three years remaining on the vacant seat of John Trzeciak, who cited personal reasons in resigning from office just weeks after taking his seat on the council. In the November 2014 general election, Trenga was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.

Federal, state and county representation

South River is located in the 12th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 18th state legislative district

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 7,901 registered voters in South River, of which 2,520 (31.9%) were registered as Democrats, 1,186 (15.0%) were registered as Republicans and 4,193 (53.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 2 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 58.5% of the vote (3,033 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 40.5% (2,101 votes), and other candidates with 1.0% (52 votes), among the 5,233 ballots cast by the borough's 8,095 registered voters (47 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 64.6%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 54.9% of the vote (3,148 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 42.5% (2,434 votes) and other candidates with 1.7% (95 votes), among the 5,729 ballots cast by the borough's 8,078 registered voters, for a turnout of 70.9%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 51.8% of the vote (2,763 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 46.1% (2,460 votes) and other candidates with 0.8% (63 votes), among the 5,331 ballots cast by the borough's 7,591 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 70.2.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 63.8% of the vote (1,997 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 35.0% (1,094 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (39 votes), among the 3,163 ballots cast by the borough's 8,146 registered voters (33 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 38.8%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 53.2% of the vote (1,916 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 38.2% (1,378 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 6.5% (235 votes) and other candidates with 0.9% (32 votes), among the 3,604 ballots cast by the borough's 7,787 registered voters, yielding a 46.3% turnout.

Education

The South River Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2024–25 school year, the district, comprised of four schools, had an enrollment of 2,435 students and 218.78 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.13:1. Schools in the district (with 2024–25 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are

South River Early Learning Center with 151 students in PreK,

South River Primary School with 508 students in grades PreK-2,

South River Elementary School with 496 students in grades 3-5,

South River Middle School with 524 students in grades 6-8 and

South River High School with 716 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

Roads and highways

thumb|right|[[County Route 535 (New Jersey)|County Route 535 in South River]]

, the borough had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality and by Middlesex County.

The main roads that travel through are CR 527 and CR 535. Route 18 passes just west of the borough, which provides access to the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95).

Public transportation

NJ Transit bus service is provided on the 811 and 815 routes.

Notable people

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

Radasłaŭ Astroŭski (1887–1976), Belarusian political leader and Nazi Collaborator
George Brasno (1911–1982), vaudevillian performer known for his appearances alongside his sister Olive in the Our Gang comedies and Charlie Chan movie series
Olive Brasno (1917–1998), vaudevillian performer known for her appearances in the Our Gang comedies and Charlie Chan movie series
Janet Evanovich (born 1943), author
John H. Froude (born 1930), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1972 to 1980
Angelica Generosa, ballet dancer who is a principal dancer with the Pacific Northwest Ballet
Lyle Goodhue (1903–1981), scientist
Kenny Jackson (born 1962), former professional football player
Jonathan Janson (born 1950), painter
Stanley Kamel (1943–2008), actor who performed in the USA Network series Monk as Dr. Charles Kroger
Barys Kit (1910–2018), Belarusian-American rocket scientist
Evan Louro (born 1996), soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer
Melbourne MacDowell (1856–1941), stage and silent screen actor, when the borough was still known as Little Washington
Frank Mula (1950–2021), writer for The Simpsons
Alfred Nisonoff (1923–2001), immunology researcher
Drew Pearson (born 1951), former professional football player
Brian Sicknick (1978–2021), officer of the United States Capitol Police who died following the January 6 United States Capitol attack
Pete Sivess (1913–2003), pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies
Elmer Stout (1929–2013), football player
Joe Susan (born 1955), former head coach of the Bucknell Bison football team and current Special Assistant to The Head Football Coach at Rutgers University
Joe Theismann (born 1949), former professional football player
Alex Wojciechowicz (1915–1992), professional football player
Russell Zavistovich (1928–2000), leader of the Belarusian American community

In popular culture

Rescue 911 (Season 3, Episode 25) features a segment about a Good Samaritan who assisted in the rescue of an occupant from an apartment fire on January 8, 1991, at the Emess Apartments (now known as Deer Creek Village).

References

External links

South River Borough