Everything about High Bridge New Jersey totally explained
High Bridge is a
borough in
Hunterdon County,
New Jersey,
United States. As of the
United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 3,776.
High Bridge was originally incorporated as a
township by an Act of the
New Jersey Legislature on
March 29,
1871, from portions of both
Clinton Township and
Lebanon Township and
Bethlehem Township. On
February 19,
1898, the borough of High Bridge was incorporated from portions of the township, with the remainder returned to Clinton and Lebanon Townships.
High Bridge Borough is located on the
South Branch of the Raritan River in the north central part of Hunterdon County. Water from the South Branch was a valuable power source for one of the first
ironworks in the United States, established by
William Allen and Joseph Turner of
Philadelphia. Allen was the
mayor of Philadelphia, a Chief Justice of Pennsylvania, and a prominent landowner in New Jersey. The
Central Railroad of New Jersey built a high bridge across the river from which structure the locality ultimately took its name.
Geography
High Bridge is located at (40.668594, -74.892415).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.4
square miles (6.3
km²), of which, 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²) of it's land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.82%) is water.
High Bridge borders
Clinton Township and
Lebanon Township.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 3,776 people, 1,428 households, and 1,051 families residing in the borough. The
population density was 1,566.0 people per square mile (604.9/km²). There were 1,478 housing units at an average density of 613.0/sq mi (236.8/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 96.24%
White, 0.79%
African American, 0.34%
Native American, 1.43%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander, 0.45% from
other races, and 0.72% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 2.12% of the population.
There were 1,428 households out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.3% were
married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the borough the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 36.4% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $68,719, and the median income for a family was $75,357. Males had a median income of $56,607 versus $35,450 for females. The
per capita income for the borough was $29,276. About 1.9% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 1.9% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Local government
High Bridge is governed under the
Borough form of New Jersey government by a Mayor, independently elected for a four-year term, and a six member Common Council, with each Council Member elected to three-year, staggered terms. Each year, two Council seats are on the ballot.
The
Mayor of High Bridge Borough is Mark Desire. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Tom Flynn (2009), Brenden Coughlin, Colleen Hann, Lynn Hughes, Mary Murdock and Jon Valenta (2009).
On Election Day,
November 7,
2006, Mark Desire was elected as Mayor to succeed Alfred W. Schweikert, and took office on
January 1,
2007. Thomas Flynn and Jon Valenta won three-year seats on the Borough Council.
Federal, state and county representation
High Bridge Borough is in the Seventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 23rd Legislative District.
Education
The
High Bridge School District serves students in grades K to 8. Schools in the districts (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the
National Center for Education Statistics) are
High Bridge Elementary School
for grades Pre-K - 5 (300 students) and
High Bridge Middle School for grades 6 - 8 (142 students).
Students in grades 9 through 12 attend
Voorhees High School in Glen Gardner as part of the
North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School District. Voorhees High School serves students from
Califon Borough (67 students),
Glen Gardner Borough (75 students),
Hampton Borough (87 students), High Bridge Borough (217 students),
Lebanon Township (404 students) and
Tewksbury Township (235 students).
Transportation
The
High Bridge station is the western terminus on
New Jersey Transit's
Raritan Valley Line. It is located at the southern end of the station. The parking lot for the station is located one block to the west. The station only uses the southern track for inbound and outbound trains. There is a station building that's no longer used and there are two small shelters. This station has limited weekday service and no weekend service. The station has been the western terminus of the line since 1983, although there have been proposals to once again have service to
Phillipsburg, New Jersey.
Recreation
High Bridge serves as the southern terminus of a rail trail that was created out of the former
Central Railroad of New Jersey High Bridge Branch. The trail is maintained by Hunterdon County Parks and Recreation and is called the
Columbia Trail. The trail runs northeastward from the center of the borough (at the junction of Main Street and Church Street) towards
Califon, through a scenic area outside the borough limits, known as the
Ken Lockwood Gorge.
Union Forge Park is High Bridge's main public park, located across the
Raritan River from Taylor Wharton. Another park is the Borough Commons, conveniently situated at the start of the Columbia Trail.
Historic sites
Solitude House, built circa 1725, later became the centerpiece of the iron plantation that became Union Forge Ironworks. Later called Taylor Iron and Steel Company, it eventually became known as Taylor-Wharton.
John Penn, the last royal governor of Pennsylvania was a
political prisoner at Solitude House during the
American Revolutionary War. Five generations of the Taylor family managed the business and continued to live in the house, until 1938. The museum houses the Taylor-Wharton Collection as well as exhibits that depict the life and times of the residents and
ironworkers who lived in High Bridge. Union Forge Heritage Association, a 501(c)3 corporation, manages the Museum, as well as other historic buildings, including the TISCO Building, Springside Farms and Solitude Dam / Taylor's Falls
The Taylor Steel Workers Historical Greenway connects to the
Columbia Trail.
Business
High Bridge has a resurgent downtown (Main Street) that's home to excellent eateries, services and professionals. Circa Restaurant, at the center of Main Street, has received acclaim from a variety of sources including a
New York Times food editor who proclaimed, "Circa is the kind of place I wish were in my town."
High Bridge enjoys a mix of new and old establishments, with some businesses having very long standing in High Bridge. Carl & Company HairCare was established in 1963, while Reflections Salon celebrates 20 years in High Bridge. Metamorphosis Fitness-Nutrition Studio, Cafe Hola, Fitzgerald Architecture Studios and Dispenza Financial are more recent additions over the past few years.
The businesses are collectively marketed by the
High Bridge Business Association, which assists its member businesses through co-operative advertising, press releases, goodwill and other benefits.
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of High Bridge include:
Further Information
Get more info on 'High Bridge New Jersey'.
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