In 2015, the county had a per capita personal income of $60,089, the seventh-highest in New Jersey and ranked 152nd of 3,113 counties in the United States.[13][14] The Bureau of Economic Analysis ranked the county as having the 119th-highest per capita income of all 3,113 counties in the United States (and the eighth-highest in New Jersey) in 2009.[15] A study by Forbes.com determined that Union County residents pay the second-highest property taxes of all U.S. counties, based on 2007 data.[16]
With a population density of 4,955 inhabitants per square mile (1,913/km2) in 2000, Union County was the 15th-most densely populated county in the United States as of the 2010 Census, and third-densest in New Jersey, behind Hudson County (ranked 6th nationwide at 9,754 per square mile) and Essex County (ranked 11th at 6,126).[17][18]
Established in 1857 as the last county created in New Jersey, it was named after the Union threatened by slavery dispute during this period, which would erupt into civil war in 1861.
All of present-day Union County was part of the Elizabethtown Tract, which was purchased in 1664, by English colonists from the LenapeNative Americans that lived in the area of present-day Elizabeth, New Jersey. Union County was formed on March 19, 1857, from portions of Essex County; it was the last of New Jersey's 21 counties to be established.[1]
In the fall, Union County holds its annual "Four Centuries in a Weekend" festival for the public, celebrating and touring historic buildings, museums and sites in the county.[20]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of the 2020 Census, the county had a total area of 105.41 square miles (273.0 km2), of which 102.77 square miles (266.2 km2) was land (97.5%) and 2.64 square miles (6.8 km2) was water (2.5%).[4]
Much of Union County is relatively flat and low-lying. Only in the northwestern corner does any significant relief appear as the Watchung Mountains cross the county. It is there that highest elevations, two areas approximately 560 feet (170 m) above sea level, are found in Berkeley Heights.[21] The lowest elevation is sea level along the eastern shore at the Arthur Kill.
In recent years,[when?] average temperatures in the county seat of Elizabeth have ranged from a low of 24 °F (−4 °C) in January to a high of 86 °F (30 °C) in July, although a record low of −14 °F (−26 °C) was recorded in February 1934 and a record high of 105 °F (41 °C) was recorded in July 1993. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.99 inches (76 mm) in February to 4.76 inches (121 mm) in July.[22] In Berkeley Heights average monthly temperatures range from 29.4 °F in January to 74.7 °F in July. The climate in the county is hot-summer humid continental (Dfa) in the west and humid subtropical (Cfa) in the east. The hardiness zone is 7a west of the Garden State Parkway and 7b to the east. [2]
Union County, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
The 2010 United States census counted 536,499 people, 188,118 households, and 134,692 families in the county. The population density was 5,216.1 inhabitants per square mile (2,013.9/km2). There were 199,489 housing units at an average density of 1,939.5 per square mile (748.8/km2). The racial makeup was 61.33% (329,052) White, 22.05% (118,313) Black or African American, 0.39% (2,080) Native American, 4.63% (24,839) Asian, 0.03% (163) Pacific Islander, 8.48% (45,496) from other races, and 3.09% (16,556) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 27.34% (146,704) of the population.[9]
Of the 188,118 households, 34.4% had children under the age of 18; 50.1% were married couples living together; 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 28.4% were non-families. Of all households, 23.6% were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.32.[9]
24.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, the population had 94 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 90.7 males.[9]
Union County is governed by a nine-member Board of County Commissioners. The members are elected at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with three seats coming up for election each year. The board sets policies for the operation of the county. The Commissioners perform the county's legislative and executive functions. In their legislative role, they formulate and adopt a budget and set county policies and procedures. In their executive role, they oversee county spending and functioning. Many of the administrative duties are delegated by the Board of County Commissioners to the County Manager. Each of the commissioners serves on various committees and boards as a part of their duties. These include committees on Economic Development, Parks and Recreation, and Public Works and Policy. In addition, the board oversees the county's Open Space Trust Fund. Day-to-day operation of the county and its departments is supervised by an appointed County Manager, Edward Oatman.[29] In 2016, freeholders were paid $30,692, while the Freeholder vice chairman received $31,732 and the Freeholder chairman had an annual salary of $32,773.[30] The County Manager is Edward Oatman.[31] No Republican has been elected to countywide office since 1995.
Union County is governed by a Board of County Commissioners, whose nine members are elected at-large to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis with three seats coming up for election each year, with an appointed County Manager overseeing the day-to-day operations of the county. At an annual reorganization meeting held in the beginning of January, the board selects a Chair and Vice Chair from among its members.[32] As of 2025[update], Union County's County Commissioners are (with terms for Chair and Vice-Chair ending every December 31):[33][34]
Union County constitutes Vicinage 12 of the New Jersey Superior Court and is seated at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth, with additional facilities also located in Elizabeth; the Assignment Judge for Vicinage 12 is Karen M. Cassidy.[50] Law enforcement at the county level includes the Union County Police Department, the Union County Sheriff's Office, and the Union County Prosecutor's Office. Union County's Acting Prosecutor is Michael A. Monahan.[51]
In 2023, Union County agreed to honor the site in North Jersey of what local activists described as the public execution by burning at the stake of three enslaved New Jerseyans in 1741.[52] In 2023, the county worked to revise its logo, which has had what has been described as the only county seal in the nation that depicts a woman being killed. The logo depicted Hannah Caldwell being shot by a British light infantryman during the Battle of Connecticut Farms.[53][54] In 2023, Union County moved to revise its county seal, asking residents to participate in an online poll to choose between two alternatives, both of which eliminate the depiction of Caldwell's death.[55] In 2022, controversy erupted over the county's deletion of negative social media comments made about the opening of Tëmike Park, an LGBTQ-inclusive playground, in Cedar Brook Park.[56][57][58] In 2022, a state court found the county illegally circumvented the public bidding process in awarding contracts for the construction of a proposed Union County government building in Elizabeth.[59][60]
In 2015, the county was forced to pay legal fees after losing a trademark claim it brought against a frequent county government critic who used the County of Union seal on her blog.[61] In 2011, an investigation found mismanagement of county funds in association with MusicFest, a free annual concert.[62] In 2009, following a First Amendment challenge by the American Civil Liberties Union, the county commissioners agreed to issue a public apology for cutting off speech by a resident who was addressing the board about possible nepotism on the county payroll.[63]
The Union County Sheriff's Office is located in Elizabeth, New Jersey. It is currently headed by Peter Corvelli. It was headed by Ralph Froehlich, a Union resident who was first elected in 1977 and served in office for 37 years, making him the longest-serving Sheriff in New Jersey history.[73] There are two top deputies, known as undersheriffs, and they are Dennis Burke and Amilcar Colon. A 1981 investigation of the Union County Jail reviewed issues relating to overcrowding, escapes, escape attempts and suicides in the detention facility.[74]
On July 1, 2021, the Sheriff's Office regained control of the Union County Jail and made it a division within the organization; the Division of Corrections. The New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association Local 108 is the official labor union and the collective bargaining agent for the Sheriff's Officers of Union County. This body is subdivided into Local 108 for the line officers and Local 108A for the supervisors (sergeants, lieutenants, and captains).
Union County Sheriff's Office - Division of CorrectionsUnion County Park Police
The Union County Police Department operates independently of the Sheriff's office. The Union County Police Department originally began as the Union County Park Police. The Union County Police are tasked with patrolling Union County's properties. They also supplement the local municipalities with police presence and patrol when requested.[75] Martin Mogensen has been the Chief of Police since February 2023.[76]
The Union County Police have several divisions and are relied upon for their multiple services. Currently assigned are Patrol, Detective Bureau, Emergency Services Unit, and the Marine Unit. Union County Regional 911 and Dispatch is one of the many services that the County Police provide. They are the primary PSAP for multiple municipalities, provide police/fire/EMS dispatch, dispatch medics, and Union County Fire Mutual Aid. The PD belongs to the New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association, Local 73.[77]
Union County is a reliable state bellwether, having voted for New Jersey's statewide winner in every presidential election since 1964, the longest such streak in the state. In the 2020 election, Democrat Joe Biden received the highest share of the vote for a Democrat in the county's history. As of October 1, 2021, there were a total of 362,501 registered voters in Union County, of whom 178,449 (49.2%) were registered as Democrats, 57,878 (16.0%) were registered as Republicans and 121,478 (33.5%) were registered as unaffiliated. There were 4,696 voters (1.3%) registered to other parties.[78] Among the county's 2010 Census population, 53.3% were registered to vote, including 70.6% of those ages 18 and over.[79][80]
United States presidential election results for Union County, New Jersey[81]
Kean University, a co-educational, public research university dating back to 1855 is located in Union and Hillside, serving nearly 13,000 undergraduates. Kean University educates its students in the liberal arts, the sciences and the professions; it is best known for its programs in the humanities and social sciences and in education, graduating the most teachers in the state of New Jersey annually, along with a physical therapy program which it holds in conjunction with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.[83]
Union College is the two-year community college for Union County, one of a network of 19 county colleges in New Jersey. Union College was founded in 1933 as Union County College and has campuses in Cranford, Elizabeth, Plainfield and Scotch Plains.[84]
Most municipalities have their own public high schools, exceptions being Garwood, whose students attend Arthur L. Johnson High School in Clark; Winfield, whose students attend David Brearley High School in Kenilworth; and Mountainside, whose students attend Governor Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights. Fanwood is mostly merged with Scotch Plains educationally and the two towns have one high school.
The county has the following school districts:[85][86][87]
The county also has Union County Vocational Technical Schools, which has both full-time magnet programs that students must apply to, and split-time vocational programs.
Union County Park Line rail trail is a proposed walking and/or biking trail proposed on old railroad tracks. Two abandoned rails exist in the county.[102]
The City of Summit and the Summit Park Line Foundation are working on turning the line from Morris Avenue to Briant Park in Summit into a rail trail that will be approximately one mile long. This rail trail, potentially called the Summit Park Line, could provide a greenway to connect several county parks, akin to a Summit High Line.[103] A path could run directly from Summit to the Arthur Kill in Linden, New Jersey on the Rahway Valley Railroad and the Staten Island Rapid Transit line.
The Summit city council applied for a $1 million grant toward the Summit Park Line project in November 2016.[104] "If Summit is able to complete the project, it might help other parts of the greenway come through," said Union County Public Relations Coordinator, Sebastian Delia.[105]
The Rahway Valley Railroad runs from Summit to Roselle Park. Beginning in Hidden Valley Park, the railroad right-of-way continues by connecting Houdaille Quarry, Briant Park, Meisel Park, Rahway River Parkway, Galloping Hill Golf Course and Black Brook Park. The ending of the railway is on Westfield Avenue in Roselle Park. The Staten Island Rapid Transit runs from Cranford to Staten Island, although the project would only include the section that runs from Cranford to Linden.[105] The possible inception in Cranford would be a lot on South Avenue East. The ending of this trail would be in Linden at an empty lot. A boardwalk would run over the existing tracks to ease line reactivation.
County parks are maintained and operated by the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation, the successor agency to the Union County Park Commission.
The privately owned Echo Lake Country Club donated the parkland for this park in the 1920s. The name arises from the echo heard off the high bluff on the far side of the lake. Echo Lake itself was created by damning when mills were established on Nomahegan Brook, a tributary of the Rahway River. The Great Minisink Trail passed by Echo Lake Park.
Named for a Lenape tribal leader, whose name was recorded by colonists as Mattano. In 1664, a group called the Elizabethtown Associates bought land in the Union County area from Mattano and another Lenape leader named Warinanco.
Parks that are not managed by the county government include:
Hawk Rise Sanctuary. A bird sanctuary was built in 2012 on the banks of Rahway River in Linden. Hawk Rise Sanctuary is a 95-acre ecological preserve and wetland complex in Linden in an area previously concealed by various industrial land uses. Its trails were created adjacent to the former Linden Landfill area by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the city of Linden and the New Jersey Audubon Society.[114] The trails in the Hawk Rise forest are boardwalk, with some continuing as gravel along the edge of the former Linden Landfill. It has an overlook area where hikers can view the Rahway River and nearby marshes. It has been open to the public since 2012. The site includes diverse environments: forested wetlands, vernal pools, grasslands, shrublands, salt marsh, mudflats, a pond, and the tidal Rahway River. 163 bird species have been spotted there.[115][116] It has been reported as vandalized.[114]
The Rahway River Parkway is a greenway of parkland that hugs the Rahway River and its tributaries, such as Nomahegan Brook. It was the inaugural project of the Union County Parks Commission designed in the 1920s by the Olmsted Brothers firm, who were the sons of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Several county and municipal parks run along the Rahway River.[119][120]
The Elizabeth River Parkway is a greenway of parkland alongside the Elizabeth River and its tributaries. It runs through Kean University and Liberty Hall Museum on the river's way to the Arthur Kill. The Elizabeth River Parkway is broken down into separate sections.
Chatfield/Zimmerman - Hillside and Union Township[121]
Union County's Division of Golf Operations runs two golf courses, which offer golf lessons and practice areas.[127]
Ash Brook Golf Course in Scotch Plains.
Galloping Hill Golf Course and Golf Learning Center in Kenilworth.[128] The facility, which hosts the headquarters of the New Jersey State Golf Association, hosted the 2016 New Jersey State Open golf tournament, the first public golf course to host the tournament since it was established in 1921.[129]
Another notable course
Shady Rest Country Club [130] in Scotch Plains is recognized as the first African-American owned and operated golf clubhouse in the United States. As such, Shady Rest is the home course of the first African-American golf professional to play in the U.S. Open, John Matthew Shippen, Jr. (1879-1968), who is considered a pioneer of the sport.[131] Originally a private club and center for African-American social life, the township acquired and renamed it in the 1930s as the 'Scotch Hills Country Club' and made it open to the public. The history and significance of the course and clubhouse has not always been promoted as a place of national historic interest. Thankfully, the National Park Service has listed the Shady Rest Golf and Country Club (_100007869) in the National Registry of Historic Places, in large part due to the efforts of the Preserve Shady Rest Committee.[132] The committee continues working to further solidify Shady Rest as a local, state, and national landmark given its historical significance.[133][134][130]
Echo Lake Country Club is a private, member-owned country club located in Westfield, founded in 1899. The 18-hole golf course was designed by Donald Ross in 1913.[136]
The Union County Performing Arts Center, located in the Rahway Arts District, offers professional productions in music and theater as well as training in the performing arts.[138]
Kean Stage is the professional performing arts arm of Kean University. It is home to Wilkins Theatre on the Kean Main Campus in Union, Enlow Recital Hall directly across the Elizabeth River in East Campus in Hillside, as well as Premiere Stages, the professional equity theater company in residence at Kean University.[139][140]
The Cranford Dramatic Club is New Jersey's oldest continually producing theater and has been putting on theatrical productions since its establishment in 1919.[141]
The Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts, located in Berkeley Heights and New Providence, is a center for music training and other training in performing arts, particularly aimed at children. It consists of the Performing Arts School (formerly Wharton Music Center), New Jersey Youth Symphony, and Paterson Music Project.[143]
The Plainfield Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1919, making it the state's oldest community orchestra.[144]
The duCret School of Art in Plainfield was founded in 1926.[145]
The Swain Gallery, in Plainfield, was founded in 1868 and is the oldest privately owned art gallery in the state.[146]
Berkeley Heights - The Berkeley Heights Historical Society.[148]
Clark - The Clark Historical Society was founded in 1970. It operates the Dr. William Robinson Plantation House Museum, built in 1690 by a doctor from Scotland.[149]
Cranford - The Cranford Historic Preservation Advisory Board is an official township committee body, while the Cranford Historical Society itself is citizen-run. It is located in the Hanson House in Hanson Park on Springfield Avenue and maintains the Crane-Phillips House (c. 1845) a couple of blocks south on North Union Avenue as a museum.[150]
Scotch Plains and Fanwood - The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Historical Society runs the Osborn Cannonball House.[159]
Springfield - The Historic Cannon Ball House serves as the home of the Springfield Historical Society.[160]
Westfield - The Westfield Historical Society is in the Reeve History & Cultural Resource Center, a structure from the 1870s. The Society also runs the Miller-Cory House Museum, in a home that dates back to the 1740s.[161]
Union - Union Township Historical Society is located in the 1782 historic Caldwell Parsonage. The Society's mission is to preserve and promote the rich and diverse history of the Township of Union.
Friends of Rahway River Parkway is dedicated to preserving Olmsted design principles and features of county parkland along the Rahway River as it flows to the Arthur Kill.[162]
^Staff. "Census 2010 data show population and diversity trends"Archived October 5, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, USA Today. Accessed October 2, 2013. Click on "Population per Square Mile" to sort counties nationwide by descending population density, which was calculated based on total land area (including water) and lists Union as 18th and Essex as 14th.
^Union County, Jewish Virtual Library. Accessed November 24, 2014. "Union County, county in N.E. New Jersey. Of Union County's 532,000 residents (2004 census), about 35,000 were Jews. Major Jewish communities are in Elizabeth-Hillside, Westfield, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Union, Cranford, and Linden."
^Crowley-Hughes, Andrea. "Activist Asks Union County to Memorialize Black People Burned at Stake in 1741", TAPinto Westfield, March 29, 2023. Accessed June 24, 2023. "'In 1741, as the antislavery movement gained momentum and slave rebellion increased, white hysteria over rumors of a slave uprising led to the 'burning at the stake' of three blacks at the site of the present Union County Courthouse,' Washington writes."
^Hutchins, Ryan. "Union County officials battle activist over use of controversial county seal", The Star-Ledger, July 10, 2011. Accessed March 29, 2023. "The seal depicts the shooting death of Elizabethtown’s Hannah Caldwell during the Revolutionary War, said to be an assassination carried out by a British soldier. Her death was a flashpoint that turned many wavering Jerseyans against their occupiers and ignited fury across the colonies.... One thing that is clear, according to Shallcross, is that it’s one of a kind. 'Out of thousands and thousands of county seals, it’s the only one that portrays a murder,' he said."
^Kudisch, Brianna. "County seal depicting woman’s murder is out as N.J. officials unveil 2 options for redesign", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, March 28, 2023. Accessed March 29, 2023. "Union County officials are changing the county’s seal — which currently depicts a murder of a woman during the Revolutionary War — and asking the public for input on the redesign. Two options for the new seal were unveiled on the county website on Monday. Residents are encouraged to vote in an online poll before April 24 to help select the new seal."
^Biography, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman. Accessed January 3, 2019. "Watson Coleman and her husband William reside in Ewing Township and are blessed to have three sons; William, Troy, and Jared and three grandchildren; William, Kamryn and Ashanee."
^Haydon, Tom. "Ralph Froehlich, longest-serving sheriff in NJ history, was told in 1970s he'd never win re-election", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, July 22, 2014. Accessed March 22, 2017. "For 13 terms and 37 years, Froehlich presided over the Union County Sheriff's Office, developing programs that helped protect children and victims of domestic violence, fighting for tougher gun-control laws and working to save money by consolidating services. ... Froehlich, the longest-serving sheriff in New Jersey history, died Sunday night at Trinitas Hospital in Elizabeth after a battle with cancer, county officials said."
^Division of Police, Union County, New Jersey. Accessed July 3, 2023. Martin H. Mogensen, Chief of Police"
^Crowley-Hughes, Andrea. "Union County Police Chief Retires With Pension Amid Internal Affairs Probe", TAPinto Westfield, February 10, 2023. Accessed July 3, 2023. "Following Debbie's retirement, patrol division Capt. Martin Mogensen is the designated officer in charge of the Union County Police Department, a spokesperson for the county said."
^Roberts, Russell. New Jersey's Atlantic Shore: From Sandy Hook to Atlantic City & on to Cape May, p. 3. Hunter Publishing, 2011. ISBN9781588439796. Accessed October 27, 2019. "The shortest highway in America is in New Jersey. Route 59, clocking in at a whopping 792 feet, is located on the border of Cranford and Garwood. It was originally built in 1931 to be part of Route 22, but plans changed."
^Boright, Walter E. "Rahway Valley Railroad: The little railroad that helped build Kenilworth, Part II", Cranford Chronicle, May 10, 2011. Accessed October 25, 2017. "He added that 1990 presented two major blows to the railroad. Its largest user, Monsanto Corp., closed its Kenilworth doors and the Rahway River Branch was then torn up. Second, Jaeger Lumber in Union ceased to use the railroad. Much of the land along the former Rahway River Branch was subdivided into building lots upon which homes and in some locations offices were constructed. The last train, carrying two hoppers, left Kenilworth on April 21, 1992."
^About, Summit Park Line Foundation. Accessed January 3, 2017.
^Faszczewski, Bob. "Summit Council Applies for $1 Million Grant Toward Park Line Project; Parking 'Holidays' for Thanksgiving Weekend, December Approved", TAPintoSummit, November 3, 2016. Accessed January 3, 2017. "The Summit Common Council, at its first meeting of November, authorized application for a maximum $1 million federal grant that the majority of Council members feel will kick start the proposed Summit Park Line project, and bring needed sidewalks to sections of Broad Street and Morris Avenue in East Summit. ... As envisioned by the Summit Park Line Foundation, which is collecting private funding to pay for the project, the Park Line will convert an abandoned rail line right-of-way stretching from Briant Park through the central business district to a public park, walkways and nature areas while offering a view of the Manhattan skyline."
^Tomasulo Art GalleryArchived December 23, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Union County College. Accessed December 22, 2016. "The Tomasulo Art Gallery is located on the first floor of the Kenneth Campbell MacKay Library on the Cranford, New Jersey campus of Union County College."
^Staff. "Joel Perry, guitarist and educator, has all the jazz", Courier News, December 3, 2016. Accessed January 3, 2017. "The Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts' mission is to provide the highest quality performing arts education to a range of students in a supportive and inclusive environment, according to the news release. Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts is located in Berkeley Heights, New Providence and Paterson, New Jersey and reaches students from 13 counties."
^About, Plainfield Symphony Orchestra. Accessed December 22, 2016. "Plainfield Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1919, is the oldest community symphony in New Jersey."
^Sagara, Eric. "Plainfield art school celebrates 85th anniversary", The Star-Ledger, March 26, 2012. Accessed December 22, 2016. "DuCret was founded in 1926 by Marjorie Van Emburgh, a local artist and teacher who wanted to create an art school comparable to what was found in major metropolitan areas such as New York City or Philadelphia."
^History, Swain Galleries. Accessed January 3, 2017.
^Home Page, Union County Historical Society of New Jersey. Accessed November 21, 2016.
^Home Page, Westfield Historical Society. Accessed January 3, 2017. "The Westfield Historical Society is based in the Reeve History & Cultural Resource Center, located in an 1870s home at 314 Mountain Avenue. The Society also owns the Miller - Cory House Museum located at 614 Mountain Avenue."
^Welcome, Friends of Rahway River Parkway. Accessed October 25, 2017.
^Dennis, Anita. "New Jersey & Co.; The Selling of New Jersey, and Its Difficulties", The New York Times, October 1, 2000. Accessed February 25, 2017. "In addition, the Chinese province has a long relationship with the state and with Union County. Zheijiang and New Jersey are sister states, and Wenzhou, another city in the province, has been a sister city with Union County for the past 19 years -- though there has been little trade between them."
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