Location of Bound Brook in Somerset County highlighted in yellow (right). Inset map: Location of Somerset County in New Jersey highlighted in black (left).
Bound Brook was originally incorporated as a town by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 24, 1869, within portions of Bridgewater Township. On February 11, 1891, it was reincorporated as a borough, based on the results of a referendum held on the previous day.[23][24]
The area was first settled in 1681 and a community was established near the Bound Brook stream of the same name, which flows into the Raritan River via the Green Brook on the eastern side of the borough.[25] The brook, which was mentioned as a boundary in a Native American deed, provides the source of the borough's name.[26][27]
A wooden bridge over the Raritan River was erected as early as 1761 and named Queen's Bridge in 1767. Later, it became a covered bridge. During the American Revolutionary War, the bridge was used repeatedly by both sides including during the Battle of Bound Brook in 1777. In 1875, the wooden bridge was replaced by a steel pipe truss bridge.[28] More than 100 years later, that bridge was itself replaced by a steel girder bridge in 1984, still using the old pillars.[29] The bridge was renovated and repaved in 2007.
On April 22, 1921, over 100 people were injured in Bound Brook, and one died, when a cloud of phosgene gas began spreading over the city in the early morning hours, the result of a faulty valve of a storage tank at a paint factory in town. The intervention of four people stopped further escape of the phosgene, which had been used in concentrated form as a chemical weapon during World War I.[31]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.70 square miles (4.39 km2), including 1.66 square miles (4.30 km2) of land and 0.03 square miles (0.09 km2) of water (2.00%).[1][2]
Since the southern portion of the borough (including the downtown area) is a low-lying natural flood plain of the Raritan River, Bound Brook has suffered occasional severe flooding after heavy rain. Extensive flood control measures were put into place during 1999–2015 to provide protection from 150-year floods.[35]
The 2010 United States census counted 10,402 people, 3,586 households, and 2,435 families in the borough. The population density was 6,269.6 per square mile (2,420.7/km2). There were 3,816 housing units at an average density of 2,300.0 per square mile (888.0/km2). The racial makeup was 69.73% (7,253) White, 5.74% (597) Black or African American, 0.54% (56) Native American, 2.57% (267) Asian, 0.05% (5) Pacific Islander, 17.48% (1,818) from other races, and 3.90% (406) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 48.66% (5,062) of the population.[20]
Of the 3,586 households, 32.7% had children under the age of 18; 45.1% were married couples living together; 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 32.1% were non-families. Of all households, 22.8% were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.28.[20]
22.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 34.2% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 109.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 108.4 males.[20]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $67,056 (with a margin of error of +/− $6,450) and the median family income was $68,315 (+/− $7,489). Males had a median income of $33,462 (+/− $4,681) versus $35,261 (+/− $7,245) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $25,015 (+/− $2,011). About 3.4% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.[44]
The borough had one of the highest Costa Rican percentages of any municipality in the United States and third-highest in New Jersey (population 500+), with 3.4% of residents in the 2010 Census reporting that they were of Costa Rican birth.[45]
At the 2000 United States census[17] there were 10,155 people, 3,615 households and 2,461 families residing in the borough. The population density was 5,953.7 inhabitants per square mile (2,298.7/km2). There were 3,802 housing units at an average density of 2,229.0 per square mile (860.6/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 82.57% White, 2.52% African American, 0.31% Native American, 2.88% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 8.67% from other races, and 2.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 34.87% of the population.[42][43]
There were 3,615 households, of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.21.[42][43]
21.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 36.2% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.7 males.[42][43]
The median household income was $46,858 and the median family income was $51,346. Males had a median income of $32,226 versus $28,192 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $22,395. About 6.9% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.[42][43]
The borough had the highest Costa Rican percentage of any municipality in the United States (population 500+), with 14.7% of residents in the 2000 Census reporting that they were of Costa Rican birth.[46]
The borough has developed a series of trails for bicyclists and pedestrians that runs along the Raritan River, with a mix of paved and dirt trails providing access to residents.[47]
Bound Brook 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.[48] The governing body is comprised of a mayor and a 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.[7]
The borough form of government used by Bound Brook 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.[49][50]
As of 2024[update], the mayor of Bound Brook is Democrat Dominic Longo, whose term expires December 31, 2027. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Kendall Lopez (D, 2025), Linda Brnicevic (R, 2025), Shawn Guerra (D, 2026), David Morris (R, 2024; appointed to fill an unexpired term), Vinnie Petti (D, 2024) and Glen Rossi (R, 2026).[3][51][52][53][54][55]
David Morris was appointed in January 2024 to fill the seat expiring in December 2024 that became vacant when Dominic Longo took office as mayor.[56]
In September 2022, the borough council selected David Morris from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the mayoral seat expiring in December 2023 that became vacant after the resignation of Robert P. Fazen, who was moving out of the borough.[57]
Somerset County is governed by a five-member Board of County Commissioners, whose members are elected at-large to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year. At an annual reorganization meeting held on the first Friday of January, the board selects a Director and deputy director from among its members.[68] As of 2024[update], Somerset County's County Commissioners are:
Constitutional officers, elected on a countywide basis are:
Clerk Steve Peter (D, Somerville, 2027),[78][79]
Sheriff Darrin Russo (D, Franklin Township, 2025)[80][81] and
Surrogate Bernice "Tina" Jalloh (D, Franklin Township, 2025)[82][83][76]
As of March 2011, there were a total of 4,162 registered voters in Bound Brook, of which 1,149 (27.6% vs. 26.0% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 955 (22.9% vs. 25.7%) were registered as Republicans and 2,050 (49.3% vs. 48.2%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 8 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.[84] Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 40.0% (vs. 60.4% in Somerset County) of the total population were registered to vote, including 51.7% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 80.4% countywide).[84][85]
In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 57.9% of the vote (1,598 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 40.6% (1,120 votes), and other candidates with 1.6% (44 votes), among the 2,785 ballots cast by the borough's 4,399 registered voters (23 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 63.3%.[86][87]
In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 1,593 votes (53.5% vs. 52.1% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 1,312 votes (44.0% vs. 46.1%) and other candidates with 45 votes (1.5% vs. 1.1%), among the 2,979 ballots cast by the borough's 3,990 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.7% (vs. 78.7% in Somerset County).[88] In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 1,474 votes (49.6% vs. 47.2% countywide), ahead of Republican George W. Bush with 1,440 votes (48.5% vs. 51.5%) and other candidates with 25 votes (0.8% vs. 0.9%), among the 2,970 ballots cast by the borough's 3,882 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.5% (vs. 81.7% in the whole county).[89]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 64.5% of the vote (1,092 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 33.7% (570 votes), and other candidates with 1.8% (30 votes), among the 1,723 ballots cast by the borough's 4,485 registered voters (31 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 38.4%.[90][91]
In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,074 votes (52.2% vs. 55.8% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 749 votes (36.4% vs. 34.1%), Independent Chris Daggett with 172 votes (8.4% vs. 8.7%) and other candidates with 32 votes (1.6% vs. 0.7%), among the 2,056 ballots cast by the borough's 4,138 registered voters, yielding a 49.7% turnout (vs. 52.5% in the county).[92]
Bound Brook vote by party in presidential elections
The Bound Brook School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.[93] As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of five schools, had an enrollment of 1,975 students and 172.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.5:1.[94] Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[95]) are
LaMonte-Annex Elementary School[96] with 195 students in grades PreK-Kindergarten
Lafayette Elementary School[96] with 266 students in grades 1-2,
Smalley Elementary School[96] with 545 students in grades 3-6,
Community Middle School[97] with 283 students in grades 7-8 and
Bound Brook High School[98] with 652 students in grades 9-12.[99][100][101]
There was an Interparochial Catholic School in the borough, Holy Family Academy (for Pre-K to grade 8) serving the local and surrounding communities with an estimated enrollment of 150 prior to closure. The school was one of three in the area closed by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen at the end of the 2010–2011 school year, with plans to feed remaining students to a school facility in South Plainfield.[106]
In 2018, Stephen Kovacs founded and thereafter owned Kaprica United Fencing Academy in Bound Brook, where he was head coach.[107]
Kovacs was accused in 2021 by detectives of allegedly sexually assaulting two teenage fencing students multiple times in 2020 and 2021; he died in Somerset County Jail in January 2022.[108][109][110][111]
As of May 2010[update], the borough had a total of 25.37 miles (40.83 km) of roadways, of which 20.56 miles (33.09 km) were maintained by the municipality, 2.73 miles (4.39 km) by Somerset County and 2.08 miles (3.35 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.[112]
Route 28 travels east–west through the center of Bound Brook, while U.S. Route 22 clips the northern portion of the borough. County Routes 525, 527, 533 also pass through.
Interstate 287 is accessible to the west via Route 28 in bordering Bridgewater Township.[113]
The borough is served by the Bound Brook train station, which offers NJ Transit service on the Raritan Valley Line to Newark Penn Station.[114] The historic station building on the north side of the tracks is located at 350 E. Main Street and was constructed in 1913.[115] It is now a restaurant; the other station building on the south side is now privately owned.[116] A pedestrian tunnel connects the south and north sides of the tracks. There are also Conrail tracks going past the station, used for freight trains to and from Newark.
Every year, the Borough of Bound Brook hosts a nationally competitive bicycle race, the Bound Brook Cycling Classic, that on the same weekend, precedes the neighboring final purse contest, as part of the three-day Tour of Somerville, held annually on Memorial Day Weekend. The contest in Somerville, founded in 1940 by Fred “Pop” Kugler, is the oldest professionally competitive race in the United States.[citation needed]
The lower downtown area of Bound Brook has been infamous for flooding of the Raritan River. In September 1999, many structures near the commercial zone were damaged or destroyed by record Raritan floods resulting from Hurricane Floyd. This disaster reinvigorated a long-planned effort called the Green Brook Flood Control Project that would protect Bound Brook from up to a 150-year flooding event from the Raritan River and its tributaries, the Middle Brook and Green Brook that form the western and eastern boundaries of the town. During 1999–2015, the United States Army Corps of Engineers implemented extensive flood control measures to provide protection from future floods.[35][120]
The highest flooding level since 1800 in Bound Brook was reached during Hurricane Floyd in September 1999 – 42.13 feet (12.84 m), according to the United States Geological Survey[121][122]—nearly matched by Tropical Storm Doria in August 1971, the April 2007 nor'easter and Hurricane Irene in August 2011. Main Street was also flooded in July 1938, September 1938, August 1955, August 1973, October 1996, and March 2010.[123]
Bound Brook's downtown flooding led to several out-of-control fires over its history, including the fires of 1881 and 1887, which led to the formation of the Bound Brook Fire Department. In 1896, flooding likely caused the lime in the L.D. Cook lumberyard to ignite and the resulting fire spread to and destroyed the Presbyterian church.[124] During Hurricane Floyd in 1999, a fire began in Otto Williams Harley Davidson on Main Street. With the building cut off by flood water, the fire spread quickly to two other structures before the Bound Brook Fire Department could contain it, then under the command of Chief Richard S. Colombaroni. Using fire boats from the New York City Fire Department as well as extensive help from mutual aid companies, the fire was stopped before two other buildings on Main Street and others nearby on Mountain Avenue, could be affected.
During the April 2007 Nor'easter, the Bound Brook Fire Department stopped another fire from spreading through an area of close residential construction. Under the command of Chief James Knight, and again with the assistance of mutual aid companies including the Finderne Fire Department, fire loss was restricted to three residential buildings.
On January 12, 2020, a non flood-related, seven-alarm fire set by an arsonist ripped through commercial buildings in the downtown area, causing $52 million in damages.[125]
^Snell, James P. History of Hunterdon and Somerset Counties, New Jersey, p. 666. Everts & Peck, 1881. Accessed August 27, 2013. "A bridge across the river at this place was ordered built by an act of Legislature passed in 1728. It was not erected however until 1731 for a supplementary act was passed that year in reference to it. It was afterwards called the Queen's Bridge. The present bridge was built in 1875 at a cost of about $75,000."
^Riverfront Access for Pedestrians and BicyclesArchived November 28, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, Borough of Bound Brook, 2014. Accessed November 12, 2023. "The Riverfront Access for Pedestrians and Bicyclists presents a strategy for celebrating this incredible asset while respecting the present context, goals and means of the Borough of Bound Brook.... The Bound Brook Riverfront Trail System will be comprised of a series of on and off-road trails. While the system strives to accommodate both bicycles and pedestrians, the condition, width and materials may vary throughout based on the varying physical constraints and environmentally sensitive conditions."
^Reorganization Meeting Minutes for January 4, 2024, Borough of Bound Brook. Accessed May 22, 2024. "Upon a roll call vote, David Morris was nominated to fill the vacancy and administered the oath of office."
^Deak, Mike. "Bound Brook selects new mayor", Courier News, September 29, 2022. Accessed October 11, 2022. "David Morris has been selected as the borough's new mayor. Morris replaces Bob Fazen, a Republican who resigned on Sept. 2 because he was moving out of town. Morris was unanimously selected by the Borough Council to fill the remaining of Fazen's term, which expires at the end of 2023."
^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."
^Biography of Bob Menendez, United States Senate, January 26, 2015. "Menendez, who started his political career in Union City, moved in September from Paramus to one of Harrison's new apartment buildings near the town's PATH station.."
^Bound Brook Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Bound Brook School District. Accessed July 27, 2022. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-K through twelve in the Bound Brook School District. Composition: The Bound Brook School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Bound Brook."
^Minutes of August 20, 2009 Regular MeetingArchived 2015-02-02 at the Wayback Machine, South Bound Brook Board of Education. Accessed October 28, 2009. "Motion to accept the following costs for sending students to Bound Brook High School for the 2009–2010 school year (September 1, 2009– June 30, 2010)".
^The Academies at Bound Brook High SchoolArchived 2018-03-17 at the Wayback Machine, Bound Brook High School. Accessed March 16, 2018. "Bound Brook High School has created a new academy for the 2011–2012 schoolyear! The new academy will be Bio-Medical Project Lead the Way that will be implemented following the tremendous success of our Engineering Project Lead the Way academy."
^Grant, Jeff. "Pastors discuss plans to shut three Catholic schools in Central N.J.", Courier News, October 19, 2010. Accessed August 27, 2013. "Our Lady of Mount Virgin in Middlesex Borough, Our Lady of Fatima in Piscataway and Holy Family Academy in Bound Brook would close in late June 2011. Students would be sent to Sacred Heart Elementary School in South Plainfield, according to the plan."
^Haydon, Tom. "Bound Brook officials hope new levees hold back flooding from rainstorm",The Star-Ledger, March 10, 2011. Accessed January 14, 2015. "After more than 30 years of planning in Bound Brook and $120 million worth of construction, now comes the test.... Improvements, including levees along the Raritan River and a 500-foot stretch of concrete wall, held back most of the water after Sunday's storm."
^Isaac BlackfordArchived 2007-06-22 at the Wayback Machine, "Sketches of Prominent Citizens". Accessed June 21, 2007. "Judge Blackford was a native of New Jersey, born the village of Bound Brook, Somerset county, on the 6th day of November, 1786.
^Johnson, Brent. "Longtime Christie friend Chiesa to head N.J. takeover of Atlantic City", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 14, 2016, updated January 16, 2019. Accessed April 19, 2020. "The choice was Chiesa, a 51-year-old Bound Brook native who has worked alongside Christie in various positions throughout the last 25 years."
^Schiavi, MaryLynn. "Film chronicles the life of a woman who dared to speak the truth about Holocaust", Courier News, May 22, 2016. Accessed April 18, 2020. "Feldman, now 86, and the only surviving child of Joseph and Theresa Buchhalter, never intended to share her story about what she had witnessed. Decades after she arrived in the U.S., the son of a family who also lived in Bound Brook asked Feldman to tell her story for his class project."
^Martin, Douglas. "William Gottlieb, 89, Jazz Photographer", The New York Times, April 25, 2006. Accessed August 27, 2013. "William Paul Gottlieb was born on Jan. 28, 1917, in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn. His family soon moved to Bound Brook, N.J., where his father ran a lumber and coal business."
^Fire, Flood and Graham Crackers, Borough of Bound Brook. Accessed March 20, 2020. "Between 1828 and 1829, the Bound Brook Presbyterian Church was led by Reverend Sylvester Graham. Graham was very interested in temperance and various health regimens. In 1829, Graham developed the graham cracker to cure the dreaded fever of lust. The original cracker was conceived as a health food and contained graham flour and considerably less sweeteners than the cookie-cracker known today."
^Fordham, Dai'ja. "Five Things ... About Grahams", Detroit Free Press, January 8, 2008. Accessed June 7, 2011. "The graham cracker was developed in the 1820s by a Presbyterian minister the Rev Sylvester Graham in Bound Brook N.J."
^Staff. "George La Monte Dies Suddenly", The New York Times, p. N5, December 25, 1927. Accessed March 28, 2015. "George Mason La Monte of Piedmont Farm, Bound Brook, N. J., President of George La Monte & Sons, 61 Broadway, manufacturers of safety paper, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Prudential Life Insurance Company, died suddenly yesterday of heart disease in the Hotel Weylin."
^Randolf, Eleanor. "Keep the Met Open", The New York Times, July 31, 2014. Accessed August 1, 2014. "Naldi, known to his peers as Donal, was born and raised in Bound Brook. He currently resides in Ocean Grove, New Jersey."
^Staff. "Player, administrator George Pfister dies", Press-Telegram, August 15, 1997. Accessed March 8, 2011. "George Pfister, a former player, manager and coach who had worked for 23 years in the baseball commissioner's office, died of a heart attack Thursday morning at Somerset, N.J., Hospital. He was 78. Born in 1918 in Bound Brook, N.J., Pfister began his professional baseball career as a catcher with Williamsport, then the Eastern League affiliate of the Philadelphia Athletics, in 1939."
^Thomson, Peter. "Ryan, A 9th-round Pick, Moving Up Cubs' Ladder", Orlando Sentinel, September 4, 1994. Accessed July 31, 2015. "As incongruous as it sounds, Ryan's buddies back home in Bound Brook, N.J., better accept the fact that Ryan, drafted in the ninth round of this year's major-league draft, did face Jordan and the Birmingham Barons."
^Todorov, Jordan; and Blevins, Joe. Dad Made Dirty Movies: The Erotic World of Stephen C. Apostolof, p. 47. McFarland & Company, 2020.ISBN9781476668680. Accessed December 31, 2023. "William C. Thompson (1889–1963). A showbiz veteran with a résumé stretching back to the days of silent movies, Thompson spent most of his career working on low-budget exploitation and sexploitation flicks. Born in 1889 in Bound Brook, New Jersey, he began racking up film credits during the earliest days of Hollywood, working on such exotic-sounding fare as Absinthe (1914, dir. Herbert Brenon) and The Demon (1918, dir. George D. Baker)."
^Staff. "Obituary of Perry Wilson Anthony", The Cape Codder, January 13, 2010. Accessed September 26, 2016. "Born Mary Elizabeth Wilson in Bound Brook, N.J., in 1916, she changed her name to Perry at age 13."
Raritan River Gauge, Bound Brook, New Jersey – Observation gauge approximately 1.2 miles southwest (upstream) of Bound Brook, NJ, just below Calco Dam. Main Street in Bound Brook floods when the river reaches a 30-foot stage.