Location of Somerville in Somerset County highlighted in yellow (right). Inset map: Location of Somerset County in New Jersey highlighted in black (left).
Somerville was originally formed as a town on March 25, 1863, within a portion of Bridgewater Township. Somerville was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 16, 1909, based on the results of a referendum held on May 4, 1909, at which point it was fully set off from Bridgewater Township.[27][28] It is home of the oldest competitive bicycle race in the United States.
Somerville was settled in colonial times primarily by the Dutch who purchased land from the English proprietors of the colony. The Dutch established their church near what is today Somerville and a Dutch Reformed minister or Domine lived at the Old Dutch Parsonage from about 1754. The early village grew up around a church, courthouse and a tavern built at a crossroads shortly after the American Revolution. The name "Somerville" was taken from four brothers of the Somerville family, Edward, John and James from Drishane and Castlehaven, County Cork, Ireland, who first founded the town in the 1750s. Somerville was originally a sparsely populated farming community, but rapidly grew after the completion of the railroad in the 1840s and development of water power along the Raritan River in the 1850s. Early industry included brick making from the plentiful red clay and shale on which Somerville is built. While much of the borough features distinctive Victorian architecture in several neighborhoods and along its Main Street, other periods are represented. National Register sites in Somerville include the white marble 1909 Somerville Court House and the wooden and stone colonial Wallace House (today a museum) where George Washington spent a winter during the American Revolutionary War. Near the Wallace House is the Old Dutch Parsonage, where Reverend Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh, a founder and first president of Rutgers University, then called Queens College, lived. Register listed Victorian structures include the James Harper Smith Estate (privately owned), St. John's Episcopal Church and rectory, and the Fire Museum (a vintage fire house). Other notable, register eligible structures are the Victorian train station (privately owned) and the municipal building, the former Robert Mansion.[28]
Originally the center of local commerce, the borough has evolved into a destination for boutique retail and dining. Modern highways today surround and traverse Somerville, including U.S. Route 22, U.S. Route 202, U.S. Route 206 and Route 28 and is within 5 miles (8.0 km) of Interstate 287 and Interstate 78, making it an important hub in central New Jersey.
Tour of Somerville
In 1940, the first competitive bicycle race, called the Tour of Somerville was established by bicycle shop owner, Fred Kugler, to showcase his son, Furman, who was a national cycling champion, and who won the initial men's competition. His daughter, Mildred won the women's. The 50-mile race is held annually and has since become the oldest competitive bicycle race in the U.S.[31] It carries a purse of $10,000 for each winner of the women's and men's races.
Main Street Somerville maintains most of its historical buildings, although many are now boutique specialty shops and second-hand shops. Somerville has quite a diverse and large selection of restaurants that draw people from the surrounding area. In many ways, Somerville remains Somerset County's downtown, and is the heart of its designated Regional Center. Several of the factories in Somerville were abandoned and replaced with modern office buildings or remodeled as apartments. Somerville today and historically has had an important African American community, a distinguished member of which was Paul Robeson. Another famous Somerville native was famed character actor Lee Van Cleef. One of the founders of modern American Dance, Ruth St. Denis, made her professional debut at Somerset Hall, once a vaudeville theatre and today a local restaurant. The mix of modern amenities and an interesting and diverse past make Main Street, Somerville a unique destination for dining, strolling and visiting.
Future redevelopment
The shopping center on the west side of the downtown area was demolished and a new shopping center, town homes and other amenities will be built on the shopping center land and on adjacent land in the former borough landfill to the south. Ground was broken for a new "world class" ShopRite supermarket in March 2011 and opened in November 2011.[32] Borough planners envision a transit village style redevelopment centered around the Somerville train station.[33]
Hurricane Floyd
Somerville was hit hard by Hurricane Floyd in September 1999, despite its having been downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it impacted the vicinity. The borough received a record 13.34 inches (339 mm) of rain over three days during the slow moving storm, causing significant flooding and considerable damage.[34]
Regulation concerns
Numerous local and national media publications reported on how the state of New Jersey had eased regulations allowing for home baked goods to be made and sold from a home, but how Somerville in particular still suffers from, "...[a] draconian ordinance that creates a contradiction between Somerville's zoning policies and New Jersey's home baking law..." making it difficult for a small business owner or entrepreneur to try and earn a living in this fashion in Somerville.[35] In order to be able to make her cookies and sell them from her home kitchen was required "... to pay a $1,000 application fee and put $4,000 into a borough escrow account", in addition to notifying neighbors, placing a public notice advertisement and having a public hearing on the application.[36]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.37 square miles (6.13 km2), including 2.34 square miles (6.06 km2) of land and 0.03 square miles (0.07 km2) of water (1.18%).[1][2] The borough's territory is flat land. Somerville borders the Raritan River to the south and is crossed by Peters Brook, a tributary.
Somerville's climate is warm during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 80s, and 90s and cold during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 20s and 30s.
The warmest month of the year is July with an average maximum temperature of 84.40 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is January with an average minimum temperature of 19.10 degrees Fahrenheit.
Temperature variations between night and day tend to be moderate during summer with a difference that can reach 22 degrees Fahrenheit, and fairly limited during winter with an average difference of 19 degrees Fahrenheit.
The annual average precipitation at Somerville is 45.93 inches (1,167 mm). Rainfall in is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is July with an average rainfall of 4.81 inches (122 mm).
The climate is hot-summer humid continental (Dfa). January averages below freezing, six months average above 50 °F (10 °C), and July and August average above 71.6 °F (22.0 °C). The hardiness zone has increased from 6b to 7a. [40]
The 2010 United States census counted 12,098 people, 4,591 households, and 2,778 families in the borough. The population density was 5,189.5 per square mile (2,003.7/km2). There were 4,951 housing units at an average density of 2,123.8 per square mile (820.0/km2). The racial makeup was 65.64% (7,941) White, 12.15% (1,470) Black or African American, 0.34% (41) Native American, 11.37% (1,375) Asian, 0.07% (9) Pacific Islander, 6.34% (767) from other races, and 4.09% (495) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.75% (2,873) of the population.[24]
Of the 4,591 households, 28.7% had children under the age of 18; 43.7% were married couples living together; 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present and 39.5% were non-families. Of all households, 30.8% were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.20.[24]
21.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 34.0% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 107.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 106.7 males.[24]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $69,836 (with a margin of error of +/− $5,384) and the median family income was $80,461 (+/− $9,281). Males had a median income of $45,929 (+/− $5,005) versus $46,540 (+/− $3,751) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $30,272 (+/− $2,145). About 3.6% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.[50]
2000 census
Downtown Somerville
As of the 2000 United States census[16] there were 12,423 people, 4,743 households, and 2,893 families residing in the borough. The population density was 5,262.4 inhabitants per square mile (2,031.8/km2). There were 4,882 housing units at an average density of 2,068.0 per square mile (798.5/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 71.21% White, 12.93% African American, 0.19% Native American, 7.35% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 5.10% from other races, and 3.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.00% of the population.[48][49]
There were 4,743 households, of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18, 44.5% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.15.[48][49]
The borough population consists of 21.9% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 35.8% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.1 males.[48][49]
The median income for a household in the borough was $51,237, and the median income for a family was $60,422. Males had a median income of $40,585 versus $32,697 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $23,310. About 4.8% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.[48][49]
Somerville 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.[51] 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 is comprised of 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.[6] The borough form of government used by Somerville 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.[52][53] The borough council elects a member to serve as Council President to act in the absence of the mayor. Each council member is appointed by the mayor to one of six standing committee's during the Annual Reorganization Meeting held on January 1 of each year.[3]
As of 2022[update], the mayor of Somerville is Democrat Dennis Sullivan, whose term of office ends December 31, 2023. Members of the Somerville Borough Council are Council President RanD Pitts (D, 2024), Granville Y. Brady Jr. (D, 2023), Thompson H. Mitchell (D, 2024), Gina Stravic (D, 2022), Roger Vroom III (D, 2022) and Frederick Wied V (D, 2023).[3][54][55][56][57][58]
In January 2022, the borough council appointed Gina Stravic to fill the seat expiring in December 2022 that had been held by Jane C. Kobuta until she resigned from office.[59]
Federal, state, and county representation
Somerville is located in the 7th Congressional District[60] and is part of New Jersey's 23rd state legislative district.[61]
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.[67] As of 2024[update], Somerset County's County Commissioners are:
Constitutional officers, elected on a countywide basis are:
Clerk Steve Peter (D, Somerville, 2027),[77][78]
Sheriff Darrin Russo (D, Franklin Township, 2025)[79][80] and
Surrogate Bernice "Tina" Jalloh (D, Franklin Township, 2025)[81][82][75]
Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 6,565 registered voters in Somerville, of which 1,848 (28.1% vs. 26.0% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,358 (20.7% vs. 25.7%) were registered as Republicans and 3,349 (51.0% vs. 48.2%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 10 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.[83] Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 54.3% (vs. 60.4% in Somerset County) were registered to vote, including 69.0% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 80.4% countywide).[83][84]
In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 62.0% of the vote (2,779 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 36.4% (1,631 votes), and other candidates with 1.7% (75 votes), among the 4,516 ballots cast by the borough's 6,952 registered voters (31 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 65.0%.[85][86] In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 2,847 votes (59.9% vs. 52.1% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 1,814 votes (38.2% vs. 46.1%) and other candidates with 52 votes (1.1% vs. 1.1%), among the 4,751 ballots cast by the borough's 6,547 registered voters, for a turnout of 72.6% (vs. 78.7% in Somerset County).[87] In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 2,485 votes (53.6% vs. 47.2% countywide), ahead of Republican George W. Bush with 2,019 votes (43.6% vs. 51.5%) and other candidates with 58 votes (1.3% vs. 0.9%), among the 4,633 ballots cast by the borough's 5,974 registered voters, for a turnout of 77.6% (vs. 81.7% in the whole county).[88]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 59.0% of the vote (1,707 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 38.8% (1,123 votes), and other candidates with 2.2% (64 votes), among the 2,972 ballots cast by the borough's 7,019 registered voters (78 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 42.3%.[89][90] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,465 votes (46.8% vs. 55.8% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 1,265 votes (40.4% vs. 34.1%), Independent Chris Daggett with 334 votes (10.7% vs. 8.7%) and other candidates with 33 votes (1.1% vs. 0.7%), among the 3,128 ballots cast by the borough's 6,605 registered voters, yielding a 47.4% turnout (vs. 52.5% in the county).[91]
Somerville vote by party in presidential elections
As of May 2010[update], the borough had a total of 36.16 miles (58.19 km) of roadways, of which 30.96 miles (49.83 km) were maintained by the municipality, 1.90 miles (3.06 km) by Somerset County and 3.30 miles (5.31 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.[107]
U.S. Route 22 runs along the northern boundary of Somerville and offers connections to the state highway network. U.S. Route 202 and U.S. Route 206 runs along the western boundary of Somerville, via the Somerville Circle, and provides north–south connections to nearby towns.
Interstate 287 is in neighboring Bridgewater Township and is accessible via US Routes 22 and 202/206.
Raymond Bateman (1927–2016), politician who served in the New Jersey Senate in the 1960s and 1970s, who was the Republican nominee for Governor of New Jersey in 1977[121]
Daniel H. Beekman (1874–1951), Judge of the Somerset County Court of Common Pleas, President of the Second National Bank of Somerville, and Democratic politician[122]
Nicholas L. Bissell Jr. (1947–1996), county prosecutor of Somerset County who fled to Laughlin, Nevada, and took his own life after being charged with embezzlement, tax fraud and abuse of power[124]
Paul Robeson (1898–1976), actor, athlete, bass-baritone concert singer, writer, civil rights activist, Fellow traveler, Spingarn Medal winner, and Stalin Peace Prize laureate[155]
^ abcMayor & Council, Borough of Somerville. Accessed May 15, 2022. "The Borough of Somerville is organized under the Mayor-Council form of government. The mayor is elected to a four-year term and six council members are elected for staggered three-year terms. Two council members are elected each year. The Borough Council elects a member to serve as president to act in the absence of the mayor."
^Clerk-Administrator/Vital Records, Borough of Somerville. Accessed March 23, 2023. "The Borough of Somerville has combined the responsibilities of the Borough Clerk and Borough Administrator into one single position."
^Nieto-Munoz, Sophie. "Tour of Somerville, oldest bike race in U.S., draws thousands as top cyclists compete", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 27, 2019. Accessed March 8, 2020. "For the 76th year, thousands of people lined up along Main Street in Somerville to catch a glimpse of the oldest major bike race in the country and one of the most highly anticipated in the world."
^Garlic, Tiffani N. "Somerville named a Transit Village", The Star-Ledger, July 8, 2010. Accessed May 3, 2012. "New Jersey officials hope Somerville being named an official Transit Village community by the state Department of Transportation today will help jump-start the local economy."
^Intersimone, Jenna. "NJ home bakers can now sell their goodies, but Somerville is saying no", Courier News, June 22, 2022. Accessed July 2, 2022. "Somerville resident Maria Winter is exactly the type of home baker that New Jersey's new law permitting the sale of home-baked goods was supposed to benefit.... Her application for a home business zoning permit, which would allow her to sell the sugar cookies from her 150-square-foot kitchen, was denied by Somerville for the first time in February. Winter was told by borough officials that she needed a zoning variance, pay a $1,000 application fee, deposit $4,000 into a borough escrow account, publish a public notice in the newspaper and notify all property owners within 200 feet of her home that there would be a public hearing on her application."
^Councilwoman Gina Stravic, Borough of Somerville. Accessed May 15, 2022. "Gina Stravic is filling a vacancy on the Borough Council due to the resignation of Jane Kobuta in January 2022. Gina will serve the remainder of the three-year term through December 2022."
^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.."
^Somerville Board of Education District Bylaw 0110 - Identification, Somerville Public Schools. Accessed September 3, 2020. "Purpose The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades K through twelve in the Somerville School District. Composition The Somerville School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the Borough of Somerville."
^Grip, Richard S. Demographic Study for the Somerville Public Schools, Somerville Public Schools. Accessed June 15, 2020. "In the last six years, Somerville residents have comprised 36-41% of the student population at Somerville High School."
^Staff. Frontiers, Volume 15, p. 60. Washington State University Press, 1994. Accessed February 3, 2015. "Mary Ellicott Arnold was born in Staten Island, New York, on April 23, 1876, where she lived until the death of her father in 1882, when the family moved to Somerville, New Jersey."
^New Jersey Tennis Stars, Hangout NJ. Accessed June 12, 2007. "Nicole Arendt of Somerville turned pro in 1991 and is currently ranked 26 in the world in women's doubles. The Hun School of Princeton graduate holds 16 career Women's Tennis Association (WTA) doubles titles and won the tour sportsmanship award in 1993."
^Turner, Patricia. "Art For Children At Rutgers", The New York Times, December 13, 1981. Accessed May 3, 2012. "Frank Asch of Somerville, who studied at Rutgers and now lives in rural Connecticut"
^Biography, Senator Kip Bateman. Accessed February 3, 2015. "Senator Christopher 'Kip' Bateman was born on October 9, 1957 in Somerville."
^"Interviews with Raymond Bateman", Rutgers University Center on the American Governor. Accessed February 3, 2015. "A lifelong resident of Somerset County, Raymond Bateman was born in Somerville on October 29, 1927, and graduated from Somerville High School in 1945."
^Glaberson, William. "In Prosecutor's Rise and Fall, a Story of Ambition, Deceit and Shame", The New York Times, December 1, 1996. Accessed February 3, 2015. "By the time he was a young lawyer in Somerville, N.J., in the 1970s, he was engaged in a long battle to lose weight, which helped drive home the implausibility of his dream of being an athletic hero."
^"A Political Microcosm", Time, October 18, 1954. Accessed October 4, 2015. "His uncle, Clarence E. Case, now living in retirement in Somerville, was a state senator and for 23 years a State Supreme Court Justice."
^"Jack Ciattarelli", NJ Spotlight, May 7, 2017. Accessed June 15, 2020. "Ciattarelli, 55, was born in Somerville and raised in Raritan Borough, the grandson of immigrants."
^Filichia, Peter. "Christine Danelson plays the irrepressible Tracy Turnblad in Paper Mill's Hairspray", The Star-Ledger, September 24, 2010, updated April 1, 2019. Accessed June 15, 2020. "Although Danelson admits to being heavier than doctors' charts would recommend, she needs to wear a fat-suit to become a convincing Tracy. 'I've actually lost some weight from rehearsing,' she says. 'The suit fits me really well.'... Yet she kept quiet last week when she was insulted on the train ride from her home in Somerville."
^A Thousand American Men of Mark To-day, p. 306. American Men of Mark, 1917. Accessed February 3, 2015. "Royal Page Davidson, Educator of Lake Geneva, Wis., was born Oct. 9, 1870, in Somerville, N.J."
^"Don Elliot, 57, Jazz Singer, Vibraphonist And Composer", The New York Times, July 6, 1984. Accessed May 3, 2012. "Mr. Elliott, who was born in Somerville, N.J., was a versatile musician who, in addition to vibraphone, played trumpet, bongos, French horn and mellophone, an adaptation of the French horn that allows the performer to project directly at his audience instead of off to one side."
^"Gene Freed 1930–2009"Archived 2015-02-03 at the Wayback Machine, Daily Bulletin of the 81st Summer North American Bridge Championships, July 5, 2009. Accessed February 3, 2015. "Eugene H. Freed was born in 1930 in Somerville NJ to David and Mildred Freed. He lived there until about age 15, when the family moved to San Diego."
^Staff. "Frederick W. Hall, 76, FormerJustice in Jersey", The New York Times, July 9, 1984. Accessed July 5, 2016. "Frederick W. Hall, a former associate justice of the New Jersey State Supreme Court and the author of the landmark Mount Laurel zoning decision, died Saturday at the Somerset Medical Center in Somerville, N.J. He was 76 years old and lived in Somerville."
^Forbes, Mike. Louis Armstrong's All Stars, p. 10. ISBN9781326375812. Accessed June 15, 2020. "Name: Mort Herbert (né Morton Herbert Pelovitz) Birth: 30th June, 1925; Somerville, New Jersey"
^Joyce Kozoff, United States Department of State. Accessed October 4, 2015. "Born in Somerville, New Jersey, Joyce Kozloff graduated in 1964 from the Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1967 from Columbia University, New York."
^Barbati, Carl. "Gentleman Perantoni recalled", Courier News, September 19, 1991. Accessed April 1, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The obituary was in last Thursday's newspaper, with the headline "J. Frank Perantoni, councilman, architect, pro football player'.... At various times in his life, he'd been a Somerville borough councilman, a trustee of a local bank and a member of many civic, service and church groups."
^Coe, Kairi. "The Break Presents: SkinnyFromthe9", XXL, March 2018. Accessed December 26, 2018. "I was born in Hialeah, Fla., but I was basically raised in Somerville, N.J. High school, middle school—all my school years I was in Somerville."
^Frank Snook, Baseball-Reference.com. Accessed June 15, 2020. "Born: March 28, 1949 (Age: 71-079d) in Somerville, NJ... High School: Hunterdon Central HS (Flemington, NJ)"
^Coelho, Frank. "Bronze landmark plaques to mark historic Somerville buildings", The Messenger-Gazette, January 25, 2011. Accessed May 15, 2011. "At Somerset Hall (now Alfonso's Family Trattoria), Phil Decker, chairman of the Somerville Historic Advisory Committee, shows off a plaque marking the site where Ruth St. Denis (then just Ruth Dennis of Adamsville), the American modern dance pioneer, made her professional debut after a couple of warm-up performances in Adamsville."
^Kampfe, John. "Garden State Quintet Vies for Oscars", Jerseywood, January 24, 2018. Accessed June 15, 2020. "Somerville native Douglas Urbanski is a producer for Darkest Hour, which portrays Winston Churchill's leadership in Great Britain during World War II."
^Jon Williams, New England Patriots. Accessed August 13, 2013. "By the time Jon was in third grade, his Dad was in prison on a murder charge. Three of his six siblings would become drug addicts and the streets of Somerville, N.J., were calling for more victims."
^"Elvira Woodruff", Pennsylvania Center for the Book. Accessed June 15, 2020. "Elvira Woodruff was born on June 19, 1951, in Somerville, New Jersey."
^Staff. "Her Words Gain Favor", Times Leader, June 1, 2003. Accessed April 4, 2011. "According to Elinor Wylie A Biography by Stanley Olson, Wylie was born in 1885 in Somerville, N.J., but spent much of her youth in Philadelphia."
United States
New Jersey
