HELMETTA, NEW JERSEY

'Helmetta' is a Borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 1,825. The town was founded by George Washington Helme in the 1880s.
Helmetta was formed as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 20, 1888, when it was created from portions of East Brunswick Township, based on the results of a referendum held on March 10, 1888. Helmetta's boundary with East Brunswick Township was changed as of March 24, 1897."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 170.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Education

Major landmarks

Notable residents

External links

Geography

Helmetta is located at (40.379507, -74.420998).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.3 km² (0.9 mi²). 2.2 km² (0.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (5.56%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,825 people, 746 households, and 495 families residing in the borough. The population density was 829.0/km² (2,153.6/mi²). There were 769 housing units at an average density of 349.3/km² (907.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 93.15% White, 2.41% African American, 0.22% Native American, 2.41% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.88% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.32% of the population.
There were 746 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the borough the population was spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 44.1% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 6.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $60,125, and the median income for a family was $64,659. Males had a median income of $47,604 versus $33,929 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $26,668. About 3.2% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

The Mayor of Helmetta Borough is Nancy Martin. Helmetta's Borough Council consists of six Councilmen: Council President Vincent Asciolla, Peter Karczewski, Robert Janeczek, Sewell Peckham, John Caputo, and Andrew Tancredi.^[1]

Federal, state and county representation

Helmetta is in the Twelfth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 18th Legislative District.^[2]
On March 14, 2007, Peter J. Barnes, Jr. resigned his Assembly seat and was confirmed by the New Jersey Senate to assume the role of Parole Board Chairman. Barnes' son, Edison Councilman Peter J. Barnes III, was chosen to fill his father's vacant seat.

Education

Helmetta is a non-operating school district. Helmetta sends 207 students to attend public school in Spotswood as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Spotswood Public Schools.

Major landmarks

Helmetta's main landmark is the large, abandoned Helme Products Inc. plant that sits adjacent to the Camden and Amboy Railroad line running through town (map showing Helmetta on a Camden and Amboy Railroad route). The mill began producing snuff in the 1880s. On February 23, 1900, the mill was bought by the American-Sniff Company in a merger with Helme Products Inc., but the merger was dissolved in 1911. In 1925, the mill became the largest of its kind in the world, and by 1934 it employed 400 people. In 1986, the mill was bought out by American Maize-Products. Finally, in 1993, it was purchased by Swisher International, and operations were moved to Wheeling, West Virginia.^[3] It has remained inactive since.
The George W. Helme Snuff Mill District is a classic example of a late 1800s mill town. The district consists of the George W. Helme snuff mill, housing for employees, accessory buildings, St. George Episcopal Church, Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church, and Helmetta Pond, which at one time served as a source of power for the mill. About 115 buildings were originally in the district, which was named to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places on February 1, 1980, and to the National Register of Historic Places on August 15, 1980.^[4]

Notable residents

Joseph Sinagra held a seat on the Helmetta Planning Board, was Emergency
Management Coordinator, served on several committees as a Helmetta Councilman from 1989 to
1999, also serving as Council President for seven years. Sinagra has also served as Chairman of the Helmetta Republican Party, is the current Vice-Chair, was the 2005 Republican nominee for Middlesex County Clerk, and was a Republican candidate in 2006 for U.S. Congress in New Jersey's 12th congressional district.

External links

★ Official Website

★ Middlesex County municipal contact information for Helmetta Borough

★ Middlesex County profile for Helmetta Borough

★ Spotswood Public Schools

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★ National Center for Education Statistics data for the Spotswood Public Schools

★ Helmetta Historical Society