RUMSON, NEW JERSEY

'Rumson' is a Borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 7,137.
Rumson was formed as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 15, 1907, from portions of Shrewsbury Township, based on the results of a referendum held on June 18, 1907."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 184.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

History

Government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Education

Noted residents

References

External links

Geography

Rumson is located at (40.369644, -74.001667).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 18.8 km² (7.2 mi²). 13.5 km² (5.2 mi²) of it is land and 5.2 km² (2.0 mi²) of it (27.76%) is water.
Public parks include Meadowridge Park, Piping Rock Park, Riverside Park, Rogers Park, Victory Park and West Park.^[1]

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,137 people, 2,452 households, and 1,988 families residing in the borough. The population density was 527.9/km² (1,366.0/mi²). There were 2,610 housing units at an average density of 193.1/km² (499.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.77% White, 0.24% African American, 0.06% Native American, 1.06% Asian, 0.36% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.39% of the population.
There were 2,452 households out of which 44.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.3% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.9% were non-families. 16.8% of all households 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 2.91 and the average family size was 3.29.
In the borough the population was spread out with 31.9% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median resident age is 39.2 years old. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $120,865, and the median income for a family was $140,668. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $47,260 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $73,692. About 3.4% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 0.7% of those age 65 or over.
The ancestries of residents are: Irish (33.4%), German (17.9%), Italian (16.4%), English (13.8%), Polish (6.2%), United States (5.3%).^[2]

History

Legend has it that the borough's name is derived from early settlers who bought the piece of land now known as Rumson from the Native Americans for some rum. But as far back as 1663, long before the area was officially named Rumson, Native Americans called it “Navarumsunk”. Over the years it has been shortened to “Rumson”. In 1907, Rumson was officially incorporated as a Borough. Other names Rumson has been known by include Black Point, Port Washington, and Oceanic.^[3]
Rumson was purchased by English settlers in pieces. The first purchase is dated January 25, 1665, and it included parts of Middletown. The rest of the area was purchased April 7, 1665 and June 5, 1665.
There are many old, historic homes in Rumson, but the oldest ever was the 700-acre Tredwell House, named after a family that summered here for almost 100 years. The oldest part of the house being from 1670, it was the second oldest building in Monmouth County as of June 2006, when it was destroyed by fire.^[4]
Residents of Rumson in the 19th Century enjoyed many activities, such as swimming in the adjacent Navesink River, the Atlantic Ocean, or taking a wagon ride. In winter, they used the river for ice boating.
Rumson is one of the wealthiest towns in New Jersey. The homes are spectacularly large, Locals enjoy the beautiful beaches just over the Sea Bright Bridge, as well as a quick commuter ferry to downtown Manhattan.

Government

Local government

Rumson is governed by the Borough form of government, with a mayor and a six-member Borough Council. The mayor serves a four-year term. Borough Council members serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.
The Mayor of Rumson is John E. Ekdahl, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2007. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Robert Kammerer (2008), Mark E. Rubin (2009), Joseph K. Hemphill (2009), Shaun Broderick (2008), Frank Shanley (2009) and Joan P. DeVoe (2007).^[5]
Rumson is a participating municipality in an initiative to study regionalizing their municipal police force with one or more municipalities. The borough received a grant from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs in the amount of $40,950 along with the Boroughs of Fair Haven, Little Silver, Oceanport and Shrewsbury to hire professional consultants to conduct the study on their behalf. A report is due before the end of 2007.

Federal, state and county representation

Rumson is in the Twelfth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 11th Legislative District.^[6]

Education

The Rumson School District serves public school students in grades K-8 at the Deane-Porter Elementary School (K-3, 378 students) and at the Forrestdale Middle School (4-8, 608 students)
Public school students in grades 9 - 12 attend the Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, a regional, four-year comprehensive public high school, serving students from both Fair Haven and Rumson.
Private Schools in Rumson are Holy Cross School and Rumson Country Day School.

Noted residents

Noted current and former residents of Rumson include:

★ James C. Auchincloss (1885-1976), served eleven terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1943–1965 as a Republican from New Jersey's 3rd congressional district. Auchincloss was a member of the Rumson borough council from 1930-1937 and served as mayor of Rumson from 1938-1943, until he was elected to Congress.^[7]

★ Thomas Barbour (1884-1946), general naturalist and herpetologist; Director of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University

★ William Warren Barbour (1888-1943), Represented New Jersey in the United States Senate from 1931-37 and 1938-48. Barbour was a member of the Rumson Borough Council in 1922 and served as mayor of Rumson from 1923-1928.^[8]

★ John Berry, software developer, co-founder of Net2Phone.

★ Pete Dawkins, former U.S. Army Brigadier General, Heisman Trophy winner, Rhodes Scholar, and businessman. Dawkins ran in 1988 for the United States Senate seat held by Frank Lautenberg, losing 54%-46%.^[9]

★ Bob Ojeda, Former pitcher in the major leagues, pitched for the Mets, Yankees, Indians, Red Sox and Dodgers between 1980 and 1994. Most notably was his Game 3 win for the Mets in the 1986 World Series; a game that would turn the series around and allow the Mets to defeat the Red Sox.^[10]

★ Jon Bon Jovi, rock star and actor, lives along the Navesink River in Middletown (across the river from Rumson).^[11][12]

★ Heather Locklear, Actress, lived in Rumson while married to Richie Sambora.

★ John A. Mulheren (1949-2003), philanthropist and New York financier.

★ Rob Petitti, offensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints of the NFL.^[13]

★ Bruce Springsteen, Rock 'n Roll Legend.^[14]

★ Richie Sambora, Guitarist for Bon Jovi, lived in Rumson for a short time.Rumson's patrols, alarms keep criminals at bay, ''Asbury Park Press'' by Dina Maasarani, August 19, 1998. "Police also keep a file on every home with an alarm system and, of course, know exactly where celebrities including Bruce Springsteen, Heather Locklear and Richie Sambora, and Jon Bon Jovi live."

★ Broeck Steadman, science fiction illustrator

References

1. Borough Parks, accessed July 10, 2006.
2. Rumson, New Jersey, city-data.com. Accessed July 28, 2007.
3. Rumson Borough Website, Borough of Rumson. Accessed September 6,2006.
4. Burning questions, ''Asbury Park Press'', June 16, 2006.
5. Rumson Borough and Council, Borough of Rumson. Accessed January 31, 2007.
6. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 63. Accessed August 30, 2006.
7. Congressional biography, accessed December 24, 2006.
8. Congressional biography of William Warren Barbour, accessed January 7, 2006.
9. Panel Formed to Back Senate Bid by Dawkins, ''The New York Times'', April 1, 1987. "Mr. Dawkins is 48 years old and has purchased a home in Rumson."
10. Hoffman, Jan. "Ex-Ballplayer's Comeback From a Near-Death Free Fall", October 19, 1999. Accessed July 28, 2007. "And so to a grand new home, hidden in Rumson, N.J."
11. Intindola, Brendan. "Rich and famous mourn Wall Street's John Mulheren", ''Forbes'', December 19, 2003. Accessed June 5, 2007. " Mr. Bon Jovi, a fellow resident of Rumson and lead singer of the rock band Bon Jovi, was among the long line of mourners who stood outside waiting to enter the gray, shingled church."
12. SANCTUARY SOUND, accessed September 10, 2006. "Sanctuary Sound was originally built in the basement of 'Jon Bon Jovi’s Rumson ranch home'."
13. Rob Petitti player profile, National Football League Players Association. Accessed July 23, 2007. "Hometown: Rumson, NJ... Rob Christopher Petitti was a two-time all-division, all-shore, all-county and all-New Jersey Group 1 selection at Rumson-Fairhaven High School in Rumson, N.J. He was a three-year starter as a two-way lineman that recorded 90 tackles over his final two prep campaigns."
14. Many celebrities seek respite from Hollywood's hoopla, ''Gainesville Sun'' by Amy Reinink. "Bruce Springsteen made a name for himself singing about the downtrodden working man in the swamps of Jersey, and still lives in Rumson, N.J., in the county where he was born."

External links

★ Rumson web site

★ Rumson School District

★

★ National Center for Education Statistics data for the Rumson School District