Perth Amboy, New Jersey
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Perth Amboy is a City located in Middlesex County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 47,303.
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History
Perth Amboy was settled in 1683 and incorporated as a city in 1718. It was founded by English merchants, Scots seeking religious freedom, and French Protestants. They sought to use Perth Amboy’s harbor to its full potential. Reality however never matched its expectations.
Perth Amboy became the capital of East Jersey. It was the capital from 1684 until the union of East and West Jersey in 1702 and it was also alternate capital with Burlington until 1790. The wealthy came and lived here but they left due to hostilities. New Jersey merchants also chose New York City instead of Perth Amboy as their destination. Perth Amboy became “sleepy” but then came the ceramic industries.
By 1890, immigration and industrialization transformed Perth Amboy. Factories like Guggenheim and Sons as well as Copper Works Smelting Company fueled a thriving downtown and employed many area residents. Perth Amboy also grew after it became the tidewater terminal for the Lehigh Valley Railroad and a coal shipping point. Perth Amboy also witnessed tightly knit and insular ethnic neighborhoods such as Budapest, Dublin, and Chickentown. Immigrants from Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Russia, and Austria quickly dominated the factory jobs. Perth Amboy was also a resort town in the 1800s and early 20th century.
Today, Perth Amboy’s immigrants are primarily Hispanic. Unfortunately the immigration growth occurred at a time when factories were being demolished and plants were being closed down; thus Perth Amboy became part of the rust belt. Once a resort town, Perth Amboy’s beaches are no longer in use for swimming because of the polluted waters. Competition from the malls out of town forced the big chain stores out of Perth Amboy’s downtown. There are no movie theaters or major department stores remaining in Perth Amboy. The overcrowded schools are slightly passing or failing as Perth Amboy is an Abbott funded district. There is also a large and growing number of students who cannot read or write in English.
However, since the early 1990s Perth Amboy has seen a recent redevelopment stage. Crime rates are much lower, small businesses have started to open up, and with the presence of an Urban Enterprise Zone there is a 3% Sales Tax instead of the statewide 6% Sales Tax.
The waterfront has also seen a rebirth. The marina has been extended, there are new promenades, parks, and housing overlooking the bay. Perth Amboy is still continuing for an attempt of an upheaval in the waterfront. A new project called Landings at Harborside will feature 2,100 residential units composed of town homes and mid-rise luxury condominiums along with indoor garage parking. There were also be 150,000 square feet of retail space with an international market, restaurants, specialty shops, community center, and recreation amenities for the public as well. It is an eight year and $600 million plan. Moreover there will be an extension of Route 440 to High Street connecting commuters from the Outerbridge Crossing directly to the waterfront. Also of historical note, noted abolitionists Angelina and Sarah Grimke lived in Perth Amboy.
Geography
Perth Amboy is located at 40°31'10" North, 74°16'31" West (40.519455, -74.275326)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.5 km² (6.0 mi²). 12.4 km² (4.8 mi²) of it is land and 3.1 km² (1.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 20.07% water.
The city is named after Perth, Scotland, and was originally granted to a company of Scottish noblemen, headed by the Duke of Melfort "Amboy" is an Algonquin name for the area, also appearing in South Amboy.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 47,303 people, 14,562 households, and 10,761 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,820.9/km² (9,892.0/mi²). There were 15,236 housing units at an average density of 1,230.7/km² (3,186.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 46.41% White, 10.04% African American, 0.70% Native American, 1.53% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 35.59% from other races, and 5.61% from two or more races. 69.83% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 14,562 households out of which 40.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 21.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.20 and the average family size was 3.63.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,608, and the median income for a family was $40,740. Males had a median income of $29,399 versus $21,954 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,989. 17.6% of the population and 14.3% of families were below the poverty line. 24.1% of those under the age of 18 and 12.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
In 2000, 27.79% of Perth Amboy residents identified as being of Puerto Rican ancestry. This is the fourth highest concentration of Puerto Ricans on the US mainland, behind Holyoke, Massachusetts, Hartford, Connecticut, and Camden.
Community
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Perth Amboy is a small city with some inner city characteristics.
The Waterfront Perth Amboy features a nice and historic waterfront. The waterfront has gone through revitalization. In addition it has a small museum, a small art gallery, a yacht club, and a marina. Near the marina lies a park with a small bandshell. The waterfront is also characterized by a nice promenade and many stately Victorian homes, some on hills overlooking the bay and predominating tree lined streets with well manicured lawns. It also has a few renowned seafood restaurants and some new apartment buildings. Points of interest in the waterfront include the Proprietary House which is now the former governor’s mansion and St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. Kearny Cottage, which now houses a museum, is also here.
Downtown Perth Amboy is the main commercial district and is centered on Smith Street. It is an Urban Enterprise Zone and the tax money goes on to revitalize Smith Street with newly planted trees, Victorian streetlights, benches, garbage cans, and redbrick sidewalks. Smith Street is a relatively small shopping center with stores that cater to lower and working class Hispanics especially through 99 cent stores and supermarkets. It is flanked by mainly two or three story buildings of varied architecture. It has a lone bank skyscraper which is 10-stories tall. The largest department store is Bargain Man and the only major chain store is Foot Locker, Inc..
Spa Springs Geographically speaking, Spa Springs, which is in the northwestern part of the city, and the waterfront remain some of the most attractive and middle-class areas of the city.In both these neighborhoods, the population is older and a little more diverse with more non Hispanic Whites than most other parts of Perth Amboy. Spa Springs is also the richest neighborhood in town and is the most "suburban" with single family houses and garages.
Harbortown Section 8 housing along with more affluent housing can be found in Harbortown, a diverse, both economically and ethnically, town house development in the city. Harbortown is also the most educated and one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Perth Amboy. However it also has the highest poverty rate out of any neighborhood in Perth Amboy.
Hall Avenue/State Street/Southwestern section of the city/Western half of the Waterfront These neighborhoods are a patchwork of working-class Hispanic immigrant neighborhoods and have always had an immigrant stronghold. Hall Avenue remains the traditional Puerto Rican neighborhood while the southwestern section has a more diversified Hispanic population with many Dominicans and Mexicans. The neighborhoods are also older and more crowded. Most people reside in old, one or two family houses.
Amboy Avenue is a working to middle-class neighborhood. It is also referred to as the "Hospital section" or the "High School" Section due to the proximity of these locations.
Chickentown is a neighborhood in the western part of Rt. 35 south of Spa Springs. It shares many of the same characteristics as Spa Springs but to a lesser extent.
Maurer is mainly working to middle-class neighborhood that lies in the northern part of Rt. 440. It is heavily industrial with many oil refineries and brownfields. Like Amboy Avenue, it is "urban/suburban."
Government
Local government
The City of Perth Amboy is governed under the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) system of municipal government. The current mayor is Joseph Vas. The city council members include Frank Sinatra, Geraldine Bolanowski, Robert Sottilaro, and David Szilagyi and the city council president Peter Jimenez.
Federal, state and county representation
Perth Amboy is in the Thirteenth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 19th Legislative District.
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Notable residents
- Astronomer and Planetary Scientist Joseph Montani was born in Perth Amboy in 1952. Montani has named one of his minor-planet (asteroid) discoveries (discovered on January 3, 1997 in Arizona, on Kitt Peak, in his work on the Spacewatch Project) after his home town; the object is officially known as: "(12465) Perth Amboy", and its properties and orbit have been recorded by the International Astronomical Union and published to the world. Montani's colleagues also named an asteroid for him, "(7656) JoeMontani", which they discovered on April 24, 1992. Montani moved from Perth Amboy in 1970, after completing high school, to attend college in New York City, and has lived in various parts of the world since that time, pursuing his work in Astronomy. see [1].
- Rock star Jon Bon Jovi was born in Perth Amboy in 1962.
- Supermodel Vida Guerra was born in Cuba but was raised in Perth Amboy.
Miscellaneous Information
Sister Cities
External links
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