Linden is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in southeastern Union County, in the U.S. state of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

. It is part of the

New York Metropolitan Area The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...

, located about southwest of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

and bordering

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey b ...

, a borough of New York City, across the

Arthur Kill The Arthur Kill (sometimes referred to as the Staten Island Sound) is a tidal strait between Staten Island (also known as Richmond County), New York and Union and Middlesex counties, New Jersey. It is a major navigational channel of the Port o ...

. As of the

2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

, the city's population was 43,738. Linden was originally formed as a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, ...

on March 4, 1861 from portions of Elizabeth, Rahway and Union Township. Portions of the township were taken to form Cranford (March 14, 1871), Linden Borough (March 30, 1882) and Roselle (December 20, 1894). Linden was incorporated as a city by an act of the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the ...

on January 1, 1925, replacing both Linden Township and Linden Borough, based on the results of a referendum held on November 8, 1923.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 239. Accessed July 23, 2012. The city's name derives from linden trees brought from Germany.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city had a total area of 11.42 square miles (29.56 km²), including 10.69 square miles (27.68 km²) of land and 0.73 square miles (1.88 km²) of water (6.37%). Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the city include Bayway, Grasselli, Morses Mill, Tremley, Sunnyside, Vreeland Mills, Warners and Wheatsheaf. The city borders the municipalities of

Clark Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin language, Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone ...

, Cranford Township, Elizabeth, Rahway, Roselle and Winfield Township in Union County; Carteret and Woodbridge Township in Middlesex County; and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

across the

tidal strait.

Polish and Polish-American community

Linden is a regional hub of Polish immigration and features a significant number of establishments featuring the food and culture of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. 13.1% of residents are of Polish origin and 15.6% of its residents five years old and above in the center of the city of Linden primarily speak the

Polish language Polish (Polish: ''język polski'', , ''polszczyzna'' or simply ''polski'', ) is a West Slavic language of the Lechitic group written in the Latin script. It is spoken primarily in Poland and serves as the native language of the Poles. In ad ...

at home. The Skulski Art Gallery of the Polish Cultural Foundation of neighboring

has exhibited Linden-based artists. Polish-American grocery specialty shop Pulaski Meats takes up nearly a city block. Polish language services are held at two Roman Catholic churches, including at the heavily Polish parish St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Roman Catholic Church, established in the 1920s. Linden holds an annual Polish Heritage Day Festival to showcase local Polish cuisine, pottery, dance, traditional fashion and other Polish arts for visitors. In 2021, the mayor of Linden hosted a state visit by Poland’s president Andrzej Duda and first lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda to the Polish community in Linden. In old pagan

Slavic mythology Slavic mythology or Slavic religion is the religious beliefs, myths, and ritual practices of the Slavs before Christianisation, which occurred at various stages between the 8th and the 13th century. The South Slavs, who likely settled in the Bal ...

, the tree for which the city is named, the linden tree (''lipa'', as called in all

Slavic languages The Slavic languages, also known as the Slavonic languages, are Indo-European languages spoken primarily by the Slavic peoples and their descendants. They are thought to descend from a proto-language called Proto-Slavic, spoken during the ...

) was considered a sacred tree.

Demographics

Census 2010

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...

shows that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars)

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways ...

was $55,859 (with a margin of error of +/− $2,529) and the median family income was $64,439 (+/− $4,027). Males had a median income of $45,890 (+/− $3,397) versus $39,288 (+/− $2,842) for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the borough was $27,011 (+/− $1,161). About 5.9% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the

2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 c ...

there were 39,394 people, 15,052 households, and 10,084 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,645.5 people per square mile (1,407.0/km²). There were 15,567 housing units at an average density of 1,440.6 per square mile (556.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 66.08%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 22.80%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.14% Native American, 2.35% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 4.88% from other races, and 3.71% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 14.40% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Linden city, New Jersey
,

. Accessed July 23, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Linden city, Union County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed July 23, 2012. There were 15,052 households, out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.21. In the city the population was spread out, with 22.5% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $46,345, and the median income for a family was $54,903. Males had a median income of $39,457 versus $30,395 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,314. About 5.0% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.1% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The east side of Linden is located along the

, a navigable

strait A strait is an oceanic landform connecting two seas or two other large areas of water. The surface water generally flows at the same elevation on both sides and through the strait in either direction. Most commonly, it is a narrow ocean chan ...

which plays an important role in

bulk cargo Bulk cargo is commodity cargo that is transported unpackaged in large quantities. Description Bulk cargo refers to material in either liquid or granular, particulate form, as a mass of relatively small solids, such as petroleum/ crude oi ...

transportation in the

Port of New York and New Jersey The Port of New York and New Jersey is the port district of the New York-Newark metropolitan area, encompassing the region within approximately a radius of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. It includes the system of navigable wate ...

. Together with Elizabeth, Linden is home to the

Bayway Refinery Bayway Refinery is a refining facility in the Port of New York and New Jersey, owned by Phillips 66. Located in Linden, New Jersey, Linden and Elizabeth, New Jersey, and bisected by Morses Creek (New Jersey), Morses Creek, it is the northernmost re ...

, a

Phillips 66 The Phillips 66 Company is an American multinational energy company headquartered in Westchase, Houston, Texas. Its name, dating back to 1927 as a trademark of the Phillips Petroleum Company, helped ground the newly reconfigured Phillips 66. T ...

refining facility that helps supply petroleum-based products to the New York/New Jersey area, producing approximately , making it the second-largest on the

East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard contains the coa ...

and one of the country's 25 largest facilities. From 1937 to 2005, Linden was home to Linden Assembly, a

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

manufacturing plant that produced

Oldsmobile Oldsmobile or formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it pro ...

Pontiac Pontiac may refer to: *Pontiac (automobile), a car brand *Pontiac (Ottawa leader) ( – 1769), a Native American war chief Places and jurisdictions Canada *Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apostolic Vicariate of Pontiac, now the Roman Catholic D ...

Buick Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American marques of automobiles, and was the company that established General ...

and other GM automobiles, but also produced planes during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. By early 2008 most of the plant has been torn down for redevelopment by Duke Realty Corporation, which purchased the site for $76.5 million. Linden, together with Rahway, is home to Merck & Co., one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies. In 2003, the pharmaceutical company celebrated 100 years in Rahway and Linden.

Sunnyside section of Linden and the Jewish community

The residential area of Linden west of St. Georges Avenue is known as Sunnyside, named for the former Sunnyfield Golf Club located in that area. It borders on

, Cranford and

Winfield Winfield may refer to: Places Canada * Winfield, Alberta * Winfield, British Columbia United States * Winfield, Alabama * Winfield, Arkansas * Winfield, Georgia * Winfield, Illinois * Winfield, Indiana * Winfield, Iowa * Winfield, Kansas * W ...

on the west and Roselle on the east.

Modern Orthodox community of Linden

Like the rest of Linden, Sunnyside is a diverse neighborhood featuring residents of many different backgrounds.Ginsberg, Johanna R
"Streimels in suburbia Chasidim build ‘enclave’ in Linden, will the town become the next Lakewood?"
'' New Jersey Jewish News'', April 17, 2019. Accessed February 10, 2022. "'You walk on the street and people say hello, not like in New York,'” said Chani Lissauer, who moved from Borough Park, Brooklyn, in January 2018, one of the first of about 40 chasidic families who recently moved to this diverse town of 42,000 in Union County." Congregation Anshe Chesed is a Modern Orthodox synagogue in the Sunnyside section that was founded in 1914. It has a large modern building on St. Georges Avenue and its former synagogue building on Blancke Street was converted for use for community athletics. Among the parks in the Sunnyside section is Sunnyside Park, at the corner of Summit Terrace and Edgewood Road, dubbed the “ Shabbos park” by the area's Modern Orthodox community as a place where families meet on Saturday afternoons. An

eruv An eruv (; he, עירוב, , also transliterated as eiruv or erub, plural: eruvin or eruvim) is a ritual halakhic enclosure made for the purpose of allowing activities which are normally prohibited on Shabbat (due to the prohibition of '' h ...

links the Sunnyside section of Linden to Roselle, Warinanco Park, the Jewish Educational Center of Elizabeth, and Hillside.

Hasidic community of Linden

Following the move in recent years of members of the Koson congregation to the Sunnyside section of Linden,other

Hasidic Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism ( Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of conte ...

communities have recently arisen in Linden as well, including Bobov, Rachmastrivka,

Pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in thei ...

, and Satmar communities. In 2022, Grand Rebbe Aaron Teitelbaum, chief rabbi of the Satmar community in Kiryas Joel, New York, attended a Satmar school opening in the Sunnyside section.

Local media

Linden media includes: * ''Union News Daily''. A news outlet covering Union County news, it has a dedicated Linden section. It is part of LocalSource and published by Worrall Community Newspapers of Union. *''TAPInto Linden'' is a local digital news site covering Linden news exclusively, part of the TAPinto network of news in Central and Northern New Jersey. * ''Life in Linden'' is published by Renna Media, located on Walnut Street in Cranford, NJ. *''LindenTV''. Linden also has its own channel, LindenTV, which is available to cable and Verizon FiOS television subscribers. * The City of Linden shares news and events via its official website. * Remaining multi-community newspapers include the '' Courier News'', a daily newspaper based in Bridgewater Township, and ''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to '' The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of ...

'' and the ''Suburban News'' based in Newark.

Parks and recreation

* Hawk Rise Sanctuary is a bird sanctuary created by the City of Linden and the

New Jersey Audubon Society The New Jersey Audubon is an environmental education and conservation advocacy organization. Founded in 1897, it is one of New Jersey's largest environmental organizations, with several staffed nature centers, dozens of unstaffed sanctuaries, and ...

on the banks of the Rahway River at the lower reaches of the Rahway River Parkway. *John Russell Wheeler Park is home to the Linden Skatepark for skateboarders at Winans Avenue and West Edgar Road near where Morses Creek winds through the park. an spray park opened in 2019, replacing a pool that dated back to 1931. *Peach Orchard Park sits at Dill Avenue, Hussa Street and Cranford Avenue, behind School #4. It is home to Peach Orchard Brook, a tributary of Morses Creek. * Warinanco Park's Park Drive entrance connects the park to Linden.

Government

Local government

Linden is governed under the

City A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

form of government. The city is one of 15 (of the 564) municipalities statewide that use this traditional form of municipal government. The governing body is comprised of the mayor and an 11-member City Council. The mayor and council president are elected

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

to four-year terms of office, while the other 10 members are elected from wards to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or four of the ward seats up for election each year in a three-year cycle.''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'',

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 94. , the Mayor of Linden is Democrat Derek Armstead, whose term of office ends December 31, 2022.Mayor Derek Armstead
City of Linden. Accessed June 27, 2022. Members of the City Council are:''Union County Elected Officials''
Union County, New Jersey Clerk. Accessed April 30, 2022.General Election November 2, 2021 Official Results
Union County, New Jersey, updated November 15, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.General Election November 3, 2020 Official Results
Union County, New Jersey, updated December 14, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.General Election November 5, 2019 Official Results
Union County, New Jersey, updated December 5, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020.General Election November 6, 2018 Official Results
Union County, New Jersey, updated November 16, 2018. Accessed January 1, 2019. * Council President – Michele Yamakaitis (D, 2022) * First Ward – Lisa A. Ormon (D, 2024) * Second Ward – Barry E. Javick (D, 2022) * Third Ward – Monique Caldwell (D, 2022) * Fourth Ward – Alfred Mohammed (D, 2023) * Fifth Ward – Rhashonna C. Cosby (D, 2022) * Sixth Ward – John Francis Roman (D, 2023) * Seventh Ward – Ralph Strano (D, 2022) * Eighth Ward – Garnett Blaine (D, 2023) * Ninth Ward – Armando Medina (D, 2024) * Tenth Ward – Christine Ann Hudak (D, 2023; appointed to fill an unexpired term) In June 2022, Christine Ann Hudak was appointed to fill the 10th Ward seat that had become vacant following the resignation of Gretchen M. Hickey. Hudak will serve on an interim basis until the November 2022 general election, when voters will choose a candidate to serve the remainder of the term of office. The 8th Ward seat expiring in December 2020 became vacant in January 2019 when Michele Yamakaitis took office as Council President. The Democratic municipal committee chose Paul Coates to fill the vacancy, but Mayor Derek Armstead sought to keep the seat vacant until the November 2019 general election. After a legal battle waged by the Linden Democratic municipal committee and its chairman

Nicholas Scutari Nicholas Paul Scutari (born November 18, 1968) is an American politician and attorney who is the 115th and current President of the New Jersey Senate. A member of the Democratic Party, he has served in the New Jersey Senate since 2004, represen ...

, a Superior Court judge ruled in May 2019 that Coates should be immediately seated to the council to serve until the November general election. In the November 2019 voting, Garret Blaine was elected to serve the balance of the term of office. In November 2015, the City Council selected Ralph Strano from a list of three candidates nominated by the Democratic municipal committee to fill the Seventh Ward seat expiring in December 2016 that had been held by Mike Minarchenko until his resignation from office the previous month; Strano served on an interim basis until the November 2016 general election, when he was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.General Election November 8, 2016 Official Results
Union County, New Jersey, updated November 14, 2016. Accessed January 30, 2017. John T. Gregorio, served as mayor of Linden for 30, non-consecutive years until December 31, 2006, and was repeatedly tagged with scandal during his mayoral career, including one felony conviction, later pardoned, which forced him from office for two terms. Gregorio returned as mayor following his conviction. Rhashonna Cosby-Hurling, who represents the Fifth Ward, became the first African American female elected to the City Council when she took office in 2011.

Federal, state, and county representation

Linden is located in the 7th and 10th Congressional DistrictsPlan Components Report
New Jersey Redistricting Commission, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020. and is part of New Jersey's 22nd state legislative district.Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District

New Jersey Department of State The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing artistic, cultural, and historical programs within the U.S. state of New Jersey, as ...

. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey League of Women Voters. Accessed October 30, 2019. Prior to the 2010 Census, Linden had been split between the , the 10th Congressional District and the , a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.''2011 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
, p. 60, New Jersey League of Women Voters. Accessed May 22, 2015. Union County is governed by a

Board of County Commissioners A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States; such commissions usually comprise ...

, whose nine members are elected

to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis with three seats coming up for election each year, with an appointed County Manager overseeing the day-to-day operations of the county. At an annual reorganization meeting held in the beginning of January, the board selects a Chair and Vice Chair from among its members. , Union County's County Commissioners are Chair Rebecca Williams ( D, Plainfield, term as commissioner and as chair ends December 31, 2022), Vice Chair Christopher Hudak (D, Linden, term as commissioner ends 2023; term as vice chair ends 2022), James E. Baker Jr. (D, Rahway, 2024), Angela R. Garretson (D, Hillside, 2023), Sergio Granados (D, Elizabeth, 2022), Bette Jane Kowalski (D, Cranford, 2022), Lourdes M. Leon (D, Elizabeth, 2023), Alexander Mirabella (D, Fanwood, 2024) and Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded (D, Westfield, 2024). Constitutional officers elected on a countywide basis are County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi (D, Union Township, 2025), Sheriff Peter Corvelli (D,

Kenilworth Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, south-west of Coventry, north of Warwick and north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a tributary of the River Sowe, which joins the ...

, 2023) and Surrogate Susan Dinardo (acting). The County Manager is Edward Oatman.

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 21,494 registered voters in Linden, of which 11,831 (55.0% vs. 41.8% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,319 (6.1% vs. 15.3%) were registered as Republicans and 8,339 (38.8% vs. 42.9%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 5 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.Voter Registration Summary - Union

Division of Elections, March 23, 2011. Accessed May 19, 2013. Among the city's 2010 Census population, 53.1% (vs. 53.3% in Union County) were registered to vote, including 67.9% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 70.6% countywide). In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

received 11,213 votes (73.3% vs. 66.0% countywide), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 3,814 votes (24.9% vs. 32.3%) and other candidates with 135 votes (0.9% vs. 0.8%), among the 15,303 ballots cast by the city's 22,753 registered voters, for a turnout of 67.3% (vs. 68.8% in Union County). In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 10,728 votes (66.5% vs. 63.1% countywide), ahead of Republican

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two te ...

with 5,037 votes (31.2% vs. 35.2%) and other candidates with 162 votes (1.0% vs. 0.9%), among the 16,142 ballots cast by the city's 22,266 registered voters, for a turnout of 72.5% (vs. 74.7% in Union County). In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...

received 9,222 votes (64.0% vs. 58.3% countywide), ahead of Republican George W. Bush with 4,966 votes (34.4% vs. 40.3%) and other candidates with 116 votes (0.8% vs. 0.7%), among the 14,419 ballots cast by the city's 20,596 registered voters, for a turnout of 70.0% (vs. 72.3% in the whole county). In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Democrat

Barbara Buono Barbara A. Buono (born July 28, 1953) is an American politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2014, where she represented the 18th Legislative District. She served from 2010 to 2012 as the Majority Leader in the Senate, succ ...

received 54.6% of the vote (4,255 cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 43.9% (3,420 votes), and other candidates with 1.6% (123 votes), among the 8,158 ballots cast by the city's 22,416 registered voters (360 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 36.4%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 5,429 ballots cast (57.8% vs. 50.6% countywide), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 3,272 votes (34.8% vs. 41.7%), Independent Chris Daggett with 452 votes (4.8% vs. 5.9%) and other candidates with 98 votes (1.0% vs. 0.8%), among the 9,390 ballots cast by the city's 21,742 registered voters, yielding a 43.2% turnout (vs. 46.5% in the county).

Education

Public schools

The Linden Public Schools serve students in

pre-kindergarten Pre-kindergarten (also called Pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool ...

through

twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of 11 schools, had an enrollment of 6,159 students and 555.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...

of 11.1:1.District information for Linden Public School District

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district financ ...

. Accessed February 15, 2022. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the

) are School No. 1 (with 420 students; in grades PreK–5), School No. 2 (593; PreK-5), School No. 4 (425; PreK-5), School No. 5 (275; PreK-5), School No. 6 (324; PreK-5), School No. 8 (341; PreK-5), School No. 9 (327; PreK-5), School No. 10 (243; PreK-5), Myles J. McManus Middle School (693; 6-8), Joseph E. Soehl Middle School (685; 6-8) and Linden High School (1,729; 9–12). School No. 5 was one of nine schools in New Jersey honored in 2020 by the

National Blue Ribbon Schools Program The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

, which recognizes high student achievement.

Private schools

Sinai Christian Academy serves grades Pre-K through 12th grade. Saints Mary and Elizabeth Academy was a

Catholic school Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syste ...

serving students in Pre-K through 8th grade that operated under the auspices of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark The Archdiocese of Newark is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in northeastern New Jersey, United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of the Catholic parishes and schools in the New Jer ...

until its closure at the end of the 2013–2014 school year due to declining enrollment.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the city had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Union County, by the

New Jersey Department of Transportation The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transportat ...

and by the

New Jersey Turnpike Authority The New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) is a state agency responsible for maintaining the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, which are two toll roads in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The agency is headquartered in Woodbridge T ...

. The

New Jersey Turnpike The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highways in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although maintained by NJTA, is not cons ...

( Interstate 95) passes through the eastern portion of the city, with a few ramps that lead to the nearest exit (Exit 13 for I-278) which is right on the city limits with nearby Elizabeth. The city is also the western terminus of Interstate 278, which travels through all five

boroughs A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle A ...

of New York City. Linden is also served by U.S. Route 1/9 and Route 27. The Garden State Parkway passes about west of the city limits.

Public transportation

Bus

Local public transportation is provided by NJ Transit with bus service to Elizabeth, Perth Amboy and Newark. New Jersey Transit routes 112 and 115 provide local service and interstate service to the

Port Authority Bus Terminal The Port Authority Bus Terminal (colloquially known as the Port Authority and by its acronym PABT) is a bus terminal located in Manhattan in New York City. It is the busiest bus terminal in the world by volume of traffic, serving about 8,000 bus ...

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildi ...

, on the 48 to Elizabeth and 94 routes to Newark, and local service on the 56 and 57 routes.

Rail

The Linden train station offers a one-seat ride to

in 39 minutes via service on NJ Transit's North Jersey Coast Line and the Northeast Corridor Line. Trains travel northbound to Newark Penn Station, Secaucus Junction and

New York Penn Station Pennsylvania Station, also known as New York Penn Station or simply Penn Station, is the main intercity railroad station in New York City and the busiest transportation facility in the Western Hemisphere, serving more than 600,000 passengers ...

, and southbound towards the Trenton Transit Center, with connections available at those locations

Airport

Linden Airport is a small

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

facility and reliever airport located on the eastern side of the city along U.S. Route 1/9. The airport was constructed for the United States Navy in 1942 for use in development and testing of the Grumman F4F Wildcat and was taken over by the City of Linden after World War II. The airport served as a road racing course in June 1954 for a race in the then-NASCAR Grand National Division (now known as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series), with Al Keller winning the 50-lap race over a course. Newark Liberty International Airport is approximately 15 minutes away.

Arts and culture

* Raymond Wood Bauer Promenade is the home of outdoor concerts and other performing arts in Linden. Live bands play R&B, funk and jazz at several live performance venues, and late R&B and jazz vocalist Linda Hayes, who played with the well-known Platters (of which her brother was lead singer) was from Linden. * Catholic-born artist Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt grew up in poverty in 1950s and 1960s Linden. Openly gay, he recently had a career retrospective on his exploration of "gay sexuality, class struggle, and religion" in his art at MoMA PS1, and is also known for being photographed as a youth at the

Stonewall Riots The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous protests by members of the gay community in response to a police raid that began in the early morning hours of ...

. Lanigan-Schmidt worked as a 1960s Linden youth doing "odd jobs to help support his family and was bullied by high school thugs," moving to New York City as a young man. As a child in 1950s Linden, after Lanigan-Schmidt was assigned to decorate the school bulletin board in his Catholic elementary school, he built a detailed model of a church altar. The impressive model was featured in a local paper while Lanigan-Schmidt was a student at St. Elizabeth School at 170 Hussa Street. The school closed in 2014; it is a part of the campus of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Roman Catholic Church in Linden. * One of the artists from New Jersey hardcore (now LA-based) punk hip-hop group Ho99o9 (pronounced "Horror"), theOGM, has Linden roots. * 1910 Fruitgum Company, a bubblegum pop band from the 1960s, was formed by five Linden residents.Voger, Mark
"1910 Fruitgum Company: From Linden to the Top 10"
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, February 28, 2014, updated March 29, 2019. Accessed November 25, 2019. "Jeckell's fellow founding members were Mark Gutkowski (lead vocals, keyboards), Pat Karwan (guitar), Steve Mortkowitz (bass), and Floyd Marcus (drums).... And so five young men from Linden with aspirations to be the next Vanilla Fudge scored a Top 10 hit ... with a bubblegum song." *

De Luxe Records De Luxe Records (later DeLuxe Records) was a record company and label formed in 1944 by brothers David Braun (1908–1985) and Julius "Jules" Braun (1911–2002), the sons of Hungarian Jewish immigrants, in Linden, New Jersey. The label ...

(later DeLuxe Records) was a record company and label formed in 1944 in Linden, New Jersey, and is known for its famed R&B and early rock recordings. * In the mid-20th century, Linden was the headquarters for the Regal Records, as well as the budget record label Springboard International Records later in the century. Transco, before acquisition by Apollo, made sound recording industry acetate discs (also called acetate blanks, dubplates or lacquers) out of Linden. * The Linden Cultural and Heritage Committee exists to bring entertainment events to area residents such as craft bazaars, street fairs, concerts, and plays, and the Linden Society for Historic Preservation works to preserve the history of the city. * Linden was chosen as the primary filming location for Volume 2 of the

streetball Streetball (or street basketball) is a variation of basketball, typically played on outdoor courts and featuring significantly less formal structure and enforcement of the game's rules. As such, its format is more conducive to allowing players ...

video series, '' AND1 Mixtapes''.Palmer, Chris
''AND1 Streetball: All the ballers, moves, slams and shine''
p. 38.

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News C ...

, 2004. . Accessed June 16, 2009. One of the original five streetballers to sign with

AND1 AND1 is an American footwear and clothing company specializing in basketball shoes, clothing, and sporting goods. AND1 was founded on August 13, 1993. The company focuses strictly on basketball and is a subsidiary of Sequential Brands Group. It s ...

Waliyy Dixon Waliyy Dixon (born February 7, 1974), better known by his streetball nickname "Main Event", is an American professional basketball player. He was born and raised in Linden, New Jersey. Early life Dixon spent his youth honing his streetball skills ...

, a Linden native who also goes by the nickname "Main Event," helped host a night of basketball at 4th Ward Park that claimed attendance by 2,000 spectators. * Several scenes from the 2008 Mickey Rourke film '' The Wrestler'', later nominated for several

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

s, were filmed in Linden. * Hal Linden, the stage and screen actor, television director and musician best known as the star of the ABC TV series ''

Barney Miller ''Barney Miller'' is an American sitcom television series set in a New York City Police Department police station on East 6th St in Greenwich Village. The series was broadcast on ABC Network from January 23, 1975, to May 20, 1982. It was cre ...

'', based his stage name on the city's name, after seeing the word "Linden" on a water tower while heading from Philadelphia to perform in New York City.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Linden include: * Tiffany Andrade (born 1985), Miss New Jersey USA 2008 & 2nd runner-up to Miss USA 2008 * Amelia Brodka (born 1989), Olympic athlete and professional skateboarder * Deidre Davis Butler (1955–2020), lawyer, disability rights activist and federal official *

Kevin Carolan Kevin Carolan (born May 22, 1968, in Bronx, NY) is an American actor and comedian. During his career, he has had roles on television, stage, and film. Career Carolan studied theatre at Montclair State University in New Jersey in the late 1980s. ...

(born 1968), actor and comedian *

John Charles William John Charles (27 December 1931 – 21 February 2004) was a Welsh footballer who played as a centre-forward or as a centre-back. Best known for his first stint at Leeds United and Juventus, he was rated by many as the greatest all-ro ...

(born 1944), former cornerback and safety who played eight seasons in the National Football League *

Nick Christiani Nicholas John Christiani (born July 17, 1987) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the Cincinnati Reds in 2013 and 2014. Amateur career Christiani is originally from Linden, New Jersey and attended Seton Hall ...

(born 1987), former baseball pitcher who played for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

Jerome A. Cohen Jerome Alan Cohen (born July 1, 1930) is a professor of law at New York University School of Law, an expert in Chinese law, a senior fellow for Asia Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, and serves as "of counsel" at the international law f ...

(born 1930), professor of law at

New York University School of Law New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in ...

and an expert in Chinese law *

George Thomas Coker George Thomas Coker (born July 14, 1943) is a retired United States Navy commander who was awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism as a prisoner of war (POW) during the Vietnam War. An Eagle Scout, he is noted for his devotion to Scoutin ...

(born 1943),

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

navigator who spent over six years as a POW after being shot down over North Vietnam in 1966 * Danny Dias (–2017), activist and reality television personality who starred on season 13 on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

's Road Rules, '' Road Rules: X-Treme'', in 2004 * Tamecka Dixon (born 1975), professional basketball player who played for 13 seasons in the WNBA *

(born 1974), a.k.a. "Main Event" on the AND1 Mixtape Tour; one of the original players on the famous

-sponsored

tours *

Carolyn Dorin-Ballard Carolyn Dorin-Ballard (born 1964, Linden, New Jersey) is one of the top female ten-pin bowlers in the world. She is a member of the Professional Women's Bowling Association (1990–2003 and 2015–present) and has bowled in PBA Tournaments as we ...

(born 1964), professional bowler and TV bowling analyst, USBC Hall of Famer * Cathy Dorin-Lizzi (born 1966), professional bowler and TV bowling analyst, sister of Carolyn * Calvin Duncan (born 1961), pastor and former professional basketball player who was selected by the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central ...

in the second round (30th pick overall) of 1985 NBA Draft * John T. Gregorio (1928−2013), politician who served as mayor of Linden, in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1976 to 1978 and in the New Jersey Senate from 1978 to 1983 * Linda Hayes (born 1923 as Bertha Williams), jazz and R&B singer * George Hudak (1935–1996), politician who represented the 20th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1986 to 1994 and was mayor of Linden from 1983 to 1987 *

Eddie Kasko Edward Michael Kasko (June 27, 1931 – June 24, 2020) was an American infielder, manager, scout and front office executive in Major League Baseball (MLB). Kasko was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and raised in nearby Linden. He graduated f ...

(born 1932), former infielder, manager, scout and front office executive in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

* Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt (born 1948), artist and veteran of the

Stonewall riots The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous protests by members of the gay community in response to a police raid that began in the early morning hours of ...

* Mike Nardi (born 1985), basketball player who has played for Scavolini Spar Pesaro in the Italian League – Serie A * Vincent Obsitnik (born 1938), Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Slovak Republic * Mike Pringley (born 1976), former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is p ...

who played in the NFL for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...

and San Diego Chargers * Giovanni Riggi (1925–2015), mobster and member of the DeCavalcante crime family since the 1940s * Jon Rua (born 1983), actor, singer and choreographer who appeared in the Broadway hit ''

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilto ...

'' *

(born 1968), politician, who has been serving in the New Jersey Senate since 2004, where he represents the 22nd Legislative District * Danny Stiles (1923–2011), radio personality at WNYC, WNSW, WJDM and WPAT in the New York City market * Troy Stradford (born 1964), former

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Th ...

who played for six seasons in the NFL * Joseph Suliga (1958–2005), former member of the New Jersey Senate who was the youngest person ever elected to the Linden Public Schools Board of Education, at the age of 19 * Craig Taylor (born 1966), former running back for the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...

* Chester A. Weidenburner (1913–1985), lawyer and judge who served as

U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey The U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey is the chief federal law enforcement officer in New Jersey. On December 16, 2021, Philip R. Sellinger was sworn in as U.S. Attorney. The U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey has juri ...

and as a Judge of the New Jersey Superior Court *

Muhammad Wilkerson Muhammad Hassan "Mo" Wilkerson (born October 22, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Temple Owls, and was selected by the ...

(born 1989), defensive end who has played for the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The ...

* Robert Zarinsky (1940–2008), convicted murderer and suspected serial killerRussell, Suzanne C
"Unsolved killings probed"
'' Asbury Park Press'', August 19, 1999. Accessed April 22, 2011. "Law enforcement officials today will resume their search of a Linden home owned by Robert Zarinsky, the man serving a life sentence for the 1969 killing of a 17-year-old Atlantic Highlands girl whose body was never found."

References

External links

Linden website
{{Authority control 1861 establishments in New Jersey Cities in Union County, New Jersey City form of New Jersey government Populated places established in 1861