Fanwood was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on October 2, 1895, from portions of Fanwood Township (now known as Scotch Plains), based on the results of a referendum held the previous day.[23] The borough was named for Fannie Wood, an author.[24][25]
History
In 1831, the Elizabethtown and Somerville Railroad received a legislative charter to construct a railroad through the area. The line reached here in 1837 and a station, known as the Scotch Plains station, was built in 1839. The company became the Central Railroad of New Jersey in 1849. The line was later moved to reduce the grade and a new station, known as the Fanwood station, was built in 1874. At the same time, the Central New Jersey Land Improvement Company began development of Fanwood Park, a residential community around the station. The development featured curvilinear streets. John Taylor Johnston, then president of CNJ, named the community after his wife, Frances, also known as Fanny, according to his daughter, Emily. In 1878, Fanwood Township was created from Plainfield and Westfield Townships.[26]
The Fanwood Park Historic District is a 52-acre (21 ha) historic district located along North Avenue and North Martine Avenue in the community. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 27, 2004, for its significance in architecture, community planning and development, landscape architecture, and transportation. The district has 57 contributing buildings, including the Fanwood station, which was previously listed individually on the NRHP. A key contributing property, the Georgian Revival style Urner/Gibbs house was built in 1894 by Benjamin Urner, as a wedding gift for his daughter who had married William M. Gibbs.[26]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.34 square miles (3.47 km2), all of which was land.[1][2]
Of the 2,627 households, 41.0% had children under the age of 18; 68.7% were married couples living together; 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 21.2% were non-families. Of all households, 18.8% 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 2.78 and the average family size was 3.19.[20]
27.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 95.0 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 89.3 males.[20]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $127,450 (with a margin of error of +/− $8,852) and the median family income was $135,833 (+/− $6,654). Males had a median income of $92,262 (+/− $13,007) versus $62,845 (+/− $6,933) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $43,194 (+/− $2,939). About 0.6% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.[38]
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census[16] there were 7,174 people, 2,574 households, and 2,054 families residing in the borough. The population density was 5,363.4 inhabitants per square mile (2,070.8/km2). There were 2,615 housing units at an average density of 1,955.0 per square mile (754.8/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 88.30% White, 5.14% African American, 0.10% Native American, 4.39% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.74% of the population.[36][37] Among Fanwood residents, 23.2% identified as being of Italian ancestry, 23.0% as being of Irish ancestry and 20.6% as having German ancestry.[39]
There were 2,574 households, out of which 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.0% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.2% were non-families. 18.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.13.[36][37]
In the borough the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.[36][37]
The median income for a household in the borough was $85,233, and the median income for a family was $99,232. Males had a median income of $65,519 versus $40,921 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $34,804. About 1.6% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.[36][37]
Economy
Downtown Fanwood at night
In 2014 Fanwood was recipient of a 2014 New Jersey Future Smart Growth Award for its downtown development plan.[40]
Government
Local government
Fanwood 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.[41] 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 includes 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 Fanwood 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.[42][43]
The borough council is Fanwood's legislative body and may pass, adopt, amend and repeal any ordinance or where permitted, any resolution, for any purpose required for the government of the municipality, and also controls and regulates the finances of the municipality. The council may investigate any activity of the municipality, remove any officer of the municipality for cause other than those excepted by law and shall have all the executive responsibilities of the municipality not placed by general law, in the office of the mayor. The mayor of Fanwood is responsible for serving as the chief executive officer of borough government. The mayor presides over the borough council, appoints various boards and committees, oversees borough administration, and serves as the borough's ceremonial head.[44]
As of 2024[update], the mayor of Fanwood Borough is Democrat Colleen M. Mahr, whose term of office ends December 31, 2027. Members of the Fanwood Borough Council are Council President Katherine Mitchell (D, 2025), Jeffrey Banks (D, 2026), Gina Berry (D, 2025), Anthony Carter (D, 2026), Erin A. McElroy-Barker (D, 2024), and Patricia Walsh (D, 2024).[3][45][46][47][48]
In January 2019, Jeffrey Banks was appointed to fill the seat expiring in December 2020 that had been held by Russell Huegel until he resigned from office to accept the position as the borough's municipal attorney.[49]
Fire department
The Fanwood Fire Department is a volunteer fire department with 30 members that operate out of one fire station. The department has two engines, one quint and a chief's vehicle. The Fanwood Volunteer Fire Company predates the incorporation of the borough, having first been established in 1890 with its first firehouse constructed in 1897.[50]
Federal, state, and county representation
Fanwood is located in the 7th Congressional District[51] and is part of New Jersey's 22nd state legislative district.[52]
Union County is governed by a Board of County Commissioners, whose nine members are elected at-large 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.[58] As of 2024[update], Union County's County Commissioners are:
Constitutional officers elected on a countywide basis are:
Clerk Joanne Rajoppi (D, Union Township, 2025),[69][70]
Sheriff Peter Corvelli (D, Kenilworth, 2026)[71][72] and
Surrogate Christopher E. Hudak (D, Clark, 2027).[73][74]
Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 5,033 registered voters in Fanwood, of which 1,614 (32.1% vs. 41.8% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,210 (24.0% vs. 15.3%) were registered as Republicans and 2,205 (43.8% vs. 42.9%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 4 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.[75] Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 68.8% (vs. 53.3% in Union County) were registered to vote, including 95.1% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 70.6% countywide).[75][76]
In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 2,164 votes (54.8% vs. 66.0% countywide), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 1,710 votes (43.3% vs. 32.3%) and other candidates with 49 votes (1.2% vs. 0.8%), among the 3,947 ballots cast by the borough's 5,239 registered voters, for a turnout of 75.3% (vs. 68.8% in Union County).[77][78] In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 2,287 votes (54.7% vs. 63.1% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 1,817 votes (43.5% vs. 35.2%) and other candidates with 37 votes (0.9% vs. 0.9%), among the 4,179 ballots cast by the borough's 5,143 registered voters, for a turnout of 81.3% (vs. 74.7% in Union County).[79] In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 2,045 votes (50.2% vs. 58.3% countywide), ahead of Republican George W. Bush with 1,957 votes (48.1% vs. 40.3%) and other candidates with 41 votes (1.0% vs. 0.7%), among the 4,070 ballots cast by the borough's 5,013 registered voters, for a turnout of 81.2% (vs. 72.3% in the whole county).[80]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 58.8% of the vote (1,503 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 39.3% (1,003 votes), and other candidates with 1.9% (49 votes), among the 2,604 ballots cast by the borough's 5,151 registered voters (49 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 50.6%.[81][82] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,468 votes (50.2% vs. 41.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 1,140 votes (39.0% vs. 50.6%), Independent Chris Daggett with 276 votes (9.4% vs. 5.9%) and other candidates with 16 votes (0.5% vs. 0.8%), among the 2,922 ballots cast by the borough's 5,064 registered voters, yielding a 57.7% turnout (vs. 46.5% in the county).[83]
Education
Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School
Public school students in Fanwood attend the schools of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Regional School District, which serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Fanwood and Scotch Plains.[84][85] The district has five elementary schools (Pre-K/K–4), two middle schools (5–8) and a comprehensive high school (9–12), all of which are located in Scotch Plains.[86] Students from School One, Evergreen and Brunner pool into Park Middle School, while students from Coles and McGinn feed into Terrill. School One is the only elementary school that teaches English as a second language. Most students from Park Middle School and Terrill Middle school continue their high school education at the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of eight schools, had an enrollment of 5,649 students and 438.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.9:1.[87] Seats on the district's nine-member board of education are allocated based on the population of the constituent districts, with two seats assigned to Fanwood.[88][89]
Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[90]) are
Howard B. Brunner Elementary School[91] with 414 students in grades Pre-K–4,
J. Ackerman Coles School[92] with 552 students in grades Pre-K–4,
Evergreen School[93] with 402 students in grades Pre-K–4,
William J. McGinn School[94] with 512 students in grades K–4,
School One[95] with 395 students in grades Pre-K–4,
Park Middle School[96] with 909 students in grades 5–8,
Terrill Middle School[97] with 811 students in grades 5–8 and
Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School[98] with 1,574 students in grades 9–12.[99][100]
As of May 2010[update], the borough had a total of 26.35 miles (42.41 km) of roadways, of which 20.58 miles (33.12 km) were maintained by the municipality, 4.62 miles (7.44 km) by Union County and 1.15 miles (1.85 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.[101]
Currently riders can take one seat rides to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan during rush hour on weekdays, with transfer at Newark Penn Station required to reach to New York Penn Station at all other times, including weekends. The Raritan Valley Railroad Coalition[103] has been promoting the economic benefits of one-seat ride access to New York City since 1998. RVRC has succeeded in gaining one-seat rides during off peak hours during the week; there are nine trains in each direction where riders do not need to transfer at Newark Penn Station. The ultimate goal of RVRC is to extend such one-seat rides during rush hours, which would have been achieved with the Access to the Region's Core tunnel program, but this was cancelled by then Governor Chris Christie.
^Government, Borough of Fanwood. Accessed March 30, 2020. "Fanwood’s government consists of six elected Council members and an elected Mayor. All are paid $1 per year. Council members are elected for three year terms, at large, with the terms of two councilmen expiring at the end of each year. The Mayor’s term is four years and there are no term limits."
^Mooney, John. "Big Changes at Fanwood's Reorganization Meeting", TAP into Scotch Plains / Fanwood, January 1, 2019. Accessed March 30, 2020. "However, after Dan McCarthy stepped down as Borough attorney, Mayor Mahr tabbed Russ Huegel for the job, which meant that he would have to resign his seat on the Council. It was then up to the Mayor to select someone to serve the remainder of Huegel's unexpired term. She chose Jeff Banks to fill the spot."
^About Us, Fanwood Fire Department. Accessed May 7, 2013.
^Scotch Plains-Fanwood Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Scotch Plains-Fanwood Regional School District. Accessed May 27, 2020. "Purpose The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through twelve in the Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District. Composition The Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Scotch Plains Township and the Borough of Fanwood."
^About Us, Scotch Plains-Fanwood Public Schools. Accessed May 27, 2020. "Scotch Plains-Fanwood is a regional school district comprised of students in Grades Preschool-Grade12 from the Township of Scotch Plains and the Borough of Fanwood. The district has five elementary schools (Preschool-Grade 4), 2 middle schools (Grades 5-8), and one comprehensive high school (Grades 9-12)."
^Board Members, Scotch Plains-Fanwood Regional School District. Accessed May 27, 2020.
^Wilkes-Edrington, Lindsay. "School Board Candidates to State Their Cases Tonight", Scotch Plains-Fanwood, NJ Patch, April 6, 2019. Accessed May 27, 2020. "Scotch Plains-Fanwood has nine total Board of Education members, split geographically based on population – seven from Scotch Plains and two from Fanwood."
^Biography, Edith H. Ajello. Accessed August 6, 2019. "Edith H. Ajello was born in Fanwood, NJ. She attended Scotch Plains Fanwood Public Schools and graduated from Bucknell University with a BA in Psychology."
^Staff. "Howard Watson Ambruster, Coach, Engineer, Lecturer", Courier News, January 11, 1961. Accessed August 6, 2019. "Fanwood - Howard Watson Ambruster, 82, a retired chemical engineer, lecturer and author, died yesterday (Jan. 10, 1961) in his home at 158 Forest Rd."
^O'Gorman, George. "Rutgers' Bill Austin to be honored by NJ Sportswriters", The Trentonian, January 24, 2011. Accessed October 1, 2015. "Now 74 years old and living in Camarillo, Calif. Austin is still a football legend in New Jersey, and especially on the banks of the Raritan.... Austin, a Fanwood native who earned high school stardom at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High, earned All-American honors in two sports at Rutgers as a senior."
^Rothenberg, Stuart. "Stuart Rothenberg: Key races in New Jersey, New York", CNN. June 14, 2000. Accessed July 29, 2007. "When all of the votes were counted in the June 6th primary, Democratic insiders found that primary voters had handed them a surprise: Maryanne Connelly. The former AT&T employee and mayor of Fanwood upset Union County manager Mike Lapolla, who had the support of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and every county party organization in the congressional district."
^Pearce, Jeremy. "In Person; Round Two", The New York Times, June 11, 2004. Accessed September 10, 2012. "His face appeared on the covers of Time and Sports Illustrated, and the den walls in his Fanwood home are covered with images of him at play with the rich and famous."
^Cunningham, Grainne. "Big Apple's Rose woos Tralee to win the crown", The Independent, August 23, 2000. Accessed July 29, 2007. "Last night Roisin Ryan Egenton from Fanwood, New Jersey was crowned as the 'loveliest and fairest' of 28 girls from around the world."
^Staff. "Sada Thompson dead at 83", Variety, May 6, 2011. Accessed May 14, 2011. "Sada Carolyn Thompson was born in Des Moines, though her family moved to Fanwood, N.J. when she was a girl."
^Martin, Michel. "Father-Son Bond Inspires Memoir Of Love And Reflection", Tell Me More / NPR, June 15, 2010. Accessed November 26, 2019. "My father was running poverty programs in San Diego, and the same poverty eventually took him east to Newark, New Jersey, where I was born in 1981. And my father changed professions and moved the family to the suburbs in Fanwood, New Jersey."
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