Neighborhoods in Perth Amboy, New Jersey

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Perth Amboy, New Jersey is located at the mouth of the Raritan River and the Arthur Kill at the Raritan Bay, and is part of the region known as the Raritan Bayshore.

Contents

Neighborhoods

The Waterfront

Perth Amboy features a historic waterfront, which has gone through significant revitalization. [1] Perth Amboy's waterfront is where the city was first settled and one of the few places left in New Jersey that has a historic and marina culture surrounded by water. Local attractions include two small museums, an art gallery, a yacht club, and a marina. Near the marina lies a park with a small bandshell. On Sunday afternoons in the summertime, Perth Amboy hosts the Concerts by the Bay in the park's bandshell. The waterfront is also characterized by a redbrick promenade near the water and many stately Victorian homes, some on hills overlooking the bay and predominating tree lined streets with well-manicured lawns. It has a number of seafood restaurants, as well. The waterfront rises very steep after two blocks. This hinders the rest of the town making the waterfront look like a quiet fishing village. Points of interest on the waterfront include St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, and the Proprietary House, which is now the former governor’s mansion and houses a museum and some offices. Kearny Cottage, which also has a museum, is here. In addition, this section of Perth Amboy once had a thriving Jewish community with yeshivas, synagogues, kosher butchers and bakers. [2] Today however there are only two synagogues left each with only a few members usually over the age of 55.

Waterfront West

The western section of the waterfront is west of Kearny Avenue. It is an overwhelmingly blue-collar Hispanic neighborhood. Most of the homes are over 100 years old and many are modest row houses. Sadowski Parkway Park lines through the southern end of the neighborhood and has a walkway with a beach. The beach however is no longer in use for swimming. The park also hosts the Dominican festival and other festivals during the summer.

Downtown Perth Amboy

Downtown is the main commercial district and is centered on Smith Street. It is an Urban Enterprise Zone and the reduced sales tax rate of 3+12% (half of the statewide rate of 7%) funds revitalization of Smith Street with newly planted trees, Victorian streetlights, benches, garbage cans, and redbrick sidewalks. Smith Street is a relatively small shopping center that is only seven blocks wide and bustles with stores catering to working-class customers. The street is flanked by mainly two- to three-storey buildings of varied architecture. It also has a lone bank skyscraper which is 10 stories tall called Amboy Towers in the Five Corners. The Five Corners is the intersection of Smith Street, New Brunswick Avenue and State Street. [3] Although there were previously several department stores downtown, the largest today is discount retailer Bargain Man.

The Gateway neighborhood

The Gateway neighborhood is located in the southwest. The area is located west of the New Jersey Transit train tracks.

Gateway is named so not only because it is at the main entrance of the city (Rt. 35 and Smith St.) but also it is point of entry for many of the immigrants arriving to Perth Amboy. Once named Dublin because it was an Irish neighborhood, it has been re-branded to give it a more accurate name. There is an Eastern European influence here (including Sipo's Bakery and Joe's Meat Market). However the neighborhood is predominantly Latino with businesses catering to this demographic. The area is diverse with Jamaican and Portuguese eateries however the main groups are Dominicans, Mexicans and Peruvians.

The Barber Section

The Barber Section is a neighborhood centered on Hall Avenue east of the New Jersey Transit train tracks. Its northern boundary is the border near Sewaren, it is bounded by the south by Lehigh Valley RR. To the east is the water and to the west is the NJ Transit RR. THe neighborhood includes Harbortown Terrace, a part-rental, part-condo housing development near the Arthur Kill. Long home to the Puerto Rican population in the city, it hosts the three-day Puerto Rican festival in Rudyk Park, which coincides on the same Sunday when the historic Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City is held. There is a Puerto Rican population, as well as Dominicans and Mexicans in the neighborhood.

State Street

State Street is a neighborhood east of the NJ Transit train tracks, north of Fayette Street, and south of Harbortown. Like the southwestern section of Perth Amboy, it is predominantly working-class Hispanic. In addition, this neighborhood had many industries and factories before they moved overseas. The neighborhood is mainly Caribbean Hispanic. This section also once had a visible Cuban community. The State and Fayette Gardens, an apartment complex in the neighborhood, was at one point considered to be "The Cuban Buildings." The Landings at Harborside redevelopment project is being constructed in this neighborhood.

Amboy Avenue

Amboy Ave is a quasi-suburban, working to middle-class neighborhood. It is also referred to as the "Hospital section" or the "High School section" because these places are located in the neighborhood. Although today it is mostly Hispanic, Amboy Avenue once had a strong Italian population.

Budapest

Budapest as the name suggests was once a Hungarian neighborhood. Today, the neighborhood is heavily Latino with other ethnicities including Portuguese, African Americans, and Eastern Europeans. It is mainly working to middle-class neighborhood that lies in the northern part of Route 440. It is heavily industrial with many oil refineries and brownfields. Like Amboy Avenue, it is quasi-suburban.

[4] [5]

Chickentown

Chickentown is a neighborhood in the western part of Route 35 south of Spa Springs, just south of Route 440. It shares many of the same characteristics of Spa Springs but to a lesser extent. The city's largest park, Washington Park, is located here.

Spa Springs

Along with the waterfront, Spa Springs, which is in the northwestern part of the city, remains one of the most attractive and middle-class areas of the city. In this neighborhood, the population is older. Spa Springs is also the wealthiest neighborhood in town and is the most suburban with single-family houses and garages.

Goat Hill

Goat Hill was a small neighborhood of Perth Amboy near the waterfront, located slightly north of Hartford Street. The term was most popular from the 1890 to 1950.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Jersey Route 35</span> State highway in eastern New Jersey, US

Route 35 is a state highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey, primarily traveling through the easternmost parts of Middlesex, Monmouth, and Ocean counties. It runs 58.11 mi (93.52 km) from the entrance to Island Beach State Park in Berkeley Township, Ocean County to an intersection with Route 27 in Rahway, Union County. Between Seaside Park and Mantoloking, Route 35 follows the right-of-way of the former Pennsylvania Railroad along the Jersey Shore. The route heads through Point Pleasant Beach and crosses the Manasquan River on the Brielle Bridge, meeting Route 34 and Route 70 at the former Brielle Circle in Wall Township. From there, Route 35 heads north and intersects Route 138, an extension of Interstate 195, continuing north through Monmouth County before crossing the Victory Bridge over the Raritan River into Perth Amboy, where the route continues north to Rahway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middlesex County, New Jersey</span> County in New Jersey, United States

Middlesex County is located in the north-central part of New Jersey, United States, extending inland from the Raritan Valley region to the northern portion of the Jersey Shore. As of the 2020 United States census, the county was the state's third-most populous county with a population of 863,162, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 53,304 (+6.6%) from the 2010 census count of 809,858, which in turn reflected an increase of 59,696 (8.0%) from the 750,162 counted in the 2000 census. Middlesex is part of the New York metropolitan area. Many communities within the county serve as commuter towns to and from New York City and other points north. The county is part of the Central Jersey region of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perth Amboy, New Jersey</span> City in Middlesex County, New Jersey, U.S.

Perth Amboy is a city situated on the Jersey Shore in northeastern Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 55,436, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 4,622 (+9.1%) from the 50,814 recorded at the 2010 census, which in turn had reflected an increase of 3,511 (+7.4%) from the 47,303 counted at the 2000 census. Perth Amboy has a Hispanic majority population. In the 2010 census, the Hispanic population made up 78.1% of the population, the second-highest in the state, behind Union City at 84.7%. Perth Amboy is known as the "City by the Bay", referring to its location adjoining Raritan Bay. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 55,357 in 2021, ranking the city as the 725th-most-populous in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Amboy, New Jersey</span> City in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States

South Amboy is a suburban city in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located on Raritan Bay. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 9,411, an increase of 780 (+9.0%) from the 2010 census count of 8,631, which in turn reflected an increase of 718 (+9.1%) from the 7,913 counted in the 2000 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raritan River</span> Major river in the U.S. state of New Jersey

The Raritan River is a major river of New Jersey. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Jersey Route 440</span> State highway in Hudson and Middlesex counties in New Jersey, United States

Route 440 is a state highway in New Jersey, United States. It comprises two segments, a 5.15-mile (8.29 km) freeway in Middlesex County linking Interstate 287 (I-287) and the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95), in Edison to the Outerbridge Crossing in Perth Amboy and an 8.18-mile (13.16 km) four-lane divided highway in Hudson County running from the Bayonne Bridge in Bayonne to U.S. Route 1/9 Truck in Jersey City. These two segments are connected by New York State Route 440 (NY 440), which runs across Staten Island. The freeway portion in Middlesex County is six lanes wide and interchanges with the Garden State Parkway and US 9 in Woodbridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jersey Shore</span> Coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey

The Jersey Shore is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about 141 miles (227 km) of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May Point in the south. The region includes Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, and Cape May counties, which are in the central and southern parts of the state. Located in the center of the Northeast Megalopolis, the northern half of the shore region is part of the New York metropolitan area, while the southern half of the shore region is part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area, also known as the Delaware Valley. The Jersey Shore hosts the highest concentration of oceanside boardwalks in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newark–Trenton Fast Line</span>

The Newark–Trenton Fast Line was an interurban line from Newark, New Jersey to Trenton, New Jersey via Elizabeth and New Brunswick. It was owned and operated by the Public Service Railroad, a subsidiary of the Public Service Corporation of New Jersey.

The Jersey Central Traction Company was a streetcar company in central New Jersey, with its main lines from Red Bank and Highlands to Perth Amboy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Division Street (Chicago)</span> Street in Chicago, Illinois and west suburbs

Division Street is a major east-west street in Chicago, Illinois, located at 1200 North. Division Street begins in the Gold Coast neighborhood near Lake Shore Drive, passes through Polonia Triangle at Milwaukee Avenue into Wicker Park and continues to Chicago's city limits and into the city's western suburbs. Once known as "Polish Broadway" during the heyday of Polish Downtown, Division Street was the favorite street of author Nelson Algren. A fountain dedicated in his name was installed in what had been the area that figured as the inspiration for much of his work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominican Americans</span> Americans of Dominican (Dominican Republic) birth or descent

Dominican Americans are Americans who trace their ancestry to the Dominican Republic. The word may refer to someone born in the United States of Dominican descent or to someone who has migrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic. As of 2021, there were approximately 2.4 million people of Dominican descent in the United States, including both native and foreign-born. They are the second largest Hispanic group in the Northeastern region of the United States after Puerto Ricans, and the fifth-largest Hispanic/Latino group nationwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairhill, Philadelphia</span> Neighborhood of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, United States

Fairhill is a neighborhood on the east side of the North Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Fairhill is bordered by Front Street to the east, Germantown Avenue to the west, Allegheny Avenue to the north, and Cumberland Street to the south. The neighborhood serves as the center of the Hispanic community of Philadelphia, and is known for its "El Centro de Oro" commercial strip along North 5th Street. Fairhill is adjacent to Harrowgate and West Kensington to the east, Hartranft to the south, Glenwood to the west, and Hunting Park to the north.

Harrowgate is a neighborhood in the River Wards section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, located immediately northeast of Kensington adjacent to Kensington Avenue. It is bordered by Feltonville, Juniata and Frankford to the north, Fairhill to the west, West Kensington and Kensington to the south, and Port Richmond and Bridesburg to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raritan Bayshore</span> Region of New Jersey

The Raritan Bayshore is a region in central sections in the state of New Jersey. It is the area around Raritan Bay from The Amboys to Sandy Hook, in Middlesex and Monmouth counties, including the towns of Perth Amboy, South Amboy, Sayreville, Old Bridge, Matawan, Aberdeen, Keyport, Union Beach, Hazlet, Keansburg, Middletown, Atlantic Highlands, and Highlands. It is the northernmost part of the Jersey Shore, located just south of New York City. At Keansburg is a traditional amusement park while at Sandy Hook are found ocean beaches. The Sadowski Parkway beach area in Perth Amboy, which lies at the mouth of the Raritan River, was deemed the "Riviera of New Jersey" by local government. In recent years many of the beaches on the Bayshore area have been rediscovered and upgraded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perth Amboy station</span> NJ Transit rail station

Perth Amboy is a station on NJ Transit's North Jersey Coast Line, located in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. The station is located in a cut between Elm Street and Maple Street and between Smith Street and Market Street in downtown Perth Amboy, and has two low side platforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City ethnic enclaves</span> Ethnic group in New York City

Since its founding in 1625 by Dutch traders as New Amsterdam, New York City has been a major destination for immigrants of many nationalities who have formed ethnic enclaves, neighborhoods dominated by one ethnicity. Freed African American slaves also moved to New York City in the Great Migration and the later Second Great Migration and formed ethnic enclaves. These neighborhoods are set apart from the main city by differences such as food, goods for sale, or even language. Ethnic enclaves provide inhabitants security in work and social opportunities, but limit economic opportunities, do not encourage the development of English speaking, and keep immigrants in their own culture.

The U.S. state of New Jersey is home to significant and growing numbers of people of Hispanic and Latino descent, who in 2018 represented a Census-estimated 20.4% of the state's total population. New Jersey's Latino population comprises substantial concentrations of Dominican Americans, Puerto Rican Americans, Cuban Americans, Mexican Americans, Central Americans, Peruvian Americans, Colombian Americans, and Ecuadorian Americans. New Jersey is also home to a large Brazilian American and Portuguese-speaking population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perth Amboy Ferry Slip</span> United States historic place

The Perth Amboy Ferry Slip, located on the Arthur Kill in Perth Amboy, Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, was once a vital ferry slip for boats in New York Harbor. It was added to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The ferry slip was restored in 1998 to its 1904 appearance. A replica of the ticket office has been constructed and is used as a small museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puerto Ricans in Philadelphia</span> Second largest Puerto Rican community outside of Puerto Rico

Philadelphia has the second largest Puerto Rican community outside of Puerto Rico after New York City. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, an estimated 121,643 Puerto Ricans were living in Philadelphia, up from 91,527 in 2000. Recent 2017 estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau put the number of Puerto Ricans living in Philadelphia at 134,934. In 2019, estimates put the number of Puerto Ricans at 146,153. Many Puerto Ricans in the Philadelphia area have engaged in circular migration in which they spend periods of time living in Philadelphia and periods of time living in Puerto Rico.

References

  1. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 6, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. Silverstein, Marilyn. "Rabbi hopes to bring renaissance to shul" Archived 2012-02-22 at the Wayback Machine , New Jersey Jewish News , June 17, 2004, accessed April 11, 2007. "Once upon a time, Perth Amboy was the hub of a thriving Jewish community, observed Rabbi Israel Einhorn. “Perth Amboy used to be the No. 1 shtetl in New Jersey. They had butchers, bakers, yeshivas,” Einhorn said as he sat in his office at Congregation Shaarey Tefiloh, an Orthodox shul on the waterfront in the economically depressed town."
  3. Paul W. Wang, Katherine A. Massopust - 2009 Perth Amboy - Page 13 0738562416 "It is best known as "the five corners" because one can go in five different directions from this point in Perth Amboy. (Historic image courtesy of Jack M. Dudas Esq.) Shown is upper Smith Street in the late 1930s "
  4. "New Jersey Postal History Society".
  5. "Maurer neighborhood in Perth Amboy, New Jersey (NJ), 08861 subdivision profile - real estate, apartments, condos, homes, community, population, jobs, income, streets".