Helmetta, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,825 people, 746 households, and 495 families residing in the borough. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,153.6 people per square mile (829.0/km2). There were 769 housing units at an average density of 907.5 per square mile (349.3/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 93.15% White, 2.41% African American, 0.22% Native American, 2.41% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.88% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.32% of the population.
There were 746 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the borough the population was spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 44.1% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 6.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $60,125, and the median income for a family was $64,659. Males had a median income of $47,604 versus $33,929 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the borough was $26,668. About 3.2% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
The major thoroughfare in the borough is County Route 615County Route 615 (Middlesex County, New Jersey)
County Route 615 is a county route in Middlesex County, New Jersey that measures in length. The road extends from Mercer CR 615 at the Plainsboro/West Windsor line all the way to So. Pine Ave in South Amboy, New Jersey. While most of 615 is not used a commuter road, the section in the...
which connects with Monroe to the southwest and Spotswood to the northeast.
The New Jersey Turnpike
New Jersey Turnpike
The New Jersey Turnpike is a toll road in New Jersey, maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. According to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, the Turnpike is the nation's sixth-busiest toll road and is among one of the most heavily traveled highways in the United...
(Route 95
Interstate 95 in New Jersey
Interstate 95 is a major Interstate Highway that traverses the full extent of the East Coast of the United States, from Florida to Maine...
) is accessible in neighboring Monroe Township at Exit 8A.
Local government
Helmetta is governed under the BoroughBorough (New Jersey)
A borough in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....
form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office and only votes in case of a tie on the council. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.
, the Mayor of Helmetta Borough is Nancy Martin, whose term of office ends December 31, 2011. Members of the Helmetta Borough Council are Council President Sewell Peckham (2011), Vincent Asciolla (2012), Robert Janeczek (2012), Peter Karczewski (2013), Joseph Perez (2013) and Patrick Smith (2011).
Federal, state and county representation
Helmetta is in the 12th Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 18th state legislative district.Education
All public school students from Helmetta, a non-operating district, attend the Spotswood Public SchoolsSpotswood Public Schools
The Spotswood Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in prekindergarten through twelfth grade from Spotswood, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States....
, along with students from Milltown
Milltown, New Jersey
Milltown is a Borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 6,893.Milltown was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on January 29, 1889, from portions of North Brunswick Township, based on the...
who attend Spotswood High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship
Sending/receiving relationship
A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts have grown as part of a historical relationship...
.
The Spotswood Public Schools serve students in prekindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2008-09 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics
National Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
) are
G. Austin Schoenly School (Pre-K to 1st grade; 227 students),
E. R. Appleby School (grades 2-5; 465),
Memorial Middle School (grades 6-8; 337) and
Spotswood High School
Spotswood High School (New Jersey)
Spotswood High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school, serving students in ninth through twelfth grade in Spotswood, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Spotswood Public Schools....
(grades 9-12; 733).
G. W. Helme Snuff Mill District
Helmetta's main landmark is the large, abandoned Helme Products Inc. plant that sits adjacent to the Camden and Amboy Railroad line running through town (map showing Helmetta on a Camden and Amboy Railroad route). The mill began producing snuff in the 1880s. On February 23, 1900, the mill was bought by the American-Sniff Company in a merger with Helme Products Inc., but the merger was dissolved in 1911. In 1925, the mill became the largest of its kind in the world, and by 1934 it employed 400 people. In 1986, the mill was bought out by American Maize-Products. Finally, in 1993, it was purchased by Swisher International, and operations were moved to Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. It has remained inactive since.
The G. W. Helme Snuff Mill District is a classic example of a late 1800s mill town. The district consists of the George Washington Helme
George Washington Helme
George Washington Helme , the founder of Helmetta, New Jersey, was the ninth child and fifth son of Major Oliver Helme by his second wife Sarah Pease Fish....
snuff mill, housing for employees, accessory buildings, St. George Episcopal Church, Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church, and Helmetta Pond, which at one time served as a source of power for the mill. About 115 buildings were originally in the district, which was named to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places on February 1, 1980, and to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, New Jersey on August 15, 1980.
Notable residents
- Joseph Sinagra (born 1946) held a seat on the Helmetta Planning Board, was Emergency Management Coordinator, served on several committees as a Helmetta Councilman from 1989-99, also serving as Council President for seven years. He also served as Chairman of the Helmetta Republican Party, is the current Vice-Chair, was the 2005 Republican nominee for Middlesex County Clerk, was a RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidate in 2006 for U.S. Congress in New Jersey's 12th congressional districtNew Jersey's 12th congressional districtNew Jersey's Twelfth Congressional district is currently represented by Democrat Rush D. Holt Jr. The district is known for its research centers and educational institutions such as Princeton University, Institute for Advanced Study, Johnson & Johnson and Bristol-Myers Squibb.-Voting trends:The...
and the 18th district18th Legislative District (New Jersey)New Jersey's 18th Legislative District is one of 40 in the state, covering the Middlesex County municipalities of East Brunswick Township, Edison Township, Helmetta Borough, Metuchen Borough, South Plainfield Borough, South River Borough and Spotswood Borough As of the 2000 United States Census,...
's candidate in 2007 and 2009 for New Jersey's General Assembly.
External links
- Official Website
- Middlesex County municipal contact information for Helmetta Borough
- Middlesex County profile for Helmetta Borough
- Spotswood Public Schools
- Data for the Spotswood Public Schools, National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
- Helmetta Historical Society