Highland Park is a borough in Middlesex County, in the central region of the U.S. state of New Jersey, in the New York City metropolitan area. The borough is located on the northern banks of the Raritan River, in the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 15,072, an increase of 1,090 (+7.8%) from the 2010 census count of 13,982, which in turn had reflected a decline of 17 (−0.1%) from the 13,999 counted at the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.
Highland Park was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 15, 1905, when it broke away from what was then known as Raritan Township (present-day Edison).Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 170. Accessed May 28, 2024. The borough was named for its location above the Raritan River.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 1, 2015.
History The earliest settlers of the land that would become Highland Park were the Lenape Native Americans. They hunted in the hills along the Raritan River, which had trails that crisscrossed the area. The trail helped provide a link between the Delaware River and Hudson River areas.Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living In/Highland Park, N.J.; Small in Size but Large in Diversity", The New York Times, October 8, 2000. Accessed December 4, 2019. "Raritan Avenue was originally part of the Leni Lenape Indian Assunpink Trail, a path that connected the Hudson and Delaware River Valleys." In 1685, John Inian bought land on both shores of the Raritan River and built two new landings downstream from the Assunpink Trail's fording place, which was later developed as Raritan Landing. He established a ferry service, and the main road was then redirected to lead straight to the ferry landing. This river crossing was run by generations of different owners, and a ferry house tavern operated for many years in the 18th century.Kolva, Jeanne; and Pisciotta, Joanne. Highland Park; Borough of Homes, pp. 18–19. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2005. . Accessed May 1, 2012. A toll bridge replaced the ferry in 1795. The wood plank Albany Street Bridge was dismantled in 1848 and reconstructed in 1853. The present-day seven-span stone arch road bridge was built in 1892 and stretches across the Raritan River to New Brunswick.Richman, Steven M. The Bridges of New Jersey: Portraits of Garden State Crossings, p. 24. Accessed December 15, 2019. "Originally built in 1892, the Albany Street Bridge in New Brunswick was altered in 1924, widened in 1929 and 1954, and fitted with a new deck and railings in 1985.... The seven spans of this 595-foot-long bridge carry Albany Street, with its portion of Route 27 (also known as the Lincoln Highway), through New Brunswick and across the Raritan River to Highland Park." It became the Lincoln Highway Bridge in 1914 and was widened in 1925.Hatala, Greg. "Glimpse of History: A crossing spot that spans centuries", The Star-Ledger, February 12, 2012, updated March 30, 2019. Accessed December 15, 2019. "A stone-arch bridge was built in 1892 and widened in 1925. The Albany Street Bridge has undergone many renovations, but the stone base constructed in 1892 still serves as its foundation."
In the late 17th century, Henry Greenland became one of the area's first European settlers; he owned nearly of land on the Mill Brook section of the Assunpink Trail, where he operated an inn for travelers. Other early settlers included Captain Francis Drake and other members of the Drake family, relatives of the famous explorer. In the early 18th century, a few wealthy Europeans, including the Van Horns and Merrills, settled on large tracts of land, establishing an isolated farmstead pattern of development that would continue for the next 150 years.Ducca Sr., William F. "Highland Park - Its Beginnings", Rutgers University. Accessed May 1, 2012.
The Reverend John Henry Livingston of the famous Livingston family, newly chosen head of Queen's College (now Rutgers University), purchased a plot of land in 1809, which would hereafter be known as the Livingston Manor. A gracious Greek Revival house built around 1843 by Robert and Louisa Livingston stands on this property, which remains Highland Park's most prominent historic house. The Livingston Homestead, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, was owned by the Waldron family throughout most of the 20th century.Spies, Stacy. National Register nomination for Livingston Homestead (Washington, D.C., National Park Service, 2001).
In the early 19th century, both the Delaware & Raritan Canal and a railroad were constructed largely to serve the commercial center of New Brunswick across the river. In 1836, the New Jersey Railroad and Transportation Company built a rail line that terminated on the Highland Park side of the Raritan River and established a station named "East New Brunswick."Kolva, Jeanne. History of Highland Park, Borough of Highland Park. Accessed February 24, 2024. "The native Lenape people inhabited this hilly land beside the gently flowing Raritan River, and their trails crisscrossed the land. One of the earliest recorded European settlers in the Highland Park area was Henry Greenland, who owned 384 acres of land and operated an inn along the Mill Brook section of the Assunpink Trail during the late 1600s. " The Camden and Amboy Railroad built a wood, double-deck bridge, which eliminated the station stop in 1838. It was destroyed by a suspicious fire in 1878. A replacement iron truss bridge was constructed on the existing enlarged stone piers, which in turn was replaced in 1902 by the current twelve-span stone arch bridge encased in concrete in the 1940s.A Brief History of Highland Park, NJ, The Highland Park Historical Society. Accessed December 4, 2019.
Despite the canal and the railroad, Highland Park's land continued to be used for agriculture. Residential development slowly began 30 years later. Several stately houses were constructed on Adelaide Avenue, and more modest houses were constructed on Cedar, First, and Second Avenues and Magnolia, Benner, and Johnson Streets. In the 1870s, the small hamlet became better known as "Highland Park", a name derived from the suburban housing development. Although the area adjacent to the railroad tracks continued to be called "East New Brunswick." 1870 was also the year in which Highland Park was annexed to the newly formed township now called Edison, but at the time called Raritan Township.
Highland Park had its own school district and on March 15, 1905, the Borough of Highland Park was formed. Highland Park's drive for independence from Raritan Township arose over the issue of public schooling. Residents wanted an independent school system and there was a related dispute over school taxes. The fire department, which had formed in 1899, also wanted more local control over their affairs. The 1905 New Jersey census counted 147 dwellings in the new borough. In 1918, Robert Wood Johnson II was appointed to the Highland Park Council and became mayor in 1920. His summer house and estate was located on River Road, just north of the railroad tracks.
Since its establishment as a borough, Highland Park's lands have been parceled into ever-smaller suburban residential plots. Planned developments included Watson Whittlesey's Livingston Manor development begun in 1906; the Viehmann Tract, also on the north side; Riverview Terrace on the south side; Raritan Park Terrace in the triangle between Raritan and Woodbridge Avenues; and East New Brunswick Heights in the Orchard Heights neighborhood. It has taken years of continuously constructing houses and apartment buildings to create the largely residential borough.
Highland Park's industrial development in the 19th and 20th centuries included such businesses as a brewery, Johnson & Johnson, The John Waldron Machine Company, Turner Tubes, and the Janeway & Carpender Wallpaper factory. The borough is the birthplace of the Band-Aid. and Flako Products packaged mixes for baked goods. However, the industrial nature of the borough completely declined by the 1960s. The commercial zones along both Raritan and Woodbridge Avenues continue to thrive with "mom & pop" shops, many that have lasted for generations.
Throughout the 20th century, Highland Park's religious institutions, educational facilities, and municipal governance have kept pace with the growth of the borough. The trends of local autonomy and control that shaped Highland Park in the past continue to this day.
In 2012, Highland Park became the first municipality in the state to contract a home performance company to help residents consume less energy. The program is a one-of-a-kind program that can offer up to a 30% energy savings for homeowners.
In 2016, Highland Park became the state's first registered HeartSafe community.Staff. "Highland Park—New Jersey's First HeartSafe Municipality", Jewish Link of New Jersey, May 19, 2016. Accessed June 20, 2017. "On April 5, the Council of the Borough of Highland Park designated the municipality as the first HeartSafe Community in the state of New Jersey."
Livingston Manor Historic District
Livingston Manor was a subdivision built upon the lands surrounding the Livingston Homestead. This subdivision was the brainchild of Watson Whittlesey (1863–1914), a real estate developer born in Rochester, New York. Whittlesey was more than a typical land speculator; he was a community builder, which was noted by his residency in various Livingston Manor houses from 1906 to 1914, and by his active involvement in the municipal affairs of Highland Park. Instead of auctioning lots like his 19th century predecessors, Whittlesey sold subdivided lots with either a house completely built by his company or with the promise of providing a company-constructed house similar to those previously constructed.Livingston Manor Historic District, Highland Park Historical Society. Accessed October 6, 2014.
The suburban development grew between 1906 and 1925, when Whittlesey's company, the Livingston Manor Corporation and its successor, the Highland Park Building Company, constructed single-family houses from plans produced by a select group of architects. While a variety of building types and styles are present on each block, the buildings in the district are distinguished by the use of specific building plans found nowhere else in Highland Park and by the embellishments that are typical of the Craftsman philosophy, which emphasized the value of the labor of skilled artisans who showed pride in their abilities.