Location map of Rahway from 1922. The present-day ride to New York by train is typically 38 minutes. Anengraving from 1857 of Main Street in Rahway fromBallou's Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion.The Rahway rail station as it was depicted by an artist in 1857. Flatt's carriage warehouse is at left and Degraw's Hotel is center.Elm Avenue, looking west,c. early 1900s
Built on the navigableRahway River, it was an industrial andartisanal craft city for much of its history. The city has increasingly reinvented itself in recent years as a diverse regional hub for the arts[18][19] andbiological sciences, with a new global headquarters forMerck & Co.
Rahway and the surrounding area were once the home of theLenapeNative Americans, and tradition states that the city was named after Rahwack (or Ra-wa-rah), a local tribal chief.[24][25][26]
Rahway saw action during theAmerican Revolutionary War because of its proximity toStaten Island,Elizabethtown andPerth Amboy. In January 1777, rebels were victorious against the British in theBattle of Spanktown, which resulted in the death of some 100 British troops.[29] The battle was named this after Rahway's original name given to it by the first settlers, Spanktown,[24] which is said to have been chosen "because an early settler publicly took his spouse across his knee and chastised her".[30] Spanktown was mentioned in Revolutionary War military dispatches from January 5, 1777, through March 14, 1782.[31]
TheMerchants and Drovers Tavern is located at the corner of St. Georges and Westfield Avenues. The earliest buildings at the site date to 1795 and the property remains one of Rahway's most prominent historical landmarks.[32]George Washington visited Rahway during his travel toNew York City prior to his presidential inauguration in 1789. A marker across the street from the tavern reads:[33]
Here, on April 23, 1789, on his way to New York City, Washington was received by troops from Elizabethtown and Newark. He was entertained at the inn kept by Samuel Smith by gentlemen of the town.
Following the Revolution, Rahway became the home of the first national mint to create a coin bearing the inscriptionE pluribus unum.[34] AUnited States Post Office established in Rahway was one of only six in the entire state in 1791.
Various historical place markers in town document Rahway Revolutionary War history.[35]
TheWheatena breakfast cereal plant in 1923, with theRahway River at left. The brand promoted a popular radio series starringRaymond Knight: "Wheatenaville, the Rahway factory complex, transformed intoWheatenaville, the 1930s radio serial about a perfect family in a perfect town that ate Wheatena for strength and prosperity."[36]Thetitle page of a work byHenry Drummond and published by the Mershon Company of Rahway, which began as bookbinder W. L. Mershon & Co. in 1877 and became a book publisher in the 1890s.[37]
Rahway grew due to its location along the major stagecoach and railroad lines betweenNew York City andPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania. The navigableRahway River, which flows through the city, also aided the city's commercial growth.
As immigrants fromBritain,Ireland andGermany streamed into what was then Rahway Township in the 1850s, Rahway became incorporated as a city by an act of the State Legislature on April 19, 1858, from portions ofRahway Township in Union andWoodbridge Township inMiddlesex County. In 1860, the portion of Rahway that had been part of Middlesex County was transferred to Union. On March 13, 1861, the remainder of Rahway Township became part of Rahway City.Clark Township was formed from portions of the city on March 23, 1864.[38]
The first municipal elections for the mayor and council were conducted on April 19, 1858, and the council held its first meeting on May 3, 1858. The city's police department and its initial group of four constables were created at that first council meeting.[39]
The city became home to dozens of major manufacturers, including theRegina Music Box Company,Wheatena, Mershon Bros. and, most importantly,Merck & Co., which was established in Rahway in 1903, whenGeorge W. Merck moved his small chemical company to Rahway from New York City.[40]
The national decline in industry afterWorld War II led to the closure of most of Rahway's major manufacturing facilities (except for Merck) and a general deterioration of the city's central business district.[41]
TheRegina Music Box Company at 54 Cherry Street Rahway in 1895. The former factory building has been converted to the Heritage Square condos.
Beginning in the late 1990s, the city launched a plan to revitalize the downtown area and authorized the construction of hundreds of new market-rate housing units, a hotel, art galleries and additional retail space.[42]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 4.04 square miles (10.47 km2), including 3.90 square miles (10.09 km2) of land and 0.15 square miles (0.38 km2) of water (3.59%).[7][43]
TheRahway River travels through Rahway, entering from Clark atRahway River Parkway. The river receives the waters of Robinsons Branch at Elizabeth Avenue between West Grand Avenue and West Main Street, and then receives the waters of the South Branch at East Hazlewood Avenue and Leesville Avenue. The river leaves Rahway at the city limits ofLinden andWoodbridge before flowing into theArthur Kill.[47]
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the city include Inman Heights and North Rahway.[48]
Rahway city, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
The2010 United States census counted 27,346 people, 10,533 households, and 6,815 families in the city. Thepopulation density was 7,016.8 per square mile (2,709.2/km2). There were 11,300 housing units at an average density of 2,899.5 per square mile (1,119.5/km2). The racial makeup was 52.30% (14,301)White, 30.93% (8,457)Black or African American, 0.31% (84)Native American, 4.30% (1,175)Asian, 0.02% (5)Pacific Islander, 8.37% (2,288) fromother races, and 3.79% (1,036) from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.52% (6,433) of the population.[20]
Of the 10,533 households, 28.1% had children under the age of 18; 42.4% were married couples living together; 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present and 35.3% were non-families. Of all households, 29.5% 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 2.58 and the average family size was 3.23.[20]
21.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.8 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 87.1 males.[20]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010American Community Survey showed that (in 2010inflation-adjusted dollars)median household income was $58,551 (with a margin of error of +/− $3,355) and the median family income was $77,268 (+/− $9,506). Males had a median income of $56,572 (+/− $3,375) versus $47,832 (+/− $3,542) for females. Theper capita income for the city was $28,855 (+/− $1,981). About 5.4% of families and 8.7% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.[61]
As of the2000 United States census[15] there were 26,500 people, 10,028 households, and 6,728 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,642.7 inhabitants per square mile (2,564.8/km2). There were 10,381 housing units at an average density of 2,602.2 per square mile (1,004.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 60.19%White, 27.07%African American, 0.16%Native American, 3.58%Asian, 0.05%Pacific Islander, 5.62% fromother races, and 3.33% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino people of any race were 13.87% of the population.[56][57]
There were 10,028 households, out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% weremarried couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.24.[56][57]
In the city the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males.[56][57]
The median income for a household in the city was $50,729, and the median income for a family was $61,931. Males had a median income of $41,047 versus $32,091 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $22,481. About 5.4% of families and 7.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.[56][57]
Main Street in 1920. The red storefront third down from the right is nowcigar lounge Sticks Cigars. The arched-top building to its right (1519 Main) is now home to Fork, an American restaurant and cocktail bar that opened in 2025.[62][63][64] The building across the street at the corner of Cherry (1510 Main) is now aseafood market.The Rahway National Bank, built in 1900 and renovated for office, retail, and restaurant space in the 2020s as The National building.[65]
"Downtown Rahway is a great place. It is a place that emphasizes livability, walkability, shopping, food, art, diversity and a destination. Centered in the heart of the bustling City of Rahway, next to the NJ Transit Station, Rahway's downtown is the building block for this diverse city."[66]
In 2019, the Watt Hotel opened across from thetrain station, with 100 rooms managed byHilton on the third and fourth floors of a 17-story building, a lobby cocktail lounge and a rooftop terrace with a seasonal bar offering views of the city, river and outwards to theWatchung Mountains.[67][68]
Beginning in the early 1990s and continuing through the present day, the City of Rahway has rebounded as its downtown began to see the construction of new restaurants, art galleries, market-rate housing and the old Rahway Theatre reopening as theUnion County Performing Arts Center. The theater underwent a $6.2-million renovation and expansion project, completed in 2007. As part of the expansion, the facility was purchased by the County of Union for $1.3 million and leased back for $1 a year.[69]
In 2021,Merck & Co. announced that it would be returning its global headquarters to its Rahway research campus (currently the largest private employer in Rahway) and former headquarters.[73] In 2024, Merck completed the move of headquarters to Rahway.[74]
The Gallery Space, an art gallery in Rahway. The building was erected in 1869 as the Rahway library and is the second oldest building in New Jersey specifically built as a library.[75]
TAPInto Rahway is a local news site covering Rahway news exclusively, part of theTAPinto network of news in Central and Northern New Jersey.[76]
Rahway Rising is a longstanding news site run by the former editor of the now-defunct newspaperThe Rahway Progress and covering city council meetings with a focus on redevelopment.[77]
Rahway Is Happening! is thenews release arm of the Rahway Special Improvement District, announcing and promoting the arts, festivals, dining, shopping, new and established local businesses, and other downtown culture.[78][79]
Our Town Rahway is a free monthly community newspaper mailed out to residents and published by Renna Media.[80]
Union News Daily. A news outlet covering Union County news, it has a dedicated Rahway section.[81] It is part of LocalSource and published by Worrall Community Newspapers of Union.
Thebook bindery room at Quinn & Boden Company in Rahway in the early 1920s.
In September 1999, remnants ofHurricane Floyd swept across New Jersey and caused severe damage. The Rahway Public Library was on a flood plain and suffered over US$1 million in flood damage. The building was demolished in October 2001 and a new library was constructed and opened on March 22, 2004, behind the city's municipal building along a less flood-prone area of the Rahway River.[83] The site of the former Rahway Public Library now containstennis courts and a small playground. The new library opened in 2004.[84]
Historian and Rahway native Eva Bridges opened the city's Black-owned bookstore, Bridges Book Center Afro-American Research Library & Museum, located at 1480 Main Street, in 1970.[85][86]
The Rahway cityscape has seen several new murals and public art installations in recent years, created by both local and international artists.[89]
In 2025, a large-scale building-wrap mural by the artist James McMenamin of Glossblack LLC, titledGreetings from Rahway, was unveiled at Rahway Train Station Plaza on the former Rahway National Bank.[90][91] The mural also depicts inventorNikola Tesla, who openedTesla Electric Light & Manufacturing in Victorian-era Rahway, pulling a string to light up the lettering.[92]
Muralist Porkchop paintedMermaid, a green mermaid mural along the Paseo, an outdoor plaza area downtown between buildings, in honor of theRahway River.[93][94]
In 2024, a 1,500-square-foot (140 m2) work by muralist DISTORT, titledRahway, Home to Innovation, was unveiled to honor three scientists with ties to the city:Tesla,Carl Sagan, andJeannette Brown.[97][98]
That same year, Peruvian artist Jade Rivera created a mural,La Florista, outside Peruvian restaurant Quilla by Sabor Peruano on Irving Street. The piece incorporates Andean flora, fauna, and a crescent moon representingMama Quilla, the Incan moon goddess. The project was supported in part by the Rahway Special Improvement District and unveiled with city officials and Peruvian Consulate representatives in attendance.[99][100]
Also located on Irving Street isNative Botanicals by local artist Emilio Florentine, a 2023 mural celebrating regional plant life.[101]
On the corner of Main Street and the Paseo, Lawrence Ciarallo’sThe Wings, painted in 2018, remains one of Rahway’s most photographed murals, with large, colorful wings inviting visitors to pose between them.[102]
The First Presbyterian Church of Rahway in anengraving from 1857, looking much the same as it does today.Anengraving from 1857 of St. Paul's Church at 80 Elm Street, erected in 1842. The church is the present-day home to the Word of Life congregation.
The First Presbyterian Church of Rahway was established in 1741 and its current church on Grand and Church Street was built in 1832. It was extensively remodeled in 1876.[103][104][105]
Divine Mercy Parish is aRoman Catholic community of faith in Rahway. Its church on Central Avenue was built in 1888 by Irish architectJeremiah O'Rourke. It was formerly known as St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, which was merged by the Archdiocese with the former St. Mark's German Catholic Church around 2010 to form Divine Mercy Parish.[106][107][108][109]
Built in 1865, theSeventh-day Adventist Church stands at the intersection of Main Street and West Emerson (1221 New Brunswick Avenue).[110] It was formerly the Second Presbyterian, but that congregation merged with the First Presbyterian in 2012.[111]
Trinity Methodist. Founded in 1849, this Methodist group was called Second Methodist. In 1893, the group changed its name to Trinity United Methodist and built the large brick, Romanesque-styled church on the corner of E. Milton Avenue and Main Street.
The city is home to more than ten parks. The best-known isRahway River Park, which is maintained by Union County, and is also partially located inClark. TheRobinson's Branch Reservoir abuts the city at the Madison Hill Bridge on the Clark-Rahway border.
The Walter E. Ulrich swimming pool in Rahway River Park was extensively renovated and retiled in 2021. A beach-style splash feature for children, with an "ocean-like" sloping entry without stairs, was added to the pool that year. The pool is available to Union County residents and their guests for a daily fee.[113]Built in 1929, it was documented by theHistoric American Engineering Record in 1985.[114]
The City of Rahway is governed under theFaulkner Act system of municipal government under theMayor-Council (Plan F), implemented as of January 1, 1955, based on the recommendations of aCharter Study Commission.[115] The township is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government.[116] The city's governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the nine-member City Council. The Mayor is electeddirectly by the voters. The City Council includes nine members, all elected to four-year terms of office. Six members of the council are elected from each of sixwards. The other three members are elected to represent the entire city on anat-large basis. Elections are in even-numbered years, with the six ward seats up together, followed two years later by the three at-large seats and the mayoral seat.[5][117][118][119] Under the City of Rahway's form of government, all executive and administrative authority is vested in the office of the mayor, who appoints the Business Administrator and department directors. The Business Administrator develops an annual budget for the city, manages the city's departments and oversees its employees. This form of government gives citizens a centralized line of authority for the efficient management of the city's business.[2]
As of 2024[update], the mayor of Rahway isDemocrat Raymond A. Giacobbe Jr., whose term of office ends December 31, 2026.[2] The members of the Municipal Council are Jeffrey Brooks (At Large; D, 2026), David Brown (Fourth Ward; D, 2024), Joseph D. Gibilisco (Sixth Ward; D, 2024), Joanna Miles (At Large; D, 2026), Jeremy E. Mojica (At Large; D, 2026), Danielle "Danni" Newbury (Fifth Ward; D, 2024), Al Parker (First Ward; D, 2024), Vannie Deloris Parson (Third Ward; D, 2024), and Karla Timmons (Second Ward; D, 2024).[120][121][122][123]
Union County is governed by aBoard of County Commissioners, whose nine members are electedat-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.[131] As of 2025[update], Union County's County Commissioners are:
Constitutional officers elected on a countywide basis are:Clerk Joanne Rajoppi (D, Union Township, 2025),[142][143]Sheriff Peter Corvelli (D,Kenilworth, 2026)[144][145] andSurrogate Christopher E. Hudak (D,Clark, 2027).[146][147]
As of March 2011, there were a total of 15,719 registered voters in Rahway, of whom 7,159 (45.5% vs. 41.8% countywide) were registered asDemocrats, 1,675 (10.7% vs. 15.3%) were registered asRepublicans and 6,880 (43.8% vs. 42.9%) were registered asUnaffiliated. There were 5 voters registered asLibertarians orGreens.[148] Among the city's 2010 Census population, 57.5% (vs. 53.3% in Union County) were registered to vote, including 73.5% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 70.6% countywide).[148][149]
United States Gubernatorial election results for Rahway[150]
In the2012 presidential election, DemocratBarack Obama received 8,413 votes (74.7% vs. 66.0% countywide), ahead of RepublicanMitt Romney with 2,648 votes (23.5% vs. 32.3%) and other candidates with 107 votes (0.9% vs. 0.8%), among the 11,269 ballots cast by the city's 16,730 registered voters, for a turnout of 67.4% (vs. 68.8% in Union County).[151][152] In the2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 8,340 votes (69.8% vs. 63.1% countywide), ahead of RepublicanJohn McCain with 3,410 votes (28.5% vs. 35.2%) and other candidates with 115 votes (1.0% vs. 0.9%), among the 11,944 ballots cast by the city's 16,039 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.5% (vs. 74.7% in Union County).[153] In the2004 presidential election, DemocratJohn Kerry received 6,512 votes (63.1% vs. 58.3% countywide), ahead of RepublicanGeorge W. Bush with 3,668 votes (35.5% vs. 40.3%) and other candidates with 92 votes (0.9% vs. 0.7%), among the 10,326 ballots cast by the city's 14,471 registered voters, for a turnout of 71.4% (vs. 72.3% in the whole county).[154]
United States presidential election results for Rahway[155]
In the2017 gubernatorial election, DemocratPhil Murphy received 4,489 votes (71.3% vs. 65.2% countywide), ahead of RepublicanKim Guadagno with 1,648 votes (26.2% vs. 32.6%), and other candidates with 160 votes (2.5% vs. 2.1%), among the 6,414 ballots cast by the city's 17,613 registered voters, for a turnout of 36.4%.[156][157] In the2013 gubernatorial election, DemocratBarbara Buono received 55.4% of the vote (3,211 cast), ahead of RepublicanChris Christie with 43.0% (2,494 votes), and other candidates with 1.6% (93 votes), among the 5,934 ballots cast by the city's 16,359 registered voters (136 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 36.3%.[158][159] In the2009 gubernatorial election, DemocratJon Corzine received 3,961 ballots cast (57.4% vs. 50.6% countywide), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 2,451 votes (35.5% vs. 41.7%), IndependentChris Daggett with 366 votes (5.3% vs. 5.9%) and other candidates with 68 votes (1.0% vs. 0.8%), among the 6,895 ballots cast by the city's 15,842 registered voters, yielding a 43.5% turnout (vs. 46.5% in the county).[160]
United States Senate election results for Rahway1[161]
TheRahway Public Schools serve students inpre-kindergarten throughtwelfth grade.[163] As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of six schools, had an enrollment of 4,056 students and 325.5 classroom teachers (on anFTE basis), for astudent–teacher ratio of 12.5:1.[164] Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from theNational Center for Education Statistics[165]) are Grover Cleveland Elementary School[166] with 513 students in grades PreK-6, Franklin Elementary School[167] with 618 students in grades PreK-6, Madison Elementary School[168] with 341 students in grades PreK-6, Roosevelt Elementary School[169] with 578 students in grades PreK-6, Rahway 7th & 8th Grade Academy[170] with 730 students in grades 7-8 andRahway High School[171] with 1,124 students in grades 9-12.[172][173]
According to recently resurfaced 19th century lore, CaptainWilliam Kidd buried treasure in the Rahway area, alongside the body of one of his men he had just murdered.
The location of this pirate treasure was said to be on the southern banks of theRahway River at a spot called Price's or Post's Woods, said to be midway between Rahway and theArthur Kill.
The murder and burial of treasure was witnessed secretly from a tree, allegedly, by aLenape chieftain known as Ra-wa-rah who is the namesake of the city of Rahway. Ra-wa-rah allegedly witnessed the murder and burial of treasure while returning from a fishing journey.[177]
East Jersey State Prison, formerly known as Rahway State Prison, actually is located inWoodbridge Township at the border with Rahway. The prison's mailing address is in Rahway, leading many to believe the facility was located there. The prison's official name was changed to East Jersey State Prison as of November 30, 1988, at the request of the citizens of Rahway.[178] East Jersey State Prison is seen at the beginning of the movieOcean's Eleven, starringGeorge Clooney. The 1978 documentaryScared Straight was filmed there, as was the 1989 movieLock Up, starringSylvester Stallone. The prison was briefly mentioned inJohn SaylesCity of Hope (1991).[179]
TheRahway murder of 1887 was the unsolved murder of an unidentified young woman whose body was found in the city on March 25, 1887, garnering attention from the press and the public.[180]
As of 2010, the city had a total of 73.67 miles (118.56 km) of roadways, of which 59.18 miles (95.24 km) were maintained by the municipality, 10.45 miles (16.82 km) by Union County and 4.04 miles (6.50 km) by theNew Jersey Department of Transportation.[181]
Rahway Train Station[183] servesNJ Transit'sNorth Jersey Coast Line andNortheast Corridor Line.[184][185] The City of Rahway and NJ Transit helped fund a $16 million renovation for the station in 1999 and a public plaza in front of the station was completed in 2001, changes that have spurred cleanup and revitalization downtown.[186] A new US$11.2 million 524-space parking deck opened across the street from the station in January 2005, helping train commuters and allowing the city to transform old parking lot space into new buildings and residences.[187] A typical train ride to New York City'sPennsylvania Station takes 38 minutes.
Clifford P. Case (1904–1982), Representative of the Sixth District of New Jersey in the House of Representatives (1945–1954); United States Senator (R-NJ) 1955–1979[206]
Allan Vache (born 1953), jazz clarinetist; younger brother of Vaché Jr.[246]
Warren Vaché Jr. (born 1951), jazz cornetist and veteran of the groups of Benny Goodman, Rosemary Clooney, Benny Carter, Annie Ross and many other jazz notables[246][247]
^Kudisch, Brianna."This small N.J. city has been quietly reinventing itself into an arts hub", NJ Advance Media forNJ.com, February 15, 2020. Accessed February 22, 2022. "Rahway, she said, has spent the last 20 years working to fill its streets with art, music, comedy, and theater in the hopes that they would spur additional development throughout the Union County city of 30,000."
^"Rahway Adds to Its Resume as Hub for the Arts",New Jersey Monthly, July 16, 2012. Accessed February 22, 2022. "In recent years, the arts have been central to the city’s revitalization plans, as highlighted by the 2008 launch of the Union County Performing Arts Center in the renovated Rahway Theater. Now as an extension of UC PAC, comes the sparkling new Hamilton Stage for the Performing Arts, which will open its doors in September."
^History, Dr. Wm. Robinson Plantation Museum. Accessed May 22, 2013.
^History, City of Rahway. Accessed May 20, 2022. "In January 1777, the Battle of Spanktown was fought on St. Georges Avenue in the vicinity of Robinson's Branch and the North Branch of the Rahway River. The battle lasted twelve hours with the rebels getting the best of the British, who lost almost one hundred men."
^Hill, Raven."Colonial coin found at old home in Franklin",Home News Tribune, April 13, 2003. Accessed May 20, 2012. "It turned out to be a New Jersey Copper, minted in Rahway or Morristown between 1786 and 1790, the first coins to bear the national motto, 'E Pluribus Unum.'"
^HistoryArchived 2013-06-15 atarchive.today, Rahway Police. Accessed May 22, 2013. "The Rahway Police Department was officially established on May 3, 1858, at the first meeting of the city council."
^"Work Under Way On Downtown Watt Hotel", Rahway Rising, October 23, 2017. Accessed March 5, 2023. "Work began earlier this month on the Watt Hotel, including new signage on the facade of the downtown building in recent weeks.... The 100-room hotel includes almost 17,000 square feet of retail space in the first four floors. Bridgeton Holdings plans to renovate about 6,000 square feet on the ground floor for the lobby area, housing a casual drinks and dining option. The commercial space occupies the first two floors of the building and the hotel occupies the third and fourth floors of the 17-story Carriage City Plaza."
^Russell, Suzanne."Merck builds in Rahway ahead of global headquarters relocation",Courier News, April 19, 2021, updated May 10, 2021. Accessed October 19, 2022. "In a return to its roots, Merck will be moving its global headquarters back to the city, and that's welcome news to Mayor Raymond Giacobbe. Giacobbe announced the news as part of his virtual 2021 State of the City address last week. Merck plans to relocate its headquarters from Kenilworth to Rahway next year."
^Home Page,Suburban News. Accessed August 14, 2017.
^Russell, Suzanne C."Rahway FEMA action closes books on Rahway's flood-damaged library",Home News Tribune, November 14, 1999. Accessed May 20, 2012. "The flood-damaged Rahway Public Library will never reopen at the St. Georges Avenue building because Federal Emergency Management Agency officials have deemed the damage too severe. Instead, a new library and technology center are planned by the city for the 40,000-square-foot SDI Technologies building on Main Street, Rahway officials said."
^Union County Performing Arts Center, Visit New Jersey. Accessed March 25, 2022. "The Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) operates in the historic Rahway Theatre and offers a variety of live music concerts, theater, dance, comedy and more each season."
^Public Art, Rahway Special Improvement District. Accessed April 5, 2025. "The theme of this mural relates to climate change resiliency and coastal flooding awareness. A river goddess is surrounded by native aquatic animals commonly found in the Rahway River Watershed."
^Rahway City Council, City of Rahway. Accessed August 16, 2021. "The Municipal Council is made up of nine (9) members elected by the citizens of Rahway. There are six (6) wards in the City of Rahway and a Councilmember is elected by the citizens from each respective ward. There are three (3) Councilmembers-at-large who represent the entire City and run with the Mayor. All Councilmembers are part-time."
^City Council, City of Rahway. Accessed April 19, 2024.
^Rahway Board of Education District Policy 9000 - Role of the Board, Rahway Public Schools. Accessed March 3, 2020. "The Rahway Board of Education is constituted, authorized, and governed by New Jersey statutes and exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free pre-K-12 public education in the Rahway Public School District. The school district is comprised of all of the area within the municipal boundaries of the City of Rahway."
^Al Shipley, City Historian and Rahway Library Research Consultant.OUR TOWN Rahway • Page 8 • August 2015 • "Lafayette’s Visit to Rahway in 1824."
^Heinrich, Adam R., and Brock Giordano. “Late-Nineteenth-Century Foodways in the ‘Garden State’ at the Woodruff House, Rahway, New Jersey: Insights from Small Faunal and Large Macrobotanical Samples.” Historical Archaeology, vol. 49, no. 4, 2015, pp. 12–29. JSTOR,http://www.jstor.org/stable/2475703
^Martin, Antoinette."Can a Face Lift Offer a New Identity?",The New York Times, October 29, 2006. Accessed May 20, 2012. "Rahway's train station, transformed after a $16 million renovation, is in the heart of its compact downtown, offering commuters a direct trip to Penn Station in Manhattan, about 15 miles northeast of here, or to Penn Station in Newark or to Trenton."
^New Jersey Aviation History, New Jersey Aviation Hall of Fame. Accessed September 21, 2015. "1909 – Rahway's Boland brothers built and flew the state's first fixed-wing aircraft. They were also the first to fly in South America."
^Van Hoesen, Walter Hamilton.Crafts and Craftsmen of New Jersey, p. 70.Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1973.ISBN9780838610800. Accessed September 21, 2015. "Brokaw was born in Raritan, Somerset County, in 1746, and died in 1826.... Isaac began his trade in Elizabeth around 1770 and remained there until 1790, when he removed to Bridge Town, on the south side of the Rahway River, which is now known as Rahway."
^Mains, George Preston.James Monroe Buckley,Westphalia Press. Accessed October 19, 2022. "James Monroe Buckley was born in Rahway, NJ on December 16, 1836."
^Kania, Joe."Wrestling: Rahway's Darrion Caldwell wins homecoming fight in Atlantic City",The Star-Ledger, May 3, 2014. Accessed May 30, 2016. "Caldwell, who won three New Jersey state wrestling titles for Rahway just down the boardwalk at Boardwalk Hall, earned a submission in 1:38 over Joe Pingitore to improve to 5–0 on his career and 2–0 since entering the Bellator."
^Carino, Jerry."In Jeff Lubreski, Plainfield's loss is Rahway's gain",Courier News, July 1, 2015. Accessed September 21, 2015. "Not that Rahway is a basketball wasteland. The Indians produced Earl Clark and Louis Campbell, among others, and achieved steady success under previous coach Kevin Conroy."
^Gado, Mark.Death Row Women: Murder, Justice, and the New York Press, p. 94.Greenwood Publishing Group, 2008.ISBN9780275993610. Accessed July 26, 2019. "Of all of the women executed in New York during the twentieth century, Mary Frances Creighton received the least sympathy from the public -- and this may be deservedly so. Mary Frances Avery was born in the suburban city of Rahway, New Jersey, in 1899."
^Wallye."The story of the Assemblyman who got caught stealing an air conditioner",PolitickerNJ, May 7, 2009. Accessed September 21, 2015. "Arnold D'Ambrosa was the 40-year-old Rahway Democratic Municipal Chairman and Public Works Director when he was elected to the State Assembly in 1973.... In July 1974, six months after taking office, D'Ambrosa was arrested on charges that he sold an air conditioner owned by Rahway for $600, pocketing the money, and he took a $200 bribe from a contractor."
^Downer, Harry E.History of Davenport and Scott County Iowa: Illustrated, Volume 1, p. 856. S.J. Clarke, 1910. Accessed September 21, 2015. "Acting upon this advice he went to New Jersey and stopped at the pleasant village of Rahway, where he remained some time and then went to Carlisle, Pennsylvania."
^Sutherland, Emily."Hall of Honor: Evie"Archived September 17, 2015, at theWayback Machine,Homecoming magazine, August 1, 2011. Accessed September 21, 2015. "Born: 1957 in Rahway, New Jersey"
^Bodovitz, Sandra."'Forgotten' Sculptor Has Day In Gallery",The New York Times, June 15, 1986. Accessed September 21, 2015. "Born in the Union County community of Rahway in 1790, Frazee first demonstrated his novel style by carving tombstones, many of which still dot New Jersey cemeteries."
^Milton Friedman – Biographical,Nobel Prize. Accessed August 4, 2013. "When I was a year old, my parents moved to Rahway, N.J., a small town about 20 miles from New York City."
^Antonio GarayArchived 2007-03-28 at theWayback Machine,Chicago Bears. Accessed May 17, 2007. "Earned Prep Star All-American and All-New Jersey Group III honors as a senior at Rahway H.S. in Rahway, N.J. after totaling 141 tackles and 10 sacks in his final season... Outstanding wrestler who was tabbed the 275-pound national champion by the National High School Coaches' Association"
^About WayneArchived 2007-09-26 at theWayback Machine, Congressman Wayne Gilchrest. Accessed May 17, 2007. "Born in Rahway, New Jersey, he was the fourth of Elizabeth and Arthur Gilchrest's six boys."
^Kagan, Jerome.An Argument for Mind, p. 4.Yale University Press, 2007.ISBN9780300126037. Accessed May 30, 2014. "Rahway, New Jersey, a town twenty miles south of New York City, with a population of about twenty thousand in my childhood, had a relatively large working-class population and a small group of Jewish merchants, including my father."
^Moriarty, Thomas."Trump will name this Christie ally from Jersey to federal judgeship", NJ Advance Media forNJ.com, April 10, 2018, updated January 30, 2019. Accessed January 21, 2021. "Matey, a 47-year-old who was born in Edison and raised in Rahway, spent four years under Christie at the U.S. Attorney's Office before joining him in Trenton."
^Jennings, Duffy."Meet Richard Moran, Menlo College", Joint Venture Silicon Valley, April 2015. Accessed May 24, 2021. "Moran grew up in a traditional Irish Catholic family in the southern New Jersey town of Rahway, best known, he quickly points out, for the state penitentiary there."
^Weber, Bruce."Dory Previn, Songwriter, Is Dead at 86",The New York Times, February 14, 2012. May 20, 2012. "Dorothy Veronica Langan was born in New Jersey — sources differ on the town, Rahway or Woodbridge — on Oct. 22, 1925, and she grew up in Woodbridge."
^Goldberg, Marv."The Concords", Marv Goldberg's Yesterday's Memories Rhythm & Blues Party. Accessed September 21, 2015. "Enter Pearl Reaves, a singer originally from Raleigh, North Carolina, who had moved to Rahway, New Jersey in the late 40s."
^Kochakian, Dan. "Pearl Reaves",Women, Whiskey and..., December 1985, Issue 15. pp. 25-27.
^Freddie Russo, New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame. Accessed June 2, 2022. "Freddie Russo was born in Brooklyn, New York on October 3, 1924. His family moved to Rahway, New Jersey and that city became the home base for one of the classiest boxer-punchers of that era."
^Mark Slonaker,Georgia Bulldogs. Accessed July 12, 2016. "A native of Rahway, N.J., Slonaker lettered for the Bulldogs (1976–79) and was co-captain of coach Hugh Durham's first team at Georgia in '79."
^Staff."Sagal adds edge to FX's new 'Sons'",Philadelphia Daily News, September 3, 2008. Accessed May 20, 2012. "Created by Kurt Sutter, a New Jersey native whose biography boasts that he was 'raised in the shadow of Rahway prison' and spent much of his childhood indoors, away from people, three feet from a TV screen."
^Cheney, Margaret."Tesla: Man Out of Time". Accessed June 5, 2007. "The Tesla Electric Light Company was formed, with headquarters at Rahway, New Jersey, and a branch office in New York.
^abStaff."Vaches Now a Brother Act",St. Paul Pioneer Press, April 1, 1993. Accessed December 28, 2010. "The best place to freelance Allan figured is the New York area So he moved back to his and Warren's nearby hometown Rahway NJ."
^Rodriguez, Alex W."Jazz happenings for the week of Dec. 22",The Star-Ledger, December 22, 2010. Accessed March 29, 2025. "Rahway native Warren Vache, a mainstay on the local jazz scene for many years, brings his trumpet to Shanghai Jazz Club tonight for an evening of straight-ahead swing."
^Dudas, Margaret A."Jazz man heading back to his roots",The Star-Ledger, February 22, 1996. Accessed March 29, 2025, viaNewspapers.com. "Not that good sound is anything is nothing new to the son of Rahway residents Madeline and Warren Vache Sr. and the brother of clarinetist Allan."
^Johnson, Robert."Looking Back Is Not an Option",The New York Times, November 28, 2004. Accessed October 19, 2007. "He is also promoting his new book "Medicine, Science and Merck" (Cambridge University Press), written with Louis Galambos, describing his path from son of a luncheonette owner in Rahway, N.J., to leader of a pharmaceutical giant."
^"Tigers Sign Joe Williams Of Rahway",Asbury Park Press, April 10, 1970. Accessed March 29, 2025, viaNewspapers.com. "Joe Williams of Rahway, one of the highest scoring gridders in New Jersey scholastic football history and a pro star for the last seven years, is the first player to sign with the newly formed Jersey Tigers of the Atlantic Coast League. Williams played for Rahway High School, the University of Iowa, and for Winnipeg in the Canadian League."
^Staff."Rahway's Own, Shanice Williams plays 'Dorothy' inThe Wiz Live",Suburban News, December 8, 2015. Accessed May 30, 2016. "On the evening of Dec. 4, the Rahway community gathered at the town's high school to celebrate the success of yet another of 'Rahway's Own', Shanice Williams, who won the coveted role of Dorothy in NBC's network television premiere ofThe Wiz Live!"
United States
New Jersey
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