Location of Bloomsbury in Hunterdon County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Hunterdon County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Bloomsbury was once known as "Johnson's Iron Works", owned by Robert Johnson, on the north bank of the river. The current name is derived either from the Bloom family, influential in the early history of the town, or from the iron ore processed into masses of wrought iron that are known as "blooms".[22]
Of the 337 households, 38.6% had children under the age of 18; 57.3% were married couples living together; 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present and 29.7% were non-families. Of all households, 24.0% were made up of individuals and 6.8% 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 3.09.[18]
27.0% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 31.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 105.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 101.6 males.[18]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $98,571 (with a margin of error of +/− $19,026) and the median family income was $106,324 (+/− $11,687). Males had a median income of $71,000 (+/− $9,149) versus $50,417 (+/− $7,595) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $42,141 (+/− $6,038). About 2.6% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.[32]
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census,[15] there were 886 people, 322 households, and 252 families residing in the borough. The population density was 975.5 inhabitants per square mile (376.6/km2). There were 342 housing units at an average density of 376.6 per square mile (145.4/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.19% White, 0.34% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.47% of the population.[30][31]
There were 322 households, out of which 45.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.1% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.7% were non-families. 15.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.11.[30][31]
In the borough, the population was spread out, with 29.8% under the age of 18, 3.8% from 18 to 24, 38.4% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.[30][31] The median income for a household in the borough was $64,375, and the median income for a family was $67,500. Males had a median income of $51,053 versus $33,750 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $26,392. About 4.8% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.[30][31]
Government
Local government
Bloomsbury 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.[33] The governing body is comprised of a mayor and a borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A 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 Bloomsbury 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.[34][35]
As of 2024[update], the mayor of Bloomsbury is Republican Vicky Papics, whose term of office ends December 31, 2027. Members of the Borough Council are Todd Dangelo (R, 2025), Megan Henry (R, 2024), Scott McClaymont (R, 2025), Jaime Newman (R, 2026; appointed to serve an unfilled term of office), Chris Smith (R, 2024) and Daniel J. Smith (R, 2026).[3][36][22][37][38][39][40]
Federal, state and county representation
Bloomsbury is located in the 7th Congressional District[41] and is part of New Jersey's 23rd state legislative district.[42][43][44]
Hunterdon County is governed by a Board of County Commissioners comprised of five members who are elected at-large on a partisan basis to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats up for election each year as part of the November general election. At an annual reorganization meeting held each January, the commissioners select one member to serve as the board's Director and another to serve as Deputy Director, each for a one-year term.[48] As of 2025[update], Hunterdon County's Commissioners are
Director John E. Lanza (R; Raritan Township, 2025),[49]
Deputy Director Shaun C. Van Doren (R; Tewksbury Township, 2026),[50]
Jeff Kuhl (R; Raritan Township, 2027),[51]
Zachary T. Rich (R; West Amwell Township, 2025)[52] and
Susan Soloway (R; Franklin Township, 2027).[53][54]
As of March 2011, there were a total of 546 registered voters in Bloomsbury, of which 120 (22.0%) were registered as Democrats, 227 (41.6%) were registered as Republicans and 199 (36.4%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties.[61]
In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 55.3% of the vote (223 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 42.7% (172 votes), and other candidates with 2.0% (8 votes), among the 404 ballots cast by the borough's 561 registered voters (1 ballot was spoiled), for a turnout of 72.0%.[62][63] In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 55.0% of the vote (254 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 42.6% (197 votes) and other candidates with 1.7% (8 votes), among the 462 ballots cast by the borough's 551 registered voters, for a turnout of 83.8%.[64] In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 64.1% of the vote (302 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 33.5% (158 votes) and other candidates with 1.6% (9 votes), among the 471 ballots cast by the borough's 563 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 83.7.[65]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 73.0% of the vote (189 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 25.1% (65 votes), and other candidates with 1.9% (5 votes), among the 260 ballots cast by the borough's 551 registered voters (1 ballot was spoiled), for a turnout of 47.2%.[66][67] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 62.1% of the vote (210 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 22.2% (75 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 12.4% (42 votes) and other candidates with 1.8% (6 votes), among the 338 ballots cast by the borough's 549 registered voters, yielding a 61.6% turnout.[68]
Education
The Bloomsbury School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade at Bloomsbury Public School.[69][70][71] As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 96 students and 15.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 6.2:1.[72] In the 2016–17 school year, the district had the 11th-smallest enrollment of any school district in the state.[73] The district participates in the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program, having been approved on November 2, 1999, as one of the first ten districts statewide to participate in the program.[74] Seats in the program for non-resident students are specified by the district and are allocated by lottery, with tuition paid for participating students by the New Jersey Department of Education.[75]
As of May 2010[update], the borough had a total of 6.77 miles (10.90 km) of roadways, of which 4.99 miles (8.03 km) were maintained by the municipality, 0.49 miles (0.79 km) by Hunterdon County and 1.29 miles (2.08 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.[81]
Public transportation is limited to The LINK, a public bus service which serves Hunterdon County. Funding for operation of the Hunterdon County LINK System is provided by Hunterdon County, NJ Transit and the Federal Transit Administration.[86]
^2022 Municipal User Friendly Budget, Borough of Bloomsbury. Accessed October 10, 2024. As of date accessed, this was the most recent available budget.
^Elected and Appointed Officials, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Accessed January 9, 2025. "As top governing officials of Hunterdon County, the five Commissioners are chosen by popular vote in the November general elections. The term of office is for three years and the current compensation is $16,000 a year, with an extra $1,000 for the Director. One or two of the five members is elected each year."
^John E. Lanza, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Accessed January 9, 2025.
^Shaun C. Van Doren, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Accessed January 9, 2025.
^Jeff Kuhl, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Accessed January 9, 2025.
^Zachary T. Rich, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Accessed January 9, 2025.
^Susan Soloway, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Accessed January 9, 2025.
^Guion, Payton. "These 43 N.J. school districts have fewer than 200 students", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, September 2017. Accessed January 30, 2020. "Based on data from the state Department of Education from the last school year and the Census Bureau, NJ Advance Media made a list of the smallest of the small school districts in the state, excluding charter schools and specialty institutions.... 11. Bloomsbury Borough - Enrollment: 108; Grades: Pre-K-8; County: Hunterdon"
^About PSD, Phillipsburg School District. Accessed September 5, 2024. "The district serves students from the Town of Phillipsburg and five sending communities at the secondary level: Alpha, Bloomsbury, Greenwich, Lopatcong and Pohatcong Townships."
^Heyboer, Kelly. "How to get your kid a seat in one of N.J.'s hardest-to-get-into high schools", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 2017. Accessed November 18, 2019. "Hunterdon County's vo-tech district has three academies for high-achieving students, all operating in partnerships with local high schools.... The academies are open to all students in the county. Students in the 8th grade are required to submit an application, schedule an interview and take a placement exam."
^Hunterdon County Short Line Rail StudyArchived January 20, 2022, at the Wayback Machine, p. 9. Hunterdon County, New Jersey Planning Board, September 1998. Accessed November 15, 2019. "The Lehigh Line is a major regional line that connects the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton (PA) metropolitan hub with the Newark (NJ) metropolitan area. The Lehigh Line enters the County at the Borough of Bloomsbury and passes through the Townships of Bethlehem, Union, Franklin, Clinton, and Raritan before exiting the County at the southern tip of Readington Township."
^Schoof, Dustin. "Bloomsbury native Jen Ponton to appear on NBC's 30 Rock", The Express-Times, October 18, 2010. Accessed September 4, 2019. "Actress Jen Ponton, a native of Bloomsbury and 2002 graduate of Phillipsburg High School, will appear on the hit NBC comedy. Ponton says she plays an employee of a local Carvel, which becomes the base of a secret operation hatched by Kenneth (Jack McBrayer) and Jenna (Jane Krakowski), who also get assistance from Kelsey Grammer, who plays himself."