Borough of Dunellen

Hello,
The Borough of Dunellen, NJ has been designated a NJ Transit Village!
The Dunellen Downtown Management Organization (DDMO) is an eleven member advisory
committee, appointed by the Mayor for the purpose of overseeing the revitalizing of our Main
Street and Downtown areas.
We would like to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves to you. Our committee members
consist of Borough Officials, residents and members of the business community.
Our purpose is to improve the appearance and image of our central business district through
the organization of local citizens and resources. Our goals include promoting our downtown
and current business district, recruiting new businesses to unused spaces, emphasize design
enhancements to affect visual appearances, rehabilitate our historic buildings and encourage
consumer traffic.
We believe our downtown is a great place to shop, work, walk, invest and live.
The DDMO’s marketing booklet highlights Dunellen’s rich history and its offerings to residents
and businesses. Please share this within your network of friends and family who may be
interested in establishing their new home or company in our borough. If you have any further
questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
The Dunellen Downtown Management Organization
E
stablished in 1887,
Dunellen is one square mile nestled in
North-West Middlesex County. It is
conveniently located between New
York City and Philadelphia, and is just a
short trip from the Jersey Shore. It has
quick and easy access to many major
highways and NJ Transit routes.
Furthermore, it boasts an impressive
selection of shops and restaurants.
With a mix of small-town values,
business activity, great public
education, a variety of community
programs, five parks and quiet
suburban neighborhoods, it is no
wonder that 7,227 people call
Dunellen home.
Downtown
Pedestrian friendly, tree-lined streets
Dunellen’s historic downtown is home to small retail and
family-owned businesses, many of which have been a part of
Dunellen for generations, as well as larger stores and
professional services.
Our pedestrian friendly downtown is anchored on or near
North Avenue by a post office, public library, businesses, the
Police Department, and accessible parking.
A walk downtown will delight you with turn-of-the-century
street lamps and beautiful trees that line our main street. Many
buildings in the downtown remain in their traditional structure
and add to Dunellen’s historic pride.
Dining -
When you’re looking for a bite to eat, look no further –
The Dunellen Hotel
If
you are a resident, or a visitor just passing through and craving some
good food you can find all our remarkable dining advantages concentrated in a
four block radius centered at the Washington Avenue/North Avenue intersection.
Our restaurants pride themselves in serving a diverse community and keeping their
places of business ideal for every customer.
Dunellen is home to two legendary restaurants in New Jersey: The Dunellen Hotel American Restaurant & Rathskeller and Zupko’s Cinema Café.
The Dunellen Hotel - American Restaurant & Rathskeller
The Dunellen Cinema Cafe. - one of New Jerseys original and last standing
cinema cafes
Other noteworthy restaurants include: Planet Chicken, Dunellen Bagel, Roscoe's Wrap It Up, Rome
Pizza, Chicken Holiday, Guilio’s Italian Restaurant, Dunellen BBQ, Avellino's Pizzeria, Mis Amigos
Mexican Restaurant, Texas Wieners, and Roxy and Dukes.
Dunellen has it all!
Roxy And Dukes – A Live Dinner Theatre
Experience! which also features a classic
car show every Sunday.
Mis Amigos
Transit
Strategically placed between Philadelphia and New York,
Dunellen is at a crossroads in New Jersey.
We are only a
one-half hour drive
from Newark Liberty
International Airport.
No matter what your
destination, you can
always get there from Dunellen.
Rail: Commuters can find it easy to get to New York City
and all stops in between just by getting onto N.J. Transit’s Raritan Valley Line that makes one of its many
stops in downtown Dunellen. The Raritan Valley Line stops at Newark Penn Station, where you can
continue to New York Penn Station.
Bus: N.J. Transit buses stop in two Dunellen locations: North Ave/Rt.28 and Washington Ave.
Destinations include New York City, Bridgewater Commons Mall and many surrounding Communities.
Car: Dunellen is accessible from Routes 28, 22, 287, 78, 1, 9, and 27. All these roadways lead to the
Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike.
In 2012, Dunellen was designated New Jersey’s 26th Transit Village. A Transit Village Municipality has
demonstrated a commitment to revitalizing and redeveloping the area around their transit facilities
into compact, mixed-use Neighborhoods with a strong residential component.
Dunellen is grounded in its historic past
while looking steadfastly to its future.
Education
The Dunellen Public School serves students
from Kindergarten through Twelfth grade.
The Dunellen School District serves
approximately 1100 students in grades K
– 12: John P. Faber School (K – 5);
Lincoln Middle School (6 – 8) and
Dunellen High School (9 – 12).
Our relatively small size provides ample
opportunities for all students to join
clubs and participate in sports and
extra-curricular activities.
We are proud of our 1:8 teacher/student ratios. The NJ School Performance
Report for 2012-2013 ranks Dunellen as High Performance or Very High
Performance for Academic Achievement, College and Career Readiness,
and Graduation and Post-Secondary categories.
Recreation
There are a vast variety of activities and e
Though small in size, Dunellen claims a multitude of activities
and entertainment opportunities for residents and visitors, many
of which take place in our five attractive parks.
Columbia Park is home to many of our town’s recreational events,
including High School athletic games, a student fitness center, and a
summer camp run by the Dunellen Recreation Department. It is also
home to a public use football field, two baseball fields, four tennis courts
and a children’s playground.
Gavornick Park and Morecraft Park contain playgrounds, baseball
fields and soccer fields.
McCoy Park is home to Dunellen’s Little League Baseball team
as well as another playground area and batting cages.
d entertainment opportunities for residents and visitors to Dunellen.
Washington Memorial Park is a
special part of Dunellen’s History
featuring a gazebo and memorials
for veterans, volunteer firefighters,
and Rescue Squad members.
It also hosts a Holiday montage
during the winter months and is
now home to the annual Plays in
the Park in August and the annual
Harvest Fest Arts and Crafts Fair in
October.
Recreation Programs:
The Dunellen Recreation
Department serves over 1,000
children with a variety of leagues
including football, soccer, softball,
baseball and basketball. It provides trips
for all ages to watch professional baseball,
football, and basketball games, as well as
an annual trip to see the Radio City Music
Hall Christmas Spectacular Show in New York City.
Recreation
continued
Culture:
The culture of Dunellen centers on its desire to support our local
schools, businesses and neighbors. Our high school offers a range
of sports, including football, baseball, basketball, track/field,
soccer, tennis, cross-country and wrestling. It is at these events
where you see an entire community come together. The high
school has outstanding music, drama, and choir programs, with
many public performances.
Entertainment:
Dunellen also offers live theatre, a cinema, stage shows at different
venues, and Summer-time Plays in the Park. In June there is the
Rotary Club’s Classic Car Show, in September the Fire
Department’s Street Fair and Dunellen Education Foundation’s
5K Run, and in October the Annual Harvest Fest.
Architecture:
There are a variety of architectural styles of homes
represented in the town including Bungalow, Cape Cod,
Colonial, Italianate, Queen Anne, Ranch, Split-Level, and
Tudor Revival. Most of Dunellen’s residential buildings
are stand-alone, single family houses. Dunellen’s
downtown was built in the early 1900's and its downtown
has original structures, as well as a mix of new structures.
Most of Dunellen's houses of worship are simple wood or
brick structures with steeples, Gothic architecture and
onion domes.
“Pirates of Penzance” produced by Dunellen
Skylight Theatre Productions. Photo by Gary
Covino.
Gravity’s Open Jazz Night at Maggie
Murray’s. Photo by Marc D’Agusto.
Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town”, Dunellen High
School Drama Club. Photo by Ed Gates,
Reflections Studio.
Volunteer
Nothing says Dunellen like the word volunteer. Dunellen is made up of many
volunteer organizations that help assist the community and help move our
borough forward in beautifying it and raising community pride.
Dunellen is a “Volunteer”
community with many
opportunities for residents and
business owners to contribute to
great civic, religious, Arts and
Cultures or educational causes.
The members of our volunteer
Fire Department and Rescue
Squad contribute thousands of
hours of service to the protection
of our residents.
School organizations such as the
PTO, Band Parents, Booster Club
and the Dunellen Education Foundation help further the interests
of our students. DREAMS (Dunellen Resources to Educate, Advocate and Mediate for Special Education) is a parent support group
for the Special Services Department of the School District.
There are plenty of opportunities to help assist our local
government through the Library Board of Trustees, Planning Board,
Recreation Commission, Architectural Review Committee, Dunellen
Downtown Management Organization, and Shade Tree Commission.
The Friends of the Library and the Dunellen Historical Society
promote culture and Dunellen’s unique past.
Civic groups include the Dunellen-Green Brook Rotary Club,
Dunellen Lion’s Club, American Legion, Knights of Columbus,
Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts,
Juggling Life Inc., Dunellen Skylight Theatre Productions,
Gravity Arts Initiative, and The Maurer Mansion
Restoration Group.
h
With so much community pride it is no wonder why Dunellen thrives off of the volunteers that
make up the fiber of this community.
Volunteers Involved:
Tori Sulewski – Photographer
Louanne Stebor – Graphic Designer
Distributed by:
The Dunellen Downtown Management Committee
355 North Ave.
Dunellen, NJ 08812
(732) 968-3033
www.dunellenborough.net