Skillman, New Jersey

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Skillman, New Jersey
Census designated place
Skillman as seen from the intersection of Camp Meeting Avenue and Fairview Road
Skillman as seen from the intersection of Camp Meeting Avenue and Fairview Road
Location of Skillman within Somerset County, New Jersey. (Inset: Location of Somerset County in New Jersey).
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[1][2]
Country  United States
State  New Jersey
County Somerset
Township Montgomery
Named for Skillman family
Area[1]
 • Total 1.476 sq mi (3.824 km2)
 • Land 1.466 sq mi (3.798 km2)
 • Water 0.010 sq mi (0.026 km2)  0.69%
Elevation[3] 138 ft (42 m)
Population (2010 Census)[4]
 • Total 242
 • Density 165.0/sq mi (63.7/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) Eastern (EDT) (UTC-4)
ZIP code 08558[5]
Area code(s) 609 and 732/848
FIPS code 3467860[1][6][7]
GNIS feature ID 02584029[1][8]

Skillman is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) located within Montgomery Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States.[9][10][11][12] As of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP's population was 242.[4]

The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 08558.[5]

It is home to Johnson & Johnson's Consumer Products division and Bloomberg L.P. Financial's offices.

All of the public school buildings (elementary, middle and high schools) for Montgomery Township are located in Skillman.

History

Skillman is named after the Skillman family. The first Skillmans were Dutch, but lived in England before moving to Brooklyn in 1664, according to family accounts. In 1729, Thomas Skillman ventured westward, buying some 500 acres (2.0 km2) of farmland on the Millstone River, near the village of Rocky Hill, for his sons, Jan and Isaac. That purchase was the Skillman family's entry into Montgomery. The Skillman area got its name when the railroads arrived in the 1870s, according to the Skillman family. Joseph A. Skillman, was a teamster who owned "wild Missouri mules," according to family accounts. When railroad workers were trying to lay tracks, their horses got bogged down in thick, clay mud, and Joseph A. Skillman came to the rescue with his mules. Railroad officials also socialized at the home of another Skillman nearby, and the new train station was named for the family. A post office opened in the station and a small village, with a hay press, feed store and hardware store, sprouted around it. It took the Skillman name, too. (While the train station is gone, remnants of the village still exist at the spot where Camp Meeting Avenue and Skillman Road meet. A clay and sculpting supply business occupies some of the buildings.) Also in Skillman was the sprawling New Jersey Village for Epileptics, a 250-acre (1.0 km2) complex opened around 1900 that had its own dairy, laundry, and movie theater. Visitors would arrive by train. Skillman was a busy little country place. There were 1,637 residents in Montgomery in 1910, compared with more than 23,000 now, according to Census data. The community now has more traffic, fewer farms and more houses (specifically developments).

In 2011, Montgomery Township sold what remained of the North Princeton Developmental Center (also known as Skillman Village) to Somerset County in order for the village to be demolished.[13]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP had a total area of 1.476 square miles (3.824 km2), of which, 1.466 square miles (3.798 km2) of it was land and 0.010 square miles (0.026 km2) of it (0.69%) was water.[1][2]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
2010 240
Population sources: 2010[4]

Census 2010

At the 2010 United States Census, there were 242 people, 87 households, and 72 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 165.0 per square mile (63.7/km2). There were 99 housing units at an average density of Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value).. The racial makeup of the CDP was 91.32% (221) White, 0.41% (1) Black or African American, 0.41% (1) Native American, 2.48% (6) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 2.89% (7) from other races, and 2.48% (6) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 6.20% (15) of the population.[4]

There were 87 households, of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.4% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.2% were non-families. 12.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.06.[4]

In the CDP, 23.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 20.2% from 25 to 44, 38.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.0 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.[4]

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Skillman include:

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Gazetteer of New Jersey Places, United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 13, 2013.
  2. 2.0 2.1 US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  3. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Skillman Census Designated Place, Geographic Names Information System. Accessed August 23, 2012.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Skillman CDP, New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed February 13, 2013.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Look Up a ZIP Code for Skillman, NJ, United States Postal Service. Accessed February 13, 2013.
  6. American FactFinder, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  7. A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed February 13, 2013.
  8. US Board on Geographic Names, United States Geological Survey. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  9. GCT-PH1 - Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County -- County Subdivision and Place from the 2010 Census Summary File 1 for Somerset County, New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed February 13, 2013.
  10. 2006-2010 American Community Survey Geography for New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed February 13, 2013.
  11. New Jersey: 2010 - Population and Housing Unit Counts - 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32), United States Census Bureau, August 2012. Accessed February 13, 2013.
  12. Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed April 19, 2015.
  13. Duffy, Erin. "Montgomery Township prepares for demolition of Skillman Village, former hospital to become new county park", The Times (Trenton), July 17, 2011. Accessed September 8, 2014. "Once home to the State Village for Epileptics and a succession of state mental health hospitals, the self-sustaining little village once bustled on grounds that included a theater and its own fire department and power plant."
  14. 14.0 14.1 My Life with George: An Unconventional Autobiography by I. A. R. Wylie, The Neglected Books Page, May 27, 2012. Accessed February 13, 2013. "When Baker retired in the mid-1930s, she, Wylie, and another pioneering female physician, Dr. Louise Pearce, bought Trevenna Farm, outside Skillman, New Jersey, and lived there together."
  15. Martin, Douglas. "Yvonne Brill, a Pioneering Rocket Scientist, Dies at 88", The New York Times, March 31, 2013. Accessed March 31, 2013. "Matthew Brill said his mother died of complications of breast cancer. She lived in Skillman, N.J."
  16. Pearce, Jeremy. "Dr. Ira B. Black, 64, Leader in New Jersey Stem Cell Effort, Dies", The New York Times, January 12, 2006. Accessed August 13, 2009.