The story
History
The town grew from an agricultural village in 1824. It was transformed into a transportation hub and shipping center as the Delaware River terminus of the Morris Canal, with operations commencing in 1831, the first of several transportation infrastructure projects that gave the community a direct connection 107 miles (172 km) to New York City. The Central Railroad of New Jersey soon followed with a connection. The community's growth soon reached the canal terminals of both the Delaware Canal and the Lehigh Canal by its cross-river cable ferry system to Easton, Pennsylvania. In 1853, the Lehigh Valley Railroad connected across the river with the Central Railroad of New Jersey and a passenger short line railroad, the Belvidere Delaware Railroad, and Morris Canal, all within Phillipsburg, which was followed by rapid growth.
On March 8, 1861, Phillipsburg was incorporated as a town by an act of the New Jersey Legislature from portions of Phillipsburg Township, which is now Lopatcong Township. The town was named for William Phillips, an early settler of the area.
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Phillipsburg had a population of 15,249. The median age was 37.8 years. 25.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.7 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 6,024 households in Phillipsburg, of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 35.4% were married-couple households, 20.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 6,659 housing units, of which 9.5% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.7%.
2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 14,950 people, 5,925 households, and 3,786 families in the town. The population density was 4,682.1 per square mile (1,807.8/km2). There were 6,607 housing units at an average density of 2,069.2 per square mile (798.9/km2). The racial makeup was 83.44% (12,475) White, 7.49% (1,120) Black or African American, 0.17% (26) Native American, 1.53% (228) Asian, 0.05% (8) Pacific Islander, 3.92% (586) from other races, and 3.39% (507) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 11.82% (1,767) of the population.
Of the 5,925 households, 30.7% had children under the age of 18; 39.0% were married couples living together; 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 36.1% were non-families. Of all households, 29.9% were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.12.
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25.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 92.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 87.0 males.
Industrial history
Phillipsburg historically benefited from being a major transportation hub, then manufacturing with the investments by Ingersoll Rand in 1903 by opening the first Ingersoll-Sergeant factory in Phillipsburg. Within a year it employed 1,000 people, reaching a peak of 5,000. The town is situated at the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh rivers. Phillipsburg served as the western terminus of the Morris Canal for approximately 100 years from the 1830s to 1920s, which connected the city by water to the industrial and consumer centers of the New York City area, with connections westward via the Lehigh Canal and Delaware Canal across the Delaware. Long gone is the era of canal shipping and many of the important freight railways that served the area have gone bankrupt or bypass the city on long-distance routes.
Phillipsburg was served by five major railroads:
Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ)
Lehigh and Hudson River Railway (L&HR)
Lehigh Valley Railroad (LVRR)
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Phillipsburg Branch (DL&W)
Pennsylvania Railroad Belvidere Division (PRR)
History
Situated at the confluence of the Delaware River and the Lehigh River, Phillipsburg has historically been a major transportation hub. From the 1830s to 1920s, was the western terminus of the Morris Canal, which connected it by water eastward to the Port of New York and New Jersey and westward via the Lehigh Canal across the Delaware River. Five major railroads converged in Phillipsburg, the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ), the DL&W's Morris and Essex Railroad, the Lehigh and Hudson River Railway (L&HR), Lehigh Valley Railroad (LVRR), and the Pennsylvania Railroad's (PRR) Belvidere Delaware Railroad. The CNJ first ran in 1852. Phillipsburg Union Station served CNJ and DL&W.
The CNJ tracks and bridge in Phillipsburg which was part of the CNJ mainline became part of the former Lehigh Valley Railroad mainline, the Lehigh Line now owned by Norfolk Southern Railway, while the PRR line in Phillipsburg is now the Belvidere and Delaware River Railway.
From Wikipedia’s article on Phillipsburg, New Jersey, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5