Highland Park in the 20th Century

Throughout the 1900s, Highland Park maintained a sophisticated, small-town atmosphere with a spirit of welcome despite its transient population. The town’s qualities include good schools, modest housing on tree-lined streets, lively community events, local shops and merchants, and sensible government. Officially established in 1905, the nearly two-square-mile trolley suburb is located across the Raritan River from the city of New Brunswick, home of Rutgers University and Johnson & Johnson. Highland Park’s population grew from 700 in 1905 to today’s 14,000 residents as subdivisions took over farmland. The large apartment complexes built after World War II further consolidated the borough’s residential nature. Individual buildings are showcased on these pages, but it is the many community events, such as soapbox derbies, parades, sporting contests, ribbon-cutting ceremonies, and dramatic productions, that demonstrate Highland Park’s community pride.