Carteret is a booming borough with its eye
on redevelopment and growth. Located
in the northeast part of Middlesex County,
Carteret overlooks Staten Island and New
York City, bordered by the Arthur Kill on the
east and the Rahway River on the north.
Originally part of Woodbridge Township,
it was incorporated as the Borough of
Roosevelt in 1906 and renamed Carteret in
1922 after Sir George Carteret and his son
Philip Carteret, the first royal governor of
New Jersey.
The new Carteret Performing Arts and
Events Center (CPAC), anticipated as one
of the premier entertainment venues in the
region, will include a 1,600-plus-seat main
auditorium, a 500-seat black-box theater, and
a 5,000-square-foot art gallery, as well as a
rooftop space to host up to 200 people. The
theater is being developed by the Carteret
Business Partnership (CBP), a non-profit
economic development corporation. The arts
center will be operated by Spectra Venue
Management, the team that books acts for
the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia and
the Atlantic City Convention Center.
Construction of CPAC and the surrounding
Carteret Arts District will be completed by
fall of 2020, revitalizing the downtown district
and a thriving community. In addition to
CPAC, the Carteret Arts District will also
include multiple mixed-use residential and
commercial buildings.
After two decades of advocacy and
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determination by Mayor Daniel J. Reiman to
transform an industrial waterfront, Carteret’s
Waterfront Park on the Arthur Kill is now a
recreational mecca, with a range of activities
for visitors including a miniature golf course,
a picnic area, beach volleyball and bocce
ball courts, and fishing pier that will soon
be expanded to a 1.5-mile waterfront
walkway. Waterfront Park connects to a free
public access boat ramp and new 185-slip
municipal marina.
Waterfront Park is among ten parks in
Carteret offering plenty of recreational
activities throughout the year. Take a hike
on the Waterfront Fitness Trail, or simply
enjoy the sensory perception garden
on the walkway. Fireworks fill the sky
over Waterfront Park for the borough’s
Independence Day Festival, and Latin
Fest brings great food and music in late
July. Enjoy a diverse selection of music at
Concerts by the Bay at Waterfront Park on
Sunday evenings during July and August.
Nearby Carteret Park hosts Concerts in the
Park on Friday evenings, along with Movies
in the Park on Wednesday and Saturday
nights throughout the summer. Fall brings a
host of events, including the Mayor’s Charity
Carnival, Ethnic Day Festival and a Fall
Festival in October.
Joseph Medwick Park, located along the
banks of the Rahway River, offers scenic
river vistas from two nature observation
decks. The 86-acre park is the largest
recreational facility in Carteret.
“Joe” Medwick Park, as it’s known locally,
is dedicated to Joseph Michael “Ducky”
Medwick, a Carteret native and major league
baseball player who began his career as
an outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals in
1932. Nicknamed “Ducky” because of his
waddling walk, Medwick was elected New
Jersey’s “Athlete of the Century” and is a
ten-time Major League Baseball All-Star,
holding the record for consecutive seasons
with 40 or more doubles between the years
of 1933 and 1936. He was inducted into the
Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1968.
For more information and the latest on
what’s happening in Carteret, visit
www.carteret.net.
Carteret
Photo by Brian Chen
Carteret Performing Art Center
/DiscoverMiddlesex
/www.carteret.net