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Phillipsburg, New Jersey
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==Economy== ===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.<ref name=Timeline/> The town is situated at the confluence of the [[Delaware River|Delaware]] and [[Lehigh River|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.<ref>[http://www.morriscanal.org/Signage/Pburg%20Easton%20Railroads.pdf Phillipsburg / Easton Transportation Hub Early 20th Century], Morris Canal Greenway. Accessed December 7, 2015. "The real impetus for the industrial development of Warren County was the construction of the railroads... As all of these railroads passed through Phillipsburg, the town became a gateway to the west."</ref> 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]] [[Morris and Essex Railroad|Phillipsburg Branch]] (DL&W) * [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] [[Belvidere-Delaware Railroad|Belvidere Division]] (PRR) ===Economic revival=== A majority of the manufacturing jobs left Warren County's largest city once Ingersoll Rand closed operations in 2000.<ref name=Timeline>Novak, Steve. [https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/news/erry-2018/10/6162a79df73988/timeline-the-rise-and-fall-of.html "TIMELINE: The rise and fall of Ingersoll Rand in Phillipsburg, and a glimpse at what the future may hold"], ''[[The Express-Times]]'', October 29, 2018, updated September 24, 2019. Accessed November 23, 2021. "For a century, Ingersoll Rand was Phillipsburg. From 1903 to 2000, the company was the town's biggest employer and the biggest taxpayer. It wasn't unusual for multiple generations of a family to work there. They made rock drills that helped develop the interstate highway system. They made pumps, steam condensers, and rock compressors... But the company slowly declined from its mid-century peak of about 5,000 employees."</ref> Portions of the town are part of an [[Urban Enterprise Zone]] (UEZ), one of 32 zones covering 37 municipalities statewide. The city was selected in 1994 as one of a group of 10 zones added to participate in the program.<ref>[https://www.state.nj.us/dca/affiliates/uez/publications/pdf/tax_q&a_052709.pdf ''Urban Enterprise Zone Tax Questions and Answers''], [[New Jersey Department of Community Affairs]], May 2009. Accessed October 28, 2019. "In 1994, the legislation was amended, and ten more zones were added to this successful economic development program. Six of the ten new zones were predetermined: Paterson, Passaic, Perth Amboy, Phillipsburg, Lakewood, and Asbury Park/Long Branch (joint zone). The four remaining zones were selected on a competitive basis. They are Carteret, Pleasantville, Union City, and Mount Holly."</ref> In addition to other benefits to encourage employment within the UEZ, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3.3125% [[sales tax]] rate (half of the {{frac|6|5|8}}% rate charged statewide) at eligible merchants.<ref>[https://www.nj.gov/dca/affiliates/uez/about/ Urban Enterprise Zone Program], [[New Jersey Department of Community Affairs]]. Accessed October 27, 2019. "Businesses participating in the UEZ Program can charge half the standard sales tax rate on certain purchases; currently 3.3125% effective 1/1/2018"</ref> Established in November 1994, the town's Urban Enterprise Zone status expires in October 2025.<ref>[https://www.nj.gov/dca/affiliates/uez/publications/pdf/ZONE%20EXPIRATION%20DATES%20-%202018.pdf Urban Enterprise Zones Effective and Expiration Dates], [[New Jersey Department of Community Affairs]]. Accessed January 8, 2018.</ref> Businesses have begun to move on to South Main Street, including the opening of the Apothecarium Dispensary β Phillipsburg in November 2019 selling marijuana, the Town Council voted in June 2021 to adopt an ordinance preventing the opening of any other cannabis retailers.<ref>Brasswein, Kurt. [https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/phillipsburg/2021/06/phillipsburg-just-says-no-for-now-to-recreational-marijuana-businesses.html "Phillipsburg just says no, for now, to recreational marijuana businesses"], ''[[The Express-Times]]'', June 17, 2021, updated July 23, 2021. Accessed November 27, 2022. "Town council cast a 4-0 preliminary vote Tuesday night to opt out of permitting recreational marijuana businesses. According to the town attorney Rich Wenner, the Apothecarium dispensary that opened last November on South Main Street is grandfathered in and unaffected by the decision."</ref> ===Railway=== A tourist railroad known as the Belvidere & Delaware River Railroad operates on the former [[Belvidere-Delaware Railroad]] [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] Branch serving excursions from Lehigh Junction Station south to [[Carpentersville, New Jersey|Carpentersville]]. [[Norfolk Southern]] serves the industrial manufacturing purposes in Phillipsburg using former LVRR tracks and the L&HR bridge to connect with the Bel-Del PRR tracks. Since 2007, [[NJ Transit]] has been conducting a study to determine if re-establishing a commuter rail extension of the [[Raritan Valley Line]] to Phillipsburg is economically feasible.<ref>Staff. [http://www.nj.com/warrenreporter/index.ssf/2011/04/extending_raritan_valley_railr.html "Extending Raritan Valley railroad service to Phillipsburg will be discussed"], ''Warren Reporter'', April 26, 2011. Accessed June 13, 2013.</ref> Phillipsburg also is home to the Phillipsburg Railroad Historians museum. They display railroad memorabilia inside the museum, an "N" scale diorama, two Lehigh and Hudson River cabooses, one of which is currently being restored, and a Jersey Central caboose. There is an L&HR snow flanger, Tidewater tank car, a CNJ box car owned by the Anthracite Railroads Historical Society, a 1922 Chestnut Ridge Mack railbus owned by the Lehigh Valley NRHS, a Public Service trolley owned by the North Jersey Electric Railway Historical Society, a 44-ton GE locomotive and a 25-ton GE locomotive.<ref>[http://www.prrh.org/history.html About us], Phillipsburg Railroad Historians. Accessed June 13, 2013.</ref> They operate a miniature railroad, the Centerville & Southwestern, that formerly ran in [[Roseland, New Jersey]].<ref>Jackson, Kirk Beldon. {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130201050228/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/mcall/access/92054977.html?dids=92054977:92054977&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jul+26,+1992&author=KIRK+BELDON+JACKSON,+The+Morning+Call&pub=Morning+Call&desc=AT+P'BURG+FEST,+TRAIN+IS+TOPS&pqatl=google "At P'burg Fest, Train Is Tops"]}}, ''[[The Morning Call]]'', July 26, 1992. Accessed June 14, 2012.</ref>
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