The business of blogging is booming in places like Brooklyn, where dozens of sites cover specific neighborhoods within the borough, focusing on small parochial areas. And that’s despite New York City’s numerous media outlets, probably because there’s plenty of news that doesn’t make it all the way up to TV, radio or other big media. Call it “hyper-local” coverage.

Rahway (and at least a half-dozen other towns) likes to bill itself as “the next Hoboken.” Well, Hoboken has more than a few blogs, covering development, real estate, culture or just celebrity sightings. Closer to home, Plainfield has at least two blogs that cover the Queen City. Most of these efforts are simply concerned residents with an interest in keeping informed and keeping up a public discussion of issues.

I tell people all the time, there’s a lot going on in Rahway and it’s not just the hotel downtown. This is usually before or after explaining that the city is more than just an incinerator, Route 1 motels, and a prison that technically is not in Rahway, but also something called the Battle of Spanktown. Maybe it’s my journalism background, but I have an unhealthy obsession with all things municipal, particularly planning or zoning, where everything happens well before any shovels come near the ground. There’s always nuggets of news, perfect for the attention span of a blog.

As for the name of the blog, it was a suggestion from a friend — a big Bruce fan — and it stuck. Whether you agree that Rahway’s stature is “rising,” on its way to being “the next Hoboken,” or just selling out to developers, there’s no denying that it’s tangibly rising right in front of us (as in a 16-story hotel and numerous other new developments.)

This is more of a hobby than anything at this point, so we’ll play it by ear but hopefully we’ll post at least once a week on all things redevelopment or Rahway. Feedback or suggestions are always welcome.

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