| Edison Township, New Jersey | |||
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| — Township — | |||
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| Nickname(s): "Birthplace of the Modern World" | |||
| Motto: "Let There Be Light" | |||
| Map of Edison, Township in Middlesex County. | |||
| Census Bureau map of Edison, New Jersey | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| U.S. state | New Jersey | ||
| County | Middlesex | ||
| Settled | 1651 | ||
| Incorporated | March 17, 1870 (as Raritan Township) | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Faulkner Act Mayor-Council | ||
| • Mayor | Antonia "Toni" Ricigliano (term ends 2013)[1] | ||
| Area[2] | |||
| • Total | 30.69 sq mi (79.5 km2) | ||
| • Land | 30.12 sq mi (78.0 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.57 sq mi (1.5 km2) 1.86% | ||
| Elevation[3] | 115 ft (35 m) | ||
| Population (2010 Census)[4] | |||
| • Total | 99,967 | ||
| • Density | 3,257.3/sq mi (1,257.4/km2) | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (EDT) (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP codes | 08817, 08818, 08819, 08820, 08837, 08899 | ||
| Area code(s) | 732/848, 908 | ||
| FIPS code | 34-20230[5][6] | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0882166[7] | ||
| Website | www.edisonnj.org | ||
Edison Township (usually known as Edison) is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey. What is now Edison Township was originally incorporated as Raritan Township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1870, from portions of both Piscataway Township and Woodbridge Township. Portions of the township were taken to form Metuchen on March 20, 1900, and Highland Park on March 15, 1905. The name was officially changed to Edison Township on November 10, 1954, in honor of inventor Thomas Edison, who had his main laboratory in the Menlo Park section of the township.[8] As of the 2010 United States Census, Edison had a total population of 99,967,[4] adding 2,280 residents (2.3%) from its 2000 Census population of 97,687 and retaining its position as the fifth largest municipality in New Jersey.[9]
Edison was ranked the 28th most livable small city in the United States by CNN Money Magazine, and the 2nd in New Jersey in 2006 in Money Magazine's "Best Places To Live".[10] In 2008 two years later, Money Magazine changed the town's ranking to 35 out of the top 100 places to live in the United States of America.[11] Edison Township was not on the 2007 list because that year's list included only municipalities with a population of 50,000 or less. In the 2006 survey of America's Safest Cities, the township was ranked 23rd, out of 371 cities included nationwide, in the 13th annual Morgan Quitno survey.[12] In 2009, Edison was ranked as one of "America's 10 Best Places to Grow Up" by U.S. News and World Report. The rankings focused on low crime, strong schools, green spaces, and abundance of recreational activities.[13]
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Edison Township, comprising former sections of Piscataway and Woodbridge townships, was settled in the 17th Century. The earliest village was Piscatawaytown, which is centered around St. James Church and the Piscatawaytown Common near the intersection of Plainfield and Woodbridge avenues in south Edison. The Laing House of Plainfield Plantation, the Benjamin Shotwell House, and the Homestead Farm at Oak Ridge, are buildings from the colonial era included in National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County.
The town was previously known as "Raritan Township", not be confused with the current-day Raritan Township in Hunterdon County.
In 1876, Thomas Alva Edison set up his home and research laboratory on the site of an unsuccessful real estate development in Raritan Township called Menlo Park. While there he earned the nickname "the Wizard of Menlo Park." Before his death at age 83 in 1931, the prolific inventor amassed a record 1,093 patents for creations including the phonograph, a stock ticker, the motion-picture camera, the incandescent lightbulb, a mechanical vote counter, the alkaline storage battery including one for an electric car, and the first commercial electric light.[14]
It was in his Menlo Park (N.J.) Laboratory that Thomas Edison came up with the phonograph and a commercially viable incandescent light bulb filament. Christie Street was the first street in the world to use electric lights for illumination.[15] Edison subsequently left Menlo Park and moved his home and laboratory to West Orange in 1886.[16] His Menlo Park lab has been called one of the greatest laboratories ever.[17]
Near Piscatawaytown village, a portion of the Township was informally known as "Nixon," after Lewis Nixon, a manufacturer and community leader. Soon after the outbreak of World War I, Nixon established a massive volatile chemicals processing facility there, known as the Nixon Nitration Works. It was the site of the 1924 Nixon Nitration Works disaster, a massive explosion and resulting fire that killed twenty persons and destroyed several square miles of the Township.
In 1954, the township's name was changed to honor inventor Thomas A. Edison.[8][18] Also on the ballot in 1954 was a failed proposal to change the community's name to Nixon.[19]
Edison is currently one of the fastest growing towns in New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, it was the fifth most-populated municipality in the state, after the cities of Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, and Elizabeth.
Edison is primarily a middle-class community with more than 75 ethnic communities represented. Edison has a large Jewish community next to Highland Park, with multiple synagogues located in Edison. Edison also has a growing Indian community and a number of temples serving the religious needs of the community. Reflecting the number of Edison's residents from India and China, the township has sister city arrangements with Shijiazhuang, China,[20] and Baroda, India.[21]
Edison is located at (40.538204, −74.378585).[22]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 30.69 square miles (79.5 km2), of which 30.12 square miles (78.0 km2) is land and 0.57 square miles (1.5 km2) (1.86%) is water.[2] |website = www.edisonnj.org Edison is in Raritan Valley (a line of cities in central New Jersey). Edison is on the east side of Raritan Valley, along with Plainfield, and completely surrounds Metuchen.
Extreme temperatures in Edison have ranged from −17 °F (−27 °C), recorded in February 1934, to 106 °F (41 °C), recorded in July 1936 and August 1949.
| Climate data for Edison, NJ | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 73 (23) |
76 (24) |
91 (33) |
97 (36) |
99 (37) |
101 (38) |
106 (41) |
106 (41) |
105 (41) |
94 (34) |
86 (30) |
87 (31) |
106 (41) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 38 (3) |
43 (6) |
52 (11) |
63 (17) |
74 (23) |
82 (28) |
87 (31) |
85 (29) |
77 (25) |
66 (19) |
54 (12) |
43 (6) |
64 (18) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 21 (−6) |
23 (−5) |
31 (−1) |
39 (4) |
49 (9) |
58 (14) |
63 (17) |
62 (17) |
54 (12) |
42 (6) |
34 (1) |
26 (−3) |
42 (6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −8 (−22) |
−17 (−27) |
1 (−17) |
18 (−8) |
29 (−2) |
37 (3) |
34 (1) |
40 (4) |
31 (−1) |
22 (−6) |
9 (−13) |
−7 (−22) |
−17 (−27) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 4.02 (102.1) |
3.02 (76.7) |
4.10 (104.1) |
3.94 (100.1) |
4.71 (119.6) |
3.97 (100.8) |
5.39 (136.9) |
4.34 (110.2) |
4.54 (115.3) |
3.80 (96.5) |
4.04 (102.6) |
3.76 (95.5) |
49.63 (1,260.6) |
| Source: [23] | |||||||||||||
Edison is a transportation hub, with an extensive network of highways passing through the township and connecting to major Northeast cities, New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Trenton, Washington, D.C. and others.
Edison Township hosts various roadways. State roads include Route 27, and 440, both of which are state-maintained. U.S. Route 1 also passes through the township. Interstate 287 passes through Edison, where it houses its southern end at I-95. The municipality also houses about a 5-mile (8.0 km) section of the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95). Exit 10 is located in Edison, featuring a 13-lane toll gate and a “unique” interchange design. When the “dual-dual” setup of the turnpike was created, it first started in Edison Township, and continued north to Exit 14 in Newark. It wasn’t until 1973 that the “dual-dual” was extended south of 10 to Exit 9 in East Brunswick Township (and then extended further south in 1990 to Exit 8A in Monroe Township).
Since Interstate 287 connects to Interstate 87 (the New York State Thruway), Exit 10 (of the turnpike) is one of the busiest interchanges to be used by tractor-trailers as it connects the New Jersey Turnpike to the New York Thruway. For truck drivers, it is the only connection they have to the Thruway as the Garden State Parkway, which has its northern terminus at the Thruway, prohibits trucks from using the roadway north of Exit 105. Due to Interstate 95's discontinuity in New Jersey, U.S. 1 serves as a regional artery linking the New Jersey Turnpike and Interstate 287 to Interstate 95 and Interstate 295.
Edison station, located in South Edison, is served by New Jersey Transit northbound trains to Newark Penn Station and Penn Station New York, and southbound to the Trenton Transit Center via the Northeast Corridor Line, with connecting service to Amtrak. Some passengers in North Edison may actually live closer to, and prefer to use, the Metropark (in neighboring Iselin) or Metuchen stations.
NJ Transit bus service is provided on the 62 route to Newark; on the 801, 804, 805, 810, 813, 814, and 819 local routes.[24]
Edison also offers a Light Transit bus service to the Edison train station. This bus route services the apartment communities along Plainfield Avenue and other commuters on Ethel Road. The schedule and route map are available here: Edison Light Transit.
In addition, China Airlines provides private bus service to John F. Kennedy International Airport from the Kam Man Food Inc. at 511 Old Post Road in Edison to feed its flight to Taipei, Taiwan.[25]
Edison was selected as one of the first communities by the New Jersey Department of Transportation to have a red-light photo enforcement system operated by RedFlex Traffic Systems, Inc.. The three year contract, which allows for up to two one-year extensions, provides for the system to be installed at up to 75 locations.[26]
Majesco Entertainment, a video game company, has its corporate headquarters in Edison.[27][28] Also, Model Rectifier Corporation, a hobby equipment company, has its main headquarters in Edison. Other companies have warehouse operations within Edison. These companies include the regional hubs for Fedex, UPS, and Newegg. In addition Edison is home to the State's Largest Private Convention Center, the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center [1] located within the Raritan Center Business Park.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 10,025 |
|
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| 1940 | 11,470 | 14.4% | |
| 1950 | 16,348 | 42.5% | |
| 1960 | 44,799 | 174.0% | |
| 1970 | 67,120 | 49.8% | |
| 1980 | 70,193 | 4.6% | |
| 1990 | 88,680 | 26.3% | |
| 2000 | 97,687 | 10.2% | |
| 2010 | 99,967 | 2.3% | |
| Population sources: 1930-1990[29] 2000[30] 2010[4] |
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Edison is one of the more diverse townships in New Jersey. It and the surrounding communities of Middlesex County are commonly known throughout the state and the New York metro area as being one of the region's main centers of Asian American cultural diversity.
As of the census[5] of 2010, there were 99,967 people, 35,136 households, and 25,895 families residing in the township. The population density was 3,243.0 people per square mile (1,252.2/km2). There were 36,018 housing units at an average density of 1,195.7 per square mile (461.7/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 44.1% White, 43.2% Asian, 7.0% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.36% Pacific Islander, 2.7% from Other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 8.1% of the population.[30]
There were 35,136 households out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 61.1% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.19.[30]
In the township the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 34.0% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.[30]
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the township was $80,581, and the median income for a family was $92,451.[2] Males had a median income of $53,303 versus $36,829 for females. The per capita income for the township was $30,148. About 3.3% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.[30]
As part of the 2010 Census, 28.3% of Edison residents identified themselves as being Indian American.[4] In the 2000 Census, 17.75% of Edison residents identified themselves as being Indian American, the highest percentage of Indian American people of any place in the United States with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.[31]
Edison's politics tend to lean towards the Democratic Party. John Kerry carried the township over George W. Bush in the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election.
Edison Township is governed under the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) system with a strong Mayor-Council form of government, and is governed by a mayor and a seven-member Township Council. Members of the council are elected at-large in partisan elections to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with three or four seats coming up for election every other year.[32]
As of 2011[update], the Mayor of Edison is Antonia "Toni" Ricigliano, its first female mayor.[33] Members of the Municipal Council are Council President Charles Tomaro (2013), Council Vice President Robert Diehl (2013), Thomas Lankey (2013), Robert Karabinchak (2010), Wayne Mascola (2011), Melissa Perilstein (2011), and Sudhanshu Prasad (2011).
Running on a good government platform and a call to reform the Democratic Party, Jun Choi won the June 2005 primary by a 56–44% margin, defeating longtime incumbent Mayor George A. Spadoro. This was the first time in Edison history that a challenger won the Democratic primary. Mayor Choi won endorsements from mainstream Democratic leaders including Bill Bradley, for whom he worked on the 2000 presidential campaign, and was unexpectedly endorsed by a number of traditionally candidate- neutral unions in Edison.
In the ensuing general election, Choi did not face a Republican candidate, but instead faced a former Democrat turned Independent, William (Bill) Stephens.
An American Prospect article details aspects that Choi brought together in his 2005 mayoral campaign. They include 1) attracting new voters into the process, 2) a good government message, 3) anti-Wal-Mart or economic justice theme and 4) an effective Internet-based progressive mobilization.[34]
On Election Day, November 8, 2005, Jun Choi declared victory, leading in unofficial results with a vote of 12,126 to 11,935. However, due to the small margin of victory, candidate William Stephens pursued a recount and subsequently, an election contest, both without success. On January 1, 2006, at age 34, Mayor Choi was sworn-in by Governor Jon Corzine as the youngest Mayor in Edison history. Choi ran for re-election in 2009, but was defeated in the primary election by Antonia "Toni" Ricigliano, who went on to win the general election, and took office January 1, 2010.
Edison is split between the 6th and 7th Congressional districts. New Jersey's Sixth Congressional District is represented by Frank Pallone (D, Long Branch). New Jersey's Seventh Congressional District is represented by Leonard Lance (R, Clinton Township). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
Edison is in the 18th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature, which is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Barbara Buono (D, Metuchen) and in the New Jersey General Assembly by Peter J. Barnes III (D, Edison) and Patrick J. Diegnan (D, South Plainfield).[35]
Middlesex County is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders, whose seven members are elected at-large to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with two or three seats coming up for election each year. As of 2010 , Middlesex County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Christopher D. Rafano (South River), Freeholder Deputy Director Ronald G. Rios (Carteret), Carol Barrett Ballante (Monmouth Junction), Stephen J. "Pete" Dalina (Fords), H. James Polos (Highland Park), Mildred Scott (Piscataway) and Blanquita B. Valenti (New Brunswick). Constitutional officers are County Clerk Elaine M. Flynn (Old Bridge Township), Sheriff Mildred S. Scott (Piscataway) and Surrogate Kevin J. Hoagland (New Brunswick).[36]
Recent politics in Edison have concerned plans for zoning the township to facilitate the creation of "walkable" communities that will attract businesses, while still maintaining open spaces and parks and easy access to commuter transit. This strategy is meant to encourage "Smart Growth."[37]
Politics in Edison since the 2005 mayoral election have been polarized by an attempt by retail giant Walmart to open a store in central Edison near the junction of Interstate 287 and New Jersey Route 27. Even though Jun Choi stated in his Mayoral Campaign that he would stop Walmart from being built, Walmart filed suit and won. On the day the Walmart was opened, Choi was there to cut the yellow ribbon.
The two public high schools separate the South and North ends of Edison. In the Edison High School zone to the south, there are six K – 5 elementary schools, while in the J.P. Stevens High School zone there are five K-5 elementary schools. Schools in the district (with 2008–09 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[38]) are 11 elementary schools covering grades PreK-5 — Benjamin Franklin Elementary (573 students), Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary (581; PreK-5), Lincoln Elementary (710), Lindeneau Elementary (511), James Madison Primary School (644; PreK-2), who then move on to James Madison Intermediate School (561; 3–5), John Marshall Elementary (542), Menlo Park Elementary (780), James Monroe Elementary (427), Washington Elementary (618; PreK-5) and Woodbrook School with 798 students — John Adams Middle School (760; from James Madison Intermediate and MLK Jr.), Herbert Hoover Middle School (824; from Franklin, Lincoln and Monroe), Thomas Jefferson Middle School (746; from Lindeneau, Marshall and Washington) and Woodrow Wilson Middle School (827; from Menlo Park and Woodbrook) for grades 6–8 and both Edison High School (1,958; from Hoover and Jefferson) and J. P. Stevens High School (2,151; from Adams and Wilson) for grades 9–12.
J.P. Stevens was the 65th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 322 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2010 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 52nd in 2008 out of 316 schools. Edison High School was ranked 169th in 2010 and 177th in 2008.[39]
Middlesex County College (or MCC) is a public, two-year community college located in Edison at the intersection of Woodbridge Avenue and Mill Road.
Rutgers University's Livingston campus is located on the former Kilmer Army Base, partially located in Edison.
Middlesex County College is also home to the Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Technologies, an engineering-based high school, which is part of the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical High Schools. The high school is free for all Middlesex County residents, but admission is based on a test, past grades, and other academic and extracurricular activities. About 160 students, 40 per grade from around the county attend the Academy.
There are many private schools in Edison, including the Wardlaw-Hartridge School, Bishop George Ahr High School, Rabbi Jacob Joseph School, Yeshiva Shaarei Tzion, Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva, St. Helena School, St. Matthew School, Lakeview School and Our Lady Of Peace School. Additionally, the private for-profit technical school Lincoln Tech (formerly the Cittone Institute) has a campus on Oak Tree Road in Edison. Lincoln Tech in Edison offers various programs in Nursing, Medical and Computer and Networking.
In Edison the sizable Asian/Chinese population had pushed for years to establish a Chinese School where students could learn the Chinese language. In 1998, Huaxia Edison Chinese School (which teaches Simplified Chinese) was established in Thomas Jefferson Middle School. Huaxia currently resides in Edison High School. However, many families from Taiwan send their children to Edison Chinese School, located at John Adams Middle School, or Tzu Chi, located at Woodrow Wilson Middle School. These schools both teach Traditional Chinese. JP Stevens High School also offers Hindi as an elective language for students that are interested in learning it.
Notable current and former residents of Edison Township include:
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