Edison, New Jersey


Edison is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, in the New York City metropolitan area. Situated in north-central New Jersey, Edison lies within the core of the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2010 United States Census, Edison had a total population of 99,967, retaining its position as the fifth-most populous municipality in New Jersey. The 2010 population reflected an increase of 2,280 from the 97,687 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 9,007 from the 88,680 counted in 1990. Edison's population has been above the 100,000 threshold since 2010, increasing by 0.7% to a Census-estimated 100,693 in 2018 before dipping back to 99,758 in 2019.
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.

History

Early history

The earliest residents of the area were the Raritan people of the Lenape Native Americans, who lived in the area and travelled through it to the shore. In 1646, Chief Matouchin led a group of 1,200 warriors.
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 community was previously known as "Raritan Township", not to be confused with the current-day Raritan Township in Hunterdon County.

The Edison era

In 1876, Thomas Edison set up his home and research laboratory in New Jersey 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 light bulb, a mechanical vote counter, the alkaline storage battery including one for an electric car, and the first commercial electric light.
The Menlo Park lab was significant in that was one of the first laboratories to pursue practical, commercial applications of research. It was in his Menlo Park 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. Edison subsequently left Menlo Park and moved his home and laboratory to West Orange in 1886.

20th century

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 20 people and destroyed several square miles of the Township.
In 1954, the township's name was changed to honor inventor Thomas A. Edison. Also on the ballot in 1954 was a failed proposal to change the community's name to Nixon.
The Menlo Park Mall is a two-level super regional shopping mall, located on U.S. Route 1 opened in 1959.

21st century

Edison has been one of the fastest-growing municipalities in New Jersey. As of the 2000 United States 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, and Baroda, India.
Edison was ranked the 28th most-livable small city in the United States by CNN Money Magazine, and second in New Jersey in 2006 in Money Magazine's "Best Places To Live". In 2008, two years later, Money Magazine ranked the township 35th out of the top 100 places to live in the United States. 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. In 2009, Edison was ranked as one of "America's 10 Best Places to Grow Up" by U.S. News & World Report. The rankings focused on low crime, strong schools, green spaces, and abundance of recreational activities. In 2014, parenting.com ranked Edison as the top safest city in America.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 30.638 square miles, including 29.940 square miles of land and 0.698 square miles of water.
Edison is on the east side of Raritan Valley, along with Plainfield, and completely surrounds the borough of Metuchen, New Jersey, making it part of 21 pairs of "doughnut towns" in the state, where one municipality entirely surrounds another. The township borders the municipalities of East Brunswick, Highland Park, New Brunswick, Piscataway, Sayreville, South Plainfield and Woodbridge Township in Middlesex County; Clark, Plainfield and Scotch Plains in Union County.
Edison has numerous sections and neighborhoods. Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Bonhamtown, Camp Kilmer, Centerville, Clara Barton, Eggert Mills, Greensand, Haven Homes, Lahiere, Lincoln Park, Lindenau, Martins Landing, Menlo Park, Millville, New Dover, New Durham, Nixon, North Edison, Oak Tree, Phoenix, Potters, Pumptown, Raritan Arsenal, Raritan Manor, Sand Hills, Silver Lake, Stelton, Valentine, and Washington Park.

Climate

Extreme temperatures in Edison have ranged from, recorded in February 1934, to, recorded in July 1936 and August 1949.
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Edison has a Humid Continental climate with abundant rainfall throughout the year although the late summer months tend to have more rain. Summers tend to be hot and humid with a lot of rain and Winters tend to be cool to cold with snow being an annual occurrence with snow falling multiple times every winter. Winter and Fall tend to have more clear days than in the Spring and Summer.

Demographics

Edison hosts one of the region's main centers of Asian American cultural diversity. The growing Little India is a South Asian-focused commercial strip in Middlesex County, the U.S. county with the highest concentration of Asian Indians. The Oak Tree Road strip runs for about one-and-a-half miles through Edison and neighboring Iselin in Woodbridge Township, near the area's sprawling Chinatown and Koreatown, running along New Jersey Route 27. It is the largest and most diverse South Asian cultural hub in the United States. In Middlesex County, election ballots are printed in English, Spanish, Gujarati, Hindi, and Punjabi. As part of the 2010 Census, 28.3% of Edison residents identified themselves as being Indian American. In the 2000 Census, 17.75% of Edison residents identified themselves as being Indian American, the highest percentage of Indian-American people of any municipality in the United States with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.

2010 census

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that median household income was $86,725 and the median family income was $100,008. Males had a median income of $66,898 versus $50,953 for females. The per capita income for the township was $36,464. About 3.5% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 97,687 people, 35,136 households, and 25,881 families residing in the township. The population density was 3,243.0 people per square mile. There were 36,018 housing units at an average density of 1,195.7 per square mile. The racial makeup of the township was 59.49% White, 29.27% Asian, 6.89% African American, 0.14% Native American,.04% Pacific Islander, 2.02% from other races, and 2.15% from two or more races. 6.37% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
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.
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.
The median household income in the township is $69,746, and the median income for a family was $77,976. 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.

Economy

Manufacturing

A number of production facilities in and around the area, included Edison Assembly, Ford Motor Company's production plant for Rangers, Mustangs, Pintos, Mercurys, and Lincolns. Other notable companies included Frigidaire's air-conditioner plant in Edison, Siemens in Edison.
Starting in the 2000s, manufacturing began to leave Central Jersey, and many facilities closed and moved overseas. The Ford plant was demolished by 2008 and was replaced by Sam's Club, Topgolf and Starbucks.

Corporate presence

, a video game company, has its corporate headquarters in Edison. Other companies have warehouse operations within Edison. These companies include the Italian food producer and importer Colavita, an Amazon fulfillment center, as well as 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, located within the Raritan Center Business Park. Raritan Center itself is the largest industrial park on the east side of the Mississippi River. The United States headquarters of the international company Zylog Systems is located in Edison, as is the headquarters of the e-commerce companies Boxed and Bare Necessities.

Sports

is a private country club that has hosted the 1987 U.S. Women's Open Golf Championship and The Barclays golf tournament, the first PGA Tour FedEx Cup playoff event, in both 2011 and 2015.

Parks

Oak Tree Pond is the site of the Battle of Short Hills, a minor battle of the American Revolutionary War and whose conversion into a park ended a real estate development controversy.
Roosevelt Park, located between Parsonage Road and Route 1, west of the Mall, covers, including the Roosevelt Park Lake. The park was established in 1917, making it the oldest county park in Middlesex County.
Edison State Park and Dismal Swamp are also located in the township.

Government

Local government

Edison Township operates within the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the Mayor-Council form of government, which was implemented as of January 1, 1958, based on the recommendations of a Charter Study Commission. The township is one of 71 municipalities statewide governed under this form. Edison is governed by a mayor and a seven-member Township Council. Members of the council are elected at-large in partisan elections held as part of the November general election to four-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with three or four seats coming up for election every even year, with the mayoral seat up for vote at the same time that three seats are expiring.
, the Mayor of Edison is Democrat Thomas Lankey, whose term of office ends December 31, 2021. Members of the Township Council are Council President Joyce Ship-Freeman, Council Vice President Samip "Sam" Joshi, Richard Brescher, Joseph Coyle, Robert C. Diehl, Alvaro Gomez and Ajay Patil.
The past and only female Mayor of Edison was Antonia "Toni" Ricigliano, whose term of office ended on December 31, 2013.

Election 2017

Former Edison Democratic Chair and Detective Keith Hahn ran for mayor as a Republican against incumbent Mayor Thomas Lankey. Lankey was re-elected with 12,032 votes to Hahn's 8,574 votes.

Election 2016

In June 2016, the Township Council selected Joseph Coyle from a list of three candidates nominated by the Democratic municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2019 that had been held by Robert Karabinchak, until he stepped down from office to take a vacant seat in the New Jersey General Assembly. Coyle served on an interim basis until the November 2016 general election, when voters elected him to fill the balance of the term of office.

Election 2005

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, the first time in Edison history that a challenger won the Democratic primary. 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 Stephens. An article in The American Prospect details aspects that Choi brought together in his 2005 mayoral campaign, including 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.
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.
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."
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, and Choi was there to cut the yellow ribbon when the store was opened.

Law enforcement

The town is served by the full-time Edison Division of Police, led by Chief Thomas Bryan and employing 168 officers as of 2012, assisted by the Edison Auxiliary Police. The department is striving to overcome a history of widespread officer misconduct.

Federal, state, and county representation

Edison is located in the 6th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 18th state legislative district. Prior to the 2010 Census, Edison had been split between the 6th congressional District and the, a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 53,352 registered voters in Edison Township, of which 25,163 were registered as Democrats, 6,242 were registered as Republicans and 21,929 were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 18 voters registered to other parties.
In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 62.8% of the vote, ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 36.3%, and other candidates with 1.0%, among the 35,546 ballots cast by the township's 54,857 registered voters, for a turnout of 64.8%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 58.8% of the vote, ahead of Republican John McCain with 39.3% and other candidates with 1.1%, among the 38,129 ballots cast by the township's 55,305 registered voters, for a turnout of 68.9%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 55.2% of the vote, outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 43.1% and other candidates with 0.6%, among the 36,205 ballots cast by the township's 52,308 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 69.2.
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 58.6% of the vote, ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 39.3%, and other candidates with 2.1%, among the 21,877 ballots cast by the township's 55,392 registered voters, for a turnout of 39.5%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 46.6% of the vote, ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 44.5%, Independent Chris Daggett with 6.4% and other candidates with 1.0%, among the 24,097 ballots cast by the township's 53,358 registered voters, yielding a 45.2% turnout.

Education

Public schools

The Edison Township Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district's two 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. As of the 2017–18 school year, the district and its 19 schools had an enrollment of 16,203 students and 1,029.8 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 15.7:1. Schools in the district are
Edison Early Learning Center,
Franklin D. Roosevelt Preschool,
Benjamin Franklin Elementary School,
Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School,
Lincoln Elementary School,
Lindeneau Elementary School,
James Madison Primary School,
James Madison Intermediate School,
John Marshall Elementary School,
Menlo Park Elementary School,
James Monroe Elementary School,
Washington Elementary School,
Woodbrook Elementary School,
John Adams Middle School,
Herbert Hoover Middle School,
Thomas Jefferson Middle School,
Woodrow Wilson Middle School,
Edison High School and
J.P. Stevens High School.
J.P. Stevens was the 80th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 328 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2012 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 65th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed, while Edison High School was ranked 174 in 2012 and 169 in 2010. According to U.S. News & World Report in 2016, J.P. Stevens ranked 41st within New Jersey and 905th nationally, while Edison H.S. ranked 59th and 2,015th.
The community is also served by the Greater Brunswick Charter School, a K-8 charter school serving students from Edison, Highland Park, Milltown and New Brunswick. As of the 2017–18 school year, the school had an enrollment of 395 students and 33.0 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 12.0:1.
Eighth grade students from all of Middlesex County are eligible to apply to attend the high school programs offered by the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools, a county-wide vocational school district that offers full-time career and technical education at Middlesex County Academy in Edison, the Academy for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences in Woodbridge Township and at its East Brunswick, Perth Amboy and Piscataway technical high schools, with no tuition charged to students for attendance. Middlesex County College is 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 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.

Private schools

, St. Helena School and St. Matthew School operate under the supervision of Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen. Jewish schools in the township, which all operate independently, include Rabbi Jacob Joseph School, Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva and Yeshiva Shaarei Tzion.
Other private schools in Edison include Lakeview School, Our Lady of Peace School and Wardlaw-Hartridge School.
In 1998, the Huaxia Edison Chinese School, which teaches in Simplified Chinese on Sunday afternoons, was established in Thomas Jefferson Middle School, subsequently relocating to Herbert Hoover 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. J.P. Stevens High School offers Mandarin Chinese and Hindi as an elective language for students who are interested in learning it.

Colleges

, a for-profit vocational school. Lincoln Tech in Edison offers various programs in Nursing and in medical and computer applications.
Middlesex County College 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 Camp Kilmer, partially located in Edison.

Libraries

Edison has three public library branches.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Roads and highways

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., the township had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Middlesex County and by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.
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 section of the New Jersey Turnpike. 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 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.
Since Interstate 287 connects to Interstate 87, Exit 10 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.
In 2009, the New Jersey Department of Transportation selected Edison as one of the first communities to have a red light camera enforcement system. The program was ended by the state in December 2014, despite a more than 30% drop in accidents at the three camera-controlled intersections in the township.

Public transportation

, located in South Edison, is served by NJ 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, and SEPTA. Some passengers in North Edison are closer to, and may prefer to use, the Metropark station or Metuchen station.
NJ Transit bus service is provided on the 62 route to Newark, with local service available on the 801, 804, 805, 810, 813, 814, 819, 978 and 979 routes.
The Taiwanese airline China Airlines provides private bus service to John F. Kennedy International Airport from the Kam Man Food location in Edison to feed its flight to Taipei, Taiwan.

Healthcare

, located on James Street off Parsonage Road is a 498-bed hospital founded in 1967.
Roosevelt Care Center is a long term/sub-acute care facility located just east of Roosevelt Park. The facility was original constructed in 1936 under the auspices of the Work Projects Administration.

Telecommunications

Edison is served by area codes 732 and 848 and 908. Area Code 848 is an overlay area code that was created so there a split was not needed.
Edison has five Verizon Central offices serving the Township:
In 1982, the BPU and New Jersey Bell, after receiving thousands and complaints from both North and South Edison residents, had made an exception that any calls originating and terminating in the Township would be considered a local call. This was due to the new home construction in Edison where existing cables that belonged to the Rahway central office were assigned to give new phone service to over 400 homes.
In 1997, mandatory ten-digit dialing came to Edison with the introduction of Area code 732. Edison residents living on Roxy Avenue once again were in the spotlight in the news, with one side of the street served by the Rahway central office and the other side of the street is served by the Plainfield central office. Residents complained to the BPU and Bell Atlantic that it would be easier to yell across the street then dial a ten-digit number call their neighbor across the street.
Edison has Cablevision's Optimum cable television service. Before Cablevision, there was TKR, which was so poorly run that many FCC and BPU complaints about programming and many town hall meetings eventually forced change. TKR was bought out by Cablevision.

Sister cities

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Edison include: