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Edison, NJ

Frequently asked questions

Edison, NJ

Edison is a township located in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated in Central New Jersey within the core of the state's Raritan Valley region, Edison is a commercial hub (home to Menlo Park Mall and Little India) and is a bedroom community of New York City within the New York metropolitan area.

As of the 2020 United States census, the township was the state's sixth-most-populous municipality, with a population of 107,588, an increase of 7,621 (+7.6%) from the 2010 census count of 99,967, which in turn reflected an increase of 2,280 (+2.3%) from the 97,687 counted in the 2000 census.

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. The township got its original name from the Raritan indigenous people. 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.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 30.69 square miles (79.49 km2), including 30.06 square miles (77.86 km2) of land and 0.63 square miles (1.63 km2) of water (2.05%).

Edison is on the east side of Raritan Valley (a line of communities in central New Jersey), along with Plainfield, and surrounds the borough of Metuchen, New Jersey, making it part of 21 pairs of "doughnut towns" in the state, where one municipality 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, Briarwood East, 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, Stephenville, Valentine, and Washington Park. Edison is about halfway between Midtown Manhattan, and New Jersey's capitol, Trenton, being about 27 miles from both.

While the Township's topography is mostly flat, there are some hillier areas, especially along the Perth Amboy Moraine, which forms an arc across the township, left by the southern limit of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. The highest point is on Grandview Avenue, which reaches a maximum elevation of about 220 feet. The lowest elevation in the township is sea level on the Raritan River. The Robinson’s Branch of the Rahway River flows through Edison en route to the Robinson's Branch Reservoir.

The township is home to numerous healthcare facilities such as the JFK Medical Center and the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, which contribute significantly to the health and wellness of its residents. Edison YMCA offers fitness classes, gym facilities, and programs for all ages. Retro Fitness is a chain gym with modern equipment and group fitness classes. LA Fitness provides a wide range of fitness equipment, classes, and amenities. Vivian Day Spa offers various spa services including massages, facials, and body treatments. Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa provides massages, facials, and other relaxation treatments.

Top sites in Edison, NJ: Supercharged Entertainment, Amazing Escape Room Edison, and Edison Memorial Tower Corporation. 

Population: 107,588. Area: 30.69 sq mi (79.49 km2). Elevation: 131 feet (40 m). ZIP Code: 08817, 08820, 08837. Area code(s): 732, 848. Founded: 1870.

FAQs

What is Edison, NJ known for?

The establishment of Thomas Edison's industrial research laboratory - he preferred calling it his "invention factory" - in 1876 brought global fame to the township as it became the site for some of the most innovative research and manufacturing feats in world history. While there, Thomas Edison invented items that led to for than 400 patents. These Menlo Park inventions include the phonograph, the electric railway (which incidentally, ran along present-day Middlesex Avenue), and the incandescent lamp. Christie Street, on which the Edison Memorial Tower now stands, was the first street to be illuminated by incandescent lamps, and Mrs. Jordan's Boarding House, home to many of Thomas Edison's workers, was the first residence to be lighted that way. When Edison moved out of Menlo Park, the buildings fell into dilapidation, and the laboratory was even used as a chicken coop for a while before it fell.

Why is Edison, NJ called Edison?

Edison is a city in Middlesex, New Jersey. The city is named after Thomas Alva Edison who carried out most of his life's work, including the invention of the phonograph and the lightbulb, here. Menlo Park, where Edison's laboratories were located has a Thomas Alva Edison Memorial Tower and Museum honoring him. The town of Edison now has a large concentration of Asians, and Oak Tree Road in Edison is the place to visit if you are looking for Indian food or Indian stores.

What is the history of Edison, NJ?

The earliest residents of the area were the Raritan people of the Lenape Native Americans, who lived in the area and traveled 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 (by Europeans) 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 (listed on the National Register in 1988), the Benjamin Shotwell House (listed in 1987), and the Homestead Farm at Oak Ridge (listed in 1995), are buildings from the colonial era included in the National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County.

Sources

Township of Edison

Wikipedia

Wikivoyage

Supercharged Entertainment

Amazing Escape Room Edison 

Edison Memorial Tower Corporation

JFK Medical Center

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

Edison YMCA

Retro Fitness

LA Fitness

Vivian Day Spa

Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa 
 

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