The earliest residents of the area were the Raritan people of the LenapeNative Americans, who lived in the area and travelled through it to the shore. In 1646, Chief Matouchin led a group of 1,200 warriors.[21]
Replica of Edison's lab where he invented the first commercially practical light bulb. Henry Ford, Edison's longtime friend, built it at the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan.
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", (currently located in Edison State 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.[24]
The Menlo Park lab was significant in that was one of the first laboratories to pursue practical, commercial applications of research.[25] 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.[26] Edison subsequently left Menlo Park and moved his home and laboratory to West Orange in 1886.[27]
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.[28]
In 1954, the township's name was changed to honor inventor Thomas A. Edison.[20][29] Also on the ballot in 1954 was a failed proposal to change the community's name to Nixon.[30]
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,[32] 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".[33] In 2008, two years later, Money ranked the township 35th out of the top 100 places to live in the United States.[34] 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.[35] 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.[36] In 2014, parenting.com ranked Edison as the top safest city in America.[37]
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%).[8][38]
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. The highest point is on Grandview Avenue, which reaches a maximum elevation of about 220 feet. The lowest elevation in the township is on sea level on the Raritan River.
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.
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Edison has a Humid Subtropical climate (Cfa) 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.
Edison hosts one of the region's main centers of Asian American cultural diversity.[46][47][48] 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.[49][50][51] 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.[52] It is the largest and most diverse South Asian cultural hub in the United States.[53][54] In Middlesex County, election ballots are printed in English, Spanish, Gujarati, Hindi, and Punjabi.[55] As part of the 2010 Census, 28.3% of Edison residents identified themselves as being Indian American.[56] 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.[57]
The 2010 United States census counted 99,967 people, 34,972 households, and 26,509 families in the township. The population density was 3,339.0 per square mile (1,289.2/km2). There were 36,302 housing units at an average density of 1,212.5 per square mile (468.1/km2). The racial makeup was 44.10% (44,084) White, 7.05% (7,046) Black or African American, 0.23% (229) Native American, 43.19% (43,177) Asian, 0.04% (36) Pacific Islander, 2.72% (2,718) from other races, and 2.68% (2,677) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.11% (8,112) of the population.[56]
Of the 34,972 households, 36.4% had children under the age of 18; 62.3% were married couples living together; 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 24.2% were non-families. Of all households, 20.4% were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.26.[56]
22.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 95.8 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 93.8 males.[56]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $86,725 (with a margin of error of +/− $3,000) and the median family income was $100,008 (+/− $2,624). Males had a median income of $66,898 (+/− $4,094) versus $50,953 (+/− $1,462) for females. The per capita income for the township was $36,464 (+/− $1,184). 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.[69]
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census[15] 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 (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 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.[65][66]
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.[65][66]
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.[65][66]
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.[65][66]
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.[70][71][72] The Ford plant was demolished by 2008 and was replaced by Sam's Club, Topgolf and Starbucks.[73]
Corporate presence
Majesco Entertainment, a video game company, has its corporate headquarters in Edison.[74] 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.[75] 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,[76] as is the headquarters of the e-commerce companies Boxed and Bare Necessities.[77]
Roosevelt Park, located between Parsonage Road and Route 1, west of the Mall, covers 196 acres (79 ha), including the 8-acre (3.2 ha) Roosevelt Park Lake. The park was established in 1917, making it the oldest county park in Middlesex County.[80]
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.[81] The township is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide governed under this form.[82] Edison's governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the 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 in odd-numbered years, with the mayoral seat up for vote at the same time that three seats are expiring.[7][83]
As of 2022[update], the Mayor of Edison is Democrat Samip "Sam" Joshi, whose term of office ends December 31, 2025.[2] Members of the Township Council are Council President Joseph Coyle (D, 2023), Council Vice President Joyce Ship-Freeman (D, 2023), Richard Brescher (D, 2023), Margot Harris (D, 2025), Nishith Patel (D, 2025), Ajay Patil (D, 2023) and John Poyner (D, 2025).[84][85][86][87]
The first (and to-date, only) female Mayor of Edison was Antonia "Toni" Ricigliano, whose term of office ended on December 31, 2013.[88][89]
Election 2017
Former Edison Democratic Chair and Detective Keith Hahn ran for mayor as a Republican[90] against incumbent Mayor Thomas Lankey. Lankey was re-elected with 12,032 votes to Hahn's 8,574 votes.[91]
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.[92] 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.[93]
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.[94] 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 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.[95]
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 GovernorJon 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".[96]
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.[97]
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.[98] The department is striving to overcome a history of widespread officer misconduct.[99][100][101][102][103][104]
Federal, state, and county representation
Edison is located in the 6th Congressional District[105] and is part of New Jersey's 18th state legislative district.[67][106][107] Prior to the 2010 Census, Edison had been split between the 6th congressional District and the 7th Congressional District, 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.[108]
Middlesex County is governed by a Board of County Commissioners, whose seven members are elected at-large on a partisan basis to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election. At an annual reorganization meeting held in January, the board selects from among its members a commissioner director and deputy director.[115] As of 2022[update], Middlesex County's Commissioners (with party affiliation, term-end year, and residence listed in parentheses) are
Commissioner Director Ronald G. Rios (D, Carteret, term as commissioner ends December 31, 2024; term as commissioner director ends 2022),[116]
Commissioner Deputy Director Shanti Narra (D, North Brunswick, term as commissioner ends 2024; term as deputy director ends 2022),[117]
Claribel A. "Clary" Azcona-Barber (D, New Brunswick, 2022),[118]
Charles Kenny (D, Woodbridge Township, 2022),[119]
Leslie Koppel (D, Monroe Township, 2023),[120]
Chanelle Scott McCullum (D, Piscataway, 2024)[121] and
Charles E. Tomaro (D, Edison, 2023).[122][123]
Constitutional officers are
County Clerk Nancy Pinkin (D, 2025, East Brunswick),[124][125]
Sheriff Mildred S. Scott (D, 2022, Piscataway)[126][127] and
Surrogate Claribel Cortes (D, 2026; North Brunswick).[128][129][130]
Politics
As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 53,352 registered voters in Edison Township, of which 25,163 (47.2%) were registered as Democrats, 6,242 (11.7%) were registered as Republicans and 21,929 (41.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 18 voters registered to other parties.[131]
In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 62.8% of the vote (22,104 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 36.3% (12,769 votes), and other candidates with 1.0% (339 votes), among the 35,546 ballots cast by the township's 54,857 registered voters (334 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 64.8%.[136][137] In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 58.8% of the vote (22,409 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 39.3% (14,986 votes) and other candidates with 1.1% (418 votes), among the 38,129 ballots cast by the township's 55,305 registered voters, for a turnout of 68.9%.[134] In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 55.2% of the vote (20,000 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 43.1% (15,615 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (311 votes), among the 36,205 ballots cast by the township's 52,308 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 69.2.[135]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 58.6% of the vote (12,502 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 39.3% (8,373 votes), and other candidates with 2.1% (443 votes), among the 21,877 ballots cast by the township's 55,392 registered voters (559 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 39.5%.[139][142] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 46.6% of the vote (11,230 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 44.5% (10,727 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 6.4% (1,549 votes) and other candidates with 1.0% (243 votes), among the 24,097 ballots cast by the township's 53,358 registered voters, yielding a 45.2% turnout.[143]
Education
Public schools
The Edison Township Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.[144] 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 2017–2018 school year, the district, comprised of 19 schools, had an enrollment of 16,203 students and 1,029.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 15.7:1.[145] Schools in the district (with 2017–2018 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[146]) are
Edison Early Learning Center[147] (80 students; grades Pre-K–K),
Franklin D. Roosevelt Preschool[148] (140; Pre-K–K),
Benjamin Franklin Elementary School[149] (610; K–5),
Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School[150] (697; K–5),
Lincoln Elementary School[151] (835; K–5),
Lindeneau Elementary School[152] (478; K–5),
James Madison Primary School[153] (584; K–2, who then move on to James Madison Intermediate),
James Madison Intermediate School[154] (663; 3–5),
John Marshall Elementary School[155] (846; K–5),
Menlo Park Elementary School[156] (857; K–5),
James Monroe Elementary School[157] (542; K–5),
Washington Elementary School[158] (602; K–5),
Woodbrook Elementary School[159] (964; K–5),
John Adams Middle School[160] (952; 6–8, from James Madison Intermediate and MLK Jr.),
Herbert Hoover Middle School[161] (826; 6–8, from Franklin, Lincoln and Monroe),
Thomas Jefferson Middle School[162] (744; 6–8, from Lindeneau, Marshall and Washington),
Woodrow Wilson Middle School[163] (1,196; from Menlo Park and Woodbrook),
Edison High School[164] (1,971; 9–12, from Hoover and Jefferson) and
J.P. Stevens High School[165] (2,486; 9–12, from Adams and Wilson).[166]
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.[167] 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.[168][169]
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.[172][173] 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 covered by tax dollars and so there is no additional cost 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.[174]
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
Lincoln Technical Institute (or Lincoln Tech) is a for-profit vocational school located in Edison.[180] Lincoln Tech offers various programs in Nursing and in medical and computer applications.
State roads include Route 27[186] and 440,[187] both of which are state-maintained. U.S. Route 1 also passes through the township.[188]Interstate 287 passes through Edison, where it houses its southern end at I-95.[189] The municipality also houses about a 5-mile (8.0 km) section of the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95).[190] Exit 10 is located in Edison, featuring a 13-lane toll gate and a unique interchange design.[191] 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 (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 direct limited-access road connection they have from the Turnpike 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.[192]
Edison is served by the Raritan Valley Regional EMS. The squad consists of three sub-squads, Edison First Aid Squad #1 (established in 1935), Edison First Aid Squad #2 (since 1936) and Clara Barton First Aid Squad (since 1951). The three squads merged in 2009 to better provide residents of Edison with more comprehensive care. RVREMS receives support from paramedics out of JFK Medical Center. The squad consists of approximately 50 volunteer EMTs.[201]
Telecommunications
Edison is served by area codes 732 and 848 and 908. Area Code 848 is an overlay area code that was created so that a split was not needed.
Edison has five Verizon Central offices serving the Township:
Central Office Rahway (Switch ID: RHWYNJRADS5) (Area Code 732): Serving from Wood Avenue North to Roxy Avenue on the west side of the Street inward to New Dover Road.
Central Office Plainfield (Switch ID: PLFDNJPFDS5) (Area Code 908): Serving Roxy Avenue heading north into South Plainfield on both sides of Inman Avenue.
Central Office Metuchen (Switch ID: MTCHNJMTDS5) (Area Code 732): Serving Edison, Metuchen and Iselin (Technically Iselin Numbers that have 732–283 and 732–404 are routed out of the Woodbridge Office Switch ID: WDBRNJWDDS5).
Central Office Edison (Switch ID: EDSNNJEDDS5): Serving South Edison with phone numbers that come up as "New Brunswick" – 732–339, 732–393, 732–572, 732–777, 732–819, 732–985, and Exchanges for "Metuchen" that are 732–248, 732–287, 732–650.
Central Office Fords (Switch ID: FRDSNJFRDS5): Serving Eastern Edison area and Raritan Center areas with 732–225, 732–346, 732–417, 732–512 and Perth Amboy Exchanges 732–661, 732–738.
In 1982, the BPU and New Jersey Bell, after receiving thousands of complaints from both North and South Edison residents, 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 (Area code 732) and the other side of the street is served by the Plainfield central office (Area Code 908). Residents complained to the BPU and Bell Atlantic that it would be easier to yell across the street than dial a ten-digit number to 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.
Durham Woods, a complex of several apartment buildings and scene of the Edison, New Jersey natural gas explosion in 1994, in which a 36-inch natural gas pipeline burst and exploded, destroying buildings in the area.[262]
Edison Landfill, landfill site undergoing environmental cleanup since it was ordered closed in 1977.[263]
ILR Landfill, closed landfill site owned by Industrial Land Reclaiming (ILR) providing power to Middlesex County's wastewater treatment operations from methane gas recovery.[265]
Laing House of Plainfield Plantation, historic home built in the early 1700s when the region was being settled by Scottish Quakers in the late 17th and early 18th century.[267]
Roosevelt Park, a 196-acre park next to Menlo Park Mall.
^Kuperinsky, Amy. "'The Jewel of the Meadowlands'?: N.J.'s best, worst and weirdest town slogans", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 22, 2015. Accessed July 12, 2016. "Edison's town seal is marked with 'Let There Be Light,' and its welcome signs say 'Birthplace of Recorded Sound', thanks to Thomas A. Edison's tinkering in Menlo Park, the same reason why a newer slogan for Essex County's West Orange — Edison later lived there — is 'Where Invention Lives'."
^History of Metuchen, Federal Writers' Project of the Works Project Administration, 1941. Accessed December 3, 2019. "The local natives were doubtless a group of the Raritans who belonged to the Unami tribe. Philhower, an expert on New Jersey's Indians, describes them as 'a quickwitted, modest, fine looking people, black-haired and of a dark copper color' who spoke the Lenape dialect. In 1646 the tribe consisted of 1200 warriors and twenty chiefs, among whom tradition has it was Matouchin, chief of the Indians in this section."
^Staff. "Artifacts found during search of Edison's Piscatawaytown", Edison Sentinel, October 12, 2011. Accessed September 17, 2017. "Three artifacts discovered in the township's oldest neighborhood are believed to date back to the Colonial era. ... Piscatawatown and the Commons were founded in 1666 as the original settlement of Piscataway. The Commons is still public land and is one of the few remaining commons areas in the state. The location was part of Piscataway Township until 1870, when it became part of Raritan Township. In 1954, the area became part of Edison."
^Gordon, John Steele. "10 Moments That Made American Business", American Heritage, February/March 2007. Accessed December 3, 2019. "But even more important than the inventions themselves was the process. Laboratories in the past had mostly pursued pure research, with little or no regard for the practical applications that might flow from that research. Menlo Park was all about practical application, turning ideas into products that would have commercial potential."
^Thomas Edison and Menlo Park, The Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park. Accessed September 17, 2017. "In 1886, Edison started building a new facility in West Orange, New Jersey. In 1887, his laboratory moved out of Menlo Park and into the new, much larger laboratory in West Orange."
^Staff. "Edison May Be the Name Of Raritan After Vote", The New York Times, September 5, 1954. Accessed November 4, 2018. Raritan Township, N. J., Sept. 4 - This community may change its name on election day to Edison, N. J., to honor the man who perfected the incandescent lamp here seventy-five years ago. ... The other petition, with 2,856 names, asks that the name be changed to Nixon, N. J., after the late Lewis Nixon, a local manufacturer and civic leader."
^DeMarco, Megan. "Voters to decide whether to merge two Princetons into one", The Star-Ledger, November 3, 2011. Accessed January 8, 2017. "There are 22 sets of 'doughnut towns' in New Jersey, those where one town wraps around the other town". Note that following voter approval of the Princeton merger, 21 pairs of "doughnut towns" remain.
^Our Mission, Rahway River Watershed Association. Accessed December 15, 2022. "The Robinson’s Branch begins in Scotch Plains and flows east through Westfield and Clark. The South Branch begins in Edison and flows north through Woodbridge before joining the main stem in Rahway."
^Siddiqui, Dr. Habib. "Letter from America: Stopping Terrorism in the West", Asian Tribune, August 7, 2011. Accessed March 22, 2012. "Truly, the western governments should have an open and honest debate about why immigration is important for their very survival in this age. It may be a great idea that when their leaders visit New York for attending the UN sessions that they should opt for taking a ride in a taxicab, driven by a naturalized citizen of the USA, to places like Queens in New York City and Edison in New Jersey to get a flavor of what multiculturalism truly means."
^Staff. "School News: Middlesex County College", Home News Tribune, March 5, 2010. Accessed March 22, 2012. "The curator of the exhibit, Kathryn Myers, professor of art at the University of Connecticut, said the college's location in Edison made it an ideal choice for the program. 'Since Edison is home to a significant South Asian population, it is an appropriate site for this exhibition where an abundance of creative endeavors reflects the rich diversity of this community,' she said."
^Andrew Jacobs. "The Census -- A Region of Enclaves: Edison, N.J.; Amid Strip Malls, Indian Expansion", The New York Times, June 18, 2001. Accessed March 22, 2012. "Although Indians have settled in every part of the state, they have had a remarkable impact on Edison, a 32-square-mile township. The Asian population of Edison, most of it Indian, has grown to 29,000 from 2,200 in 1980. The adjacent hamlet of Iselin, part of Woodbridge Township, has had an even greater increase in its Asian population."
^Siwolp, Sana. "Edison Hopes to Transform Old Factory Sites, Smartly", The New York Times, January 26, 2005. Accessed April 4, 2016. "Like a number of other suburban towns in the New York area during the boom years after World War II, Edison, N.J., was a magnet for manufacturers looking for vast tracts of land that usually could not be found in older industrial areas like Elizabeth and Rahway. Fifty years later, however, many of the large manufacturing companies that flocked to Edison have left."
^Chang, Kathy. "Edison Towne Square becoming a booming recreational hub", Edison / Metuchen Sentinel News, March 12, 2019. Accessed December 3, 2019. "With two recreational projects moving forward and the proposed new community center location, the vicinity in and around the Edison Towne Square is becoming a booming recreational hub. ... More than a decade ago, a $1.2 million lifestyle center was envisioned for the 98-acre site. The center is on the former Ford Motor Company site on Route 1. ... Since 2000, when a 152,000-square-foot Sam's Club membership warehouse and gas station opened, businesses have been coming to the site, including Topgolf, which is an entertainment and event venue with point-scoring golf games, Starbucks and Zinburger Wine and Burger Bar."
^Who We Are, New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center. Accessed March 22, 2012.
^About Us, Zylog Systems Limited. Accessed September 17, 2017. "Headquartered in Edison, NJ and Chennai, India with over 1000 employees and 10 offices that span across the globe - from North America, Europe, Asia, Middle East, Singapore to Malaysia, and with state-of-the-art Offshore Development Centers (ODCs)& Research Development Center in India, ZSL is certified for ISO 9001:2015 standards and assessed for higher CMMI Levels."
^Roosevelt Park, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Accessed July 14, 2022. "Roosevelt Park is the oldest park in the Middlesex County Park System, dating back to 1917. Set in the midst of a highly developed area, Roosevelt Park is our answer to New York City’s Central Park. Here park visitors can enjoy 196 acres of majestic trees complimented by a picturesque eight acre lake just perfect for fishing."
^Edison Municipal Council, Township of Edison. Accessed December 14, 2022. "The Edison Township Council is the legislative branch of this local government. It is comprised of seven members. All of the members are elected to at-large seats with four year terms. The terms are staggered. Three council seats are up of election in a given year and then the remaining four seats are up for election two years later."
^Mayor Antonia Ricigliano Township of Edison, backed up by the Internet Archive as of September 7, 2013. Accessed September 17, 2017. "Currently serving as the first woman Mayor of Edison Township since being sworn into office January 1, 2010."
^Melisurgo, Len. "Local leaders in New Jersey getting ready to take oath", The Star-Ledger, January 1, 2010. Accessed October 9, 2013. "In Edison, the first female mayor in the township's history -- Antonia 'Toni' Ricigliano -- is scheduled to take the oath of office today, ending the four-year reign of the township's first Asian-American mayor, Jun Choi."
^Kent, Spencer. "Edison Township Council appoints Dem to fill vacancy", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, June 24, 2016. Accessed July 12, 2016. "The Edison Township Council has appointed Joseph A. Coyle, a Democrat, to fill the seat left vacant by Robert Karabinchak after Karabinchak was appointed to the state Assembly in late May, according to a statement from the township."
^Russell, Suzann. "Edison cop in sex scandal to return to work Monday", Courier News, March 9, 2016. Accessed December 3, 2019. "An Edison police officer who has been suspended with pay for more than two years in connection with allegedly pressuring a woman for sex and lying to internal affairs, is slated to return to work Monday, in compliance with a judge's court order."
^Biography, Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. Accessed January 3, 2019. "Frank Pallone, Jr., was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, where he grew up and still resides."
^Biography of Bob Menendez, United States Senate, January 26, 2015. "Menendez, who started his political career in Union City, moved in September from Paramus to one of Harrison's new apartment buildings near the town's PATH station.."
^Board of County Commissioners, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Accessed May 1, 2022. "The residents of Middlesex County’s 25 municipalities elect seven (7) persons to serve as members of the Board of County Commissioners. The Commissioners are elected at large to staggered three-year terms in the November general election. In January of each year, the Board reorganizes, selecting one Commissioner to be County Commissioner Director and another to be County Commissioner Deputy Director."
^ ab"Governor - Middlesex County"(PDF). New Jersey Department of Elections. January 29, 2014. Archived from the original(PDF) on September 10, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
^About Us, Greater Brunswick Charter School. Accessed December 15, 2019. "The Greater Brunswick Regional Charter School is defined by the broad themes of child-directed learning in the vein of constructivism, Howard Gardner's 'unschooled mind,' and Montessori instruction; multi-age groupings of students; a unique degree of parental and community involvement; and a region of residence serving the entire and contiguous school districts of New Brunswick, Edison, Highland Park, and Milltown."
^Heyboer, Kelly. "How to get your kid a seat in one of N.J.'s hardest-to-get-into high schools", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 2017. Accessed November 18, 2019. "Middlesex County has two stand-alone career academies for high-achieving students: the Academy for Science, Math and Engineering Technology, located on the campus of Middlesex County College in Edison, and the Academy for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences in Woodbridge. How to apply: Students must attend a mandatory information session and submit an application by November of their 8th grade year."
^About RPRY, Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva. Accessed December 4, 2019. "From pre-nursery through eighth grade, RPRY is committed to providing a stellar foundation for our students' Jewish commitment, academic success and emotional well-being. Born of a dream to rebuild Jewish education in the United States after the Holocaust, Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva was founded in 1945 as Moriah Yeshiva Academy by Rabbi Pesach Raymon."
^About Our School, Yeshiva Shaarei Tzion. Accessed December 4, 2019. "The school quickly grew into a three-campus system with a Preschool, a Girls School, and a Boys School, serving families from communities throughout Central New Jersey. YST is Highland Park/Edison's only Jewish community school to offer separate boys and girls elementary education."
^Lakeview School, New Jersey Institute for Disabilities. Accessed December 4, 2019.
^Boyd, Leslie. "Campuses are cities within Piscataway", Courier-News, October 26, 1999. Accessed October 9, 2013. "Across Metlars Lane is the 972-acre Livingston Campus, home to 2,145 undergraduate students and the Rutgers Athletic Center, where the university basketball teams play. ... About one-third of the Livingston campus is in Edison and Highland Park."
^Locations, Edison Public Library. Accessed March 22, 2012.
^D'Amico, Jessica. "State's red-light camera program comes to a stop", Edison/Metuchen Sentinel, January 15, 2015, backed up by the Internet Archive as of March 4, 2016. Accessed September 17, 2017. "In Edison, cameras were located at three intersections, all along Route 1 — at Plainfield Avenue, Prince Street and Wooding Avenue. According to information from the township dating back to 2013, the cameras brought about a 32 percent reduction in accidents at the three intersections. Rightangle collisions fell by 71 percent and rear-end accidents decreased by 17 percent, according to the data."
^About JFK Medical Center, JFK Medical Center. Accessed September 17, 2017. "Founded in 1967, JFK Medical Center is a non-profit 498-bed community hospital, serving residents of Middlesex, Union and Somerset counties in Central New Jersey. With more than 900 affiliated physicians, JFK offers a complete array of advanced services including general and specialized surgery, cardiac care, maternity and pediatric care, and emergency medicine."
^Home Page, Roosevelt Care Center Edison. Accessed March 24, 2015.
^About Us, Raritan Valley Regional EMS. Accessed September 19, 2021.
^"Ambassador Gayleatha B. Brown, United States Ambassador to the Republic of Benin". Archived from the original on June 8, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2013., Embassy of the United States Cotonou, Benin. Accessed March 22, 2012. "She was educated in the Red Jacket Elementary School, Matewan Elementary and High Schools in Mingo County, West Virginia; and Edison Township High School, Edison, New Jersey."
^Barto, Tyler. "Leonte Carroo, the Rutgers receiver that almost wasn't", The Trentonian, November 14, 2013. Accessed October 17, 2018. "Carroo said head coach Kyle Flood's hiring helped soothe his concerns. 'Once Coach Flood got the job, I knew this place was the right place for me and I was going to be fine,' the Edison native said."
^Al Chez – Brass Consultant, The Bushwackers, backed up by the Internet Archive as of October 6, 2007. Accessed September 17, 2017. "When the family moved to Edison N.J. his father helped start up a local drum corps called The Saints."
^Whiten, Jon. "Jun Choi Elected Chair of New Jersey Policy Perspective", New Jersey Policy Perspective, January 13, 2016. Accessed May 1, 2020. "Former Edison Mayor Jun Choi was unanimously elected to serve as Chair of the New Jersey Policy Perspective board last month."
^Fox, Margalit. "Jerry Dior, Designer of Major League Baseball's Logo, Dies at 82", The New York Times, May 29, 2015. Accessed May 1, 2020. "Jerry Dior, a graphic designer who created one of the most instantly recognizable logos in the history of American marketing — the silhouetted batter that has long symbolized Major League Baseball — but who received official credit for it only 40 years after the fact, died on May 10 at his home in Edison, N.J. He was 82."
^Kratch, James. "Rutgers baseball coaching search: 11 potential candidates, including an early favorite", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 29, 2019. Accessed May 1, 2020. "Darren Fenster, Boston Red Sox minor league outfield/base running coordinator: The 40-year-old Edison native and Rutgers Hall of Famer started his coaching career on Hill's staff and has been with the Red Sox for eight years now, five as a manager at the Single- and Double-A levels."
^Olivier, Bobby. "N.J. pop star Halsey was magnetic in her largest home-state concert yet", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 28, 2017. Accessed February 8, 2018. "Before she was Halsey, the Grammy-nominated alt-pop songstress who sold out Madison Square Garden last summer and scored her first No. 1 album this past June, she was Ashley (Halsey being an anagram) Nicoletta Frangipane, born Sept. 29, 1994 at JFK Medical Center in Edison, to parents who had met and married at Fairleigh Dickinson University."
^Moriarty, Thomas. "Trump will name this Christie ally from Jersey to federal judgeship", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, April 10, 2018, updated January 30, 2019. Accessed January 21, 2021. "Matey, a 47-year-old who was born in Edison and raised in Rahway, spent four years under Christie at the U.S. Attorney's Office before joining him in Trenton."
^Cartoonist Patrick McDonnell, PBS, July 9, 2010. Accessed September 17, 2017. "The world of all those characters mirrors his own world in Edison, New Jersey, one acre of tranquility where deer often graze and a cat sleeps on a nearby window sill—reminders, says McDonnell, of this stillness all around and that true happiness is found in simple things."
^Akash Modi, USA Gymnastics. Accessed August 11, 2019. "Birthplace: Edison, NJ USA Hometown: Morganville, NJ USA Name of High School: High Technology High School High School Graduation Year: 2013"
^Brittany Murphy – Interview, Interview, May 2000. "Breathy and infectious, Murphy, an only child raised by her mom in Edison, New Jersey, was in a bind the night we talked in a Manhattan apartment."
^My story, Margie Palatini. Accessed March 22, 2012. "As Zoey Zinevich would say, 'here's the spill.' I grew up in Edison, New Jersey. Yup. It's named after Thomas you-know-who, (He invented the light bulb, phonograph, movie camera, etc. etc. – lots of etc.) and his first laboratory was in Edison, then called Menlo Park."
^Zach Perez, William Paterson Pioneers. Accessed October 10, 2019. "Hometown: Edison, N.J. ... as a captain and was named the team's Most Valuable Player as a junior at Rutgers Prep ... Won a Greater Middlesex County title at Edison H.S. during his freshman campaign"
^Jeffers, Glenn. "Shutout In Relief Better Than Shut-Eye", Chicago Tribune, August 9, 1997. Accessed March 22, 2012. "Marc Pisciotta got the call around 11:45 Thursday night. The right-handed pitcher was going to Chicago. ... 'I had to go into the clubhouse for some coffee,' said the Edison, NJ, native, who turned 27 Thursday."
^Foster, Stella (July 3, 2008). "Goode times". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 39.
^King, Hope. "The $2.5 billion high school", CNN, August 31, 2015. Accessed March 11, 2022. "Chieh Huang, Matt Salzberg, and Ken Chen graduated just a few years before me.... We grew up in central New Jersey. We went to J.P. Stevens, a public high school in Edison."
^Thomas, Bob via Associated Press. "Film Was Revelation For Susan Sarandon", The Palm Beach Post, April 24, 1981. Accessed October 9, 2013. "The new film Atlantic City displays the underside of that reviving New Jersey resort, and it's a world that actress Susan Sarandon has visited. She grew up in Edison, N.J., an hour's drive distant, but before the movie, she had never seen Atlantic City, old or new."
^Staff. "B-Mets Plan 'Giant' Event For Chris Snee Day", OurSportsCentral.com, April 15, 2008. Accessed October 16, 2011. "After high school, the son of Montrose residents Diane & Ed Snee earned a full scholarship to Boston College. After redshirting his first year, the Edison, NJ-born lineman evolved into a three-year starter for the Eagles and an All Big East performer before making himself eligible for the NFL Draft in January 2004."
^Chang, Kathy. "Edison's TV station marks 20 years of broadcasting", Edison Sentinel, September 21, 2011. Accessed September 17, 2017. "Then, in 1994, with Mayor George Spadoro's vision, the township sent its tapes to TKR Cable and began airing a segment called Focus on Edison as well as Township Council meetings and specials."
^McFadden, Robert D."Robert T. Stevens, Former Army Secretary, Dies At 83", The New York Times, February 1, 1983. Accessed March 8, 2018. "Robert T. Stevens, a former Secretary of the Army who became a major figure in the 1954 Army-McCarthy hearings that led to the condemnation of Senator Joseph R. McCarthy and the collapse of his anti-Communist campaigns, died Sunday at his home in Edison, N.J."
^Jim Stoops, The Baseball Cube. Accessed December 3, 2019. "Born Date: June 30,1972 [47.156] Place: Edison,New Jersey"
^Haley, John. "Karl Towns of St. Joseph (Met.) is The Star-Ledger boys basketball state Player of the Year, 2013-14", The Star-Ledger, March 30, 2014. Accessed April 23, 2017. "When a New York City television station was following around a political figure who was visiting newborn babies at John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, the crew was immediately drawn to Towns. He was the biggest kid in the nursery, weighing 10 pounds, measuring 25 inches in length with huge feet."
^Chang, Kathy. "Vallely brings skating stunts home to Edison: Many come out to enjoy pro skateboarding tour stop", Edison Sentinel, August 11, 2010. Accessed September 17, 2017. "edison — After about a dozen times attempting a 360-degree knee flip-and-grab trick on his skateboard, Mike Vallely, a professional skateboarder and township native, threw his hands up. ... Vallely's hometown was the 13th of 24 stops on the inaugural Glory Bound Skatepark Tour."
^King, Wayne. "Legislators Vote to Ban Photo Radar For Speeders", The New York Times, June 12, 1992. Accessed August 29, 2019. "Another sponsor of the bill, Assemblyman Jeffrey Warsh, Republican of Edison, called the device 'nothing less than a full, frontal assault on the system of American jurisprudence' that would overturn 'the tradition that we are innocent until proven guilty.'"
^Staff. "Darrin A. Winston, 42, of Clarksburg in Millstone Township", Asbury Park Press, August 17, 2008. Accessed September 4, 2008. "Darrin A. Winston, 42, of Clarksburg in Millstone Township, passed away Friday, Aug. 15, at CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township. Born in Passaic, he lived in Edison before moving to Millstone Township 10 years ago."
^Sullivan, William J. "Edison native Jeremy Zuttah making impact on O-line for Bucs", The Star-Ledger, November 10, 2008. Accessed October 16, 2011. "Jeremy Zuttah was a sturdy presence during his Rutgers career, starting 40 of 44 games in his four seasons on the offensive line for the Scarlet Knights. Now, the Edison native has quickly made his presence felt in the NFL as a rookie with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers."
^Chang, Kathy; and Kesten, Karen L. "Birth of a town"Edison Sentinel, December 30, 2009. Accessed September 17, 2017. "The Bonhamtown section of Edison was named after Nicholas Bonham, a freeholder from 1682 to 1683. In his book Welcome to Edison – An Enlightening Community, David C. Sheehan writes that Bonhamtown at the time was 'a hamlet town [of few homes], which is said to have been the site of an old Indian Village and later a Continental Army camp and battleground during the Revolution.'"
^Camp Kilmer, National Archives at New York City. Accessed March 22, 2012. "Toward the end of 1941, with the threat of war imminent, the War Department chose a site between Edison and Piscataway, New Jersey as a staging area for troops."
^Dismal SwampArchived June 1, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Sierra Club. Accessed March 22, 2012. "The Dismal Swamp (located in Edison, Metuchen, and South Plainfield) is 660 acres and is designated a 'priority wetland' by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service."
^McFadden, Robert D."Explosion In Edison: The Overview; New Jersey Pipeline Explosion Sets Off Panic, Chaos and Fear", The New York Times, March 25, 1994. Accessed March 22, 2012. "About 100 people suffered burns or were felled by smoke, 2,000 residents of Edison and nearby Metuchen were evacuated and about 300 lost their homes and all their possessions in the blast of undetermined origin. It occurred just before midnight Wednesday in a buried, 36-inch pipeline that supplies natural gas from Texas to much of New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area."
^Staff. "State Orders Edison Landfill Shut", The New York Times, June 28, 1977. Accessed November 4, 2018. "The State Department of Environmental Protection ordered today that Kin-Buc Inc. in Edison Township stop accepting solid waste and close its land-fill operation within 30 days."
^Superfund Site: Kin-Buc Landfill; Edison Township, NJ, Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed September 17, 2017. The Kin-Buc Landfill Superfund Site is located in Edison Township, New Jersey. The 220-acre Site is composed of an inactive landfill that operated from the late 1940s to 1976. From 1971 to 1976, the Site was a State-approved landfill for industrial and municipal wastes, both solid and liquid. The Site accepted hazardous waste during this period, until the State revoked its permit in 1976 due to the violation of several environmental statutes."
^Dudley, William L. The Story of the Friends in PlainfieldIncludingA History of Early Quaker Families, Rahway & Plainfield Friends (Quaker) Meeting, March 29, 1929. Accessed March 24, 2015. "The Laing family composed a prominent part of the first permanent settlers in this neighborhood. John Laing, the progenitor of this long line in East Jersey, came over from Craigforth, Aberdeen County, Scotland, August 1685, landing in Amboy, near which place for a few years he lived with his wife Margaret and his children, John, Abraham, William, Christiana and Isabel. In 1698 he moved to 'the Plains' near where South Plainfield now is. His son John married, in 1708, Elizabeth Shotwell, a direct descendent of the original Abraham Shotwell. His daughter Isabel, in 1700, married Joseph Fitz Randolph, son of Nathaniel."
United States
New Jersey
Edison
