Bridgewater Township, New Jersey
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Categories: Somerset County, New Jersey | Townships in New Jersey | Faulkner Act
Bridgewater Township is a township located in Somerset County, New Jersey. As of the 2000 census, the township had a total population of 42,940. Bridgewater Township is governed under the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) system of municipal government.
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Locale and history
Its ZIP code is 08807 and its area codes are 908 and 732. Bridgewater is a relatively large, mostly affluent suburban township located in the center of Somerset County, adjacent to and north of Somerville, the seat of Somerset County.
The thirty-three square mile area which is now the Township of Bridgewater was originally purchased from a local Indian tribe. Chartered by George II of Great Britain in 1749, and incorporated as one of New Jersey's 104 original municipalities in 1798, Bridgewater is a modern suburban municipality with a balance of residential and commercial uses. In the early years, Bridgewater was known as a farming town, until around the 1970's when it's population began to grow, and is now a more typical suburban town. What are now the boroughs of Somerville, Raritan and Bound Brook were once part of Bridgewater Township until they broke away years after the chartering. Portions of Warren and Branchburg Townships also were originally part of Bridgewater Township.
Bridgewater is Somerset County's second-most populous municipality, after Franklin Township.
Bridgewater borders 13 other municipalities. Its longest borders are with Branchburg Township, Bedminster, Bernards, Warren, Bound Brook, Somerville and Raritan. It also borders Green Brook (though connected only by Route 22), Middlesex (though connected only by one local street), South Bound Brook (a very short border in the middle of the Raritan River, Franklin (the only street connection is Interstate 287), Manville (the only street connection is Finderne Avenue, a county highway), and Hillsborough (no direct street connection.)
Communities
Bridgewater contains a number of communities and sections, many of which do not have officially defined boundaries. They include:
- Bradley Gardens: Located in southwestern Bridgewater, bordered on the east by Raritan and on the north by Route 202. This is one of Bridgewater's older residential areas but also includes some newer developments as well as a commercial area along Old York Road.
- Finderne: Located in southeastern Bridgewater between Bound Brook and Somerville. This is a diverse area with older neighborhoods, newer developments, multi-unit housing as well as commercial and industrial areas. It is by far the most cultured, interesting area of the township, and could act as it's "main center". The Middlebrook Crossing industrial park, the Promendade shopping center and Commerce Bank Ballpark (home of the Somerset Patriots) are located here.
- Martinsville: Located in Northeastern Bridgewater near Warren. This is a predominantly residential area, though it does have its own commercial center along Washington Valley Road, and its own post office and zip code. This also is a very hilly area as it is the portion of Bridgewater through which the Watchung Mountains pass. It has many large, pricy homes and is known for being the townships most affluent neighborhood.
- Green Knoll: Located in central Bridgewater, this is a residential area but with a lot of major commercial developments and government facilities, including the Bridgewater Commons mall at the intersection of Routes 22 and 202-206; a large office park just west of the Commons across Route 202-206; the municipal building and police station; and Bridgewater-Raritan High School.
- Northwestern Bridgewater: This area has no "official name" but is referred to by some as the "Country Club-Meadow Road area" or similar names, after the major north-south streets there. Some also refer to "the Van Holten area" after the elementary school located there. It borders Bedminster on the north and Branchburg on the west. It is Bridgewaters most "rural" section.
- Milltown Road developments: Known to some as the "Milltown-Vanderveer" area, this is an area of Bridgewater just northeast of Bradley Gardens bordering Raritan and Branchburg. It is mainly made up of townhouses, condos and single family homes, built in the 80's, 90's and 00's. A new school opened in September 2005 to accommodate portions of this development area. This area is also often seen as part of Bradley Gardens.
- North Branch: Most of the historic community of North Branch is located in Branchburg Township, but a portion lies to the east of the North Branch of the Raritan River, in Bridgewater Township.
- Sunset Lake: Built around a manmade lake in the extreme northern part of Bridgewater, near the interchange of Interstates 287 and 78.
- Thomae Park: In the extreme eastern portion of Bridgewater, bordering Bound Brook and Middlesex. Residents there have a Bound Brook zip code.
Places of Interest
- Bridgewater Commons, a large regional shopping mall.
- Commerce Bank Ballpark, home of the Somerset Patriots.
- Washington Campground (also known as Middlebrook Encampment), just north of Bound Brook, a preserved portion of the land on which the army of George Washington encamped during the winter of 1778-79. (The general himself stayed in an actual house in Somerville.)
- Somerset County library headquarters
Transportation
Bridgewater is cris-crossed by several major highways, including Interstate 287, Interstate 78, Route 22, Route 202-206 and Route 28. Main Street, designated as a county highway, connects Bridgewater with Bound Brook and Somerville.
The Raritan Valley passenger rail line of NJ Transit also passes through Bridgewater. There are two stations in the Finderne area, one off Finderne Avenue and the other on the old American Cyanamid property.
Education
Bridgewater is part of the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. All of the schools are in Bridgewater except for Kennedy, which is in Raritan. The schools are:
- Bridgewater-Raritan High School
- Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School
- Intermediate Schools (grades 4-5): Hillside School, Eisenhower School
- Primary Schools (grades pre-K-3): Adamsville, Bradley Gardens, Crim, Hamilton, Kennedy, Milltown and Van Holten Schools.
Also in Bridgewater is Somerset County Vocational-Technical School.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 84.3 km² (32.5 mi²). 84.0 km² (32.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.28% water.
While much of Bridgewater has relatively flat terrain, the northeastern portion of the township is very hilly, with the First Ridge of the Watchung Mountains (sometimes known as the First Watchung Mountain) passing through the township. Additionally the Second Ridge (Second Mountain) passes just north of the township border.
The Raritan River and its branches and tributaries form much of Bridgewater's borders with other municipalities and a number of smaller rivers and streams run through Bridgewater. The Raritan itself runs along Bridgewater's southern border (except where Somerville and Raritan were carved out as separate boroughs) and the North Branch of the Raritan River forms the township's western border with Branchburg. The North Branch and South Branch of the Raritan River meet at the extreme southwestern corner of Bridgewater at the border with both Branchburg and Hillsborough, and this point known as the Raritan River Confluence was once intended to be a major reservoir.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 42,940 people, 15,561 households, and 11,888 families residing in the township. The population density is 510.9/km² (1,323.4/mi²). There are 15,879 housing units at an average density of 188.9/km² (489.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the township is 83.07% White, 2.17% African American, 0.08% Native American, 11.54% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.89% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. 4.79% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 15,561 households out of which 38.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.6% are married couples living together, 7.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 23.6% are non-families. 19.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.71 and the average family size is 3.14.
In the township the population is spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.4 males.
The median income for a household in the township is $88,308, and the median income for a family is $99,832. Males have a median income of $67,089 versus $49,096 for females. The per capita income for the township is $39,555. 2.1% of the population and 1.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 1.7% of those under the age of 18 and 3.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
According to the National Geographic Society, Bridgewater has an unusually high number of twins and triplets. [1]de:Bridgewater Township (New Jersey)