Piscataway Township, New Jersey

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Piscataway Township, New Jersey
Location of Piscataway Township highlighted in Middlesex County
Location of Piscataway Township highlighted in Middlesex County
Coordinates: 40°32′23″N 74°27′59″W / 40.53972, -74.46639
Country United States
State New Jersey
County Middlesex
Formed October 31, 1693
Incorporated February 21, 1798
Government
 - Type Faulkner Act Mayor-Council
 - Mayor Brian C. Wahler
Area
 - Total 19.0 sq mi (49.1 km²)
 - Land 18.8 sq mi (48.6 km²)
 - Water 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km²)  1.05%
Elevation [2] 92 ft (28 m)
Population (2006)[1]
 - Total 52,658
 - Density 2,688.6/sq mi (1,037.9/km²)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) Eastern (EDT) (UTC-4)
ZIP code 08854, 08855
Area code(s) 732 and 908
FIPS code 34-59010GR2
GNIS feature ID 0882167GR3
Website: http://www.piscatawaynj.org/

Piscataway Township (pronounced /pɪˈskætəweɪ/) is a Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 50,482.

The name Piscataway derives from its original settlers who lived near the Piscataqua River, whose name derives from Pisgeu (meaning "dark night") and awa ("Place of"), or it may come from the Lenape word meaning "Great Deer".[3] The area was first settled in 1666 by Quakers and Baptists who had left the Puritan colony in New Hampshire.[4]

Piscataway Township was formed on December 18, 1666, and officially incorporated on February 21, 1798.[5] The community, the fifth oldest municipality in New Jersey,[6] has grown from Native American territory, through a colonial period and is one of the links in the earliest settlement of the Atlantic Ocean seacoast that ultimately led to the formation of the United States. Over the years, portions of Piscataway were taken to form Raritan Township (March 17, 1870, now Edison), Dunellen (October 28, 1887), Middlesex (April 9, 1913) and South Plainfield (March 10, 1926).[5]

Piscataway is in Central Jersey with easy access to major highways, including Interstate 287, the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike.

Society Hill is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Piscataway Township.

Piscataway has advanced educational and research facilities due to the presence of Rutgers University and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Rutgers Stadium is in Piscataway.

Contents

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 49.1 km² (19.0 mi²). 48.6 km² (18.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (1.05%) is water.

Piscataway is bordered by nine municipalities in Middlesex County, Union County, and Somerset County: Plainfield on the northeast, Dunellen on the north, Middlesex on the northwest, South Bound Brook and Franklin Township on the west across the Raritan River, New Brunswick on the south (across the river), Highland Park and Edison on the southeast, and South Plainfield on the east.

The township consists of the following historic villages and areas: New Market, known as Quibbletown in the 18th Century, Randolphville, Fieldville and North Stelton.[citation needed] The original village settlement of Piscatawaytown is located in present day Edison Township.

Piscataway is often segmented into unofficial sections by local residents which include Bound Brook Heights "the Heights"), New Brunswick Highlands, Lake Nelson, Randolphville, Arbor, New Market, North Stelton (Fellowship Farm) and Possumtown.

Significant portions of Piscataway make up part of historic Camp Kilmer and the Livingston and Busch Campuses of Rutgers University.

The Arbor and New Brunswick Highland sections of Piscataway were historically African American neighborhoods.

The New Market section historically comprised of the Quaker village of Quibbletown. The name of the village originates from the fact that settlers of different religious denominations quibbled about whether the Sabbath should be observed on Saturday or on Sunday in the village.

Historical populations
Census Pop.  %±
1930 5,865
—
1940 7,243 23.5%
1950 10,180 40.5%
1960 19,890 95.4%
1970 36,418 83.1%
1980 42,223 15.9%
1990 47,089 11.5%
2000 50,482 7.2%
Est. 2006 52,658 [1] 4.3%
Population 1930 - 1990.[7]

As of the census² of 2000, there were 50,482 people, 16,500 households, and 12,325 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,037.9/km² (2,688.6/mi²). There were 16,946 housing units at an average density of 348.4/km² (902.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 48.81% White, 20.31% African American, 0.21% Native American, 24.80% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.08% from other races, and 2.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.93% of the population.

As of the 2000 census, 12.49% of Piscataway's residents identified themselves as being of Indian American ancestry, which was the fourth highest of any municipality in the United States and the third highest in New Jersey — behind Edison (17.75%) and Plainsboro Township (16.97%) — of all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.[8]

There were 16,500 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.29.

In the township the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 14.1% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $68,721, and the median income for a family was $75,218. Males had a median income of $47,188 versus $36,271 for females. The per capita income for the township was $26,321. About 2.7% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

In November, 1966, Piscataway voters, under the Faulkner Act, approved a Charter Study and elected a Charter Study Commission to recommend the form of Government best suited to Piscataway's needs. The Commission recommended Mayor-Council Plan F, and in November 1967, the voters approved, and the new form of government was inaugurated on January 1, 1969. Under Plan F the Mayor is the administrator and the Council is the legislative body. A full time business administrator, appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the Council, and responsible to the Mayor, supervises the day-by-day operation of municipal government. Terms of office for the Mayor and Council members are four years, on a staggered schedule. There are seven Council members, one representing each of four wards, and three At-Large members.[9]

The Mayor of Piscataway is Brian C. Wahler. Members of the Township Council are:[10]

  • Council President Mark Hardenburg (Ward 1)
  • Council Vice President Loretta Keimel (Ward 2)
  • Kenneth Armwood (At Large)
  • Millie Scott (At Large)
  • James Huben (At Large)
  • Steven D. Cahn (Ward 3)
  • Michelle Lombardi (Ward 4)

Piscataway is in the Sixth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 17th Legislative District.[11]

New Jersey's Sixth Congressional District, covering portions of Middlesex County and Monmouth County, is represented by Frank Pallone (D). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).

The 17th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Bob Smith (D, Piscataway) and in the Assembly by Upendra J. Chivukula (D, Somerset) and Joseph V. Egan (D, New Brunswick). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).

Middlesex County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. Middlesex County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director David B. Crabiel (Milltown), Freeholder Deputy Director Stephen J. "Pete" Dalina (Fords in Woodbridge), Camille Fernicola (Piscataway), H. James Polos (Highland Park), John Pulomena (South Plainfield), Christopher D. Rafano (South River) and Blanquita B. Valenti (New Brunswick).[19]

Piscataway is divided into four fire districts which are served by a total of six volunteer fire companies.

District 1

District 2

District 3

  • Arbor Hose Co., 1780 West Seventh St.

District 4

Fire Prevention

  • Fire Marshall's Office, 555 Sidney Rd.

Fire District Map

The Piscataway Township Schools serves almost 7,000 students in grades kindergarten through 12 under the leadership of Superintendent of Schools, Robert L. Copeland.[12] In addition to its high school, there are four schools that educate students in kindergarten through third grade, two intermediate schools serving grades 4-5, and three middle schools for students in grades six, seven, and eight.

Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[13]) are:

Elementary schools (Grades K-3)

Intermediate Schools (Grades 4-5)

Middle Schools (Grades 6-8)

High School (Grades 9-12)

Middlesex County schools:

Private schools:

Colleges & continuing education

  • Epic Inc., A large Construction Management and General Contracting company.

Notable current and former residents of Piscataway township include:

  1. ^ a b Census data for Piscataway township, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 23, 2007.
  2. ^ USGS GNIS: Township of Piscataway, Geographic Names Information System, accessed April 15, 2007.
  3. ^ The Origin of New Jersey Place Names: P, GetNJ.com. Accessed June 28, 2007.
  4. ^ Cheslow, Jerry. " If You're Thinking of Living in: Piscataway", The New York Times, June 28, 1992. Accessed June 28, 2007.
  5. ^ a b "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 172.
  6. ^ Welcome to Piscataway, NJ, accessed February 8, 2007.
  7. ^ Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
  8. ^ Asian-Indian Communities, Epodunk. Accessed February 18, 2007.
  9. ^ Piscataway Township Government, Township of Piscataway. Accessed December 14, 2006.
  10. ^ Piscataway Mayor and Council, Township of Piscataway. Accessed March 18, 2007.
  11. ^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 62. Accessed August 30, 2006.
  12. ^ Who’s Who in the Piscataway School District, Piscataway School District. Accessed September 23, 2007.
  13. ^ Data for the Piscataway Township Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed September 23, 2007.
  14. ^ "Instant manufacturing: from jet parts to hearing aids, the manufacture of finished goods directly from digital files and piles of powder is a growing trend. Someday, retail stores might even print out a product just for you.", Technology Review, November 1, 2003. Accessed September 30, 2007. "It works so well that Siemens, the world's largest maker of hearing aids, is completely switching to the technology at several factories."
  15. ^ Mike Alexander, database Football. Accessed November 24, 2007.
  16. ^ Malcolm Jenkins, Rivals.com. Accessed December 2, 2007.
  17. ^ Asjha Jones profile, Women's National Basketball Association. Accessed September 6, 2007. "A Parade, USA Today and Street & Smith First Team All-American at Piscataway High School, averaging 22.2 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.5 blocks and 2.9 steals…Scored a school career-record 2,266 points and had 1,256 rebounds."
  18. ^ Lee, Linda. "A NIGHT OUT WITH: Lisa Marie; A Vargas Girl in the City", The New York Times, July 29, 2001. Accessed October 1, 2007. "She was raised in Piscataway, N.J., and came to the city in her teens to study dance."
  19. ^ Elected County Officials, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Accessed February 21, 2007.

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Municipalities and communities of
Middlesex County, New Jersey
County seat: New Brunswick
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Map of New Jersey highlighting Middlesex County
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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piscataway_Township%2C_New_Jersey"
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