North Brunswick, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids North Brunswick, New Jersey
Township
Rutgers Gardens in North Brunswick
Seal
Location of North Brunswick in Middlesex County highlighted in pink
North Brunswick, New Jersey Location in Middlesex County, New Jersey Show map of Middlesex County, New Jersey North Brunswick, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey North Brunswick, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Middlesex
First mention	February 28, 1779
Incorporated	February 21, 1798
Named for	Braunschweig, Germany or King George II of Great Britain
Government
• Type	Mayor-Council-Administrator
• Body	Township Council
Area
• Total	12.31 sq mi (31.88 km2)
• Land	12.03 sq mi (31.16 km2)
• Water	0.28 sq mi (0.71 km2)  2.24%
Area rank	187th of 565 in state 10th of 25 in county
Elevation	121 ft (37 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	43,905
• Estimate  (2023)	44,108
• Rank	50th of 565 in state 11th of 25 in county
• Density	3,649.0/sq mi (1,408.9/km2)
• Density rank	183rd of 565 in state 13th of 25 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	08902
Area code(s)	732 and 908
FIPS code	3402352560
GNIS feature ID	0882164
Website

North Brunswick is a township in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is centrally located in the Raritan Valley region within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 43,905, an increase of 3,163 (+7.8%) from the 2010 census count of 40,742, which in turn reflected an increase of 3,455 (+12.3%) from the 36,287 counted in the 2000 census.

North Brunswick is located south of New Brunswick. It was named for its earlier-established neighbor, South Brunswick. Brunswick comes from New Brunswick, which was named after the German city of Braunschweig, formerly translated in English as Brunswick or for the British royal House of Brunswick. North and South Brunswick, in turn, became the namesakes for East Brunswick. Alternatively, the city gets its name from King George II of Great Britain, the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.

History

The area that would become North Brunswick had been settled by the Lenape Native Americans. European settlers from France and The Netherlands acquired land in 1772 from the Lenape that would become North Brunswick.

North Brunswick was first mentioned in Middlesex Freeholder Board minutes of February 28, 1779. North Brunswick Township was incorporated on February 21, 1798, by the New Jersey Legislature's Township Act of 1798 as one of the state's initial group of 104 townships. Portions of the township have since separated to create East Brunswick (February 28, 1860) and Milltown (January 29, 1889). Territorial exchanges were made with Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey in 1850 and 1858, with South Brunswick in 1856 and with New Brunswick in 1860, 1917 and 1929.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 12.31 square miles (31.88 km²), including 12.03 square miles (31.16 km²) of land and 0.28 square miles (0.71 km²) of water (2.24%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Adams, Berdines Corner, Black Horse, Bodines Corner, Franklin Park, Georges Road, Livingston Park, Maple Meade, Patricks Corner and Red Lion. The northern portion of the township, near the New Brunswick border, is mainly middle class while the southern and eastern sections tend to be more affluent, with a few homes priced around $1 million.

The township borders the municipalities of East Brunswick, Milltown, New Brunswick and South Brunswick in Middlesex County; and Franklin Township in Somerset County.

Like many other New Jersey communities, North Brunswick is faced with the issues of suburban sprawl and open space preservation. The 104.91-acre (42.46 ha) Otken Farm property on Route 130 between Adams Lane and Renaissance Boulevard was purchased by the township to be converted into North Brunswick Community Park, which opened in April 2007. The nearby Pulda Farm, on Route 130 at Wood Avenue, however may be developed into an age-restricted community pending legal challenge. Re-development of the site of the former Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical plant on U.S. Route 1 between Adams Lane and Aaron Road is currently the subject of a public hearing process that will determine what may be built on the property. There is also discussion of building an NJ Transit commuter railroad station on the site, along the Northeast Corridor Line. Other parcels slated for development into retail shopping centers include the currently wooded corner of Route 130 and Adams Lane diagonally across from the Maple Meade Plaza.

North Brunswick is part of the watershed of the Lawrence Brook, a tributary of the Raritan River. The brook's watershed covers 48 square miles (120 km²) that also includes East Brunswick, Milltown, New Brunswick and South Brunswick. Farrington Lake, part of the Lawrence Brook watershed, is a freshwater reservoir bordered by North Brunswick, East Brunswick and South Brunswick.

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 43,905 people in the township, comprised of 15,339 households and 11,099 families. The population density was 3,649.0 inhabitants per square mile (1,408.9/km²). There were 15,789 housing units in the township. The racial makeup was 39.3% (17,255) White, 20.9% (9,176) Black or African American, 24.6% (10,801) Asian, 0.2% (103) Native American, and 3.8% multiracial. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race were 20.9% (9,175) of the population.

The 2017-2021 American Community Survey reported 15,339 households, with an average household size of 2.70 persons. Of those households, 11,229 households were families. The average household size of families was 3.22 persons. 32.7% (5,105) households had children under the age of 18. The population under the age of 18 years was 9,707, and the population over the age of 65 years was 5,845.

The median household income of the township was $103,488 (+/- $5,388) and the mean income was $129,117 (+/- $11,272). Both numbers were reported in 2021 inflation-adjusted dollars. The per-capita income was $46,291 (+/- $4,254). Of the 30,408 people who were 25 years or older, 88.88% (27,027) had at least a high school diploma, 50.95% (15,493) had at least a bachelor's degree, and 21.95% (6,675) had a graduate or professional degree. Approximately 9% of the population is below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 and over. The poverty rate of families stood at 5.2%.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 40,742 people, 14,551 households, and 10,404 families in the township. The population density was 3,396.2 per square mile (1,311.3/km²). There were 15,045 housing units at an average density of 1,254.1 per square mile (484.2/km²). The racial makeup was 46.61% (18,991) White, 17.47% (7,116) Black or African American, 0.42% (171) Native American, 24.27% (9,888) Asian, 0.04% (15) Pacific Islander, 8.16% (3,323) from other races, and 3.04% (1,238) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.73% (7,223) of the population.

Of the 14,551 households, 35.7% had children under the age of 18; 53.4% were married couples living together; 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 28.5% were non-families. Of all households, 22.3% were made up of individuals and 6.3% 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 3.22.

23.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 97.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 95.2 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $78,469 (with a margin of error of +/− $3,515) and the median family income was $91,053 (+/− $3,268). Males had a median income of $60,285 (+/− $3,591) versus $50,018 (+/− $2,499) for females. The per capita income for the township was $32,944 (+/− $1,441). About 4.5% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The North Brunswick Township Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2019–20 school year, the district, comprised of six schools, had an enrollment of 6,096 students and 530.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.5:1. Schools in the district (with 2019–20 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are North Brunswick Township Early Childhood Center with NA students in Pre-K, John Adams Elementary School with 565 students in grades K–4, Arthur M. Judd Elementary School with 786 students in grades Pre-K–4, Livingston Park Elementary School with 594 students in grades K–4, Parsons Elementary School with 703 students in grades K–4, Linwood School with 1,356 students in grades 5–6, North Brunswick Township Middle School with NA students in grades 7–8, and North Brunswick Township High School with 1,886 students in grades 9–12.

John Adams School was recognized in 1998–1999 as a National Blue Ribbon Award School of Excellence. The district's high school was recognized in 1999–2000.

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.

Portions of the Rutgers University School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (formerly Cook College) is located on College Farm Road off Route 1 on the northern end of the township. DeVry University has a campus in North Brunswick on U.S. Route 1 between Milltown Road and Ryders Lane. Chamberlain College of Nursing's administrative offices are located on the DeVry University site. Anthem Institute had a branch on Route 1 on the Technology Centre of New Jersey campus that closed in 2014 as part of a group of closures nationwide.

Transportation

Roads and highways

U.S. Route 1, the largest and busiest road in North Brunswick

As of May 2010^[update], the township had a total of 101.51 miles (163.36 km) of roadways, of which 77.57 miles (124.84 km) were maintained by the municipality, 7.23 miles (11.64 km) by Middlesex County and 16.71 miles (26.89 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Major roads in North Brunswick include:

• U.S. Route 130, which begins at an intersection with Route 171's terminus.
• U.S. Route 1, the largest highway in North Brunswick.
• Route 26, also known as Livingston Avenue.
• Route 27, along the western border.
• Route 91, also known as Jersey Avenue.
• Route 171, which starts at the northern terminus of Route 130 as Georges Road in the Berdines Corner section of township and enters New Brunswick.
• County Route 682, also known as Finnegans Lane, a 1.05-mile (1.69 km) along the southern border.
• County Route 680, also known as How Lane
• County Route 620, concurrent with Nassau Street east of Georges Road/Route 171.
• County Route 608, in two sections known as Cozzens Lane and Adams Lane.
• County Route 606, also known as Milltown Road.

Limited access roads are accessible outside the township, such as Interstate 287 in bordering Franklin Township. The New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95) is accessible from exits in East Brunswick and South Brunswick.

Public transportation

NJ Transit Rail Operations (NJT) originates trains to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan during peak hours from the Jersey Avenue station in New Brunswick. A new North Brunswick station on its Northeast Corridor Line has been proposed for the former Johnson & Johnson site on Route 1 and Aaron Road. In January 2013 NJT announced that the station would be built in 2018 in conjunction with the transit-oriented development. In addition to the new station the agency plans to build a flyover (balloon loop and flying junction) called the Mid-Line Loop south of the new station allowing trains turn around and enter and leave the Northeast Corridor without crossing over tracks. The new Mid-Line Loop would be in the location of a current minor Amtrak yard, Adams Yard, which is part of the larger County Yard complex.

NJ Transit provides local bus service on the 811 and 814 routes.

Middlesex County RIDE shuttles provide service on routes operating across the county, including the M1 route, which operates between Jamesburg and the New Brunswick train station and the M5 Jersey Avenue/Brunswick-Commercial Avenue Shuttle.

Suburban Trails offers service to and from New York City on Route 100 between Princeton and the Port Authority Bus Terminal; and Route 600 between East Windsor and Wall Street in Downtown Manhattan.

The Raritan River Railroad ran through North Brunswick, but is now defunct along this part of the line. Proposals have been made to use the line as a light rail route.

Community

There are various communities within North Brunswick. One of many is the Italian American community. The Italian American community of North Brunswick and other Middlesex County towns celebrate their heritage annually at Carnevale Italiano, a decades-old carnival organized by the Italian-American Social Club. This event has been a huge part of North Brunswick's culture, as Middlesex County ranks fourth out of New Jersey's 21 counties in its population of Italian Americans. A highlight of the carnival is a fireworks show by Grucci.

Each year, the sports associations of the township host the North Brunswick Youth Sports Festival. The Heritage Day Committee which consists of Township residents (appointed by the Mayor of North Brunswick) and Liaisons from the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services (DPRCS) hosts a Heritage Day Event each year in North Brunswick Community Park. This festival showcases the many cultures that make up North Brunswick.

Notable people

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

• James Altucher (born 1968), hedge-fund manager, author, podcaster and entrepreneur
• Glen Burtnik (born 1955), songwriter, recording artist and performer who is a former member of the band Styx
• Sean Cameron (born 1985), footballer who most recently played for Miami FC in the USSF Division 2 Professional League
• John Forté (born 1975), music producer for the rap group the Fugees
• Joanna Gregory-Scocchi (born 1959), former member of the New Jersey General Assembly
• Mel Harris (born 1956), actress, known for her role on TV's thirtysomething
• Tim Howard (born 1979), a.k.a. "The Secretary of Defense," goalkeeper for the United States men's national soccer team and for Colorado Rapids in the Major League Soccer
• Ron Howden (born 1945), drummer of 1970s British band Nektar
• Jim Norton (born 1968), comedian and actor
• Aries Spears (born 1975), comedian, actor, performer on Fox's MADtv
• Tiquan Underwood (born 1987), wide receiver who has played in the NFL

See also

In Spanish: Municipio de North Brunswick para niños