Madison, New Jersey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Madison, New Jersey
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Borough
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Main Street in Downtown Madison
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| Nickname(s):
The Rose City
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Location of Madison in Morris County highlighted in red (right). Inset map: Location of Morris County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (left).
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Census Bureau map of Madison, New Jersey
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 Madison, New Jersey
Location in Morris County, New Jersey
Madison, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Madison, New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  New Jersey |
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| County |  Morris |
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| Incorporated | December 27, 1889 | ||
| Named for | President James Madison | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Borough | ||
| • Body | Borough Council | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 4.33 sq mi (11.20 km2) | ||
| • Land | 4.31 sq mi (11.17 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2) 0.30% | ||
| Area rank | 288th of 565 in state 24th of 39 in county |
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| Elevation | 266 ft (81 m) | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 16,937 | ||
| • Estimate
(2023)
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16,432 | ||
| • Rank | 158th of 565 in state 13th of 39 in county |
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| • Density | 3,926.6/sq mi (1,516.1/km2) | ||
| • Density rank | 165th of 565 in state 6th of 39 in county |
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| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST)) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT)) | ||
| ZIP Code |
07940
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| Area code(s) | 973 | ||
| FIPS code | 3402742510 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0885287 | ||
Madison is a small town, or borough, located in Morris County, New Jersey. In 2020, about 16,937 people lived here. This was a bit more than in 2010.
Madison is famous for its old railroad station. This station is part of the Morris & Essex Lines, which was one of America's first train lines for people traveling to work. Many rich families from Manhattan moved to Madison because the train made it easy to get to New York City. Madison is often called "The Rose City" because of its history with growing roses. It was named after President James Madison.
Money magazine said Madison was one of the "Best Places to Live" in 2011. It was the third-best place in New Jersey on their list. Later, in 2019, New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Madison as the very best place to live in New Jersey!
Madison is also a college town. It is home to Drew University and Fairleigh Dickinson University. Another university, Saint Elizabeth University, is very close by. Madison also has the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, which is one of the biggest professional Shakespeare groups in North America.
Contents
Madison's Story: A Look Back in Time
Early Days: Native Americans and Settlers
Long ago, Native Americans lived in the area that is now Madison. They were part of the Lenape tribe. They farmed the land and moved with the seasons. They also hunted and fished. When Dutch traders came, they traded with the Lenape. Later, British settlers arrived in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Around 1715, a small village called Bottle Hill was started. It was located where Ridgedale Avenue and Kings Road meet today. The oldest house still standing, the Luke Miller house, was built around 1730. Kings Road used to be a toll road, meaning people had to pay to use it.
In 1739, Morris County, New Jersey was created. Bottle Hill was split between two townships. In 1747, a church was built for the Presbyterian Church of South Hanover, which was what Madison was called back then. By 1758, the Lenape people had to leave their lands in New Jersey.
Growing with the Railroad: The Rose City
In 1806, the area became part of Chatham Township. Then, in 1834, the village changed its name to Madison. To remember its old name, Madison still celebrates "Bottle Hill Day" every year with a fair.
In 1838, the Morris and Essex Railroad was built. This train line connected Madison to cities like Newark and Hoboken. It helped farmers sell their crops. The railroad also helped Madison become famous for growing roses. This is why Madison is known as The Rose City. The train made it easy to send roses to markets in Manhattan.
After the Civil War, Madison grew even faster. The train line became one of the first for people who lived in the suburbs and worked in the city. Wealthy families from Manhattan moved here. Many of them already owned large pieces of land. This led to the creation of "Millionaire's Row," a street with many grand homes. One of the most famous was the Florham estate, which is now part of Fairleigh Dickinson University. It's a huge mansion from the Gilded Age.
On December 27, 1889, Madison officially became a borough. This allowed the town to manage its own water supply. Over the next few years, Madison added more land from Chatham Township.
The historic railroad station was built in 1916. The community helped pay for it. The train tracks were raised above the roads so that traffic wouldn't be stopped by trains. This made travel much smoother.
Madison became a very diverse place early on. People from different backgrounds came to work in the rose industry and on the large estates. Today, Madison is still a diverse community with people from all over the world.
Where is Madison?
Madison is about 25 miles (40 km) west of downtown Manhattan. It covers about 4.33 square miles (11.20 square kilometers) of land. Most of it is land, with only a tiny bit of water.
Madison shares its borders with several other towns in Morris County. These include Chatham Borough, Chatham Township, Harding Township, Morris Township, and Florham Park.
| Climate data for Madison, New Jersey | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 73 (23) |
76 (24) |
89 (32) |
96 (36) |
97 (36) |
102 (39) |
103 (39) |
104 (40) |
99 (37) |
93 (34) |
84 (29) |
76 (24) |
104 (40) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 39 (4) |
42 (6) |
51 (11) |
62 (17) |
73 (23) |
82 (28) |
86 (30) |
85 (29) |
78 (26) |
66 (19) |
55 (13) |
44 (7) |
64 (18) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 18 (−8) |
20 (−7) |
28 (−2) |
38 (3) |
47 (8) |
57 (14) |
63 (17) |
61 (16) |
53 (12) |
40 (4) |
32 (0) |
24 (−4) |
40 (4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −25 (−32) |
−26 (−32) |
−6 (−21) |
12 (−11) |
25 (−4) |
31 (−1) |
41 (5) |
35 (2) |
26 (−3) |
13 (−11) |
−5 (−21) |
−16 (−27) |
−26 (−32) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.54 (90) |
2.91 (74) |
4.20 (107) |
4.29 (109) |
4.38 (111) |
4.70 (119) |
4.73 (120) |
4.42 (112) |
4.89 (124) |
4.65 (118) |
4.06 (103) |
4.13 (105) |
50.9 (1,292) |
| Source: Weather Channel | |||||||||||||
People of Madison
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 1,756 | — | |
| 1890 | 2,469 | 40.6% | |
| 1900 | 3,754 | 52.0% | |
| 1910 | 4,658 | 24.1% | |
| 1920 | 5,523 | 18.6% | |
| 1930 | 7,481 | 35.5% | |
| 1940 | 7,944 | 6.2% | |
| 1950 | 10,417 | 31.1% | |
| 1960 | 15,122 | 45.2% | |
| 1970 | 16,710 | 10.5% | |
| 1980 | 15,357 | −8.1% | |
| 1990 | 15,850 | 3.2% | |
| 2000 | 16,530 | 4.3% | |
| 2010 | 15,845 | −4.1% | |
| 2020 | 16,937 | 6.9% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 16,432 | 3.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1880–1890 1890–1920 1890–1910 1890–1930 1940–2000 2000 2010 2020 |
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In 2020, Madison had 16,937 people living in 5,745 households. The population density was about 3,927 people per square mile.
In 2010, there were 15,845 people. Most residents (86.75%) were White, 2.96% were Black or African American, and 5.51% were Asian. About 8.87% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.
The average household had about 2.58 people, and the average family had 3.19 people. About 23.7% of the people were under 18 years old.
Madison's Economy
Madison's downtown area is a lively place with many historic buildings. The Madison Civic Commercial Historic District, which includes the downtown area, the borough hall, and the train station, is listed on the State Register of Historic Places. The borough hall was a gift to the town from Geraldine R. Dodge and Marcellus Hartley Dodge Sr.
Madison has become well-known for its many good restaurants. There are also businesses like Quest Diagnostics located in the Giralda Farms area, which used to be a large estate.
Arts and Culture in Madison
Madison hosts an annual event called Bottle Hill Day. It's a big community celebration with games, food, music, and activities for thousands of people.
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is located in Madison. It's one of the few professional theaters in the state that focuses on Shakespeare's plays and other classic works. Many people, including students, visit it every year.
Madison is also home to the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts. This museum teaches about New Jersey's history and has over 8,000 old tools and items. The building itself is historic.
In 2017, a sculpture by the famous artist Auguste Rodin was found in the Hartley Dodge Memorial building. A student from Drew University discovered it! This bust of Napoleon was later shown to the public and loaned to a museum.
Education in Madison
Public Schools
The Madison Public Schools serve students from pre-kindergarten all the way through twelfth grade. In the 2018–19 school year, there were about 2,646 students across five schools.
The schools are:
- Central Avenue School (Pre-K–5)
- Kings Road School (K–5)
- Torey J. Sabatini School (K–5)
- Madison Junior School (6–8)
- Madison High School (9–12)
Students from Harding Township also attend Madison High School.
Private Schools
St. Vincent Martyr School (SVMS) is a Catholic school that has been around since 1848. It teaches students from Pre-K through eighth grade. SVMS received a special award called the National Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence in 2005–2006. Rainbow Montessori School, started in 1981, is another private school for younger children.
Colleges and Universities
Madison is home to several colleges:
- Drew University was founded in 1867 and has a beautiful campus near downtown.
- Fairleigh Dickinson University's Florham Campus is located on the former Twombly estate.
- Saint Elizabeth University is just outside Madison in Convent Station.
Getting Around Madison
Roads and Highways
Madison has about 54.73 miles (88.08 km) of roads. Most of these are maintained by the town itself.
The main road through Madison is Route 124. Route 24 also passes through a small part of the borough.
Public Transportation
NJ Transit provides train service at the Madison station. You can take trains on the Morristown Line to Hoboken Terminal or to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan.
NJ Transit also has a local bus route, the 873, for getting around town. There's also a private bus service called Boxcar Transit that goes directly to Midtown Manhattan on weekdays.
A low-cost shuttle bus runs between the college campuses and downtown Madison in the afternoons and evenings.
Sister Cities
Madison has three "sister cities" around the world. This means they have special friendly relationships:
Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
Marigliano, Italy- Madison, Connecticut, United States
Places to Visit in Madison
- Drew University
- Fairleigh Dickinson University
- Grace Episcopal Church
- Museum of Early Trades and Crafts
- The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
- Thursday Morning Club
Madison in Movies and TV
Madison has been a filming location for several movies and TV shows:
- Some episodes of the TV series The Sopranos were filmed in Madison, including scenes at Drew University.
- Parts of the movie A Beautiful Mind were filmed at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
- The Madison train station was used as the Cranford, New Jersey, station in the 2005 movie Guess Who.
- The Hartley Dodge Memorial (Borough Hall) appeared in a scene of The World According to Garp.
- Scenes from The Family Stone (2005) were shot downtown and at Drew University.
- Scenes from Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry (1997) were filmed at Drew University.
- The famous green Ford Mustang GT from the movie Bullitt, driven by Steve McQueen, was once owned by a Madison resident!
Famous People from Madison
Many interesting people have lived in or are connected to Madison:
- Robert Adams (born 1937), a photographer known for his pictures of the American West.
- Lincoln Brower (1931–2018), an expert on insects and nature, famous for studying monarch butterflies.
- Andy Breckman (born 1955), who created the TV show Monk.
- Samuel S. Coursen (1926–1950), who received the Medal of Honor for his bravery in the Korean War.
- Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge (1882–1973), a generous person and a well-known dog breeder.
- Marcellus Hartley Dodge Sr. (1881–1963), who was in charge of the Remington Arms company.
- Jonathan Dwight (1858–1929), an expert on birds.
- Janeane Garofalo (born 1964), an actor, comedian, and writer who grew up in Madison.
- Nick Mangold (born 1984), a former NFL football player for the New York Jets.
- William McGurn (born 1958), who used to write speeches for President George W. Bush.
- Don Newcombe (1926–2019), a famous baseball pitcher for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers.
- Neil O'Donnell (born 1966), a former NFL quarterback.
- JoJo Starbuck (born 1951), an Olympic figure skater.
- William A. Starrett (1877–1932), a builder who helped construct the Empire State Building.
- Eddie Trunk (born 1964), a radio host who talks about heavy metal music.
See also
In Spanish: Madison (Nueva Jersey) para niños
