Metuchen, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Metuchen, New Jersey
Borough
Main Street in downtown Metuchen, which won the honor of Great American Main Street of the Year in 2023
Seal
Nickname(s):  The Historic Brainy Borough
Location of Metuchen in Middlesex County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Middlesex County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Census Bureau map of Metuchen, New Jersey
Metuchen, New Jersey Location in Middlesex County, New Jersey Show map of Middlesex County, New Jersey Metuchen, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Metuchen, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Middlesex
Incorporated	March 20, 1900
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	2.84 sq mi (7.36 km2)
• Land	2.84 sq mi (7.35 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2)  0.07%
Area rank	348th of 565 in state 18th of 25 in county
Elevation	95 ft (29 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	15,049
• Estimate  (2023)	14,977
• Rank	175th of 565 in state 17th of 25 in county
• Density	5,282.2/sq mi (2,039.5/km2)
• Density rank	105th of 565 in state 9th of 25 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	08840
Area code(s)	732
FIPS code	3402145690
GNIS feature ID	0885298

Metuchen (/məˈtʌtʃən/ mə-TUTCH-ən) is a suburban borough in Middlesex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The borough is a commuter town of New York City, located in the heart of the Raritan Valley region within the New York Metropolitan area. The borough, along with Edison (which completely surrounds Metuchen), is a regional commercial hub for Central New Jersey. The borough is 6 miles (9.7 km) northeast of New Brunswick, 17 miles (27 km) southwest of Newark, 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Jersey City, and 22 miles (35 km) southwest of Manhattan. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 15,049, an increase of 1,475 (+10.9%) from the 2010 census count of 13,574, which in turn reflected an increase of 734 (+5.7%) from the 12,840 counted in the 2000 census.

Metuchen was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 20, 1900, from portions of Raritan Township (now known as Edison). Metuchen's Main Street won Great American Main Street of the Year in 2023.

History

View from train station 1911

The earliest residents of the area were the Raritan people of the Lenape Native Americans, who lived in the area and travelled through it to the shore. In 1646, Chief Matouchin was part of a group that included 1,200 warriors.

Until 1870, what is now Metuchen was part of Woodbridge Township. The settlers in the western part of the township developed their own separate identity, because they were so far removed from the main settlement of Woodbridge. The name "Metuchen" first appeared in 1688/1689, and its name was derived from the name of a Native American chief, whose name was variously spelled as Matouchin or Matochshegan. In 1701, an overseer of roads was appointed for "Metuchen district". In 1705, Main Street was laid out at the same time as the road from Metuchen to Woodbridge, which one source calls a "reworking of the original road".

Sometime between 1717 and 1730, a meeting house was constructed for weekday meetings conducted by the pastor of the Woodbridge Presbyterian Church. In 1756, Metuchen Presbyterians succeeded in forming their own congregation, attesting to their growing numbers. In 1770, the congregations merged, with Metuchen getting 2/5 of the pastor's services and Woodbridge 3/5; by 1772, Metuchen had grown sufficiently to warrant half of his time. In 1793, the two churches again separated.

Metuchen was little changed from the late 18th to the early 19th century. A map from 1799 shows ten buildings in the center of the community along Main Street. By 1834, a Presbyterian church, a store, two taverns and about a dozen dwellings could be found. The opening of the Middlesex and Essex Turnpike (now Middlesex Avenue, portions in concurrency with Route 27) in 1806, and the Perth Amboy and Bound Brook Turnpike in 1808 did not spur growth. Not until the beginning of the railroad era did commercial and residential development surge.

In 1836, the New Jersey Railroad was completed to New Brunswick. The construction of a station at Main Street made it inevitable that this would develop as the principal street. A business section soon began to appear between Middlesex Avenue and the railroad tracks, and commercial and service establishments gradually began to assume a more modern aspect (the typical 18th century tavern, for example, was replaced by the equally typical 19th century hotel).

The second half of the 19th century was a period of social, cultural and religious diversification in Metuchen. Between 1859 and 1866 the Reformed Church was organized, the first Catholic mass was celebrated and St. Luke's Episcopal Church was founded. In 1870 both the Building and Loan Association and the library opened, the same year that Raritan Township was incorporated. As the largest village in the new township, Metuchen naturally became its commercial and cultural center and acquired substantial political control. In 1873, the town hosted Howard Newton Fuller and the Rutgers College Glee Club in the first-ever performance of their alma mater. In 1879, the literary and debating society was formed, and in 1883 the Village Improvement Society. By 1882, Metuchen School #15 had an enrollment of 256 pupils, and by 1885 the New Jersey Gazette listed 37 businesses.

The decade of the 1890s was a period of expansion for public utilities. In 1894, telegraph service was begun and in 1897 telephone service begun by the N.Y. and N.J. Telephone Company. In the same year the Midland Water Company began operation and supplied hydrants for "newly formed" volunteer fire companies. In 1899, a new street lighting system was installed. At about the same time a bicycling organization was formed, the Metuchen Wheelmen, which lobbied for improved roads. Trolley service began in 1900. In addition, commerce had grown to such an extent that the New Brunswick Directory listed 91 businesses in 1899.

Metuchen attracted an influx of artists, literary figures and noted intellectuals during this time, acquiring the nickname "the Brainy Boro". One of the Borough's two post offices is named Brainy Boro Station.

The new century began with the borough's incorporation, in 1900.

On November 19, 1981, Metuchen became the Seat of the newly established Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen. The diocese includes Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset and Warren counties and more than 500,000 Catholics.

Metuchen Borough Hall, dedicated in 2005, replaced a structure built in 1924 during the City Beautiful movement.

From 1948 until 2004, the Ford Motor Company manufactured seven million Ford and Mercury vehicles, including the Ford Mustang, at Edison Assembly, which was named for Metuchen until 1980.

In 2022, Metuchen was nominated as one of the eight semifinalists for the 2023 Great American Main Street Award . They later won the award.

American Girl's 2023 "Girl of the Year" character, Kavi Sharma, is described as being from Metuchen. She is the first "Girl of the Year" doll of South Asian ancestry.

In April 2024, Metuchen was named by Money Magazine as the best place to live in New Jersey and one of the best to live in the country.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.85 square miles (7.39 km²), including 2.85 square miles (7.38 km²) of land and <0.01 square miles (0.01 km²) of water (0.07%).

The Borough of Metuchen is completely surrounded by Edison, making it part of 21 pairs of "doughnut towns" in the state, where one municipality entirely surrounds another.

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Jefferson Park and Robinvale.

Metuchen has been a state-designated "town center" since 1996 and "transit village" since 2001. The borough has been recognized for its smart growth development. Plans to build a residential and commercial center with 700 parking spaces on a parking lot adjacent to the train station were announced in July 2014.

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 15,049 people and 5,255 households in the borough. There were 6,053 housing units. The racial makeup was 63.71% (9,588) White, 4.66% (702) Black or African American, 0.24% (36) Native American, 18.88% (2,841) Asian, 0.02% (3) Pacific Islander, 0.02% (458) from other races, and 9.44% (1,421) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.03% (1510) of the population.

Of the 5,255 households, 26.1% had children under the age of 18; 65.6% were married couples living together and 22.2% had a female householder with no husband present. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.35.

The Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5 Year Data (2009-2021) showed that median household income was $141,915 (with a margin of error of +/− $8,343) and the median family income was $163,438 (+/− $8,003). The per capita income for the borough was $61,344 (+/− $3,711). About 1.7% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.1% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 13,574 people, 5,243 households, and 3,744 families in the borough. The population density was 4,910.4 per square mile (1,895.9/km²). There were 5,440 housing units at an average density of 1,967.9 per square mile (759.8/km²). The racial makeup was 77.92% (10,577) White, 4.88% (662) Black or African American, 0.07% (10) Native American, 12.96% (1,759) Asian, 0.02% (3) Pacific Islander, 1.39% (189) from other races, and 2.76% (374) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.89% (935) of the population.

Of the 5,243 households, 33.6% had children under the age of 18; 58.3% were married couples living together; 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present and 28.6% were non-families. Of all households, 23.9% were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.10.

24.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 93.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 88.2 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $94,410 (with a margin of error of +/− $10,474) and the median family income was $126,123 (+/− $7,549). Males had a median income of $78,974 (+/− $8,613) versus $57,271 (+/− $5,731) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $46,949 (+/− $3,227). About 1.9% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

Metuchen includes a variety of public spaces, parks, historical sites, a war memorial, and a greenway.

The Middlesex Greenway is a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) mixed-use bicycle and pedestrian paved trail between Metuchen and Woodbridge Township. It is part of the East Coast Greenway.

Woodwild Park entrance and forest area

Covering 13 acres (5.3 ha), Centennial Park is Metuchen's largest park and is accessible from Grove Avenue. The park includes Beacon Hill, which at 169 feet (52 m) is the highest point in the borough.

Woodwild Park is a 3.5-acre (1.4 ha) park consisting of undeveloped land that is managed by the Woodwild Park Association and accessible from Middlesex Avenue. It is part of the Middlesex Avenue–Woodwild Park Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 31, 2017.

George Olmezer Memorial Park is a park dedicated to George Olmezer, a councilman for Metuchen and former member of the Borough Council. It was established in 1982. Olmezer passed away in 1981 at 68.

Metuchen Memorial Park is a war memorial that was created starting in 1925 to honor those who served during World War I and has been updated since then to honor those Metuchen residents who served in other of the nation's wars. For 90 years, the park has been the planned destination of the borough's annual Memorial Day Parade.

Sign in front of George Olmezer Memorial Park

Tommy's Pond, on a 1.8-acre (0.73 ha) site donated to the borough in 1929, includes a 0.4-acre (0.16 ha) pond that is used for an annual fishing derby. The pond has also been used in the past for ice skating during the winter.

The Dismal Swamp is a nearby natural area known as the "Everglades of Central New Jersey."

Education

Public schools

The Metuchen School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2019–20 school year, the district, comprised of four schools, had an enrollment of 2,300 students and 182.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.6:1. Schools in the district (with 2019–20 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Mildred B. Moss Elementary School with 122 students in Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, Campbell Elementary School with 702 students in grades 1–4, Edgar Middle School with 722 students in grades 5–8, and Metuchen High School with 729 students in grades 9–12.

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.

There have been two historical schools named for Benjamin Franklin. The Old Franklin Schoolhouse is a one-room school on Route 27 (Middlesex Avenue) near Main Street built in 1807 and used until 1870. In 1906, it was acquired and restored by the Borough Improvement League and is currently used as a community music venue. It was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) in 1942 and given a Certification of Eligibility (COE) for the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places in 1990. In 2017, the Schoolhouse was listed in the New Jersey and National Registers as a Key Contributing Site in the Middlesex Avenue-Woodwild Park Historic District. A larger Franklin School, built in 1909, once stood at the intersection of Middlesex and Lake Avenues but fell into disrepair in the mid-1980s. It was demolished in 1999 to make way for a residential development called Franklin Square.

Private schools

The borough is home to St. Joseph High School, a private all-boys Catholic prep school, notable for its academics and sports awards, that is conducted by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart and operated under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen. Saint Francis Cathedral School, a Pre-K–8 school that is also part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen, was one of eight private schools recognized in 2017 as an Exemplary High Performing School by the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program of the United States Department of Education.

Historic district

Middlesex Avenue–Woodwild Park Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
344 Middlesex Avenue, the Applegate House
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Location	Middlesex Avenue and surrounding streets Metuchen, New Jersey
Area	88.9 acres (36.0 ha)
Architectural style	Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Mission, Bungalow/Craftsman, Gothic, Queen Anne, Italianate, Greek Revival
NRHP reference No.	100001396
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	July 31, 2017

The Middlesex Avenue–Woodwild Park Historic District is a historic district located in Metuchen. It was added onto the National Register of Historic Places on July 31, 2017. It includes 197 contributing buildings, five contributing objects, and one contributing site.

• 

  300 Middlesex Avenue
  The Corbin House

• 

  480 Middlesex Avenue
  Metuchen Public Library

• 

  17 Oak Avenue
  St. Luke's Episcopal Church

Transportation

Commuting had become a way of life for Metuchen residents by the start of the 20th century. Daily commuters numbered 400 out of a population of 1,786 by the year 1900. Accessibility to New York City and New Brunswick enhanced the borough's reputation as a place to live, and the modern suburban ideal of small-town life where tired businessmen could escape the pace of the city grew in popularity.

Roads and highways

View northbound along I-287 on the south edge of Metuchen

As of May 2010^[update], the borough had a total of 47.06 miles (75.74 km) of roadways, of which 38.91 miles (62.62 km) were maintained by the municipality, 5.73 miles (9.22 km) by Middlesex County and 2.42 miles (3.89 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

The biggest change to affect Metuchen between the World Wars was the rise of the automobile. In the 1920s, service stations were built, and the construction of U.S. Route 1 just south of Metuchen in 1930 diverted traffic away from Middlesex Avenue, helping the borough retain its residential character.

Both Route 27 and CR 531 pass through and intersect at the heart of the borough, while Interstate 287 runs along the southern border. Metuchen also includes portions of CR 501, CR 660 and CR 669.

Other limited access roads are nearby, such as the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95) in surrounding Edison Township and the Garden State Parkway in Woodbridge Township.

Public transportation

The Metuchen station provides service to many destinations along NJ Transit's Northeast Corridor Line between the Trenton Transit Center and New York Penn Station.

NJ Transit local bus service is available on the 810, 813 and 819 routes.

Notable people

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

See also

In Spanish: Metuchen para niños