Middlesex, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Middlesex, New Jersey
Borough
Victor Crowell Park, featuring the duck pond
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Location of Middlesex in Middlesex County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Middlesex County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Census Bureau map of Middlesex, New Jersey
Middlesex, New Jersey Location in Middlesex County, New Jersey Show map of Middlesex County, New Jersey Middlesex, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Middlesex, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Middlesex
Incorporated	April 9, 1913
Named for	Middlesex, England
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	3.51 sq mi (9.09 km2)
• Land	3.49 sq mi (9.03 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.06 km2)  0.63%
Area rank	315th of 565 in state 16th of 25 in county
Elevation	39 ft (12 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	14,636
• Estimate  (2023)	14,461
• Rank	181st of 565 in state 18th of 25 in county
• Density	4,196.1/sq mi (1,620.1/km2)
• Density rank	147th of 565 in state 12th of 25 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	08846
Area code(s)	732
FIPS code	3402345900
GNIS feature ID	0885299
Website

Middlesex is a borough in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located within the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 14,636, its highest decennial count and an increase of 1,001 (+7.3%) from the 2010 census count of 13,635, which in turn reflected a decline of 82 (−0.6%) from the 13,717 counted in the 2000 census.

Middlesex was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 9, 1913, from portions of Piscataway, based on the results of a referendum held on May 6, 1913. The borough was named after Middlesex, England.

History

The Harris Lane School was a one-room schoolhouse that was the oldest school in Middlesex County, dating back to its construction in the 1790s. The original Pierce School was known as the East Bound Brook School House and The Parker House was also used for education until it was converted into a two-family house. As the Borough grew new schools were constructed to accommodate many more students. Our Lady of Mt. Virgin School was the first parochial school built in 1954.

In 1905, the Lincoln section of Middlesex organized a volunteer fire company and that set the organization of four other fire companies in the borough.

Middlesex was a portion of Piscataway Township, until May 6, 1913, when it was incorporated as a separate entity through the action of the state legislature and local referendum. George Harris was elected as the first mayor and the first borough council was elected at the same time. Two constables were the law enforcement officers and were soon assisted by five appointed marshals.

Uranium processing and aftermath

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 3.51 square miles (9.09 km²), including 3.49 square miles (9.03 km²) of land and 0.02 square miles (0.06 km²) of water (0.63%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include East Bound Brook and Lincoln.

The borough borders the Middlesex County municipalities of Dunellen and Piscataway Township in Middlesex County; and Bound Brook, Bridgewater Township, Green Brook Township and South Bound Brook in Somerset County.

Middlesex is in the central division of the Raritan Valley (a line of cities in central New Jersey), along with Dunellen, Bound Brook, and South Bound Brook.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 13,635 people, 4,984 households, and 3,633 families in the borough. The population density was 3,876.2 per square mile (1,496.6/km²). There were 5,148 housing units at an average density of 1,463.5 per square mile (565.1/km²). The racial makeup was 81.24% (11,077) White, 5.13% (699) Black or African American, 0.18% (24) Native American, 6.00% (818) Asian, 0.07% (10) Pacific Islander, 5.37% (732) from other races, and 2.02% (275) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.47% (2,246) of the population.

Of the 4,984 households, 32.0% had children under the age of 18; 56.0% were married couples living together; 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present and 27.1% were non-families. Of all households, 22.2% were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.22.

22.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 93.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 91.8 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $80,338 (with a margin of error of +/− $7,790) and the median family income was $93,817 (+/− $13,746). Males had a median income of $55,248 (+/− $7,439) versus $46,447 (+/− $5,086) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $34,607 (+/− $3,321). About 0.6% of families and 2.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.6% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Middlesex Board of Education serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of five schools, had an enrollment of 2,018 students and 182.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.1:1. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Hazelwood Elementary School with 189 students in grades Pre-K–3, Parker Elementary School with 178 students in grades K–3, Watchung Elementary School with 256 students in grades K–3, Woodland Intermediate School was split off of the middle school starting in 2020–2021, Von E. Mauger Middle School with 759 students in grades 4–8 and Middlesex High School with 619 students in grades 9–12. The district's superintendent is Roberta Freeman.

Evening at Victor Crowell Park, commonly referred to as Duck Pond

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.

Parks

There are many parks scattered throughout Middlesex Borough.

Victor Crowell Park, commonly known as Duck Pond, is a park in the borough that offers park equipment for kids, a walking trail, and small docks with benches to view the water. In August 2023, there was an alligator that was reported to be in the pond, with police discharging their weapon and failing to stop the alligator. By August 2023, the alligator had yet to be caught.

Mountain View Park is a large open space in the center of the borough. It has many amenities and offers a view of the first range of the Watchung Mountains.

Lincoln Park is located at the site of the Central Railroad of New Jersey train station that served the community, originally known as Lincoln, for many years. The statue of Abraham Lincoln by Alfonso Pelzer, his original work which was copied after his death, was installed in the park in 1898.

Transportation

Roads and highways

Route 28, the most prominent highway in Middlesex

As of May 2010^[update], the borough had a total of 54.86 miles (88.29 km) of roadways, of which 48.23 miles (77.62 km) were maintained by the municipality, 3.49 miles (5.62 km) by Middlesex County and 3.14 miles (5.05 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation

New Jersey Route 28 is the main highway passing through Middlesex. Route 28 provides access to Interstate 287; U.S. Route 22 lies just north of the borough.

Public transportation

NJ Transit provides service to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 114 route and to Newark on the 65 and 66 routes. Historically there was a railroad station in the Lincoln neighborhood, whose is marked by a public park with a statue of Abraham Lincoln at its center.

Notable people

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

• Tige Andrews (1920–2007), actor who appeared in The Mod Squad
• Margaret Bourke-White (1904–1971), photo-journalist whose childhood home, the Joseph and Minnie White House at 243 Hazelwood Avenue in the Beechwood Heights section of the town, is listed in the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places
• Mary Mohler (born 1984), former competition swimmer and former world record-holder in the Women's 200-meter butterfly (long course)
• Rocco Rock (1953–2002), professional wrestler, half of The Public Enemy with Johnny Grunge
• Tom Scharpling (born 1969), host of internet radio show and podcast The Best Show with Tom Scharpling
• Charlie Weis (born 1956), former head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team and MHS graduate

See also

In Spanish: Middlesex (Nueva Jersey) para niños