Middlesex County, New Jersey

Middlesex County
County
The main campus of Rutgers University, New Jersey's flagship of higher education, in New Brunswick, a center for the sciences, arts, and cultural activities, and the county seat of Middlesex County
The main campus of Rutgers University, New Jersey's flagship of higher education, in New Brunswick, a center for the sciences, arts, and cultural activities, and the county seat of Middlesex County
Flag of Middlesex County
Flag
Official seal of Middlesex County
Seal
Nickname: 
The Greatest County in the Land[1]
Map of New Jersey highlighting Middlesex County
Location within the U.S. state of New Jersey
Map of the United States highlighting New Jersey
New Jersey's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°26′N 74°25′W / 40.44°N 74.41°W / 40.44; -74.41
Country United States
State New Jersey
Founded1683
Named forMiddlesex, England
SeatNew Brunswick[2]
Largest municipalityEdison (population)
Monroe Township (area)
Government
 • Commissioner directorRonald G. Rios (D, term ends December 31, 2024)
Area
[3]
 • Total322.87 sq mi (836.2 km2)
 • Land309.22 sq mi (800.9 km2)
 • Water13.65 sq mi (35.4 km2)  4.2%
Population
 (2020)[4][5]
 • Total863,162 (3rd in NJ)
 • Estimate 
(2023)[4][6]
863,623 Increase
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts6th, 12th
Websiteco.middlesex.nj.us
Map
Interactive map of Middlesex County, New Jersey

Middlesex County is a county located in the north-central part of the U.S. state of New Jersey, extending inland from the Raritan Valley region to the northern portion of the Jersey Shore. As of the 2020 United States census, the county was the state's third-most populous county[7] with a population of 863,162,[4][5] its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 53,304 (+6.6%) from the 2010 census count of 809,858,[8] which in turn reflected an increase of 59,696 (8.0%) from the 750,162 counted in the 2000 census.[9][10] Middlesex is part of the New York metropolitan area. Many communities within the county serve as commuter towns to and from New York City and other points north. The county is part of the Central Jersey region of the state.[11][12][13]

The county is located in the middle of the Northeast megalopolis of the U.S. Its county seat is the city of New Brunswick,[2] a center for the sciences, arts, and cultural activities, and the headquarters of the state's flagship academic institution, Rutgers University.[14] The county's most populous place, with 107,588 residents as of the 2020 census, is Edison,[15] while Monroe Township covers the largest area of any municipality, at 42.19 square miles (109.3 km2).[16] Since the 2010 census, the state's center of population is in East Brunswick; the center of population for New Jersey has been in Middlesex County since the 1900 census.[17] Middlesex County hosts an extensive transportation network, including several rail stations along the heavily traveled Northeast Corridor Line of the New Jersey Transit commuter rail system, as well as the intersection of the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, the state's two busiest motor vehicle roadways, in Woodbridge Township. Middlesex County calls itself The Greatest County in the Land.[1]

The county was primarily settled due to its optimal location along the Raritan River.[18] Middlesex was originally formed as one of four administrative districts within Province of East Jersey in 1675, together with Bergen, Essex and Monmouth districts. Middlesex County was formed within East Jersey on March 7, 1683.[19] The population increased so the county was partitioned on October 31, 1693, into the townships of Piscataway, Perth Amboy, and Woodbridge. Adjacent Somerset County was established on May 14, 1688, created from portions of Middlesex County.[19]

The county's first court met in June 1683 in Piscataway, and held session at alternating sites over the next century in Perth Amboy, Piscataway, and Woodbridge before relocating permanently to New Brunswick in 1778.[20] Despite its status as a residential, commercial, and industrial stronghold and a centrally accessible transportation hub, Middlesex is also home to an extensive public park system with expansive greenways, totaling more than 6,300 acres (2,500 ha).[21] Middlesex County is most demographically notable as the U.S. county with the highest concentration of Asian Indians, at nearly 20% in 2020, spanning the county's boundaries between Little India, Edison/Iselin in the north and Monroe Township at its southern tip.

  1. ^ a b Middlesex County The Greatest County in the Land Archived October 28, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, County of Middlesex, New Jersey. Accessed October 27, 2016.
  2. ^ a b New Jersey County Map, Archived March 13, 2017, at the Wayback Machine New Jersey Department of State. Accessed January 20, 2024.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference CensusArea was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Census2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference LWD2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference PopEst was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Annual and Cumulative Estimates of Resident Population Change for Counties in New Jersey and County Rankings: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021, United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 1, 2022.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Census2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Census2000 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Wu, Sen-Yuan. NJ Labor Market Views: Population Keeps Growing in the Most Densely Populated State, March 15, 2011. Accessed December 26, 2022.
  11. ^ Governor Murphy Settles Central Jersey Debate, Governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy, press release dated August 4, 2023. "Governor Phil Murphy today signed S3206 to promote Central Jersey tourism.... The 'Central Jersey' region will be comprised of, at minimum, the counties of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, and Somerset."
  12. ^ Willis, David P. "'This is how wars start': Does Central Jersey include both Ocean and Union counties?", Asbury Park Press, February 20, 2023. Accessed March 31, 2024. "North Jersey is defined as Sussex, Warren, Morris, Passaic, Bergen, Essex and Hudson counties; South Jersey would be Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Atlantic, Salem, Cumberland and Cape May counties. But for Central, things get a little tricky. It would include Hunterdon, Somerset, Union, Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean counties."
  13. ^ "Regions: North, Central, South, Shore - Best of NJ", Best of NJ, Accessed May 30, 2024. "Central Jersey consists of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset, and Union County."
  14. ^ New Brunswick, NJ: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, Rutgers University Libraries. Accessed January 20, 2024. "New Brunswick is the county seat of Middlesex County, New Jersey, and is also the home of Rutgers University–New Brunswick."
  15. ^ QuickFacts Edison township, Middlesex County, New Jersey Accessed January 4, 2024.
  16. ^ 2019 Census Gazetteer Files: New Jersey Places, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 4, 2023.
  17. ^ Sweilem, Amira. "N.J.’s population center still tilts north. This town considers it a badge of honor.", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 27, 2022. Accessed January 20, 2024. "Answer time: East Brunswick has held the statistical center of population title since the 2010 Census.... The U.S. Census runs the calculation every 10 years and it has wobbled around Middlesex County since 1880, straying just once since that time into Somerset County (Warren Township) in 1890. East Brunswick just barely held onto the population center in the 2020 Census calculations.... The new spot is on Hawk Court just off Milltown Road between the NJ Turnpike and Ryders Lane."
  18. ^ History Archived October 17, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Middlesex County, NJ. Accessed March 24, 2018.
  19. ^ a b Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 125. Accessed June 6, 2012.
  20. ^ History of the Grand Jury Archived October 4, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Accessed October 1, 2013. "By June 19, 1683, the first County Court was held at Piscataway. It sat alternately in Piscataway and Woodbridge until 1688 when Perth Amboy was added as one of the three alternate sites. In 1778, New Brunswick became the most prime town in the county and at that time the Middlesex County Courts were transferred there."
  21. ^ "At a Glance - Middlesex County, the Greatest County in the Land!". Archived from the original on November 18, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2016.