Old Bridge Township, New Jersey

This article is about the township. For the community, see Old Bridge (unincorporated community), New Jersey.

Old Bridge Township, New Jersey
Township
Cheesequake State Park
Cheesequake State Park
Official seal of Old Bridge Township, New Jersey
Seal
Location of Old Bridge Township in Middlesex County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Middlesex County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Location of Old Bridge Township in Middlesex County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Middlesex County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Census Bureau map of Old Bridge Township, New Jersey Interactive map of Old Bridge Township, New Jersey
Census Bureau map of Old Bridge Township, New Jersey
Map
Interactive map of Old Bridge Township, New Jersey
Old Bridge Township is located in Middlesex County, New Jersey
Old Bridge Township
Old Bridge Township
Location in Middlesex County
Old Bridge Township is located in New Jersey
Old Bridge Township
Old Bridge Township
Location in New Jersey
Old Bridge Township is located in the United States
Old Bridge Township
Old Bridge Township
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 40°24′17″N 74°18′31″W / 40.404632°N 74.308537°W / 40.404632; -74.308537[1][2]
Country United States
State New Jersey
CountyMiddlesex
IncorporatedMarch 2, 1869 (as Madison Township)
RenamedNovember 5, 1975 (as Old Bridge Township)
Government
[7]
 • TypeFaulkner Act Mayor-Council
 • BodyTownship Council
 • MayorEleanor "Debbie" Walker (R, term ends December 31, 2027)[3][4]
 • AdministratorHimanshu Shah[5]
 • Municipal clerkKathryn Hutchinson[6]
Area
[1]
 • Total
40.93 sq mi (106.00 km2)
 • Land38.18 sq mi (98.89 km2)
 • Water2.75 sq mi (7.11 km2)  6.71%
 • Rank52nd of 565 in state
3rd of 25 in county[1]
Elevation
[8]
46 ft (14 m)
Population
 (2020)[9][10]
 • Total
66,876
 • Estimate 
(2023)[9][11]
68,165
 • Rank21st of 565 in state
3rd of 25 in county[12]
 • Density1,751.6/sq mi (676.3/km2)
  • Rank314th of 565 in state
22nd of 25 in county[12]
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Codes
08857 – Old Bridge[13]
08859 – Parlin[14]
08879 – Laurence Harbor[15]
07735 – Cliffwood Beach[16]
07747 – Matawan*
08879 – South Amboy*
Area code(s)732/848[17]
FIPS code3402354705[1][18][19]
GNIS feature ID0882158[1][20]
Websitewww.oldbridge.com

Old Bridge Township is a township in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located in the Raritan Valley region and within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township was the state's 21st-most-populous municipality,[21] with a population of 66,876,[9][10] an increase of 1,501 (+2.3%) from the 2010 census count of 65,375,[22][23] which in turn reflected an increase of 4,919 (+8.1%) from the 60,456 counted in the 2000 census.[24] As of the 2010 Census, the township was ranked 18th in the state by population, after being the state's 21st most-populous municipality in 2000.[25] Old Bridge is a bedroom suburb of New York City located across the Raritan Bay from Staten Island,[26][27] and it is about 25 miles (40 km) from Manhattan,[28] and about 30 miles (48 km) south of Newark.[29]

What is now Old Bridge Township was originally incorporated as Madison Township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 2, 1869, from portions of South Amboy Township (now City of South Amboy).[30] In a referendum held on November 5, 1975, voters approved changing the township's name to Old Bridge Township by a margin of 7,150 votes to 4,888.[31][32] The township's name was changed to avoid confusion with the borough of Madison in Morris County.[31][26] When the township was established, the area was made up primarily of farms and the population grew slowly. In 1880, the population was 1,662 and by 1950 it had reached 7,365. Over the next decade, a building boom started;[33] as farms gave way to developments, the population tripled to 22,772 by 1960.[27] The 1980 census cited 51,406 people. The township saw major changes with the extension of Route 18 to the shore.

The township was named as a contender for the title of one of the best places to live in the United States by Money magazine in both 2005 and 2007.[34][35]

In 2016, SafeWise named Old Bridge Township as the sixth-safest city in America to raise a child; the township was the second-highest ranked of the 12 communities in New Jersey included on the list.[36]

  1. ^ a b c d e 2019 Census Gazetteer Files: New Jersey Places Archived March 21, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 1, 2020.
  2. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990 Archived August 24, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mayor was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ 2023 New Jersey Mayors Directory Archived March 11, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, updated February 8, 2023. Accessed February 10, 2023.
  5. ^ Staff Directory - Business Administrator, Old Bridge Township. Accessed April 21, 2024.
  6. ^ Staff Directory, Old Bridge Township. Accessed April 21, 2024.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference DataBook was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Township of Old Bridge, Geographic Names Information System. Accessed March 8, 2013.
  9. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Census2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference LWD2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference PopEst was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ a b Population Density by County and Municipality: New Jersey, 2020 and 2021 Archived March 7, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed March 1, 2023.
  13. ^ Look Up a ZIP Code for Old Bridge, NJ Archived November 7, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, United States Postal Service. Accessed March 11, 2012.
  14. ^ Look Up a ZIP Code for Parlin, NJ Archived November 7, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, United States Postal Service. Accessed March 11, 2012.
  15. ^ Look Up a ZIP Code for Laurence Harbor, NJ Archived November 7, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, United States Postal Service. Accessed March 11, 2012.
  16. ^ Look Up a ZIP Code for Cliffwood, NJ Archived November 7, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, United States Postal Service. Accessed March 11, 2012.
  17. ^ Area Code Lookup - NPA NXX for Old Bridge, NJ Archived January 12, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Area-Codes.com. Accessed September 23, 2014.
  18. ^ U.S. Census website Archived December 27, 1996, at the Wayback Machine, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  19. ^ Geographic Codes Lookup for New Jersey Archived November 19, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed April 1, 2022.
  20. ^ US Board on Geographic Names Archived February 4, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, United States Geological Survey. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  21. ^ Table1. New Jersey Counties and Most Populous Cities and Townships: 2020 and 2010 Censuses Archived February 13, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed December 1, 2022.
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference Census2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference LWD2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010 Archived June 2, 2022, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  25. ^ The Counties and Most Populous Cities and Townships in 2010 in New Jersey: 2000 and 2010 Archived 2011-02-21 at the Wayback Machine, United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 11, 2012.
  26. ^ a b Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living in: Old Bridge" Archived November 17, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, April 21, 1991. Accessed March 11, 2012.
  27. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference NYT2000 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  28. ^ Mulvihill, Geoff; and Cortez, Julio. "Official: 3 dead in NJ supermarket shooting" Archived July 15, 2014, at the Wayback Machine." Houston Chronicle, from the Denver Post, August 31, 2012. Accessed August 31, 2012. "Old Bridge is a bedroom suburb of about 23,000 about 25 miles from Manhattan but just across the Raritan Bay from Staten Island."
  29. ^ Ariosto, David. "Gunman kills two, then himself, at New Jersey supermarket, authorities say Archived August 31, 2012, at the Wayback Machine." CNN. August 31, 2012. Accessed August 31, 2012.
  30. ^ Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 170. Accessed May 30, 2024.
  31. ^ a b Staff (November 6, 1975). "New Names Voted for 2 Communities". The New York Times. p. 88. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  32. ^ History, Old Bridge Township. Accessed May 28, 2024.
  33. ^ Depalma, Rachelle. "If You're Thinking Of Living In; Old Bridge", The New York Times, June 1, 1986. Accessed May 28, 2024. "In the 1950s, large-scale development began in the community - then called Madison Township - when investors purchased huge tracts of land to meet the housing demands of people anxious to leave urban areas."
  34. ^ MONEY Magazine Best places to live 2007 Archived September 28, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, Money.
  35. ^ Best Places to Live 2005 Archived September 25, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, Money.
  36. ^ Maurer, Caroline. "The 30 Safest Cities to Raise a Child – 2016", SafeWise, June 27, 2016. Accessed August 22, 2016.