Edison, New Jersey

Edison Township (usually known as Edison) is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township had a total population of 97,687, making it at the time the fifth largest municipality in New Jersey. As of the U.S. Census 2004 estimate, the population of Edison is 100,142, moving down a notch behind Woodbridge Township into sixth place.

History

Early history

Edison was originally part of Woodbridge Township and Piscataway Township when settlement commenced in the late 17th Century.

The town was previously known as "Raritan Township," not be confused with the current-day Raritan Township in Hunterdon County. In 1954. the township's name was changed to honor inventor Thomas A. Edison.

The Edison era

In 1876, Thomas A. Edison set up his home and research laboratory on the site of an unsuccessful real estate development in Raritan Township called Menlo Park. It was in the Menlo Park Laboratory that Thomas Edison came up with his most famous inventions, including the phonograph and electric light. Christie Street was the first street to use electric lights for illumination. Edison subsequently moved his lab to West Orange in 1883.

Modern Edison

Edison is currently one of the fastest growing towns in New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, it was the fifth most-populated municipality in the state, after the cities of Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, and Elizabeth. The United States Census Bureau's 2004 Population Estimate showed that the town's population was 100,142, making it one of six municipalities in New Jersey with a population over 100,000. It is also one of the largest townships in the North Jersey in terms of area, as it is a conglomerate of several formerly individual towns.

Edison has a large middle-class Chinese and Korean community. Edison has a large Jewish community next to Highland Park, with multiple synagogues located in Edison. Edison also has a growing Indian community and a number of temples serving the religious needs of the community.

Gas fire of 1994

The Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation Natural Gas Pipeline Explosion and Fire occurred on March 23, 1994, at the Durham Woods apartment complex in Edison. The resulting fire destroyed or severely damaged 14 of the apartment buildings. One death occurred from a heart attack by someone fleeing the fire.

Features

The town of Edison is home to the Thomas Alva Edison Memorial Tower and Museum.

Oak Tree Road in Edison and Iselin is known for its large concentration of Indian stores and restaurants. Route 27 has a growing Chinese American business district.

Ford Motor Company had a plant here, the Ford Assembly Plant on U.S. Route 1, assembling the Ford Ranger and Mazda B-Series trucks. The plant closed in 2003, with about 1,420 workers losing their jobs. A developer has been exploring the possibility of construction on the site. Proponents of site construction claim that the planned shopping mall and condo / townhouse residential housing would create more jobs and business opportunities. Opponents have criticized the plan as generating additional traffic in an already dense area.

Edison station has New Jersey Transit trains to New York City and Trenton via the Northeast Corridor line. This station is located in South Edison and serves the needs of residents there. Some condo and apartment complexes such as Edison Hollow South, Blueberry Village are a few blocks from the station. This has attracted many New Yorkers to the area. As the population continues to grow, the 350 space parking lots are no longer enough, and the waiting list for a $90 quarterly parking permit takes 7 to 10 years. In 2005, the township announced plans to build a parking deck with 800 more parking spots by September 2005. Located in Woodbridge is Metropark Station, and because this station is closer to North Edison than the Edison station is, it is preferred by the residents of North Edison. This station has ample parking available.

Geography

Edison is located at (40.538204, -74.378585).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 79.5 km² (30.7 mi²). 78.0 km² (30.1 mi²) of it is land and 1.5 km² (0.6 mi²) of it (1.86%) is water.

Edison entirely surrounds Metuchen borough, which broke away from Raritan Township in 1900. Edison is bounded on the east by Woodbridge, on the south by the Raritan River (across which are Sayreville, East Brunswick Township, and New Brunswick), on the southwest by Highland Park (which also broke away from Edison, in 1905), on the west by Piscataway and South Plainfield, and on the north by Scotch Plains and Clark.

Demographics

Edison is one of the more diverse townships in New Jersey. This is heavily due to an influx of Asian immigrants during the past 25 years. It and the surrounding communities of Middlesex County are commonly known throughout the state and the New York metro area as being one of the region's main centers of Asian cultural diversity.

As of the census of 2000, there were 97,687 people, 35,136 households, and 25,895 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,252.2/km² (3,243.0/mi²). There were 36,018 housing units at an average density of 461.7/km² (1,195.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 59.49% White, 6.89% African American, 0.14% Native American, 29.27% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.02% from other races, and 2.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.37% of the population.

There were 35,136 households out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the township the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 34.0% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $69,746, and the median income for a family was $77,976. Males had a median income of $53,303 versus $36,829 for females. The per capita income for the township was $30,148. About 3.3% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

As part of the 2000 Census, 17.75% of Edison residents identified themselves as being Indian American. This was the highest percentage of Indian people of any place in the United States with 1,000 or more residents identifiying themselves as being of Indian ancestryAsian Indian Communities, accessed June 28, 2006.

Government

Edison's politics tend to lean towards the Democratic Party. John Kerry carried the township over George W. Bush in the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election.

Local government

Edison Township is governed under the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) system of municipal government.

The current Mayor of Edison is Jun Choi. Members of the Municipal Council are Council President Robert Diehl (term ends December 31, 2009, Council Vice-President Anthony F. Massaro (2009), Peter J. Barnes III (2007), Joan Kapitan (2007), Salvatore Pizzi, Antonia "Toni" Ricigliano (2009) and Charles Tomaro (2007)The Edison Municipal Council, accessed July 5, 2006.

Election 2005

Democrat George A. Spadoro lost his bid for a fourth term in 2005 to Democrat Choi in the mayoral primary. Reasons cited for Spadoro's loss include speculation about dealings with real estate developer Jack Morris, loss of union support due to Wal-Mart negotiations, and what was perceived as a largely negative campaign against Choi (possibly from the press Choi received during the New Jersey 101.5 controversy.) Choi campaigned on a new era of open and responsive government committed to bringing professionalism and more effective and efficient services to the township.

After winning the primary, Choi faced Independent Bill Stephens in the general election. Stephens, a former councilman, ran against Spadoro for the Democratic Mayoral Primary in 2001 and lost by over 200 votes. Republican nominee Carl Perlin dropped out of the race after winning the Republican primary when the party withheld support.

Choi and his slate recently announced new legislation to be passed which would ban pay-to-play. A group of activist associations (including one headed by Stephens) had been lobbying the council for this legislation fruitlessly for two years. Citing the council's and Choi's earlier indifference to the issue, they accused the Choi ticket of election-year opportunism.

On Election Day, November 8, 2005 Jun Choi declared victory, leading in unofficial results with a vote of 12,126 to 11,935. However, due to the small margin of victory, candidate William Stephens initially refused to concede and claimed that he would pursue a recount ^*.

On January 1, 2006, at age 34, Mayor Choi was sworn-in by Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine as the youngest Mayor in Edison history and the second Asian-American mayor in United States history.

William Kruczak

On July 30, 2004, Democratic Committeeman Billy Kruczak was arrested in a South Plainfield, New Jersey bank for DWI. Recalcitrant and sullen, Kruczak attempted to exert his political influence on the officers processing his case. Outrage forced Kruczak to resign, yet still he plays a pivotal role behind the scenes in Edison politics. Closely associated with Spadoro, he is cited as another reason for the incumbent's loss in the Democratic primary.

Federal, state and county representation

Edison is split between the Sixth and Seventh Congressional Districts and is part of New Jersey's 18th Legislative District.

Education

Public schools

Many of Edison's schools have been ranked among the top 100 schools in New Jersey. J.P. Stevens High School in Edison ranks among the top 50 high schools in New Jersey, with Edison High School not far behind. Edison has 11 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, and 2 high schools that are part of the Edison Township Public Schools.

The two public high schools separate the South and North ends of Edison. In the Edison High School zone to the south, there are six K - 5 elementary schools: Benjamin Franklin Elementary, James Monroe Elementary, John Marshall Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Lindeneau Elementary and Washington Elementary. John Marshall, Lindenau, and Washington graduates attend Thomas Jefferson Middle School for grades 6 - 8. James Monroe, Benjamin Franklin, and Lincoln graduates go to Herbert Hoover Middle School for grades 6 - 8. Thomas Jefferson and Herbert Hoover graduates go to Edison High School, for grades 9-12.

In the J.P. Stevens High School zone there are five K-5 elementary schools. They are James Madison Primary School (K-2), who then move on to James Madison Intermediate School for grades 3-5; Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary, Menlo Park Elementary and Woodbrook Elementary. Menlo Park and Woodbrook graduates go to Woodrow Wilson Middle School for grades 6-8. James Madison Intermediate and MLK Jr. graduates go to John Adams Middle School for grades 6-8. Woodrow Wilson Middle School and John Adams Middle School graduates move on to J.P. Stevens High School for grades 9-12.

Middlesex County College

Middlesex County College (or MCC) is a public, two-year community college located in Edison at the intersection of Woodbridge Avenue and Mill Road.

Other Schools/ Private Schools

There are many private schools in Edison, as well, including the Wardlaw-Hartridge School, Bishop George Ahr-St. Thomas High School, Rabbi Jacob Joseph Yeshiva School, Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva, St. Helena School, St. Matthew School, and the Lakeview School.

Middlesex County College houses the Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Technologies, an engineering based high school, which is part of the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical School district.

In Edison the sizable Asian/Chinese population had pushed for years to establish a Chinese School where students could learn the Chinese Language. In 1998, Huaxia Edison Chinese School (which teaches Simplified Chinese) was established in Thomas Jefferson Middle School. Huaxia currently resides in Edison High School. However, many families from Taiwan send their children to Edison Chinese School, located at John Adams Middle School, which teaches Traditional Chinese.

Notable residents

David Bryan played the keyboard for Bon Jovi
Al Chez, trumpet player for the Late Show with David Letterman
Junot Diaz, writer, was raised in Edison
Thomas Alva Edison, inventor
Brittany Murphy, cinema actress, attended Herbert Hoover Middle School in Edison
Lil' Jimmy Norton, comedian and actor, star in upcoming HBO show Lucky Louie, can also be heard every morning on the Opie and Anthony Show on XM Satellite Radio.
Mark Polansky, astronaut, attended John P. Stevens High School in Edison
David Rosenthal, keyboardist for Billy Joel
Susan Sarandon, cinema actress, grew up in Edison and attended Edison High School
Tammy Trenta was a contestant on The Apprentice 5.
Mike Vallely is a professional skateboarder.

Notable places

Menlo Park Mall, one of the most popular malls in New Jersey, located at the intersection of Route 1 and Parsonage Road.
The Thomas Alva Edison Memorial Tower and Museum, in Menlo Park.
The Edison Municipal Building, located off of Route 27.
John F. Kennedy Hospital, located off of Parsonage Road.
Edison High School, in South Edison.
J.P. Stevens High School, located off of Grove Avenue.
Wardlaw-Hartridge School, a K-12 private school located off of Inman Avenue.
Edison Station in south Edison
St. Helena Roman Catholic Church, off of New Dover Road.
The Clara Barton downtown area.
Roosevelt Park, located between Parsonage Road and Route 1, west of the Mall.
Roosevelt Hospital, a hospice located just East or Roosevelt Park.
Lincoln Park, a historic neighborhood surrounding Lincoln School. This area was a "cookie-cutter" development in the late 1940's for returning GI's and their families.
Middlesex County College, is located at Woodbridge Avenue and Mill Road.
Raritan Center, a major industrial park anchored by the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center.
Oak Tree Pond, site of a minor battle of the American Revolutionary War and whose conversion into a park ended a real estate development controversy.
Camp Kilmer, a World War II era army post, was partially located in what is now Edison.

References

External links

Edison, New Jersey | Faulkner Act | Middlesex County, New Jersey | New York metropolitan area | Townships in New Jersey

Edison (New Jersey) | Gmina Edison (New Jersey) | 爱迪生 (新泽西州)

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