Somerset County, New Jersey

Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

The flag of Somerset County, New Jersey

History

Somerset County is one of America's oldest counties, and is named after the English county of Somerset. The area was first settled in 1681.

Most of the early residents were Dutch. General George Washington and his troops marched through the county on several occasions and slept in many of the homes located throughout the area. Somerset County also played an important part during both World War I and World War II with weapons depots and the manufacturing of the army's woolen blankets.

Somerset County was primarily an agricultural county. In the late 19th century, the county saw many wealthy people come to live. The area is still the home of several wealthy people who were in the pharmaceutical industry.[1]

In the 1960s, townships that were once exclusively agricultural were quickly transformed into suburban communities. Examples include Bridgewater Township[2] and the Watchung Hills communities of Watchung, Green Brook and Warren Township.[3][4][5]

Demographics

Census 2010

At the 2010 United States Census, there were 323,444 people, 117,759 households, and 84,669 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,071.7 per square mile (413.8/km2).

Census 2000

At the 2000 United States Census,[6] there were 297,490 people, 108,984 households and 78,359 families residing in the county. The population density was 976 per square mile (377/km²). .[7][8][8][9]

Municipalities
Index map of Somerset County municipalities (click to see index key)

Municipalities in Somerset County are below.[10] A CDP is a Census-designated place, as described by the Census Bureau.

Municipality

(with map key)

 Municipal

type

 Population Housing

Units

 Total

Area

 Water

Area

 Land

Area

 Pop.

Density

 Housing

Density

 Communities[11]
Bedminster Township (21) township 8,165 4,349 26.30 0.22 26.08 313.1 166.8 LamingtonPluckeminPottersville
Bernards Township (20) township 26,652 10,103 24.06 0.13 23.93 1,113.6 422.1 Basking RidgeLiberty CornerLyons
Bernardsville (1) borough 7,707 2,871 12.98 0.08 12.91 597.2 222.5
Bound Brook (6) borough 10,402 3,816 1.69 0.04 1.66 6,269.6 2,300.0
Branchburg Township (16) township 14,459 5,419 20.28 0.24 20.04 721.4 270.4 Neshanic StationNorth Branch
Bridgewater Township (17) township 44,464 16,657 32.51 0.47 32.04 1,387.9 519.9 Bradley Gardens CDP (14,206)

Finderne CDP (5,600) Green Knoll CDP (6,200) Martinsville CDP (11,980)

Far Hills (3) borough 919 418 4.88 0.08 4.80 191.6 87.1
Franklin Township (14) township 62,300 24,426 46.85 0.70 46.15 1,350.0 529.3 Blackwells Mills CDP (803)

Clyde CDP (213) East Franklin CDP (8,669) East Millstone CDP (579) East Rocky Hill CDP (469) Franklin Center CDP (4,460) Franklin Park CDP (13,295) Griggstown CDP (819) Kingston CDP (part; 271) Middlebush CDP (2,326) Pleasant Plains CDP (922) Rockingham Six Mile Run CDP (3,184) Somerset CDP (22,083) Ten Mile Run CDP (1,959) Voorhees CDP (976) Weston CDP (1,235) Zarephath CDP (37)

Green Brook Township (19) township 7,203 2,448 4.48 0.01 4.47 1,610.5 547.3
Hillsborough Township (15) township 38,303 14,030 55.00 0.47 54.54 702.3 257.3 AmwellCloverhillFlagtownNeshanicSouth BranchZion
Manville (8) borough 10,344 4,277 2.45 0.09 2.36 4,382.0 1,811.9
Millstone (11) borough 418 167 0.76 0.02 0.74 566.5 226.3
Montgomery Township (13) township 22,254 7,902 32.48 0.17 32.31 688.8 244.6 AmwellBelle Mead CDP (216)

Blawenburg CDP (280) DutchtownHarlingen CDP (297)

Skillman CDP (242) StoutsburgZion

North Plainfield (5) borough 21,936 7,848 2.81 0.01 2.79 7,850.0 2,808.5
Peapack-Gladstone (2) borough 2,582 949 5.85 0.04 5.81 444.5 163.4 Gladstone
Raritan (10) borough 6,881 2,847 2.04 0.04 1.99 3,452.2 1,428.3
Rocky Hill (12) borough 682 292 0.62 0.00 0.62 1,101.4 471.6
Somerville (9) borough 12,098 4,951 2.36 0.03 2.33 5,189.5 2,123.8
South Bound Brook (7) borough 4,563 1,865 0.75 0.10 0.66 6,933.8 2,834.0
Warren Township (18) township 15,311 5,258 19.64 0.08 19.57 782.5 268.7
Watchung (4) borough 5,801 2,234 6.05 0.03 6.03 962.7 370.7
Somerset County county 323,444 123,127 304.86 3.04 301.81 1,071.7 408.0

Transportation

Roads and highways

Somerset County has numerous roads. As of May 2010, the county had a total of 1,714.99 miles (2,760.01 km) of roadways. 1,370.80 miles (2,206.09 km) were maintained by the towns. 234.23 miles (376.96 km) were maintained by Somerset County and 109.96 miles (176.96 km) were by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.[12]

The only two state routes that traverse through are Route 27 (only in Franklin) and Route 28.

U.S. Routes include U.S. Route 22, U.S. Route 202 and U.S. Route 206. The two interstates that pass through are Interstate 78 and Interstate 287.

Route 18 runs at the New Brunswick border of Somerset.

Public transportation
Bernardsville Station

New_Jersey_Transit provides train service. It operates Raritan_Valley_Line.[13][14]It can go to New York City. PPublic bus transportation is provided by several transit agencies.[15]

NJ Transit provides bus service Midtown Manhattan, as well as service to major cities in New Jersey and within Somerset County.[16] [17]

References
  1. Clemence, Sara. "Home of the Week: Peapack Palace" Archived 2006-01-29 at the Wayback Machine, Forbes, March 14, 2005. Accessed May 22, 2008. "It was once the country home of some of the 19th century's wealthiest families, and modern-day residents now include pharmaceuticals and chemicals barons."
  2. The History of Bridgewater Township Archived 2013-10-05 at the Wayback Machine, Bridgewater Township, New Jersey. Accessed May 22, 2008. "In the early years, Bridgewater was known as a farming town."
  3. Sordillo, Victor J. About Warren Township, Warren Township. Accessed October 1, 2013. "Once described as 'the greenest place in New Jersey', Warren Township residents and elected officials are working to keep its rural character and charm while recognizing that there will be growth due to the town's beauty, favorable property taxes and strategic location. Less than 35 miles to Manhattan makes Warren Township a favorite suburb for commuters to New York City."
  4. Overview, Green Brook Historical Society. Accessed October 1, 2013. "As the traffic through the corridor expanded, Green Brook Township developed from a quiet farming community, which it had been for nearly two hundred years, into the suburban community that it is today."
  5. History, Borough of Watchung. Accessed October 1, 2013. "Watchung was settled in the early eighteenth century and grew slowly until recent years. In 1960 the population was 3,312 and in 2000 it was 5,613."
  6. American FactFinder, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  7. DP-1 - Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000; Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Somerset County, New Jersey Archived 2020-02-12 at Archive.today, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 23, 2013.
  8. Tables DP-1 to DP-4 from Census 2000 for Somerset County, New Jersey, United States Census Bureau, backed up by the Internet Archive as of July 6, 2008. Accessed October 1, 2013.
  9. DP-2 - Profile of Selected Social Characteristics: 2000 from the Census 2000 Summary File 3 (SF 3) - Sample Data for Somerset County, New Jersey Archived 2020-02-12 at Archive.today, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 30, 2013.
  10. GCT-PH1: Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County -- County Subdivision and Place from the 2010 Census Summary File 1 for Somerset County, New Jersey Archived 2020-02-12 at Archive.today, United States Census Bureau. Accessed May 14, 2015.
  11. Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed May 11, 2015.
  12. Somerset County Mileage by Municipality and Jurisdiction Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Department of Transportation, May 2010. Accessed July 24, 2014.
  13. Gladstone Branch Raritan Valley Line Archived 2016-04-17 at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Transit. Accessed October 6, 2013.
  14. Raritan Valley Line Archived 2013-10-15 at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Transit. Accessed October 6, 2013.
  15. Transportation Services Archived 2014-08-29 at the Wayback Machine, Somerset County, New Jersey. Accessed October 1, 2013.
  16. Somerset County Bus / Rail Connections, New Jersey Transit, backed up by the Internet Archive as of May 22, 2009. Accessed October 6, 2013.
  17. Scoot, Ridewise. Accessed October 1, 2013.
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