Metuchen, New Jersey

Metuchen is a Borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, which is 8 mi northeast of New Brunswick, 18 mi miles southwest of Newark, 24 mi southwest of Jersey City, and 29 mi southwest of Manhattan, all part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 13,574.

Metuchen was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 20, 1900, from portions of Raritan Township (now known as Edison).

Geography
Metuchen is located at 40.54245°N, -74.36277°W (40.542445,-74.362767). According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.766 square miles (7.166 km2), of which, 2.764 square miles (7.160 km2) of it is land and 0.002 square miles (0.006 km2) of it (0.09%) is water.

The Borough of Metuchen is surrounded by Edison Township.

2010 Census
The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $94,410 (with a margin of error of +/- $10,474) and the median family income was $126,123 (+/- $7,549). Males had a median income of $78,974 (+/- $8,613) versus $57,271 (+/- $5,731) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $46,949 (+/- $3,227). About 1.9% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

2000 Census
As of the census of 2010, there were 13,574 people, 4,992 households, and 3,584 families residing in the borough. The population density was 4,684.8 people per square mile (1,809.3/km2). There were 5,104 housing units at an average density of 1,862.2 per square mile (719.2/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 93.30% White, 3.38% African American, 0.10% Native American, 7.23% Asian, 1.12% from other races, and 1.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.96% of the population.

There were 4,992 households out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.8% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.05.<ref name=Census2000/

In the borough the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males.<ref name=Census2000/

The median income for a household in the borough was $75,546, and the median income for a family was $85,022. Males had a median income of $58,125 versus $43,097 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $36,749. About 3.4% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.<ref name=Census2000/

Local government
Metuchen is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year. The Mayor presides at Council meetings, approves ordinances, signs contracts, and appoints officials and members of various boards and commissions. The Council adopts ordinances and resolutions and makes all policy in the Borough government. Each member is assigned as a liaison to several departments, boards and commissions with the consent of Council.

, the Mayor of Metuchen is Thomas Vahalla, who was elected for a four-year term ending December 31, 2015. Members of the Borough Council are Peter Cammarano (2014), Ronald Grayzel (2012), John J. Muldoon (2014), Dorothy Rasmussen (2013), Sheri-Rose Rubin (2012) and James Wallace (2013).

Federal, state and county representation
Metuchen is in the 6th Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 18th state legislative district.

Education
The Metuchen School District serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2009-10 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Moss School (Kindergarten; 182 students), Campbell Elementary School (1-4; 652), Edgar Middle School (5-8; 645) and Metuchen High School for grades 9-12 (609).

The Borough is also home to St. Joseph High School, a private all-boys Catholic prep school, notable for its academics and sports awards that is operated under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen.

There have been two historical schools named for Benjamin Franklin. The Old Franklin Schoolhouse is a one-room school on Route 27 (Middlesex Avenue) near Main Street built in 1807 and used until 1870. In 1906, it was acquired and restored by the Borough Improvement League and is currently used as a community music venue. A larger Franklin School, built in 1906, once stood at the intersection of Middlesex and Lake Avenues but fell into disrepair in the mid 1980s. It has since been demolished to make way for a residential development called Franklin Square.

History
Until 1870, what is now Metuchen was part of Woodbridge Township. Because the settlers in the western part of the township were so far removed from the village of Woodbridge, they early developed a separate identity. The name "Metuchen" first appeared in 1688/1689, and its name was derived from the name of a Native American chief, known as Matouchin. In 1701, an overseer of roads was appointed for "Metuchen district". In 1705, Main Street was laid out at the same time as the road from Metuchen to Woodbridge, which one source calls a "reworking of the original road".

Sometime between 1717 and 1730, a meeting house was constructed for weekday meetings conducted by the pastor of the Woodbridge Presbyterian Church. In 1756, Metuchen Presbyterians succeeded in forming their own congregation, attesting to their growing numbers. In 1770, the congregations merged, with Metuchen getting 2/5 of the pastor's services and Woodbridge 3/5s; by 1772 Metuchen had grown sufficiently to warrant 50% of his time. In 1793, the two churches again separated.

From the late 18th to the early 19th century Metuchen grew little. A map of 1799 shows ten buildings in the center of town along Main Street. By 1834, a Presbyterian church, a store, two taverns and about a dozen dwellings could be found. The opening of the Middlesex and Essex Turnpike (now Middlesex Avenue, portions in concurrency with Route 27) in 1806, and the Perth Amboy and Bound Brook Turnpike in 1808 seem not to have spurred growth to any appreciable extent. Not until the beginning of the railroad era did commercial and residential development surge.

In 1836, the New Jersey Railroad was completed to New Brunswick. The construction of a station at Main Street made it inevitable that this would develop as the principal street. A business section soon began to appear between Middlesex Avenue and the railroad tracks, and commercial and service establishments gradually began to assume a more modern aspect (the typical 18th century tavern, for example, was replaced by the equally typical 19th century hotel).

The second half of the 19th century was a period of social, cultural and religious diversification in Metuchen. Between 1859 and 1866 the Reformed Church was organized, the first Catholic mass was celebrated and St. Luke's Episcopal Church was founded. In 1870 both the Building and Loan Association and the library opened, the same year that Raritan Township was incorporated. As the largest village in the new township, Metuchen naturally became its commercial and cultural center and acquired substantial political control. In 1879, the literary and debating society was formed, and in 1883 the Village Improvement Society. By 1882, Metuchen School #15 had an enrollment of 256 pupils, and by 1885 the New Jersey Gazette listed thirty-seven businesses.

The decade of the 1890s was a period of expansion for public utilities. In 1894, telegraph service was begun and in 1897 telephone service begun by the N.Y. and N.J. Telephone Company. In the same year the Midland Water Company commenced operation and supplied hydrants for "newly-formed" volunteer fire companies. In 1899, new street lighting system installed. At about the same time the Metuchen Wheelmen, a bicycling organization was formed, which lobbied for improved roads. Trolley service began in 1900. In addition, by the end of the decade, commerce had grown to such an extent that the New Brunswick Directory listed 91 businesses in 1899.

Metuchen attracted an influx of artists, literary figures and noted intellectuals during this time, acquiring the nickname "the Brainy Boro". One of the Borough's two post offices is named Brainy Boro Station.

The new century began with what residents saw as the biggest improvement of all, incorporation, in 1900.

On November 19, 1981, Metuchen became the Seat of the newly established Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen. The diocese includes Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset and Warren counties and more than 500,000 Catholics.

Metuchen was ranked 332nd in the New Jersey Monthly's Best Places to live in New Jersey.

Metuchen Borough Hall, dedicated in 2005, replaced a structure built in 1924 during the City Beautiful movement.

Transportation
Commuting had become a way of life for Metuchen residents by the turn of the century. Daily commuters numbered 400 out of a population of 1,786 by the year 1900. Accessibility to New York City and New Brunswick enhanced the borough's reputation as a prestigious place to live, and the modern suburban ideal of small-town life where tired businessmen could escape the pace of the city grew in popularity. Today, Metuchen Station on New Jersey Transit's Northeast Corridor Line, provides service to many destinations including Trenton and Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan.

The biggest change to affect Metuchen between the World Wars was the rise of the automobile. In the 1920s, service stations were built, and the construction of U.S. Route 1 in 1930 diverted traffic away from Middlesex Avenue, and undoubtedly helped the borough retain its residential character.

Both Route 27 and CR 531 pass through and intersect at the heart of the borough while Interstate 287 runs along the southern border.

Other limited access roads are nearby such as the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95) in surrounding Edison Township and the Garden State Parkway in Woodbridge Township.

Notable residents
Noted current and former residents include:
 * Marqus Blakely (born 1988), Two-time America East player of the Year, winner of the 2010 college slam dunk contest at University of Vermont, and a member of the Houston Rockets.
 * Charles Brown (1946–2004), actor.
 * Barbara Buono (born 1953), New Jersey State Senator.
 * Edmund O'Brien (born 1945), longest-serving elected official in the history of Metuchen. Former Mayor and Council.
 * John Ciardi (1916–1986), poet.
 * David Copperfield (born 1956), magician and illusionist.
 * Scott Cowen (born 1946), president of Tulane University.
 * James Florio (born 1937), Governor of New Jersey from 1990 to 1994.
 * Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman (1852–1930), author and novelist.
 * Robert Hegyes (1951-2012), actor who played the character "Epstein" in the 1970s TV series Welcome Back, Kotter.
 * Cecelia Holland (born 1943), historical novelist.
 * DK Holland (born 1947), graphic designer.
 * Jerome H. Lemelson (1923–1997), inventor and holder of more than 550 patents.
 * Dejuan Miller (born 1990), football player at University of Oklahoma.
 * Lonny Price (born 1959), actor, writer and director.
 * Jack Waldman (1952–1986), jazz and rock musician, composer, producer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist.
 * Marvin Webster (1952–2009), NBA basketball player, spent half his career with the New York Knicks.