Iselin, New Jersey#Demographics

Iselin is in northeastern Middlesex County, in the northwest part of Woodbridge Township. It is bordered by the Woodbridge communities of Colonia to the north, Avenel to the northeast, Woodbridge to the southeast, and Menlo Park Terrace to the south, while to the west it is bordered by Edison Township. It is {{convert|9|mi|0}} northeast of New Brunswick, the Middlesex county seat, and {{convert|14|mi}} southwest of Newark.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Iselin has a total area of {{convert|3.13|mi2|km2}}, including {{convert|0.001|mi2|km2}} of water (0.03%). It is drained to the northeast by the South Branch of the Rahway River

Iselin's downtown is centered on Little India (also known as "Oak Tree Road"), bound by the Garden State Parkway to the west and Route 27 (Lincoln Highway) to the southeast. Once home to a wide array of shops, eateries, services, and complemented by a single-screen 1920s movie palace, the area was in obvious decline in the 1980s. An influx of Asian Indian immigration beginning in the early 1990s led to the area's revitalization. Formerly vacant stores were tenanted, and additional retail spaces built as the area became known for its high quality Indian food, sweets, clothing (particularly saris), jewelry, music, and other goods.

File:2015-04-13 17 20 31 View south along the Garden State Parkway from the Northeast Corridor overpass in the Iselin section of Woodbridge, New Jersey.jpg in Iselin]]

An area known as Metropark, consisting primarily of office parks and large office buildings, lies in the southwestern corner of Iselin and spills over into neighboring Edison. NJ Transit and Amtrak's Metropark station is named for this area.

In addition to a Hilton Hotel (now known as "Hotel Woodbridge at Metropark") and the train station, Metropark features the headquarters of Ansell Limited, Engelhard (acquired by BASF in 2006) and Eaton Corporation's Filtration Division. Other corporate residents in the area include Siemens,Garbarine, Rachelle. [https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/08/realestate/commercial-property-new-jersey-siemens-plans-120-million-redevelopment-in-iselin.html "Commercial Property/New Jersey; Siemens Plans $120 Million Redevelopment in Iselin"], The New York Times, July 8, 2001. Accessed June 23, 2012. Tata Consultancy Services, Mott MacDonald,[https://www.mottmac.com/united-states-of-america "Mott MacDonald North America/New Jersey; Mott MacDonald North America"],Mott MacDonald, January 9, 2019. Accessed Jan 9, 2019. Ernst & Young, Mizuho, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Accenture, Level 3 Communications, BT Group, UBS, Elevance Health, and TIAA.

{{US Census population

|1990= 16141

|2000= 16698

|2010= 18695

|2020= 20088

|footnote=Population sources:
1990-2010 2000
2010 2020

}}

The 2010 United States census counted 18,695 people, 6,445 households, and 4,892 families in the CDP. The population density was {{convert|5861.5|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people |people|}}. There were 6,718 housing units at an average density of {{convert|2106.3|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units |units|}}. The racial makeup was 41.47% (7,753) White, 6.72% (1,257) Black or African American, 0.33% (62) Native American, 46.12% (8,623) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 2.26% (423) from other races, and 3.09% (577) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.12% (1,332) of the population.

Of the 6,445 households, 33.2% had children under the age of 18; 62.4% were married couples living together; 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present and 24.1% were non-families. Of all households, 20.7% were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.39.

21.0% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 95.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 94.8 males.

As of the 2000 United States census there were 16,698 people, 6,007 households, and 4,511 families residing in the CDP. The population density was {{convert|2,059.8|/km2|/mi2|disp=preunit|people|people|abbr=on}}. There were 6,137 housing units at an average density of {{convert|757.0|/km2|/mi2|disp=preunit|units|units|abbr=on}}. The racial makeup of the CDP was 64.65% White, 6.02% African American, 0.12% Native American, 25.16% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.75% from other races, and 2.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.47% of the population.[http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/00_SF1/DP1/1600000US3434470 DP-1 - Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 from the Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Iselin CDP, New Jersey] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20200212102355/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/00_SF1/DP1/1600000US3434470 |date=2020-02-12 }}, United States Census Bureau. Accessed November 30, 2012.

There were 6,007 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the CDP the population was spread out, with 21.8% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 33.9% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $65,424, and the median income for a family was $71,913. Males had a median income of $50,145 versus $36,131 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $26,793. About 1.9% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.8% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.

Iselin hosts one of the region's main centers of Indian American cultural diversity.Andrew Jacobs. [https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/18/nyregion/the-census-a-region-of-enclaves-edison-nj-amid-strip-malls-indian-expansion.html "The Census – A Region of Enclaves: Edison, N.J.; Amid Strip Malls, Indian Expansion"], The New York Times, June 18, 2001. Accessed March 22, 2012. "Although Indians have settled in every part of the state, they have had a remarkable impact on Edison, a 32-square-mile township. The Asian population of Edison, most of it Indian, has grown to 29,000 from 2,200 in 1980. The adjacent hamlet of Iselin, part of Woodbridge Township, has had an even greater increase in its Asian population." The growing Little India is a South Asian-focused commercial strip in Middlesex County, the U.S. county with the highest concentration of Indian Americans.{{cite web |last=Genovese |first=Peter |date=16 November 2012 |title=Big business in Little India: Commerce flourishes in vibrant ethnic neighborhood |url=https://www.nj.com/news/2012/11/big_business_in_little_india_c.html |website=nj.com}}{{cite web |title=Eat Street: Oak Tree Road, Iselin, N.J. |url=https://www.saveur.com/article/Travels/Oak-Tree-Road-Iselin-NJ |website=SAVEUR|date=March 31, 2011 }}{{cite news |author=Joseph Berger |title=A Place Where Indians, Now New Jerseyans, Thrive |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 27, 2008 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/27indianj.html |access-date=August 22, 2016}} The Oak Tree Road strip runs for about one-and-a-half miles through Iselin and neighboring Edison Township, near the area's sprawling Chinatown and Koreatown, running along New Jersey Route 27.{{cite news |last=Shaftel |first=David |date=9 March 2017 |title=Indo-Chinese Food Is Hard to Find, Except in New Jersey |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/09/travel/indo-chinese-restaurants-edison-new-jersey.html }} The zone is the largest and most diverse South Asian cultural hub in the United States.{{cite news |last=King |first=Kate |date=25 September 2017 |title='Little India' Thrives in Central New Jersey |newspaper=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/little-india-thrives-in-central-new-jersey-1506340801 |via=www.wsj.com}}{{cite web |last=Burke |first=Monte |title=How Indo-Americans Created The Ultimate Neighborhood Bank |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/monteburke/2012/06/06/the-ultimate-neighborhood-bank/ |website=Forbes}} In Middlesex County, election ballots are printed in English, Spanish, Gujarati, Hindi, and Punjabi.{{cite web |title=State of New Jersey Department of State |url=http://www.nj.gov/state/elections/voting-information-vote-by-mail.html |access-date=May 29, 2017 |publisher=State of New Jersey}} According to the 2017 American Community Survey, 42.6% of Iselin residents identified themselves as being Indian American, the highest percentage for any census-designated place in the United States.[https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/17_5YR/DP05/1600000US3434470] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20200213094649/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/17_5YR/DP05/1600000US3434470|date=2020-02-13}} Accessed April 28, 2019.

Iselin public school students attend the schools of the Woodbridge Township School District. Indiana Avenue School #18,[https://www.woodbridge.k12.nj.us/o/indiana Indiana Avenue School #18] Kennedy Park School #24,[https://www.woodbridge.k12.nj.us/o/kps Kennedy Park School #24] Robert Mascenik School #26,[https://www.woodbridge.k12.nj.us/o/rms Robert Mascenik School #26] and Oak Tree Road School #29[https://www.woodbridge.k12.nj.us/o/otr Oak Tree Rd School #29] are located in Iselin as well as Iselin Middle School[https://www.woodbridge.k12.nj.us/o/ims Iselin Middle School] and John F. Kennedy Memorial High School.

When it opened in 2018, Oak Tree Road School #29 was the first new public school in Woodbridge in nearly 50 years, although the building was formerly occupied by the St. Cecelia's Church parish school[https://www.twp.woodbridge.nj.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=154&ARC=338 MAYOR JOHN E. McCORMAC & WOODBRIDGE TOWNSHIP BOARD OF EDUCATION WELCOMES OAK TREE ROAD SCHOOL #29], media advisory, Sep. 6, 2018 (affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen).[https://stcecelia.com/about-us St. Cecelia's Church]

{{Category see also|People from Woodbridge Township, New Jersey}}

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Iselin include:

• Tom DeSanto (born 1968), film producer and screenwriter best known for his work with long-time friend Bryan Singer, especially with his contributions to the first two X-Men moviesFriedman, Josh. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jul-01-fi-sunprofile1-story.html "Comic-book lover finds dream job; Producer Tom DeSanto has channeled his passion for superheroes and robots into movies such as Transformers."], Los Angeles Times, July 1, 2007. Accessed July 4, 2018. "One Saturday when he was a seventh-grader in Iselin, N.J., Tom DeSanto blew off a Pop Warner football game and spent the day at a comic book convention in nearby Somerset."
• Robbie E (born 1983), professional wrestler with Impact Wrestling on POP TVStaff. {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20161001123338/http://www.livinginmedia.com/article/pro-wrestler-robbie-e.html "Pro Wrestler Robbie E."]}}, Living In Media, September 21, 2016. Accessed July 4, 2018. "Some people laughed because I was thin and only 160 pounds when I was at John F. Kennedy High School in Iselin."
• Chris Smith (born 1953), U.S. representative for New Jersey's 4th congressional district since 1981Faherty, Emily. [http://njmonthly.com/articles/best-of-jersey/unsung-hero/ "Unsung Hero; By now, everyone is familiar with the David Goldman custody battle. But what everyone might not be aware of is the depth of Congressman Chris Smith's involvement in returning Sean to his father."], New Jersey Monthly, March 15, 2010. Accessed July 4, 2018. "'That's what my parents were all about,' says Smith, who was born in Rahway and grew up in Iselin."
• James Swann (born 1964), serial killer whose random drive-by shotgun shootings in Washington, D.C. in 1993 earned him the nickname "The Shotgun Stalker" in the pressDuggan, Paul. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1993/04/20/neighbors-say-suspect-was-troubled/191a7cf0-2f92-4844-aaa4-0b8f94c1bcca/ "Neighbors Say Suspect Was Troubled"], The Washington Post, April 20, 1993. Accessed July 4, 2018. "Swann's address was listed as an apartment complex in Iselin, N.J., but Ritchie said he used to work as a security guard in this area.... According to New Jersey license information obtained from police sources, the plate is registered to Swann in Iselin, which is in Woodbridge Township."

• List of neighborhoods in Edison, New Jersey
• List of neighborhoods in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey

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Category:Census-designated places in Middlesex County, New Jersey

Category:Census-designated places in New Jersey

Category:Neighborhoods in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey