central Jersey

{{about|a region in the United States|the central part of the island of Jersey|Geography of Jersey}}

{{Infobox settlement

| name = Central Jersey

| image_skyline = File:Driscoll-Viesser-Edison Bridges - August 30, 2020.jpg

| image_caption = With 15 travel lanes and six shoulder lanes, Driscoll Bridge on the Garden State Parkway in Central Jersey is one of the world's widest and busiest motor vehicle bridges; the bridge crosses the Raritan River near Raritan Bay.{{cite web|url=http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/1492 |title=Garden State Parkway opens world's widest bridge - 15 lanes |publisher=TOLLROADSnews, Peter Samuel |access-date=2011-06-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323215304/https://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/1492 |archive-date=2012-03-23 }}

| image_map =

| map_caption =

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = United States

| subdivision_type1 = State

| subdivision_name1 = New Jersey

| subdivision_type2 = Largest municipalities by population

| subdivision_name2 = Elizabeth
Lakewood
Woodbridge
Edison
Middletown
Old Bridge
Franklin Township
Piscataway
New Brunswick
Perth Amboy
Howell
Plainfield

| population_as_of = 2020

| population = 3,580,999

| official_name =

}}

Central Jersey, or Central New Jersey, is the middle region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The designation Central Jersey is a distinct administrative toponym.{{cite news | last = Stirling | first = Steven | title = Help us figure out the boundaries of North, Central and South Jersey once and for all (Interactive Map) | publisher = NJ Advance Media | date = April 17, 2015 | url = http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/04/help_us_figure_out_the_boundaries_of_north_central_and_south_jersey_once_and_for_all_interactive_map.html | access-date = 2 June 2015}}{{cite news | last = Stirling | first = Steven | title = Here are the North, Central and South Jersey borders as determined by you (Interactive) | publisher = NJ Advance Media | date = April 24, 2015 | url = http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/04/mapping_njs_unofficial_north_central_and_south_jer.html | access-date = June 2, 2015}} While New Jersey is often divided into North Jersey and South Jersey, many residents recognize Central Jersey as a distinct third entity.{{citation | title = Gov. Phil Murphy declares Central Jersey exists.| newspaper = Courier News| date = December 10, 2019| url = https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/2019/12/10/nj-gov-phil-murphy-declares-central-jersey-exists-he-didnt-need-to/4385140002/}} As of the 2020 census, Central Jersey has a population of 3,580,999.

All descriptions of Central Jersey include Middlesex County, the population center of New Jersey, and most include much of nearby Monmouth, Mercer, Somerset, and Hunterdon counties. The inclusion of adjacent areas of Union and Ocean are a source of debate.{{cite news | url=http://www.mycentraljersey.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080331/NEWS/803310347/1001 | title=An invisible boundary divides N.J. | author=Jean Mikle | newspaper=Home News Tribune | date=March 31, 2008 | access-date=January 12, 2010 | archive-date=January 8, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160108162846/http://www.mycentraljersey.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080331/NEWS/803310347/1001 | url-status=dead }}("Of course, part of the problem with understanding New Jersey's enduring regional tension is that few residents can agree on where the northern half of the state ends and the southern half begins."){{Citation | title = North Versus South, Jersey Style; A shared sense of place hard to find in the Garden State | publisher = Monmouth University Polling Institute | date = March 8, 2008 | url = http://www.monmouth.edu/assets/0/84/159/2147483694/b267a2bc-780c-4c96-85e7-16b3a523ce94.pdf | access-date = February 15, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130116190159/http://www.monmouth.edu/assets/0/84/159/2147483694/b267a2bc-780c-4c96-85e7-16b3a523ce94.pdf | archive-date = January 16, 2013 | url-status = dead }}{{citation | last = Hiembuch | first = Jeff | title = North Vs South Vs Central - Where Do YOU Live? | newspaper = nj.com | date = May 19, 2009 | url = http://www.nj.com/shore/blogs/party/index.ssf/2009/05/north_vs_south_vs_central_wher.html | access-date = 2012-02-05 }} In 2015, New Jersey Business magazine defined Central Jersey more narrowly as the five counties of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth and Somerset.Saliba, George N. [https://njbmagazine.com/monthly-articles/central-new-jerseys-success/ "Central New Jersey’s Success The low-down on economic developments within this five-county region."], New Jersey Business, March 16, 2015. Accessed December 4, 2019. "While New Jersey’s onerous tax structure and an uncertain economic climate have often been headline news, perhaps unsung is the fact that portions of the Garden State are steadily thriving, including much of Central New Jersey, which is {{sic|comprised |hide=y|of}}: Somerset County, Monmouth County, Mercer County, Hunterdon County and Middlesex County."

In 2022, legislation was proposed in the New Jersey Legislature to establish distinct geographic areas for tourism in the state. Bill A4711 was sponsored by Assemblymembers Roy Freiman, Sadaf Jaffer, and Anthony Verrelli in the New Jersey General Assembly.[https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2022/A4711/bill-text?f=A5000&n=4711_I1 New Jersey Legislature]. Bill A4711 Session 2022 - 2023], New Jersey Legislature, introduced October 11, 2022. Accessed February 18, 2023. "The Division of Travel and Tourism shall re-draw the State tourism map to create a 'Central Jersey' region comprised, at a minimum of the counties of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, and Somerset, and to incorporate the 'Central Jersey' region in all regional marketing activities, including in publications and on the VisitNJ.org website." This included an official designation of the region of Central Jersey, which the legislation defines more broadly as the seven counties of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset, and Union.Mitman, Hayden.[https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/new-bill-looks-to-establish-central-jersey/3503400/ "New Bill Looks to Establish ‘Central Jersey': In support of tourism, a New Jersey lawmaker has proposed an official 'central' region that would include Hunterdon, Somerset, Union, Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean counties"], NBC 10: Philadelphia, Published February 17, 2023. Accessed February 18, 2023.Sobko, Katie.[https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/2023/02/17/central-new-jersey-bills-to-promote-tourism-advance-nj-legislature/69912001007/ "Central Jersey exists, and NJ lawmakers have defined it in a bill that just advanced"], mycentraljersey.com, Trenton Bureau, Published February 17, 2023. Accessed February 18, 2023. The New Jersey Senate version of this legislation passed by a vote of 36-1 on June 20, 2023.{{Cite web |last=Redmond |first=Kimberly |date=2023-06-21 |title=Senate advances bill to officially put Central Jersey on the map |url=https://njbiz.com/senate-advances-bill-to-officially-put-central-jersey-on-the-map/ |access-date=2023-08-24 |website=NJBIZ |language=en-US}} On August 24, 2023, Gov. Murphy signed legislation officially designating Central Jersey including, at a minimum, the counties of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, and Somerset.{{Cite web |title=The Official Website of Governor Phil Murphy |url=https://nj.gov/governor/ |access-date=2023-08-24 |website=nj.gov |language=en}}

Trenton, the seat of Mercer County and the state capital of New Jersey, is located in Central Jersey. New Jersey's geographic center is in Hamilton, Mercer County. In 2011, the population center of the state was in the western portion of East Brunswick, in Middlesex County.{{cite news | last = Stirling | first = Stephen | title = U.S. Census shows East Brunswick as statistical center of N.J. | newspaper = The Star-Ledger | date = March 31, 2011 | url = http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/03/us_census_shows_nj_turnpike_in.html | access-date = 2012-11-07 | quote = if all 8.8 million residents of the state were to stand on a giant table supported by a single leg, Nenninger Lane would be the fulcrum point keeping it balanced}} The two busiest highways in New Jersey, the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, intersect in Woodbridge, Middlesex County.{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2016/11/why_central_jersey_is_better_than_north_or_south_j.html#3|title=11 reasons why Central Jersey is better than North or South Jersey (slide 4)|author=Peter Genovese|publisher=New Jersey On-Line LLC|date=November 14, 2016|access-date=November 16, 2016}} Princeton University and Rutgers University, the two most prominent institutions of higher education in the state, are situated in Central Jersey.

Geographic area

File:Central Jersey Counties.svg, Monmouth, Mercer, Somerset, and Hunterdon; Union and Ocean counties are sometimes also included within the region's geographic parameters.]]

File:Canal in Lambertville.JPG in Lambertville, connects the Delaware and Raritan rivers in Central Jersey.]]

The region lies roughly at the geographic heart of the Northeast megalopolis and is wholly in the New York metropolitan area, the nation's largest metropolitan area.

The Delaware Valley is another area that is associated with some parts of Central Jersey, specifically Mercer County. Yet despite the County’s close geographic proximity to Philadelphia's combined statistical area, Mercer County is considered part of the New York Combined Metropolitan Statistical Area as defined by the United States Census Bureau.[https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/reference/stma99.pdf 1999 State-based Metropolitan Areas Maps], United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 2, 2022.[http://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/econ/ec2012/csa/EC2012_330M200US408M.pdf New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area], United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 2, 2022.[https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/metroarea/us_wall/Mar2020/CSA_WallMap_Mar2020. Combined Statistical Areas of the United States and Puerto Rico – March 2020], United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 2, 2022. Some but not all regions of Hunterdon County associate themselves with the Delaware Valley and the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

The Raritan Valley is the region along the middle reaches of the Raritan River and its North Branch and South Branch. The Raritan Valley includes the communities of Branchburg, Bridgewater, Somerville, Raritan, Hillsborough, Franklin Township, Green Brook, North Plainfield, Bound Brook, and South Bound Brook, all in Somerset County; Dunellen, Middlesex, Piscataway, South Plainfield, Highland Park, New Brunswick, East Brunswick, Edison, and Metuchen, all in the northern and central portions of Middlesex County; and Plainfield in southwestern Union County.{{cite web|url=http://www.optimum.com/lineup.jsp?regionId=38|title=Optimum Online Television Service. Channel lineup for the Raritan Valley region, consisting of, "Bridgewater, Edison, North Brunswick, Old Bridge, Piscataway"|website=Optimum.com|access-date=October 15, 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/rail/r0060.pdf|title=Raritan Valley Line operated by NJ Transit. Covers Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex and Union counties|website=NJTransit.com|access-date=October 15, 2017|archive-date=November 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107152229/http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/rail/R0060.pdf|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.raritanval.edu/|title=Raritan Valley Community College|work=raritanval.edu}}{{cite web|url=http://www.scarletknights.com/crew/camp/camp.asp|title=Raritan Valley Rowing Camp. A program sponsored by Rutgers University in New Brunswick.|website=ScarletKnights.com|access-date=October 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100813232837/http://www.scarletknights.com/crew/camp/camp.asp|archive-date=August 13, 2010|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.raritanvalleyconference.com/index.php|title=Raritan Valley Conference|work=raritanvalleyconference.com|access-date=May 5, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081001072034/http://www.raritanvalleyconference.com/index.php|archive-date=October 1, 2008|url-status=dead}}

The Raritan Bayshore is used to describe the region in Middlesex and Monmouth Counties, located along the coastline of the Raritan Bay, from the mouth of the Raritan River in the west to the barrier island of Sandy Hook bordering the Atlantic Ocean in the east.{{cite news |title=Blueprint complete for improved Rt. 36: County to vote on Bayshore Regional Strategic Plan |first=Karen E. |last=Bowes |url=http://independent.gmnews.com/news/2006/0830/Front_Page/003.html |newspaper=Holmdel Independent |date=August 30, 2006 |access-date=2012-02-10 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130125034059/http://independent.gmnews.com/news/2006/0830/Front_Page/003.html |archive-date=January 25, 2013 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }} The Raritan Bayshore includes the communities of Sayreville, Woodbridge, Perth Amboy, South Amboy, and Old Bridge, all in northeastern Middlesex County; Aberdeen, Matawan, Keyport, Union Beach, Hazlet, Keansburg, Holmdel, Middletown, Atlantic Highlands, and Highlands, all in northern Monmouth County.{{cite news |title=Blueprint complete for improved Rt. 36: County to vote on Bayshore Regional Strategic Plan |first=Karen E. |last=Bowes |url=http://independent.gmnews.com/news/2006/0830/Front_Page/003.html |newspaper=Holmdel Independent |date=August 30, 2006 |access-date=2011-07-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130125034059/http://independent.gmnews.com/news/2006/0830/Front_Page/003.html |archive-date=January 25, 2013 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.visitmonmouth.com/page.aspx?ID=2970|title=Visit Monmouth|website=Strategic and Long Range Planning}}

The telephone area codes 732 and 848 includes Middlesex, Monmouth, Somerset, Union, and northern Ocean counties. While area codes 609 and 640 includes southern Ocean, Hunterdon, and Somerset counties, as well as Mercer County.Newman, Andy. [https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/02/nyregion/new-area-codes-introduced.html?sq=area+code+732&scp=3&st=nyt "New Area Codes Introduced"], The New York Times, June 2, 1997. Accessed January 23, 2008.

Colonial era

Image:Wpdms east west new jersey.png (in yellow) and East New Jersey (in green) that existed from 1674 to 1702 during the colonial era of New Jersey; the map also indicates location of the Keith Line (in red) and the Coxe and Barclay Line (in orange).]]

Between 1674 and 1702, in the early part of New Jersey's colonial period, the border between West Jersey and East Jersey ran diagonally across the middle part of the state. The Keith Line, as the demarcation is known, ran through the center of what is now Mercer County.{{cite web|title=Historic Preservation in Princeton Township. A Brief History of Princeton|work=Office of Historic Preservation|publisher=Princeton Township|url=http://www.princetonnj.gov/HP/history.html|access-date=February 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130820233226/http://www.princetonnj.gov/HP/history.html|archive-date=August 20, 2013|url-status=dead}} This border remained important in determining ownership and political boundaries until 1745. Remnants of that division are seen today, notably as the Hunterdon-Somerset, Ocean-Burlington, and Monmouth-Burlington county lines.{{cite web|url=http://westjersey.org/wj_line.htm|title=Where was the West Jersey/East Jersey line?|work=westjersey.org}} The division of the two provinces was cultural as well as geographical.{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/06/how_a_man_named_keith_took_a_long_walk_and_defined.html|title=How a man named Keith took a long walk and defined N.J. forever|date=June 2015|website=NJ.com|access-date=October 15, 2017}}

New Jersey's position between the major cities of New York and Philadelphia led Benjamin Franklin to call the state "a barrel tapped at both ends".Fairall, Herbert (1885). [https://books.google.com/books?id=XvsNAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22beer+barrel+tapped+at+both+ends%22+%22Benjamin+Franklin%22&pg=PA225 The World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition, New Orleans, 1884-1885]. p. 225. Google Book Search. Retrieved on December 4, 2009. "Dr. Benjamin Franklin once perpetrated the witticism 'that New Jersey was like a beer barrel tapped at both ends, with all the live beer running into Philadelphia and New York.'"{{cite journal|jstor=30030707|title="A Barrel Tapped at Both Ends": New Jersey and Economic Development|first=Jean R.|last=Soderlund|editor-first1=Peter O.|editor-last1=Wacker|editor-first2=Paul G. E.|editor-last2=Clemens|date=October 15, 1996|journal=Reviews in American History|volume=24|issue=4|pages=574–578|doi=10.1353/rah.1996.0107|s2cid=143847945}} Travel between the two cities originally included a ferry crossing.

Due to the obstacles created by the Meadowlands and the Hudson Palisades, passengers from New York would cross the North River and the Upper New York Bay by boat and then transfer to stagecoaches to travel overland through what is now Central Jersey. One route from Elizabethtown to Lambertville was known as Old York Road. Another route, from Perth Amboy through Kingston to Burlington, ran along a portion of the Kings Highway, These roads followed Lenape paths known respectively as the Naritcong Trail and the Assunpink Trail.

Raritan Landing, across from New Brunswick in today's Piscataway, became an important inland port and commercial hub for the region.{{Cite web | title = Recovering Raritan Landing The Archeology of a Forgotten Town | publisher = New Jersey Department of Transportation | year = 2002 | url = http://www.raritanlanding.com/ | access-date = July 5, 2011 }} Two of the nine Colonial Colleges, founded before the American Revolution, were the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), and Queens College (now Rutgers University).

Population

class="wikitable sortable"

|+Municipalities with over 30,000 population

!2017 Rank

!Municipality

!County

!Population in

2017

!Population in

2010

!Municipal

Type

|Elizabeth

|Union

|130,215

|124,969

|City

|Lakewood Township

|Ocean

|102,682

|92,843

|Township

|Edison

|Middlesex

|102,450

|99,967

|Township

|Woodbridge Township

|Middlesex

|101,965

|99,585

|Township

|Toms River

|Ocean

|93,017

|91,239

|Township

|Hamilton Township

|Mercer

|89,078

|88,464

|Township

|Trenton

|Mercer

|84,964

|84,913

|City

|Brick Township

|Ocean

|75,516

|75,072

|Township

|Old Bridge Township

|Middlesex

|67,032

|65,375

|Township

|Franklin Township

|Somerset

|66,734

|62,300

|Township

|Middletown Township

|Monmouth

|65,603

|66,522

|Township

|Piscataway

|Middlesex

|57,887

|56,044

|Township

|New Brunswick

|Middlesex

|57,073

|55,181

|City

|Jackson Township

|Ocean

|57,073

|54,856

|Township

|Perth Amboy

|Middlesex

|52,823

|50,814

|City

|Howell Township

|Monmouth

|52,476

|51,075

|Township

|Plainfield

|Union

|51,327

|49,908

|City

|East Brunswick

|Middlesex

|48,840

|47,512

|Township

|South Brunswick

|Middlesex

|46,561

|43,417

|Township

|Bridgewater Township

|Somerset

|45,414

|44,464

|Township

|Monroe Township

|Middlesex

|45,332

|39,132

|Township

|Sayreville

|Middlesex

|45,325

|42,704

|Borough

|Manchester Township

|Ocean

|43,495

|43,070

|Township

|Linden

|Union

|43,056

|40,499

|City

|North Brunswick

|Middlesex

|42,641

|40,742

|Township

|Berkeley Township

|Ocean

|41,747

|41,255

|Township

|Marlboro Township

|Monmouth

|40,306

|40,191

|Township

|Manalapan Township

|Monmouth

|40,013

|38,872

|Township

|Hillsborough Township

|Somerset

|40,003

|38,303

|Township

|Ewing Township

|Mercer

|36,549

|35,790

|Township

|Freehold Township

|Monmouth

|35,053

|36,184

|Township

|Lawrence Township

|Mercer

|33,161

|33,472

|Township

|Long Branch

|Monmouth

|30,762

|30,719

|City

|Westfield

|Union

|30,433

|30,316

|Town

|Lacey Township

|Ocean

|30,131

|27,346

|Township

class="wikitable sortable"

|+County Population

!Rank

!County

!Population

!County Seat

!Area

|Middlesex

|829,685

|New Brunswick

|311 sq mi

(805 km²)

|Monmouth

|621,354

|Freehold Borough

|472 sq mi

(1,222 km²)

|Mercer

|369,811

|Trenton

|226 sq mi

(585 km²)

|Somerset

|331,164

|Somerville

|305 sq mi

(790 km²)

|Hunterdon

|124,714

|Flemington

|430 sq mi

(1,114 km²)

Economy

File:AT&T Homdel and water tower.jpg water tower in Holmdel was designed to resemble a transistor. Telecommunications remains an important industry in Central Jersey.]]

All of the region's counties are ranked among the highest income counties in the United States, as measured by median household income.[https://www.bea.gov/regional/reis/pcpihigh.cfm 250 Highest Per Capita Personal Incomes of the 3111 Counties in the United States, 2006], Bureau of Economic Analysis. Accessed May 2, 2008. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929124408/https://www.bea.gov/regional/reis/pcpihigh.cfm |date=September 29, 2007 }} It has been called the state's "wealth belt".{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/26/realestate/in-the-region-new-jersey-living-large-in-the-state-s-new-wealth-belt.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm | work=The New York Times | first=Rachelle | last=Garbarine | title=In the Region /New Jersey; 'Living Large' in the State's New 'Wealth Belt' | date=September 26, 1999}}{{cite news| url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/nj.htm | work=USA Today | title='Wealth-belt' of state shows big population gains | date=March 9, 2001}}

=Manufacturing=

For decades, Central Jersey was a hub for manufacturing in the eastern United States. Many industrial companies had major production facilities in and around the area, including Edison Assembly, Ford Motor Company's production plant for Rangers, Mustangs, Pintos, Mercurys, and Lincolns. Other notable companies include General Motors in Linden, Frigidaire's air-conditioner plant in Edison, Hess Corporation in Woodbridge, Siemens in Edison, and ExxonMobil Chemical.

Starting in the 2000s, manufacturing began to leave Central Jersey, and many facilities had closed and moved overseas.{{cite news| url=http://www.nj.com/middlesex/index.ssf/2012/10/edisons_exxonmobil_to_lay_off.html | work=NJ.com | first=Anthony | last=Attrino | title=Edison's ExxonMobil to close Middlesex County plant in 2014 | date=October 5, 2012}}{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/27/nyregion/with-last-50-pickups-ford-ends-56-years-of-work-in-edison.html?_r=0 | work=The New York Times | first=Janon | last=Fisher | title=With Last 50 Pickups, Ford Ends 56 Years of Work in Edison | date=February 27, 2004}}{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/26/business/edison-hopes-to-transform-old-factory-sites-smartly.html | work=The New York Times | first=Sana | last=Siwolop | title=Edison Hopes to Transform Old Factory Sites, Smartly | date=January 26, 2005}}{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/nyregion/new-jersey/07colnj.html | work=The New York Times | first=Kevin | last=Coyne | title=Fear in the Land of Vanished Auto Plants | date=December 5, 2008}}

=Telecommunications and high technology=

The Bell Labs Holmdel Complex has been the site of many innovations in telecommunications and is experiencing a renaissance as a business incubator for high-tech startup companies.{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/former-n-j-bell-labs-site-seeks-to-inspire-new-inventors-1.1641139|title=Former N.J. Bell Labs site seeks to inspire new inventors|author=Shawn Marsh|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|date=August 7, 2016|access-date=August 22, 2016}} Today Verizon Wireless, AT&T Communications, Vonage, Avaya, and Bell Labs are located in the region.

=Healthcare and pharmaceuticals=

File:Freehold_Raceway_Mall_Center_Court.png in Freehold Township, with a gross leasable area of {{convert|1671000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}},{{Cite web|title=Macerich {{!}} Properties {{!}} Freehold Raceway Mall|url=https://www.macerich.com/Leasing/Freehold-Raceway-Mall|access-date=2021-11-06|website=www.macerich.com}} is the third largest shopping mall in the state.]]

Central New Jersey is a global leader in the pharmaceuticals industry. New Brunswick is known as "the Healthcare City",[http://www.injersey.com/day/story/0,2379,215242,00.html 7:30 a.m. -- Filling cracks in the HealthCare City], from the Home News Tribune, September 23, 1999. "With two major hospitals and a medical school, New Brunswick proclaims itself The Healthcare City."[http://www.injersey.com/day/story/0,2379,215695,00.html A wet day in the Hub City], Home News Tribune, September 23, 1999. "A few days short of 60 years, on Wednesday, Sept. 16, a dreary, drizzly day just ahead of the deluge of Hurricane Floyd, the Home News Tribune sent 24 reporters, 9 photographers and one artist into the Hub City, as it is known, to take a peek into life in New Brunswick as it is in 1999." due to the concentration of medical facilities in Central Jersey, including Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Saint Peter's University Hospital, as well as the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. University Medical Center of Princeton is located in Plainsboro. The campuses of the major pharmaceutical corporations Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Johnson & Johnson, Merck and Sanofi-Aventis are located in the region, as are major operations of Dr. Reddy's Laboratories and Aurobindo Pharma. Princeton University's Frist Campus Center{{Ref_label|A|a|none}} is used for the aerial views of Princeton‑Plainsboro Teaching Hospital seen in the television series House.{{cite book |last=Holtz |first=Andrew |title=The Medical Science of House, M.D. |pages=[https://archive.org/details/medicalscienceof0000holt/page/50 50–52] |publisher=Berkley Trade |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-425-21230-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/medicalscienceof0000holt/page/50 |access-date=June 19, 2009 }}{{Cite journal |title=Excerpt from New Book: The Medical Science of House, M.D. Holtz, Andrew |journal=Oncology Times |date=October 25, 2006 |volume=28 |issue=20 |pages=50–52, 54–55, 58 |doi=10.1097/01.COT.0000295295.97642.ae}}

=Shopping malls=

File:Cannon Green and Nassau Hall, Princeton University.jpg, the oldest building at Princeton University in Princeton, was the largest academic building in the American colonies when it was built in 1756 and briefly served as the U.S. Capitol in 1783.Orange Key Virtual Tour. [https://www.princeton.edu/~oktour/virtualtour/english/Stop08.htm Stop 8 "Front Campus" (including Nassau Hall)] on the Princeton University website. Retrieved 29 June 2013.United States. Embassy. Department of State. Buildings of the Department of State. Web. 2012. https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/buildings/section8]]

Major shopping centers include the Freehold Raceway Mall, Woodbridge Center, Menlo Park Mall, Bridgewater Commons, The Grove at Shrewsbury, Monmouth Mall, Brunswick Square Mall, Forrestal Village, Quaker Bridge Mall, Princeton Market Fair, Ocean County Mall, Jackson Premium Outlets, and Jersey Shore Premium Outlets.

=Academia=

Princeton University in Princeton is one of eight Ivy League universities and the nation, one of the world's most prominent research universities, and consistently ranked as one of the best universities in the world; in the 2023-24 issue of U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Ranking, Princeton University is ranked the best university in the nation.{{cite web |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities|title=Best National University Rankings|publisher=U.S. News & World Report|access-date=September 20, 2023}} Rutgers-New Brunswick is the flagship university campus of the state of New Jersey. Beth Medrash Govoha, the largest Yeshiva in the western hemisphere, is located in Lakewood in Ocean County. {{cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/news/2017/05/how_lakewood_became_a_worldwide_destination_for_or.html|title=How Lakewood became a worldwide destination for Orthodox Jews|author=Mark Di Ionno|date=7 May 2017 |publisher=New Jersey On-Line LLC|access-date=October 3, 2019|quote=It's Friday in Lakewood. A few thousand young men in black suits and wide-brimmed black hats are rushing toward Beth Medrash Gohova (BMG), the world's largest yeshiva outside of Israel.}}David Landes, [https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/133643/lakewood-redefining-orthodoxy How Lakewood, N.J., is Redefining What it Means to be Orthodox in America], Tablet Magazine, June 5, 2013. As of 2019, it had 6,715 students, 2,748 regular and 3,967 in Kollel status.[https://www.state.nj.us/highereducation/documents/pdf/statistics/fiscal/Enr2018.pdf Fiscal data] state.nj.us Monmouth University, Rider University, and The College of New Jersey are located in Central Jersey as well. Each county maintains its own county college, with the exception of Hunterdon County - whose residents may attend either Raritan Valley Community College (located in Somerset County) or Mercer County Community College (located in Mercer County) at no additional cost. Monmouth County's residents have the choice of attending Brookdale Community College which was recently listed as one of the top three community colleges in the state. Thomas Edison State College in Trenton provides extensive on-line and adult education. Kean University is in Union County.

=Tourism and cultural attractions=

File:Downtown_New_Brunswick_(2022).jpg, home to Rutgers University in Central Jersey]]

Popular tourist attractions in Central New Jersey include Six Flags Great Adventure, Gateway National Recreation Area, Monmouth Park Racetrack, Freehold Raceway, and the many boardwalks along the northern Jersey Shore, in Monmouth County and northern Ocean County.

File:Great Adventure May 6, 2007.jpg in Jackson is the second-largest theme park in the world after Disney's Animal Kingdom in Central Florida.{{cite web|url=http://www.ocregister.com/articles/disneyland-719038-ever-look.html|title=A close-up look at Shanghai Disneyland: the newest Disney Park|first=Kurt|last=Snibbe|work=Orange County Register|date=June 11, 2016|access-date=March 31, 2017}} It is home to many famous rollercoasters, most notably being the Kingda Ka which, as of 2023, is the {{No wrap|tallest roller coaster}} in the world.Reiss, Fraidy. [http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070331/NEWS/703310385/1001/DWEK01 "Feeling adventurous?"], Asbury Park Press, March 31, 2007, accessed April 18, 2007. "Elsewhere in the park, Kingda Ka looms 456 feet high. It remains the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world, said park president Kane."]]

The New Brunswick music scene has produced many successful indie bands. The city also is home to the New Jersey Folk Festival. In an early era, the Stone Pony and Asbury Park Convention Hall were important venues on the rock scene. Major music and theater venues in the region include PNC Bank Arts Center, the Trenton War Memorial, CURE Insurance Arena, the McCarter Theater, the Count Basie Theater, the George Street Playhouse and the Starland Ballroom.

East Jersey Olde Towne Village, the Road Up Raritan Historic District as well as those in Trenton, Lawrence, and Princeton recall the colonial era. The region saw a lot of action during the American Revolution due to the region's strategic importance between Philadelphia and New York City.[https://visitnj.org/American-Revolution-Central-Southern-New-Jersey]. American Revolution Destinations in Central & Southern New Jersey. Accessed January 17, 2022. As such, many important battles took place here. These battle sites have been converted into state parks, offering historic preservation of the important structures contingent to their respected battles. State parks include Washington Crossing State Park, Princeton Battlefield State Park, and Monmouth Battlefield State Park.[https://revolutionarynj.org/learn/new-jersey-and-the-revolution/]. New Jersey and the Revolution. Accessed January 17, 2022. The Middlebrook encampment in Bridgewater was where the first official flag of the United States was unfurled, after a law to adopt a national flag had been passed by Congress on June 14, 1777.Staff. [https://www.nytimes.com/1970/07/04/archives/patriotic-reading-again-saves-site.html "Patriotic Reading Again Saves Site"], The New York Times, July 4, 1970. "Middlebrook Heights, N. J., July 3 (UPI) A reading of the Declaration of Independence tomorrow will preserve for another year the historic campsite here where George Washington is believed to have first flown the 13-star flag officially before his troops." Ocean Grove is one of the largest national historic sites in the United States.

Media markets and national sports

Depending on the location, different parts of Central Jersey fall into overlapping spheres of influence from New York media market and Philadelphia media market. Mercer County is located in the Philadelphia television market, while the rest of the region belongs wholly to the New York City market.

The Star-Ledger, based in Newark, is the largest circulated newspaper in New Jersey. Four Central Jersey newspapers, Asbury Park Press, Home News Tribune, and two Trenton dailies, The Trentonian and The Times and several local papers are published in Central Jersey. New Jersey On-Line, MyCentralJersey.com and CentralJersey.com[http://www.centraljersey.com/ CentralJersey.com] are online news services. During statewide political events like Gubernatorial or Senatorial election debates often held in Trenton, partner stations from both the New York and Philadelphia markets pool resources together to co-host the events and bring them to New Jersey homes.

Identification with sports teams is also affected by the region's location, and it is not uncommon to find fans of major sports teams of either city. For example, while residents of northern New Jersey root for New York teams, those in the southern part of the state root for Philadelphia teams.{{cite web |url=https://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/14/in-blue-new-jersey-red-spots-may-be-sign-of-the-past/ |title = In Blue New Jersey, Red Spots May Be Sign of the Past - The New York Times| date=July 14, 2012 }}{{cite news | last = Cohen | first = Micah | title = In Blue New Jersey, Red Spots May Be Sign of the Past | newspaper = New York Times | date = July 14, 2012 | url = http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/14/in-blue-new-jersey-red-spots-may-be-sign-of-the-past/?_r=0 | access-date = 2013-11-24 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/sports/njsports/index.ssf/2015/06/here_are_the_results_of_the_nj_nhl_fan_border_batt.html|title=Here are the results of the N.J. NHL fan border battle (Interactive)|date=June 2015|website=NJ.com|access-date=October 15, 2017}} The distinction is less clear in Central Jersey.{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/sports/index.ssf/2016/04/which_baseball_team_do_you_support_nj.html|title=Which baseball team are you supporting in our N.J. border battle?|date=April 2016|website=NJ.com|access-date=October 15, 2017}} Central Jersey Riptide was a short-lived professional soccer club.{{Citation | last = Gale | first = Dennis E. | title = Greater New Jersey Living in the Shadow of Gotham | publisher = University of Pennsylvania Press | year = 2006 | isbn = 978-0-8122-1957-9 }}

Transportation

File:I-195 (NJ) map.svg, which travels from the state capital of Trenton to the Jersey Shore, is sometimes referred to as the Central Jersey Expressway.]]

The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) operates three divisions in the state: North, South, and Central, which encompasses Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Somerset counties and portions of Warren County. (Routes 22, 122, 173, 78 and including south of Route 57).{{cite news | title = Directory | publisher = New Jersey Department of Transportation | url = http://www.nj.gov/transportation/about/directory/ | access-date = 31 December 2015}} Apart from Mercer County, which comes under the auspices of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, all counties in the region are part of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, a government partner which approves transportation projects for the state.

The United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company traversed the region in 1830, eventually becoming the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). NJT's Northeast Corridor Line and the North Jersey Coast were once part of the PRR, as was Amtrak which serves the commuter hub at Metropark, New Brunswick, and the Trenton Transit Center. The Central Railroad of New Jersey once connected Jersey City (with connecting ferries to Manhattan) and many Central Jersey towns. Much of that system is now included in New Jersey Transit rail operations to the Raritan Valley. New Brunswick is known as the Hub City, and at one time was a regional transportation hub for streetcars which converged in the city.{{cite web|url=http://newbrunswicktoday.com/article/trolleys-and-trains-made-new-brunswick-hub-city|title=The Trolleys and Trains That Made New Brunswick the Hub City|website=NewBrunswickToday.com|access-date=October 15, 2017}} The Monmouth Ocean Middlesex Line has been proposed for the region.

The Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike (I-95), I-287, US 1, US 9, Route 18, and Route 18 are major automobile routes through Central Jersey that pass over the Raritan River at Perth Amboy and New Brunswick. I-195 travels through Central Jersey (hence the name "Central Jersey Expressway") from the Trenton area towards Belmar.

From the Raritan Bayshore, SeaStreak catamarans travel to Pier 11 at Wall Street and East 34th Street Ferry Landing. NY Waterway ferries travel to Paulus Hook Ferry Terminal in Jersey City, Battery Park City Ferry Terminal, and West Midtown Ferry Terminal. As of 2018, there are plans to create ferry service from Carteret in Middlesex County.[http://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/2018/05/five_things_that_carterets_new_ferry_will_do_for_y.html 5 things to know about Central Jersey's proposed fast ferry to N.Y.]

Trenton-Mercer Airport is the only airport in Central New Jersey providing long-distance commercial service. Monmouth Executive Airport, formerly known as Allaire Airport, is a public-use airport located near Allaire State Park. Central Jersey Regional Airport is a privately owned, public airport in Somerset County. Linden Airport is a small general aviation airport located along U.S. Route 1&9 in Union County.

The Route 9 BBS, the New Brunswick BRT, and the Central Jersey Route 1 Corridor are projects in the region intended to expand the use of bus rapid transit in New Jersey.

Asian American population

=Asian Indian population=

Central New Jersey, particularly Edison and surrounding Middlesex County, is prominently known for its significant concentration of Asian Indians. The world's largest Hindu temple was inaugurated in Robbinsville in 2014, a BAPS temple.{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/worlds-largest-hindu-temple-being-built-new-jersey-n166616|title=World's Largest Hindu Temple Being Built in New Jersey|author=Frances Kai-Hwa Wang|author-link=Frances Kai-Hwa Wang|work=NBC News|date=July 28, 2014|access-date=October 14, 2016}} The growing Little India is a South Asian-focused commercial strip in Middlesex County, the U.S. county with the highest concentration of Asian Indians, at nearly 20% as of 2020.{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.com/news/2012/11/big_business_in_little_india_c.html|title=Big business in Little India: Commerce flourishes in vibrant ethnic neighborhood|first=Peter|last=Genovese|date=16 November 2012|website=nj.com}}{{cite web|url=https://www.saveur.com/article/Travels/Oak-Tree-Road-Iselin-NJ|title=Eat Street: Oak Tree Road, Iselin, N.J.|website=SAVEUR|date=March 31, 2011 }}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/27indianj.html|title=A Place Where Indians, Now New Jerseyans, Thrive|author=Joseph Berger|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 27, 2008 |access-date=August 22, 2016}} The Oak Tree Road strip runs for about one-and-a-half miles through Edison and neighboring Iselin in Woodbridge Township, near the area's sprawling Chinatown and Koreatown, running along New Jersey Route 27.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/09/travel/indo-chinese-restaurants-edison-new-jersey.html|title=Indo-Chinese Food Is Hard to Find, Except in New Jersey|first=David|last=Shaftel|work=The New York Times |date=9 March 2017|via=NYTimes.com}} It is the largest and most diverse South Asian cultural hub in the United States.{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/little-india-thrives-in-central-new-jersey-1506340801|title='Little India' Thrives in Central New Jersey|first=Kate|last=King|newspaper=Wall Street Journal |date=25 September 2017|via=www.wsj.com}}{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/monteburke/2012/06/06/the-ultimate-neighborhood-bank/|title=How Indo-Americans Created The Ultimate Neighborhood Bank|first=Monte|last=Burke|website=Forbes}} Monroe Township (nicknamed Edison South), in Middlesex County, has experienced a particularly rapid growth rate in its Indian American population, with an estimated 5,943 (13.6%) as of 2017,[https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/17_5YR/DP05/0600000US3402347280 DP05: ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates from the 2013-2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for Monroe township, Middlesex County, New Jersey] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20200213155409/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/17_5YR/DP05/0600000US3402347280 |date=February 13, 2020 }}, United States Census Bureau. Accessed February 11, 2019. which was 23 times the 256 (0.9%) counted as of the 2000 Census; and Diwali is celebrated by the township as a Hindu holiday. Carteret's Punjabi Sikh community, variously estimated at upwards of 3,000, constitutes the largest concentration of Sikhs in the state.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/15colnj.html|title=Turbans Make Targets, Some Sikhs Find|author=Kevin Coyne|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 15, 2008 |access-date=April 28, 2019}} In Middlesex County, election ballots are printed in English, Spanish, Gujarati, Hindi, and Punjabi.{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.gov/state/elections/voting-information-vote-by-mail.html|title=State of New Jersey Department of State|publisher=State of New Jersey|access-date=May 29, 2017}}

Indian pharmaceutical and technology companies are coming to Central New Jersey to gain a foothold in the United States. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, based in Hyderabad, set up its U.S. headquarters in Princeton, Mercer County.{{cite web|url=http://www.drreddys.com/contact-us/global-locations.aspx|title=Global Offices – USA|publisher=Dr. Reddy's Laboratories|access-date=November 2, 2015}} Pharmaceutical company Aurobindo, also headquartered in Hyderabad, has established its U.S. headquarters in the Dayton section of South Brunswick, Middlesex County, and has implemented a multimillion-dollar expansion of these Central New Jersey operations.{{cite web|url=http://www.aurobindo.com/contact-us/reach-us|title=Aurobindo Pharma India – Contact Details|publisher=Aurobindo Pharma India|access-date=November 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304092554/http://www.aurobindo.com/contact-us/reach-us|archive-date=March 4, 2014|url-status=dead}} In March 2023, Bengaluru-based technology services and consulting company Wipro opened its American international headquarters in East Brunswick, Middlesex, County.{{cite web|url=https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/money/business/2023/03/11/east-brunswick-nj-wipro-limited/69985257007/|title=East Brunswick welcomes international tech firm's Americas HQ to township|author=Brad Wardlow|publisher=mycentraljersey.com|date=March 11, 2023|access-date=March 11, 2023}}

=Chinese population=

Starting in the 2000s, highly educated suburbs in northern and central New Jersey, have received a large influx of Chinese immigrants, including many Taiwanese immigrants. Many Chinese American families send their children to Mandarin language schools in Edison. Some of these private schools include Edison Chinese School, located at John Adams Middle School, or Tzu Chi, located at Woodrow Wilson Middle School, both of which teach in Traditional Chinese, in addition to Huaxia Chinese School, which teaches in Simplified Chinese.

The Taiwanese airline China Airlines provides private bus service to John F. Kennedy International Airport from the Kam Man Food location in Edison to feed its flight to Taipei, Taiwan.[https://www.china-airlines.com/us/en/fly/at-the-airport/Airport-Shuttle Airport Shuttle Bus] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306022345/https://www.china-airlines.com/us/en/fly/at-the-airport/Airport-Shuttle |date=March 6, 2016 }}, China Airlines, September 15, 2015. Accessed September 17, 2017.

=Korean population=

Central Jersey is also home to a large Korean American population. In 2010, an H Mart opened in Edison.{{cite web | url=https://archive.centraljersey.com/2010/12/15/h-mart-opens-as-anchor-of-tops-plaza-in-edison/ | title=H Mart opens as anchor of Tops plaza in Edison - Central Jersey Archives | date=December 15, 2010 }} The area is also home to several Korean churches, including Praise Presbyterian Church (찬양교회) in Somerset, Bountiful United Methodist Church (가득한교회) in Martinsville, and Sebit Presbyterian Church (세빛교회) in Warren.

Jewish community

Central Jersey is also home to the fastest-growing Jewish community in the U.S., especially Orthodox. Beth Medrash Govoha ({{langx|he|בית מדרש גבוה}}), in Lakewood Township, Ocean County, is the world's largest yeshiva outside the State of Israel. The world's largest Jewish gathering outside of Israel occurred in Edison on December 1, 2024.{{cite web|url=https://www.tapinto.net/towns/edison/sections/religions-and-spirituality/articles/edison-expo-hall-hosts-world-s-largest-confab-of-rabbis-jewish-leaders-2|title=Edison Expo Hall Hosts ‘World’s Largest’ Confab of Rabbis, Jewish Leaders|author=Tony Gallotto|publisher=TAPintoEdison|date=December 1, 2024|access-date=December 1, 2024}}

central Jersey

Geographic area

Colonial era

Population

Economy

=Manufacturing=

=Telecommunications and high technology=

=Healthcare and pharmaceuticals=

=Shopping malls=

=Academia=

=Tourism and cultural attractions=

Media markets and national sports

Transportation

Asian American population

=Asian Indian population=

=Chinese population=

=Korean population=

Jewish community

See also

References

Further reading