Edison, New Jersey

From Freepedia

Image:Edisontower.JPG Edison Township (usually known as Edison) is a township located in Middlesex County, New Jersey. As of the 2000 census, the township had a total population of 97,687. Edison Township is governed under the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) system of municipal government.

Contents

History

Early history

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

The town was previously known as "Raritan Township". However, it should not be confused with the current Raritan Township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. In 1954 the town'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. Thomas A. Edison subsequently moved his lab to West Orange, New Jersey in 1883.

Modern Edison

Edison is currently one of the fastest growing towns in New Jersey. It is the sixth most-populated municipality in the state, after the cities of Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, and Elizabeth. The Census Bureau estimated that the town's population is now over 100,000, making it one of six towns and cities in New Jersey with a population over 100,000. It is also one of the largest townships in northern New Jersey area-wise as well, as it is a conglomerate of several formerly individual towns.

Edison also has a large Jewish Community next to Highland Park. More than one large synagogue is located in Edison.

Edison Township's highly rated public schools may begin a period of decline. Although test scores are up, many say the once nationally acclaimed high schools are headed downward, as the board of education has a relatively new superintendent who seems to be extraordinarily disconnected to what goes on in the schools, favoring cost-cutting without regard to its consequences. Teachers have been working without a contract since their previous contract expired at the end of June, 2005. Despite their lack of a contract, teachers have continued to work under the terms of their expired contract, even though the board of education has not granted them any pay increases. Impressively, teachers have continued to go "above and beyond" the call of duty on a daily basis. Nonetheless, as more time passes without a settlement, the threat of teachers limiting their activities increases. Teachers have indicated that they will continue to abide by the expired contract's terms. However, teachers may begin to cease additional activities that the old contract did not require (but that the teachers did out of personal generosity), such as staying after school to offer extra help, facilitating extracurricular activities, and writing letters of recommendation.

Features

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

Oak Tree Road in Edison and Iselin, New Jersey is known for its large concentration of South Asian stores and restaurants. Route 27 has a growing Chinese-American business district.

Ford Motor Company had a plant here, the Ford Assembly Plant on US 1, assembling the Ford Ranger and Mazda B-Series trucks. The plant closed in 2003, with about 1420 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. 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. A relatively nearby parking alternative to the Edison Station is Metropark Station.

Geography

Edison is located at 40°32'18" North, 74°22'43" West (40.538204, -74.378585)1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP 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 is water. The total area is 1.86% water.

Adjacent towns and areas

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, 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 census2 of 2000, there are 97,687 people, 35,136 households, and 25,895 families residing in the CDP. The population density is 1,252.2/km² (3,243.0/mi²). There are 36,018 housing units at an average density of 461.7/km² (1,195.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP is 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. 6.37% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

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

In the CDP the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 94.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP is $69,746, and the median income for a family is $77,976. Males have a median income of $53,303 versus $36,829 for females. The per capita income for the CDP is $30,148. 4.8% of the population and 3.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 4.3% of those under the age of 18 and 6.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Education

Many of Edison's schools have been ranked among the top 100 of elementary, middle, and high 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.

Schools

Edison has 11 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, and 2 high 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 6 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. James Monroe, Benjamin Franklin, and Lincolngraduates go to Herbert Hoover Middle School. Thomas Jefferson and Herbert Hoover graduates go to Edison High school. In the J.P. Stevens High School zone there are 5 elementary schools. They are Menlo Park Elementary, Woodbrook Elementary, James Madison Primary and Intermediate, and Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary. Menlo Park and Woodbrook graduates go to Woodrow Wilson Middle School. James Madison Primary graduates go to James Madison Intermediate. James Madison Intermediate and MLK Jr. graduates go to John Adams Middle School. Woodrow Wilson and John Adams graduates go to J.P. Stevens High School. The schools in the Southern end are largely Caucasian (47%). The schools in the northern end of the town, however, are largely Asian-Americans (57%), with only 35% of students being caucasian. Both J.P. Stevens High School and Edison High School are ranked highly in New Jersey Monthly's list of New Jersey's best public High Schools. J.P. was ranked 47th and Edison High School was ranked around 75th out of over 300 New Jersey public high schools. The Middlesex County Community College resides in Edison. In the county college is an academy high school for architecture and engineering. There are many private schools in Edison, N.J. aswell. There is the Wardlaw Hartridge School, Bishop George Ahr High School, Rabbi Jacob Joseph Yeshiva, Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva, St Helena School, St Matthew School, and the Lakeview School.

Notable residents

  • Susan Sarandon, cinema actress, grew up in Edison.
  • David Bryan played the keyboard for Bon Jovi.
  • Mark Polansky, astronaut.
  • Junot Diaz, writer, was raised here.
  • 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

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.
  • John P. Stevens Highschool, located off of Grove Avenue.
  • The Wardlaw Hartridge School, a K-12 private school located off of Inman Avenue.
  • Loucás, an upscale Italian restaurant located off of Route 27.
  • Moghul, an upscale Indian restaurant located off of Oaktree Road.
  • Edison Station in south Edison
  • St. Helena's 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.

Local politics

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.

Election 2005

The current mayor of Edison, Democrat George A. Spadoro, lost his bid for a fourth term in 2005 to Democrat Jun Choi in the mayoral primary. Reasons cited for Spadoro's loss include speculation about corrupt dealings with real estate developer Jack Morris, loss of union support due to Walmart 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.)

After winning the primary, Choi faces Independent Bill Stephens in the general election. Stephens, a former councilman, ran against Spadoro for the Democratic Mayoral Primary in 2001 and lost by 600 votes. Republican nominee Carl Perlin, dropped out of the race after winning the Republican primary. The Edison GOP has yet to endorse Stephens's "Fusion" ticket of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans.

Choi and his slate recently announced new legislation to be passed which would ban pay-to-play legislation. 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 accuse the Choi ticket of election-year opportunism. As of 2005, this issue is still developing and could prove decisive.

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.

External links

Retrieved from "http://en.freepedia.org/Edison%2C_New_Jersey.html"


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