Edison, New Jersey is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey in central New Jersey. The township was originally founded as the settlement of Piscatawaytown, a small neighborhood that still exists within it,Middlesex COunty Office of Culture and Heritage. "History Revealed In Piscatawaytown and Edison", TAP into Piscataway, September 9, 2015. Accessed December 22, 2019. "The remnants of the Piscataway village and town commons can still be seen in modern Edison Township. Settled in the late 1600s by New Englanders, this historic site once consisted of a town hall, militia training ground, stockade, jail, church, burial ground and houses." and incorporated as Raritan Township on March 17, 1870.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography, Trenton, New Jersey, 1969. p. 170 re Edison Township, p. 173 re Raritan Township.
As of the 2020 United States census, Edison had a total population of 107,588, making it the sixth-most populous municipality in New Jersey.QuickFacts Edison Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States The township had a total area of 30.638 square miles (79.351 km2).US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
Edison is crisscrossed by several major roads, including Interstate 287, the New Jersey Turnpike, U.S. Route 1, Route 27, and Route 440, with various sections and neighborhoods interspersed between them. Large acreages of the closed Raritan Arsensal, Camp Kilmer and the Edison Assembly have given way to mixed-use projects.
Some historic settlements date back to the 17th century. Until the later part of the 20th century, the township comprised several rural crossroad communities, the borders of which became less distinct with suburban development. The sprawling township does not have an actual "downtown". A section in the center of Raritan Township was ceded to create the Borough of Metuchen on March 20, 1900. While Metuchen is a separate municipality, it remains fully enclaved by, and is the geographic center of Edison, making Edison a so-called 'doughnut' town.Areas touching Metuchen, MapIt. Accessed February 27, 2020.DeMarco, Megan. "Voters to decide whether to merge two Princetons into one", The Star-Ledger, November 3, 2011. Accessed January 8, 2017. "There are 22 sets of 'doughnut towns' in New Jersey, those where one town wraps around the other town".Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed May 21, 2015.
List of sections and neighborhoods