Colonia is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in Woodbridge Township in Middlesex County in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

.New Jersey: 2010 - Population and Housing Unit Counts - 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32)

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, August 2012. Accessed November 30, 2012. As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 18,609.

History

In 1919, the New Jersey State Highway Commission built a new road that became part of the

Lincoln Highway The Lincoln Highway is one of the first transcontinental highways in the United States and one of the first highways designed expressly for automobiles. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated Octob ...

, an early plan to create a transcontinental highway. The stretch was constructed on the west side of the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...

(now the

Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C., in the south, with major stops in Providence, Rhod ...

) from near the northeast of Dow Avenue between Colonia and

Iselin Iselin may refer to: People with the family name * Adrian G Iselin (1818–1905), American banker, businessman & millionaire * Charles Oliver Iselin (1854–1932), American banker and yachtsman * Columbus O'Donnell Iselin (1904–1971), American oc ...

to Cedar Street in Menlo Park, to avoid two railroad crossings. The old road is now Middlesex-Essex Turnpike and Thornall Street, on the east side of the tracks.

Geography

Colonia is in northeastern Middlesex County, in the northwest corner of Woodbridge Township. It is bordered to the north by

Clark Clark is an English language surname with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland, ultimately derived from the Latin ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educated ...

, to the northeast by Rahway, to the east by Avenel, to the south by

, and to the west by Edison. Union County borders the community to the north and northeast. Newark is to the northeast, and

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

, the Middlesex

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

, is to the southwest. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the Colonia CDP has a total area of , including of water (0.10%). The community is drained to the northeast by the South Branch of the

Rahway River The Rahway River is a river in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex, Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex, and Union County, New Jersey, Union Counties, New Jersey, United States, The Rahway flows into the Arthur Kill, the tidal channel between ...

, part of the watershed of the

Arthur Kill The Arthur Kill (sometimes referred to as the Staten Island Sound) is a tidal strait in the New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary between Staten Island (also known as Richmond County), New York, and Union and Middlesex counties, New Jersey. It ...

. Colonia has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(Cfa) and average monthly temperatures range from in January to in July. The

Garden State Parkway The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a Controlled-access highway, controlled-access toll road that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May, New Jersey, Cape May north to the New York ...

passes through the western portion of the CDP but does not interchange there. For northbound Garden State Parkway traffic only there is a service plaza in Colonia; it is the parkway's only area located on private property. In 2018 the president of the Historical Association of Woodbridge, Daniel D'Arcy, stated that "Colonia is to Woodbridge like

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

is to NYC. People like the identity."

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 17,795 people, 6,160 households, and 4,977 families in the CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 6,321 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 80.37% (14,302)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 5.26% (936) Black or African American, 0.12% (21) Native American, 10.70% (1,904) Asian, 0.04% (8)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.54% (274) from other races, and 1.97% (350) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.27% (1,649) of the population.DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Colonia CDP, New Jersey
,

. Accessed November 30, 2012. Of the 6,160 households, 34.8% had children under the age of 18; 65.6% were married couples living together; 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present and 19.2% were non-families. Of all households, 16.4% were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.25. 22.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 30.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 93.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 90.6 males.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 17,811 people, 6,184 households, and 5,077 families residing in the CDP. The

was . There were 6,254 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 86.00%

, 4.76%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.10% Native American, 6.31% Asian, 0.06%

, 1.27% from other races, and 1.50% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 4.97% of the population.DP-1 - Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 from the Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Colonia CDP, New Jersey
,

. Accessed November 30, 2012. There were 6,184 households, out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.9% were non-families. 15.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.21. In the CDP the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $67,372, and the median income for a family was $76,090. Males had a median income of $50,260 versus $36,657 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $27,732. About 1.5% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 2.0% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

Merrill Park is a Middlesex County park located on the South Branch of the

. The park was created as a "Progressive Playground" and spans . The park's maintenance is handled by funding from the municipality, local schools, community groups and local businesses. Merrill Park includes four tennis courts, three baseball fields, a soccer field, seven picnic groves that can be reserved in advance, the progressive playground, a football field, two basketball courts, two softball fields, two open picnic groves, and three other playgrounds. The football field and soccer field are surrounded by a walkway for joggers as well. There are numerous small trails around the park.

Education

;Public schools Schools in Colonia operated as part of the Woodbridge Township School District are: Elementary schools (K-5) * Claremont Avenue Elementary School #20 - Claremont Avenue, Colonia * Lynn Crest Elementary School #22 - New Dover Road, Colonia * Oak Ridge Heights Elementary School #21 - Inman Avenue * Pennsylvania Avenue Elementary School #27 - Pennsylvania Avenue Middle school (6th-8th) * Colonia Middle School - Delaware Avenue High school (9th-12th) *

Colonia High School Colonia High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades in the Colonia section of Woodbridge Township in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It operates as part ...

- East Street ;Private/religious school (K-8th) * St. John Vianney Grammar School - 420 Inman Avenue

Notable people

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

Chad Baker-Mazara Chad Baker-Mazara (born January 27, 2000) is a Dominican college basketball player for the USC Trojans, He previously played for the Auburn Tigers, the Duquesne Dukes, San Diego State Aztecs, and at Northwest Florida State College. Early life and ...

(born 2000),

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

player for the

Auburn Tigers The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) a ...

* John Carlson (born 1990), defenseman and

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

champion (2018) with the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

John Gorka John Gorka (born July 27, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. In 1991, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine called him "the preeminent male singer-songwriter of what has been dubbed the New Folk Movement." Personal life Gorka was raised in the Colon ...

(born 1958), contemporary folk singer/songwriter *

Kelsey Grammer Allen Kelsey Grammer (born February 21, 1955) is an American actor and producer. He gained fame for his role as the psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1984–1993) and its spin-off ''Frasier'' (1993–2004, and again F ...

(born 1955), actor who appeared in ''

Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Casey, and David Lee (scr ...

'' and ''

Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American television sitcom, created by Glen and Les Charles, Glen Charles & Les Charles and James Burrows, that aired on NBC for eleven seasons from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/C ...

'' * Tom Higgins (born 1954), former

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

and

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

player * Stewart Krentzman (born 1951), CEO of Oki Data Americas, Inc. * Eric LeGrand (born 1990), defensive tackle with the

Rutgers Scarlet Knights football The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football program represents Rutgers University in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). Rutgers competes as a member of the Big Ten Conference. Prior to joining t ...

team who was paralyzed during a game *

Glen Mason Glen Orin Mason (born April 9, 1950) is an American former college football player and coach. Mason served as the head football coach at Kent State University from 1986 to 1987, the University of Kansas from 1988 to 1996, and the University of M ...

(born 1950),

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

coach * Laura McCullough (born 1960), poet *

Zack Rosen Zack Rosen (born March 14, 1989) is an American former basketball player. Rosen, a point guard, played collegiately at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was an All-American and Ivy League player of the year. College career Rosen is Jewi ...

(born 1989), All-American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player at Penn; plays for

Maccabi Ashdod Maccabi Ashdod B.C. () is a professional basketball team based in the port city of Ashdod, Israel. The team currently plays in the Israeli National League. History The team was founded in 1961 by "Maccabi Ashdod Sports Association", with the ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

Bret Schundler Bret Davis Schundler (born January 14, 1959) is an American politician from New Jersey who served as the 42nd mayor of Jersey City from 1992 to 2001. He remains the last Republican to hold that office. He also unsuccessfully ran for Governor of ...

(born 1959), New Jersey Republican politician *

Tico Torres Hector Samuel Juan "Tico" Torres (born October 7, 1953) is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Bon Jovi. In 2018, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Bon Jovi. Childhood Hector J ...

(born 1953), drummer for

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley ...

Jordan, Chris
"Ten Wild Nights"
''

Asbury Park Press The ''Asbury Park Press'', formerly known as the ''Shore Press'', ''Daily Press'', ''Asbury Park Daily Press'', and ''Asbury Park Evening Press'', is the third largest daily newspaper in the state of New Jersey. Established in 1879, it has been o ...

'', November 9, 2007. Accessed November 30, 2012. "But there they are, Sayreville's Jon Bon Jovi, now of Middletown, and his bandmates - including Richie Sambora, guitar, from Woodbridge; David Bryan, keyboards, from Edison and Tico Torres, drums, from the Colonia section of Woodbridge - giving the sound of Newark a new, and decidedly loud, wrinkle."

References

{{Authority control Neighborhoods in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey Census-designated places in Middlesex County, New Jersey Census-designated places in New Jersey