Middlesex County is located in

central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, extending inland from the

Raritan Valley Central Jersey is the central region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The designation of Central New Jersey is a distinct administrative division, administrative toponymy, toponym. Geographic area and descriptions While the State of New Jerse ...

region to the northern portion of the

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May Po ...

. As of the

2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, the county's population was enumerated at 863,162,QuickFacts Middlesex County, New Jersey

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), 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 Census Bureau is part of the ...

. Accessed June 19, 2022. making Middlesex the state's third-most populous county. Middlesex County's population in 2020 represented a growth of 53,304 (6.6%) from the 809,858 residents counted at the 2010 census.DP1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Middlesex County, New Jersey

. Accessed January 22, 2013. Middlesex County is part of the

New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...

and many communities within the county serve as commuter towns to and from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and other

points north Points North is a California-based rock band consisting of guitarist Eric Barnett, bassist Uriah Duffy and drummer Kevin Aiello. The band has released two studio albums and is known for its high-energy shows. The band also does gigs as their al ...

. The county is located in the middle of the

Northeast megalopolis The Northeast megalopolis, also known as the Northeast Corridor, Acela Corridor, Boston–Washington corridor, or BosWash, is the world's largest megalopolis in terms of economic output and the second most populous megalopolis in the United St ...

of the U.S. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is the

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

, a center for the sciences, arts, and cultural activities, and the

headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

of the state's flagship academic institution,

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

.New Jersey County Map
,

New Jersey Department of State The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing artistic, cultural, and historical programs within the U.S. state of New Jersey, as we ...

. Accessed July 10, 2017. The

center of population In demographics, the center of population (or population center) of a region is a geographical point that describes a centerpoint of the region's population. There are several ways of defining such a "center point", leading to different geogr ...

of the state of New Jersey is also located within Middlesex County, in

East Brunswick East Brunswick is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The suburban bedroom community is part of the New York City metropolitan area and is located on the southern shore of the Raritan River, directly adjacent to the city ...

, just east of the

New Jersey Turnpike The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highways in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although maintained by NJTA, is not consi ...

. Middlesex County hosts an extensive transportation network, including several rail stations along the heavily traveled

Northeast Corridor Line The Northeast Corridor Line is a commuter rail service operated by NJ Transit between the Trenton Transit Center and New York Penn Station on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor in the United States. The service is the successor to Pennsylvania Railroad ...

of the

New Jersey Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bu ...

commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...

system, as well as the intersection of the New Jersey Turnpike and the

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

, the state's two busiest motor vehicle roadways, in Woodbridge Township. Middlesex County holds the nickname, ''The Greatest County in the Land''. The county is located in the

Central Jersey Central Jersey is the central region of the U.S. state of New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, ...

region. The county was primarily settled due to its optimal location along the

Raritan River Raritan River is a major river of New Jersey. Its Drainage basin, watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean. History Geologists assert that the lower Rar ...

and was established as of March 7, 1683 as part of the

Province of East Jersey The Province of East Jersey, along with the Province of West Jersey, between 1674 and 1702 in accordance with the Quintipartite Deed, were two distinct political divisions of the Province of New Jersey, which became the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

and was partitioned as of October 31, 1693 into the townships of

Piscataway Piscataway may refer to: *Piscataway people, a Native American ethnic group native to the southern Mid-Atlantic States *Piscataway language *Piscataway, Maryland, an unincorporated community *Piscataway, New Jersey, a township *Piscataway Creek, Ma ...

Perth Amboy Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 55,436. Perth Amboy has a Hispanic majority population. In the 2010 census, th ...

, and Woodbridge. Adjacent Somerset County was established on May 14, 1688, created from portions of Middlesex County.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 161. Accessed October 1, 2013. The county's first court met in June 1683 in Piscataway, and held session at alternating sites over the next century in Perth Amboy, Piscataway, and Woodbridge before relocating permanently to New Brunswick in 1778. Despite its status as a residential, commercial, and industrial stronghold and a centrally accessible transportation hub, Middlesex is also home to an extensive public

park system A park system, also known as an open space system, is a network of green spaces that are connected by public walkways, bridleways or cycleways. The concept first emerged with the need to minimize fragmentation of natural environments and was r ...

with expansive

greenways Greenway or Greenways may refer to: * Greenway (landscape), a linear park focused on a trail or bike path * Another term for bicycle boulevards in some jurisdictions People * Greenway (surname) Places Australia * Electoral Division of Greenway ...

, totaling more than . Middlesex County is most demographically notable as the U.S. county with the highest concentration of Asian Indians, at nearly 20% in 2020, spanning the county's boundaries between

Little India, Edison/Iselin Little India, Edison/Iselin, also known as Oak Tree Road, is a predominantly South Asian shopping, business, and dining district centered on a road, designated County Route 604, situated in Middlesex County, in Central New Jersey, and set amidst ...

in the north and Monroe Township at its southern tip.

Geography and climate

Middlesex has a hot-summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(''Dfa'') which borders a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(''Cfa'') on

Raritan Bay Raritan Bay is a bay located at the southern portion of Lower New York Bay between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey and is part of the New York Bight. The bay is bounded on the northwest by New York's Staten Island, on the west by P ...

and

Arthur Kill The Arthur Kill (sometimes referred to as the Staten Island Sound) is a tidal strait between Staten Island (also known as Richmond County), New York and Union and Middlesex counties, New Jersey. It is a major navigational channel of the Port of ...

. Average monthly temperatures in downtown New Brunswick range from 31.7 °F in January to 75.6 °F in July, while in South Amboy they range from 32.3 °F in January to 75.9 °F in July

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of New Brunswick have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1984 and a record high of was recorded in July 1999. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in July. According to the 2010 Census, the county had a total area of , including of land (95.7%) and of water (4.3%).Census 2010 U.S. Gazetteer Files: New Jersey Counties
,

. Accessed May 10, 2015. The county is named after the historic English county of

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

. Bisected by the

, the county is topographically typical of

in that it is largely flat. The majority of the county is located on the inner coastal plain, with the remainder of the county being located on the Eastern Piedmont. The elevation ranges from

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...

to above sea level on a hill scaled by Major Road/ Sand Hill Road near Route 1 in South Brunswick Township.

Demographics

Asian community

Middlesex County is prominently known for its significant concentration of Asian Indians. The growing

Little India Little India or India Town (less commonly known as Indian Street or India Bazaar) is an Indian or Desi (South Asian) sociocultural environment outside India or the subcontinent. It especially refers to an area with Indian residences and a dive ...

is a South Asian-focused commercial strip in Middlesex County, the U.S. county with the highest concentration of Asian Indians. The

Oak Tree Road Little India, Edison/Iselin, also known as Oak Tree Road, is a predominantly South Asian shopping, business, and dining district centered on a road, designated County Route 604, situated in Middlesex County, in Central New Jersey, and set amidst ...

strip runs for about one-and-a-half miles through

Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These invention ...

and neighboring Iselin in Woodbridge Township, near the area's sprawling

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

and

Koreatown A Koreatown (Korean: 코리아타운), also known as a Little Korea or Little Seoul, is a Korean-dominated ethnic enclave within a city or metropolitan area outside the Korean Peninsula. History Koreatowns as an East Asian ethnic enclave have ...

, running along

New Jersey Route 27 Route 27 is a state highway in New Jersey, United States. It runs from U.S. Route 206 (US 206) in Princeton, Mercer County northeast to an interchange with Route 21 (McCarter Highway) and Broad Street in Newark, Essex County. The route p ...

. It is the largest and most diverse

South Asian South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, ...

cultural hub in the United States. Monroe Township in Middlesex County has experienced a particularly rapid growth rate in its

Indian American Indian Americans or Indo-Americans are citizens of the United States with ancestry from India. The United States Census Bureau uses the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Native Americans, who have also historically been referred to ...

population, with an estimated 5,943 (13.6%) as of 2017,DP05: ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES from the 2013-2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for Monroe township, Middlesex County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed February 11, 2019. which was 23 times the 256 (0.9%) counted as of the 2000 Census; and

Diwali Diwali (), Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali ( IAST: ''dīpāvalī''), also known as the Festival of Lights, related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a religious celebration in Indian religions. It is ...

is celebrated by the township as a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

holiday. Carteret's Punjabi

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

community, variously estimated at upwards of 3,000, is the largest concentration of Sikhs in New Jersey. In Middlesex County, election

ballot A ballot is a device used to cast votes in an election and may be found as a piece of paper or a small ball used in secret voting. It was originally a small ball (see blackballing) used to record decisions made by voters in Italy around the 16t ...

s are printed in English,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

, and Punjabi. As of 2017 Census estimates, there were 201,243 people of

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

n descent in Middlesex County accounting for 24% of the county's total population. At 61.57% of the population of Asian descent,

Indian Americans Indian Americans or Indo-Americans are citizens of the United States with ancestry from India. The United States Census Bureau uses the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Native Americans, who have also historically been referred to ...

accounted for 12.93% (104,705 people) of the county's total population in 2010, increasing to 127,875 (15.3%, the highest of any U.S. county) by 2017, more than that of the other Asian sub-groups combined.

2020 Census

As of the Census of 2020, the county had 863,162 people, 285,906 households, and 209,808 families. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 315,521 housing units at an average density of . The county's racial makeup was 41.9%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 9.8%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.53% Native American, 26.5%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, and 9.06% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 22.4% of the population. There were 285,906 households, of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 24.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 14.2% had a male householder with no wife present and 26.6% were non-families. 14.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.32. About 21.6% of the county's population was under age 18, 9.3% was from age 18 to 24, 40.1% was from age 15 to 44, and 15.5% was age 65 or older. The median age was 39.3 years. The gender makeup of the county was 49.4% male and 50.5% female. For every 100 females, there were 97.8 males. The county's median household income was $93,418, and the median family income was $107,149. About 8.8% 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 t ...

, including 11.1% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

2010 Census

Government

County government

Middlesex County is governed by a

Board of Commissioners A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States; such commissions usually comprise ...

, which is comprised of seven members who are elected

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

on a partisan basis to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election. At an annual reorganization meeting held in January, the board selects from among its members a Commissioner Director and deputy director. The Commissioner Director appoints commissioners to serve as chairpersons and members on the various committees which oversee county departments. Middlesex County also elects three "constitutional officers" whose existence is laid out in the

New Jersey Constitution The Constitution of the State of New Jersey is the basic governing document of the State of New Jersey. In addition to three British Royal Charters issued for East Jersey, West Jersey and united New Jersey while they were still colonies, the sta ...

. The County Clerk and Surrogate serve five-year terms and the Sheriff serves a three-year term of office. In 2016, freeholders were paid $23,438 and the freeholder director was paid an annual salary of $24,428, though Ronald Rios has accepted a salary of $8,340 as director. , Middlesex County's Commissioners (with terms for director and deputy ending every December 31st) are:Board of County Commissioners
Middlesex County, New Jersey. Accessed June 19, 2022. "County Commissioner is a term used by all 21 of New Jersey's counties to describe county legislators. The residents of Middlesex County's 25 municipalities elect seven persons at-large to staggered three-year terms in the November general election to serve as members of the Board of County Commissioners. Every January, the Board selects one County Commissioner to serve as Director and another to serve as Deputy Director and all County Commissioners serve as chairpersons and members of various committees to oversee County departments."Elected Officials
Middlesex County, New Jersey. Accessed June 19, 2022. Article VII Section II of the

New Jersey State Constitution The Constitution of the State of New Jersey is the basic governing document of the State of New Jersey. In addition to three British Royal Charters issued for East Jersey, West Jersey and united New Jersey while they were still colonies, the sta ...

requires each county in New Jersey have three elected administrative officials known as "constitutional officers." These officers are the

County Clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

and County Surrogate (both elected for five-year terms of office) and the

County Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

(elected for a three-year term). Middlesex county's constitutional officers are: The Middlesex County Prosecutor is Chris Kubereit who was sworn in as acting County Prosecutor in September 2019, replacing Andrew C. Carey of Monroe Township. Middlesex County constitutes Vicinage 8 of the

New Jersey Superior Court The Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with statewide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The New Jersey Constitution of 1947 establishes the power of the New Jersey courts.Jeffrey S. Mandel, New Jersey Appellate Pra ...

; the vicinage is seated at the Middlesex County Courthouse, at 56 Paterson Street in New Brunswick.Middlesex Vicinage
, New Jersey Courts. Accessed October 21, 2017. The Middlesex Vicinage also has facilities for the Family Part at the Middlesex County Family Courthouse at 120 New Street, also in New Brunswick; there are also other facilities in New Brunswick and Perth Amboy for Probation. The Assignment Judge for Vicinage 8 is Alberto Rivas.

Federal Representatives

The 6th and 12th

Congressional Districts Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts and legislative districts, electorates, or wards in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional bod ...

cover the county.

State Representatives

Sheriffs

Thomas N. Acken served as the sheriff in 1891. Joseph Spicuzzo served in 2014 and was arrested for bribery. Mildred S. Scott is the current county sheriff, she was sworn in on January 1, 2011, as the first female sheriff of Middlesex County and the first African-American sheriff in the state of New Jersey.

Politics

As of August 1, 2020, there were a total of 545,795 registered voters in Middlesex County, of which 229,982 (42.1%) were registered as Democrats, 84,258 (15.4%) were registered as Republicans and 224,058 (41.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 7,497 (1.4%) voters registered to other parties. After being a Republican stronghold in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Middlesex County leaned Democratic for much of the 20th century beginning with

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

's victory in the county in

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

. Throughout the twentieth century, in close elections, the county would always vote Democratic, sometimes by solid margins, but the county was willing to flip Republican in the midst of nationwide Republican landslides in the 1970s and 1980s. However, since the 1990s, Middlesex County has become a Democratic stronghold at the national level. In

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

carried Middlesex County by a much larger 21.8% margin over

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

, Obama taking 60.2% of the vote to McCain's 38.4%, while Obama won New Jersey overall by 15.5% over McCain. In

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, Obama won an even more commanding victory in the county, receiving 63.2% of the vote to Republican

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...

's 35.6%, a Democratic victory margin of 27.6%, while carrying New Jersey overall by 17.8%. Like much of the

New York City metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...

, Middlesex County was one of the few parts of the country to swing even harder in Obama's favor in 2012 compared to 2008, even as he lost ground nationally. Some credit the swing towards Obama to his response towards

Superstorm Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...

, which hit the New York City metro area in late October 2012, just a few days before the election. In

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, Democrat

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

carried Middlesex County by a tighter 21.4% margin over Republican Donald Trump, while Clinton won New Jersey overall by 14.1% over Trump. In 2020 United States presidential election, 2020, Democrat Joe Biden carried Middlesex County by a margin of 22.03%, a slight improvement from 2016, with Biden taking 60.22% of the vote to Donald Trump's 38.19%. In the 2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 47% of the vote, defeating incumbent Democrat Corzine, who received around 45%. In the 2013 New Jersey gubernatorial election, 2013 gubernatorial election, incumbent governor Chris Christie improved on his margin in Middlesex County from 2009, carrying the county by about 18% over Democrat Barbara Buono, with Christie receiving 58% of the vote to Buono's 40%. In the 2017 New Jersey gubernatorial election, 2017 gubernatorial election, Democrat Phil Murphy won Middlesex County with a wide 17% margin over Republican Kim Guadagno, with Murphy getting 57% of the vote to Guadagno's 40% of the vote. In the 2021 New Jersey gubernatorial election, 2021 gubernatorial election, Republican Jack Ciattarelli received 43.4% of the vote (90,297 ballots cast) to Democrat Phil Murphy's 55.9% (8116,352 votes).

Transportation

Middlesex County hosts various county roads, state routes, US routes, and interstate highways, as well as toll highways. , the county had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Middlesex County and by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. County roads include County Route 501 (New Jersey), CR 501, County Route 514 (New Jersey), CR 514, County Route 516 (New Jersey), CR 516 (only in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey, Old Bridge), County Route 520 (New Jersey), CR 520 (only in Old Bridge), County Route 522 (New Jersey), CR 522, County Route 527 (New Jersey), CR 527, County Route 529 (New Jersey), CR 529, County Route 531 (New Jersey), CR 531, County Route 535 (New Jersey), CR 535, and County Route 539 (New Jersey), CR 539 (only in Cranbury, New Jersey, Cranbury). The state routes are: New Jersey Route 18, Route 18, New Jersey Route 26, Route 26 (only in North Brunswick, New Jersey, North Brunswick – entirely concurrent with Livingston Avenue), New Jersey Route 27, Route 27, New Jersey Route 28, Route 28, New Jersey Route 32, Route 32, New Jersey Route 33, Route 33 (only in Monroe Township), New Jersey Route 34, Route 34 (only in Old Bridge), New Jersey Route 35, Route 35, New Jersey Route 91, Route 91 (concurrent with Jersey Avenue in North Brunswick and entering

), New Jersey Route 171, Route 171, New Jersey Route 172, Route 172 (only in New Brunswick), New Jersey Route 184, Route 184 and New Jersey Route 440, Route 440. U.S. Routes include: Route 1, U.S. Route 9 in New Jersey, Route 9, U.S. Route 1/9, Route 1/9 (only in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, Woodbridge) and U.S. Route 130, Route 130. The county also includes some limited access highways and Interstates as well. Middlesex County hosts the southern end of Interstate 287, I-287 which turns into New Jersey Route 440, Route 440 that connects to the Outerbridge Crossing. The

passes through the eastern part of the county, which features nine interchanges and the northern start/end of the split-roadways (Local-express lanes, Express & Local Lanes). The

carries Interstate 95 in New Jersey, I-95 through the center of the county. The Turnpike has five interchanges in Middlesex County: Exit 12 in Carteret, Exit 11 in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, Woodbridge, Exit 10 in

, Exit 9 in

and Exit 8A in Monroe Township. The New Jersey Department of Transportation is upgrading the Route 18 "avenue" to a freeway between the Route 1 interchange all the way up to the new 18 Extension in

. The Turnpike Authority planned to build New Jersey Route 92, Route 92, which was to start near the intersection of Ridge Road & Route 1 in South Brunswick, New Jersey, South Brunswick to Interchange 8A in Monroe Township. This plan was cancelled on December 1, 2006. The southern end of the "dual-dual" configuration (inner car lanes and outer truck lanes) used to be one mile south of Interchange 8A at the border of Cranbury, New Jersey, Cranbury and Monroe Township. It was relocated to Exit 6 in Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, Mansfield Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, Burlington County after the Turnpike widening project was completed in early November 2014.

Public transportation

NJ Transit provides Middlesex County with frequent

service along the North Jersey Coast Line,

, and Raritan Valley Line. The North Jersey Coast Line runs through the eastern part of the county. The Northeast Corridor Line runs through the northern and central part of the county. The Raritan Valley Line serves Dunellen station, Dunellen and is accessible to other communities along the county's northern border with Union County, New Jersey, Union and Somerset County, New Jersey, Somerset counties. Intercity rail service is provided by Amtrak. The routes that run through Middlesex County are the ''Acela Express'', ''Keystone Service, Keystone'', ''Northeast Regional (Amtrak), Northeast Regional'', and ''Vermonter (train), Vermonter'' services, although only the ''Keystone'' and ''Northeast Regional'' have regular stops within Middlesex County, at either New Brunswick station, New Brunswick or Metropark station, Metropark station. The ''Acela'' service also occasionally stops at Metropark. Bus service in Middlesex County is provided by New Jersey Transit, Coach USA's Suburban Transit, the extensive Rutgers Campus Buses, Rutgers Campus bus network, the MCAT shuttle system, and DASH buses. There are bus routes that serve all townships in the county on weekdays, and studies are being conducted to create the New Brunswick Bus Rapid Transit system.

Education

Higher education

* Middlesex County College (Edison - main campus; New Brunswick, Perth Amboy) * Rutgers University–New Brunswick, Rutgers University New Brunswick Campus (New Brunswick, Piscataway) * Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (New Brunswick) * Princeton University – Forrestal Campus (Plainsboro) * DeVry University (North Brunswick) * Chamberlain University (North Brunswick) * New Brunswick Theological Seminary (New Brunswick Campus)

K-12 schools

School districts, all officially designated as K-12, include: * Carteret Borough School District * Cranbury Township School District * Dunellen Borough School District * East Brunswick Township School District * Edison Township School District * Highland Park Borough School District * Jamesburg Borough School District * Metuchen Borough School District * Middlesex Borough School District * Milltown Borough School District * Monroe Township School District * New Brunswick City School District * North Brunswick Township School District * Old Bridge Township School District * Perth Amboy City School District * Piscataway Township School District * Sayreville Borough School District * South Amboy City School District * South Brunswick Township School District * South Plainfield Borough School District * South River Borough School District * Spotswood Borough School District * West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District * Woodbridge Township School District

Healthcare

The county offers more than 1,900 inpatient beds among five major hospitals.

Economy

Major non-governmental employers in Middlesex County include the following, grouped by ranges of employees: * 9,010: Rutgers University-New Brunswick, Rutgers University *5,000 – 5,249: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital * 3,500 – 3,749: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Wakefern Food Corporation * 3,000 – 3,249: Merrill Lynch, Merrill Lynch & Company, Novo Nordisk * 2,750 – 2,999: Johnson & Johnson, Prudential Financial, Prudential Insurance Company, Silverline Building Products, Saint Peter's University Hospital, St. Peter's University Hospital, Telcordia Technologies * 2,500 – 2,749: JFK Medical Center (Edison, New Jersey), JFK Medical Center, Raritan Bay Medical Center * 2,000 – 2,249: Pathmark * 1,750 – 1,999: Home Depot, United Parcel Service * 1,500 – 1,749: Amerada Hess Corporation, Dow Jones & Company, Siemens AG * 1,250 – 1,499: AT&T, BASF (formerly Engelhard) * 1,000 – 1,249: Aetna, Fujitsu, Prudential Financial, Prudential * Undisclosed: Canon (company), Canon, Japanese company specializing in imaging products.

Municipalities

The 25 municipalities in Middlesex County (with 2010 Census data for population, housing units and area in square miles) are:GCT-PH1: Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County -- County Subdivision and Place from the 2010 Census Summary File 1 for Middlesex County, New Jersey

. Accessed January 19, 2014. Other, Local government in New Jersey#Unincorporated communities, unincorporated communities in the county are listed next to their parent municipality. Many of these areas are census-designated places that have been defined by the

for enumeration purposes within a Township (New Jersey), Township and for which 2010 population data is included in parentheses.

Parks and recreation

Landscape at Thompson Park in Monroe Township

* Donaldson Park * Carteret Park * Carteret Waterfront Park * Edison Park * Fords Park * Johnson Park * Medwick Park * Merrill Park * Raritan Bay Waterfront Park * Roosevelt Park * Spring Lake Park * Thompson Park (Middlesex County, New Jersey), Thompson Park * Warren Park * Old Bridge Waterfront Walkway * Alvin P. Williams Memorial Park * Ambrose & Doty's Brooks Park * Davidson's Mill Pond Park * Ireland Brook Park * Jamesburg Park Conservation Area * John A. Phillips Open Space Preserve * John A. Phillips Park * Catherine Von Ohlen Park

References

External links

Middlesex County official website
Retrieved July 1, 2008. * * Middlesex County's municipal borders, and unincorporated communities, localities & place names at https://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/gis/maps/middlesex.pdf {{Authority control Middlesex County, New Jersey, 1683 establishments in New Jersey Central Jersey Counties in the New York metropolitan area Populated places established in 1683