North Branch is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
and hamlet located mostly within
Branchburg Township, in
Somerset County,
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. A portion of North Branch is located in
Bridgewater Township. The hamlet of North Branch, located on both sides of the
North Branch of the Raritan River, brings the ambiance of a small village and charm to the area.
The North Branch Volunteer Fire Company provides fire protection to western Bridgewater Township and northern Branchburg Township. The company's 30 volunteers cover almost and 15,000 residents.
Education
The Branchburg portion of the area is home to the
Midland School, a school serving students with developmental disabilities from a number of public school districts. In 2005, the
Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District opened Milltown School, an elementary school located on the east bank of the North Branch river.
Raritan Valley Community College
Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) is a public community college in North Branch, New Jersey. RVCC offers Associate degree programs leading to an Associate of Arts (A.A.), Associate of Science (A.S.), Associate of Fine Art (A.F.A), or a ...
(RVCC) is located north of the intersection of old
Route 28 and Lamington Road on a site acquired in 1968.
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 ...
has a partnership with Raritan Valley Community College that allows students who have an associate degree to complete a bachelor's degree through the off-campus Rutgers location at Raritan Valley Community College's North Branch campus.
Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with North Branch include:
*
Raymond Bateman
Raymond H. "Ray" Bateman (October 29, 1927 – June 25, 2016) was an American politician who represented Somerset County in the New Jersey Senate in the 1960s and 1970s and was the Republican candidate for Governor of New Jersey in 1977. He was t ...
(1927–2016), politician, who represented Somerset County in the
New Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...
in the 1960s and 1970s and was the Republican candidate for Governor of New Jersey in 1977.
*
Daniel H. Beekman
Daniel Henry Beekman (May 29, 1874 – February 1, 1951) was an American jurist, banker, and politician.
Early life and education
Beekman was born on May 29, 1874, in North Branch, New Jersey, the son of John Henry Beekman and Mary Elizabeth Lan ...
(1874-1951), Judge of the Somerset County Court of Common Pleas, President of the Second National Bank of Somerville, and Democratic politician.
*
Robert Cox (1813–1890), politician who served in the
Michigan House of Representatives.
''Michigan Biographies: Including Members of Congress, Elective State Officers, Justices of the Supreme Court, Members of the Michigan Legislature, Board of Regents of the University of Michigan, State Board of Agriculture and State Board of Education, Volume 1''
p. 205. Michigan Historical Commission, 1924. Accessed October 29, 2020. "Robert Cox - Representative from Hillsdale County 1861-2. Was born in North Branch, N. J., Apr. 30 1813."
Points of interest
* North Branch Reformed Church
The North Branch Reformed Church is a historic church located on the eastern side of the North Branch of the Raritan River in North Branch, New Jersey at 203 New Jersey Route 28. It was formed by expansion from the Readington Reformed Church. The ...
Historic district
The North Branch Historic District on the western side of the North Branch was added to the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on April 16, 2012.
Surrounding area
See also
* North Branch Historic District
References
External links
Branchburg Township official web site
Branchburg Public Schools
Bridgewater-Raritan school district site
Branchburg Rescue Squad
North Branch Volunteer Fire Company
Rutgers at Raritan Valley Community College
{{Authority control
Branchburg, New Jersey
Bridgewater Township, New Jersey
Unincorporated communities in Somerset County, New Jersey
Unincorporated communities in New Jersey