Piscataway () is a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

in Middlesex County,

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

, United States. It is a suburb 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 landmass, at , and one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. The vast metropolitan area ...

, in the Raritan Valley. At the 2010 United States Census, the population was 56,044, an increase of 5,562 (+11.0%) from 50,482 at the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 3,393 (+7.2%) from 47,089 in

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

. The name may be derived from the area's earliest European settlers who came from near the

Piscataqua River The Piscataqua River ( Abenaki: ''Pskehtekwis'') is a tidal river forming the boundary of the U.S. states of New Hampshire and Maine from its origin at the confluence of the Salmon Falls River and Cochecho River. The drainage basin of the ri ...

, a landmark defining the coastal border between

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

and

Maine Maine () is a U.S. state, state in the New England and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and territories of Canad ...

, whose name derives from (branch) and (tidal river), or alternatively from (meaning "dark night") and ("place of") or from a

Lenape language The Delaware languages, also known as the Lenape languages ( del, Lënapei èlixsuwakàn), are Munsee and Unami, two closely related languages of the Eastern Algonquian subgroup of the Algonquian language family. Munsee and Unami, spoken abo ...

word meaning "great deer". The area was appropriated in 1666 by

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

and Baptists who had left the

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant. P ...

colony in New Hampshire.Cheslow, Jerry
"If You're Thinking of Living in: Piscataway"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', June 28, 1992. Accessed October 3, 2012. "What is now the township was settled in 1666 by Quakers and Baptists and fleeing the intolerant Puritan colony in New Hampshire. While Piscataway is a derivative of the Leni Lenape word for "great deer," the township is believed to have been named after the settlers' former home on the Piscataqua River." Piscataway Township was formed on December 18, 1666, and officially incorporated by an act of the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and th ...

on February 21, 1798, as part of the state's initial group of 104 townships.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 172. Accessed October 2, 2012. The community, the fifth-oldest municipality in New Jersey, has grown from Native American territory, through a colonial period and is one of the links in the earliest settlement of the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

seacoast that ultimately led to the formation of the United States. Over the years, portions of Piscataway were taken to form Raritan Township (March 17, 1870, now Edison), Dunellen (October 28, 1887),

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbourin ...

(April 9, 1913) and

South Plainfield South Plainfield is a borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. It is located in the heart of the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 23,385,Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and wa ...

's main campus spills into the township. SHI Stadium, home field for the

Rutgers Scarlet Knights football The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represents Rutgers University in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). Rutgers competes as a member of the East Division of the Big Ten Conference. ...

team, is in Piscataway, as is part of the

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is a medical school of Rutgers University. It is one of the two graduate medical schools of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, together with New Jersey Medical School, and is closely aligned with R ...

Ross Hall, Piscataway, NJ - 1936 north elevation

History

The earliest settlers of the area were the

Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory inclu ...

Native Americans; a group of four European settlers coming from

acquired of land in 1666 that had been occupied by Native Americans. In 1666, the first proprietary Governor of the

Province of New Jersey The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1783. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherland but came under English rule after ...

Philip Carteret Rear-Admiral Philip Carteret, Seigneur of Trinity (22 January 1733, Trinity Manor, Jersey – 21 July 1796, Southampton) was a British naval officer and explorer who participated in two of the Royal Navy's circumnavigation expeditions in 1764 ...

, granted 12 new settlers from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

a 100 square mile allotment of land that was later founded as the townships of Piscataway and Woodbridge. Similar types settlements built of from religious dissenters fleeing puritan colonies in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...

were being formed in other parts of New Jersey, notably the

Elizabethtown Tract The Elizabethtown Tract was a property that was purchased on October 28, 1664, by John Baily, Daniel Denton and Luke Watson from the Native Americans that is in the area of (and surrounding) present-day Elizabeth, New Jersey. The Native American wi ...

Northern New Jersey North Jersey comprises the northern portions of the U.S. state of New Jersey between the upper Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation of northern New Jersey with a distinct toponym is a colloquial one rather than an administrat ...

near the mouth of the

Raritan River Raritan River is a major river of New Jersey. Its 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 Raritan provided t ...

and extending upwards into modern day Essex County, and the Monmouth Tract in Central New Jersey near the

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 extending southward along 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 P ...

to the

Barnegat Inlet Barnegat Inlet is a small inlet connecting the Barnegat Bay with the Atlantic Ocean in Ocean County, New Jersey. It separates Island Beach State Park and the Barnegat Peninsula from Long Beach Island. The Barnegat Lighthouse sits at the north ...

. Additional settlers from the

area of

moved to Piscataway, bringing the name. Coming from a lumbering, shipbuilding and fishing background, these settlers, consisting of mostly Baptists and Quakers, were comfortable with their new surroundings, and looking forward to starting a new life away from political and religious persecution in the north. They were also enterprising and pioneering families who were already experienced in wilderness settlement. Before the original settlers, there were pioneer scouts who surveyed these new lands and waterways. The town name of Piscataway came from these early pioneers who originally came from the town of Piscataqua. During the original land purchase, the pioneers had signed 12 Articles of Agreement with Governor Carteret, which served as the legal basis for the government of Piscataway and Woodbridge and which shaped the democratic development of self-government. In short, these articles were mainly designed to provide liberty and land ownership for new families and to allow them to establish their own government representatives and religious freedoms. After a few line and boundary changes, Piscataway and its out plantations were reported to total 40,000 acres, with 66 square miles of land in 1685. The

Native Americans had settled the entire Piscataway area, but were quietly displaced to smaller areas as numbers of European settlers increased. The Lenape had established defined trails that European settlers used to travel through the wilderness area and branch out to new lands. Over time, many of these primitive trails became the main routes of travel between communities and became the basis of roads that still exist today. The trails along the Raritan River were named after a local Indian tribe called the Raritangs. Piscataway Township is the fifth-oldest municipality in New Jersey and among the fifty oldest municipalities in the United States. On February 8, 1777, the

Battle of Quibbletown A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, a running battle took place between approximately 2,000 British and Hessian troops under the command of British General Charles Lord Cornwallis and the local patriot militia led by Colonel Charles Scott and a separate militia commanded by Brigadier General Nathaniel Warner.

Geography

According to the

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 An economy is an area of th ...

, the township had a total area of 18.96 square miles (49.11 km²), including 18.79 square miles (48.68 km²) of land and 0.17 square miles (0.43 km²) of water (0.88%). The township lies on the south side of the Raritan Valley, a line of cities in

Central Jersey 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 ...

, along with

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic Canad ...

, Highland Park and

South Plainfield South Plainfield is a borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. It is located in the heart of the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 23,385,Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. Piscataway is bordered by nine municipalities: Dunellen, Edison, Highland Park,

and

Society Hill Society Hill is a historic neighborhood in Center City Philadelphia, with a population of 6,215 . Settled in the early 1680s, Society Hill is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in Philadelphia.The Center City District dates the Free Soc ...

(with a 2010 Census population of 3,829) 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 hav ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a 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 counterparts of incorporated places, su ...

(CDP) located within Piscataway Township. Piscataway is often segmented by local residents into unincorporated communities, localities and place names which include Arbor, Bound Brook Heights ("the Heights"),

Fellowship Farm The Fellowship Farm Cooperative Association was a Utopian anarchist community in the Stelton section of Piscataway Township, New Jersey that was started in 1912. History The farm was inaugurated on Thanksgiving Day in 1912. of active farmland w ...

, Fieldville, Johnson Park, Lake Nelson, New Brunswick Highlands,

New Market New Market may refer to: Bangladesh * New Market, Dhaka *New Market, Khulna, in Sonadanga Model Thana *New Market, Chittagong, near Government City College, Chittagong India * New Market, Bhopal *New Market, Kolkata Jamaica *New Market, Ja ...

(known as Quibbletown in the 18th Century), Newtown, North Stelton, Possumtown, Randolphville, Raritan Landing and Riverview Manor. The original settlement of Piscatawaytown is located in present-day Edison.

Camp Kilmer Located in Central New Jersey, Camp Kilmer is a former United States Army camp that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service ...

, constructed starting in 1941 on of Piscataway and Edison, was activated in June 1942 by the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

as a staging area and part of an installation of the

New York Port of Embarkation The New York Port of Embarkation (NYPOE) was a United States Army command responsible for the movement of troops and supplies from the United States to overseas commands. The command had facilities in New York and New Jersey, roughly covering the ...

. Troops were quartered at Camp Kilmer in preparation for transport to the

European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It commanded Army Ground Fo ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, ultimately becoming the largest processing center for troops heading overseas and returning from World War II, processing over 2.5 million soldiers. Following the failed

1956 Hungarian Revolution The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 10 November 1956; hu, 1956-os forradalom), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was a countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the Hunga ...

, Camp Kilmer was reactivated and used to process 30,000 refugees who were resettled in the area and across the country. The camp was officially closed in 2009. Significant portions of Piscataway make up the Livingston and Busch Campuses of

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

. The Arbor and New Brunswick Highland sections of Piscataway were historically African American neighborhoods. The New Market section historically comprised the Quaker village of Quibbletown. The early name of the village originated from the fact that settlers of different religious denominations quibbled about whether the Sabbath should be observed on Saturday or on Sunday in the village.

Demographics

Census 2010

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars)

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...

was $88,428 (with a margin of error of +/− $3,958) and the median family income was $95,483 (+/− $3,327). Males had a median income of $57,308 (+/− $4,335) versus $48,606 (+/− $1,863) for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the borough was $31,254 (+/− $1,335). About 2.5% of families and 4.3% 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 3.9% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the 2000 United States CensusU.S. Census website
,

. Accessed September 4, 2014. there were 50,482 people, 16,500 households, and 12,325 families residing in the township. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

was 2,688.6 people per square mile (1,037.9/km²). There were 16,946 housing units at an average density of 902.5 per square mile (348.4/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 48.81%

White White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 20.31%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 0.21% Native American, 24.80% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

, 3.08% from other races, and 2.77% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 7.93% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Piscataway township, New Jersey

. Accessed October 2, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Piscataway township, Middlesex County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed October 2, 2012. As of the 2000 Census, 12.49% of Piscataway's residents identified themselves as being of

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 ...

ancestry, which was the fourth highest of any municipality in the United States and the third highest in New Jersey—behind Edison (17.75%) and Plainsboro Township (16.97%)—of all places with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry. There were 16,500 households, out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% 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, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.29. In the township, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 14.1% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males. The median income for a household in the township was $68,721, and the median income for a family was $75,218. Males had a median income of $47,188 versus $36,271 for females. The

for the township was $26,321. About 2.7% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the

, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Corporate residents of Piscataway include: *

American Standard Brands American Standard Brands is a North American manufacturer of plumbing fixtures, based in Piscataway, New Jersey, United States. It is principally owned by the Lixil Group, with Bain Capital Partners holding a minority stake. The company was for ...

* Cintas Corporation *

Colgate-Palmolive Colgate-Palmolive Company is an American multinational consumer products company headquartered on Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The company specializes in the production, distribution, and provision of household, health ca ...

, Research and Development"Best Places to Live 2008 - 23. Piscataway, NJ"
''

Money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money ar ...

''. Accessed November 24, 2013. "Today, the township is home to offices for large technology and consumer products firms such as Telcordia Technologies, Colgate-Palmolive and Johnson & Johnson." *

Gorgias Press Gorgias Press is an independent academic publisher specializing in the history and religion of the Middle East and the larger pre-modern world. History Founded in 2001 by Christine and George Kiraz, the press is based in Piscataway, New Jers ...

, an academic publisher that specializes on

Eastern Christianity Eastern Christianity comprises Christian traditions and church families that originally developed during classical and late antiquity in Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Northeast Africa, the Fertile Crescent a ...

. *

Hapag-Lloyd Hapag-Lloyd AG is a German international shipping and container transportation company. Hapag-Lloyd was formed in 1970 through a merger of Hamburg-American Line (HAPAG) and North German Lloyd. History The company was formed on September 1, 19 ...

America, an international shipping company. *

IEEE The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operati ...

Ingersoll Rand Ingersoll Rand is an American multinational company that provides flow creation and industrial products. The company was formed in February 2020 through the spinoff of the industrial segment of Ingersoll-Randplc (now known as Trane Technologies ...

and its wholly owned subsidiary

Trane Trane is a manufacturer of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, along with building management systems and controls. The company is a subsidiary of Trane Technologies, a company focused on manufacturing HVAC and refriger ...

Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational corporation founded in 1886 that develops medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company i ...

Health Care Systems Inc. * Pepsi Cola Bottling Group – bottling plant. *

Siemens Hearing Instruments Sivantos, Inc. (formerly Siemens Hearing Instruments) is the United States affiliate of Sivantos Group, which maintains a global headquarters in Singapore. Sivantos Group (formerly Siemens Audiology Group, a division of Siemens Healthcare) is o ...

, the world's largest manufacturer of hearing aids. *

Telcordia Technologies iconectiv is a supplier of network planning and network management services to telecommunications providers. Known as Bellcore after its establishment in the United States in 1983 as part of the break-up of the Bell System, the company's name ...

, World Headquarters

Sports

SHI Stadium was originally constructed in 1994 with 41,500 seats as the home of the

team and was expanded to a capacity of 52,454 in 2009 after a $100-million expansion. Louis Brown Athletic Center is the home of the Rutgers University men's and women's basketball teams. The venue was originally named the Rutgers Athletic Center, still called the RAC by many, and can accommodate 9,000 attendees. The athletic center was the home of the professional

New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

for the four seasons from 1977–1981 after moving from New York and before the

Meadowlands Arena Meadowlands Arena (formerly Brendan Byrne Arena, Continental Airlines Arena and Izod Center) is a closed indoor arena facility located in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. The arena is located on ...

was completed.

Yurcak Field Yurcak Field is a 5,000 seat soccer-specific stadium on the main campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway Township, New Jersey. Fully acknowledged as The Soccer Stadium at Yurcak Field, it is named in honor of Ronald N. Yurcak, a 1965 All-Ame ...

is a multi-purpose soccer and

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensi ...

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

, built in 1994, and holds 5,000 people. The stadium is officially named "The Soccer/Lacrosse Stadium at Yurcak Field" in honor of Ronald N. Yurcak, a 1965 All-American Rutgers lacrosse player.

host their home games at this stadium.

Government

Local government

In November 1966, Piscataway voters, under the Faulkner Act, approved a Charter Study and elected a Charter Study Commission to recommend the form of government best suited to the township's needs. The Commission recommended Mayor-Council Plan F. Voters approved the plan in a referendum in November 1967 and the new form of government was inaugurated on January 1, 1969. The township is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide governed under this form. Under Plan F the Mayor is the administrator and the Council is the legislative body. A full-time business administrator, appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the Council, and responsible to the Mayor, supervises the day-by-day operation of municipal government. The Township Council has seven members, one representing each of four wards, and three

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 ...

members. The Mayor and Council members serve four-year terms on a staggered basis, with either the three at-large seats (and the mayoral seat) or the four ward seats up for vote in even years as part of the November general election.''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'',

Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy The Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy of Rutgers University (The Bloustein School) serves as a center for the theory and practice of urban planning, public policy and public health/health administration scholarship. The sc ...

, March 2013, p. 81. , the mayor of Piscataway is Democrat Brian C. Wahler, whose term of office ends December 31, 2024. Members of the Township Council are Council President Michele Lombardi (D, 2022; Ward 4), Council Vice President Frank Uhrin (D, 2022; Ward 1), Jim Bullard (D, 2022; Ward 2), Gabrielle Cahill (D, 2024; At Large), Steven D. Cahn (D, 2022; Ward 3), Linwood D. Rouse (D, 2024; At Large – appointed to serve an unexpired term) and Kapil K. Shah (D, 2024; At Large).Mayor & Township Council
Township of Piscataway. Accessed February 7, 2022.Township of Piscataway

Middlesex County, New Jersey Middlesex County is located in central New Jersey, United States, extending inland from the Raritan Valley region to the northern portion of the Jersey Shore. As of the 2020 United States Census, the county's population was enumerated at 863, ...

. Accessed May 7, 2020.Official Results of the 2020 General Election

. Accessed February 7, 2022.November 6, 2018 General Election Official Results

. Accessed January 1, 2019. In May 2021, the Township Council appointed Linwood D. Rouse to fill the at-large seat expiring in December 2024 that had been held by Chanelle Scott McCullum until she stepped down to take a seat on the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners following the death of Commissioner Kenneth Armwood. Rouse served on an interim basis until the November 2021 election, when he was elected to serve the balance of the term of office. Camille Fernicola was appointed to fill the at-large seat expiring in December 2016 that had been held by Michael Griffith until his death in November 2014. In the November 2015 general election, Fernicola was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.November 3, 2015 General Election Results
,

. Accessed July 12, 2016. Chanelle McCullum was appointed in April 2013 to fill the vacant at-large seat of Kenneth Armwood, who had been the township council president until he was appointed to fill a vacant seat on the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders. McCullum was elected in November 2013 to serve the balance of the unexpired term through its expiration in December 2016.November 5, 2013 General Election Results
,

. Accessed July 12, 2016.

Federal, state and county representation

Piscataway is located in the 6th Congressional DistrictPlan Components Report

New Jersey Redistricting Commission The New Jersey Redistricting Commission is a constitutional body of the government of New Jersey tasked with redrawing the state's Congressional election districts after each decade's census. Like Arizona, Idaho, Hawaii, Montana, and Washington ...

, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020. and is part of New Jersey's 17th state legislative district.Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District

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 w ...

. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey League of Women Voters. Accessed October 30, 2019. Middlesex County is governed by a Board of County Commissioners, whose seven members are elected

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. , Middlesex County's Commissioners (with party affiliation, term-end year, and residence listed in parentheses) are Commissioner Director Ronald G. Rios (D, Carteret, term as commissioner ends December 31, 2024; term as commissioner director ends 2022), Commissioner Deputy Director Shanti Narra (D,

North Brunswick North Brunswick is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. It is centrally located in the Raritan Valley region within the New York Metropolitan area. At the 2020 United States census, the population was 43,905, reflecting ...

, term as commissioner ends 2024; term as deputy director ends 2022), Claribel A. "Clary" Azcona-Barber (D,

, 2022), Charles Kenny (D, Woodbridge Township, 2022), Leslie Koppel (D, Monroe Township, 2023), Chanelle Scott McCullum (D, Piscataway, 2024) and Charles E. Tomaro (D, Edison, 2023). Constitutional officers are County Clerk Nancy Pinkin (D, 2025, East Brunswick), Sheriff Mildred S. Scott (D, 2022, Piscataway) and Surrogate Claribel Cortes (D, 2026; North Brunswick).

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 31,266 registered voters in Piscataway Township, of which 11,355 (36.3%) were registered as Democrats, 3,034 (9.7%) were registered as Republicans and 16,859 (53.9%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 18 voters registered to other parties. In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat

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 (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

received 74.4% of the vote (15,659 cast), ahead of 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 Massachusett ...

with 24.4% (5,125 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (262 votes), among the 21,227 ballots cast by the township's 33,597 registered voters (181 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 63.2%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 71.0% of the vote (15,978 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 27.2% (6,111 votes) and other candidates with 1.0% (215 votes), among the 22,491 ballots cast by the township's 32,398 registered voters, for a turnout of 69.4%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

received 64.2% of the vote (12,627 ballots cast), outpolling Republican

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

with 34.3% (6,749 votes) and other candidates with 0.8% (218 votes), among the 19,670 ballots cast by the township's 27,842 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 70.6. In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Democrat Barbara Buono received 50.6% of the vote (5,388 cast), ahead of Republican

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Christie, who was born in ...

with 48.2% (5,129 votes), and other candidates with 1.1% (122 votes), among the 10,823 ballots cast by the township's 34,170 registered voters (184 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 31.7%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat

Jon Corzine Jon Stevens Corzine ( ; born January 1, 1947) is an American financial executive and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from New Jersey from 2001 to 2006 and the 54th governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. Corzine ran fo ...

received 54.9% of the vote (6,773 ballots cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 37.6% (4,637 votes), Independent

Chris Daggett Christopher Jarvis Daggett (born March 7, 1950) is an American businessman who is the president and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, one of the largest foundations in New Jersey. A former regional administrator of the United States Env ...

with 6.0% (738 votes) and other candidates with 0.9% (111 votes), among the 12,334 ballots cast by the township's 31,079 registered voters, yielding a 39.7% turnout.

Emergency services

Fire and EMS

Piscataway is divided into four fire districts which are served by a total of two volunteer rescue squads and six volunteer fire companies, one of which combines both fire and EMS services. The fire districts are the zones in which fire departments operate, and although the volunteer EMS squads follow the basic regions of the districts, only North Stelton Fire Rescue EMS is a part of a fire district. On weekdays and weekends from 6 am until 6 pm, Hackensack Meridian Health EMS staffs an ambulance in Piscataway. When the volunteer rescue squads are not in service, either Hackensack Meridian Health, Rutgers University Emergency Services or Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital may be asked to send an ambulance. ;District 1 * Arbor Rescue Squad (EMS), 1790 W. 7th Street (partial coverage) * River Road Rescue Squad (EMS), 101 Shirley Parkway (partial coverage) * New Market Fire Company, 801 South Washington Avenue * North Stelton Fire Rescue (EMS), 70 Haines Avenue (partial coverage) ;District 2 * River Road Rescue Squad (EMS), 101 Shirley Parkway * River Road Fire Company, 102 Netherwood Avenue * Holmes Marshall Fire Company, 5300 Deborah Drive * Possumtown Fire Company, 85 Stratton Street South ;District 3 * Arbor Rescue Squad (EMS), 1790 W. 7th Street * Arbor Hose Company, 1780 West Seventh Street ;District 4 * North Stelton Volunteer Fire Company, 70 Haines Avenue ;Fire Prevention *Fire Marshall's Office, 555 Sidney Road

Police

The primary law enforcement agency in the township is the Piscataway Police Department. Rutgers University Police Department operates on its campuses within Piscataway. The New Jersey State Police patrols the section of Interstate 287 that bisects the township.

Education

The Piscataway Township Schools serves students in pre-kindergarten through

twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year Thirteen, Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between ...

s. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of 10 schools, had an enrollment of 7,161 students and 530.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...

of 13.5:1.District information for Piscataway Township School District
National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020. In addition to its high school, there are four schools for K–3, two intermediate schools serving grades 4–5 and three middle schools for students in grades 6–8. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary School (506 students; in grades K–3), Grandview Elementary School (789; Pre-K–3), Knollwood Elementary School (505; K–3), Randolphville Elementary School (469; K–3), Arbor Intermediate School (585; 4–5), Martin Luther King Intermediate School (4–5), Conackamack Middle School (472; 6–8), Quibbletown Middle School (485; 6–8), Theodore Schor Middle School (576; 6–8) and Piscataway Township High School (2,267; 9–12). ;Middlesex County schools: Eighth grade students from all of Middlesex County are eligible to apply to attend the high school programs offered by the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools, a county-wide vocational school district that offers full-time career and technical education at Middlesex County Academy in Edison, the Middlesex County Academy for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences, Academy for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences in Woodbridge Township and at its East Brunswick Technical High School, East Brunswick, Perth Amboy Technical High School, Perth Amboy and Piscataway Technical High School, Piscataway technical high schools, with no tuition charged to students for attendance. Other Middlesex County schools in Piscataway include: * Nuview Academy Piscataway Campus, 1 Park Avenue – Programs for students with symptoms of; Depression, ADHD, Conduct Disorder, Thought Disorder, or Anxiety Disorder. * Bright Beginnings Learning Center, 1660 Stelton Road – Programs for students with Autism. * Piscataway Regional Day School, 1670 Stelton Road – Programs for students with Autism. * Raritan Valley Academy, 1690 Stelton Road – Programs for students with behavioral disabilities, learning and/or language disabilities. ;Private schools: * Lake Nelson Seventh-day Adventist Church, Seventh-day Adventist Academy, opened in February 1959, serves students in Pre-K to tenth grade. * Timothy Christian School (New Jersey), Timothy Christian School is a K–12 that was founded in 1949. * An-Noor Academy, a Pre-K–12 school that has served the area's Muslim community since 2000. ;Colleges and continuing education: *

Busch Campus of Rutgers University, Busch and Livingston Campuses * Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine and University Behavioral HealthCare (which overlaps with Rutgers Busch Campus) * StenoTech Career Institute is a technical school that offers court reporting and medical transcription training.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the township had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Middlesex County and by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Piscataway is served by a number of roads and highways. Interstate 287 traverses the township and includes exits 6, 7, 8 and 9. County roads include County Route 501 (New Jersey), CR 501 (along the border with South Plainfield) and County Route 529 (New Jersey), CR 529. New Jersey Route 18, Route 18 runs along Hoes Lane to Interstate 287, which passes through the center of the township for about . Other limited access roads that are accessible include the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95 in New Jersey, Interstate 95) in East Brunswick (Exit 9) and neighboring Edison (Exit 10).

Public transportation

NJ Transit provides bus service to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 114 (New Jersey bus), 114 route, to Newark, New Jersey, Newark on the 65 (New Jersey bus), 65 and 66 (New Jersey bus), 66 routes, local service on the 819 (New Jersey bus), 819 line and additional service on the 980 (New Jersey bus), 980 route. Train service is not available in Piscataway, but service is available on the Raritan Valley Line at the Dunellen station and on the Northeast Corridor at the Edison station. Taiwanese airline EVA Air provides a private bus service to and from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City for customers based in New Jersey. This service stops in Piscataway.

Points of interest

* WVPH is the community radio station of Piscataway High School and Rutgers University. * Ferrer Colony and Modern School and Fellowship Farm Cooperative Association are the remnants of the 1910s Utopian societies. * Road Up Raritan Historic District includes nine historic homes along River Road and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. * Metlar-Bodine House is a museum dedicated to the history of Piscataway "from Indian trails to Interstate" and was established in 1979 in a house whose earliest portions date to 1728. * Cornelius Low House, constructed in 1741 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is operated as a Middlesex County Museum. * East Jersey Old Town Village, located in Johnson Park, includes 16 homes characteristic of the farm houses that populated the area, that have been relocated and reconstructed on the site.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Piscataway include: * Mike Alexander (American football), Mike Alexander (born 1965), former NFL wide receiver * Edward Antill (colonial politician), Edward Antill (1701–1770), colonial plantation owner, attorney, and early politician in New Jersey colony * Edward Antill (soldier), Edward Antill (1742–1789), soldier who fought at the Battle of Quebec (1775), Battle of Quebec and was the son of the politician with the same name * Melissa Bacelar (born 1979), horror film actress * Justin Bailey (basketball), Justin Bailey (born 1977), basketball player for Hartford Hawks men's basketball, University of Hartford and then foreign professional teams for 13 years * Samuel E. Blum (1920–2013), chemist and physicist who developed the ultraviolet excimer laser * Marvin Booker (born 1990), linebacker who has played in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers * Ralph Bowen (born 1961), Canadian-born List of jazz saxophonists, jazz saxophonist * Anthony Branker (born 1958), jazz musician and educator * John Celestand (born 1977), 30th pick of 1999 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers * Mark Ciardi (born 1961), film producer and former Major League Baseball pitcher * Marc Cintron (born 1990), professional soccer player * Anthony Davis (offensive tackle b. 1989), Anthony Davis (born 1989), offensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers * Dwayne Gratz (born 1990), cornerback who has played in the NFL for the Jacksonville Jaguars * J. D. Griggs (born 1990), defensive end who has played in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers * Rachael Hip-Flores, actress who has appeared in ''Good People in Love'' and the web series ''Anyone But Me'' * Malcolm Jenkins (born 1987), safety (gridiron football position), safety for the New Orleans Saints. Played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes * Asjha Jones (born 1980), WNBA basketball player for the Connecticut Sun * Joe Lizura (born 1961), television meteorologist, who has also been an actor, spokesperson, author and television show developer, writer and producer * Isaac Low (1735–1791), member of the First Continental Congress in 1774 who opposed armed conflict with the British and left the American side after the United States Declaration of Independence, Declaration of Independence * Nicholas Low (1739–1826), merchant, developer, and younger brother of Isaac * Lisa Marie (actress), Lisa Marie (born 1968), actress who has appeared in ''Planet of the Apes (2001 film), Planet of the Apes'' and ''Sleepy Hollow (film), Sleepy Hollow'' * Luther Martin (1748–1826), Founding Father who refused to sign the United States Constitution as it violated states' rights in his view * Raqiyah Mays (born 1978), actress and hip-hop journalist * Richard Levis McCormick (born 1947), 19th President of

* Richard P. McCormick (1916–2006), historian and professor emeritus at

, who served as president of the New Jersey Historical Society * Matt Nagy (born 1978), head coach of the Chicago Bears who played in the Arena Football League * Derrick Palmer (born 1988/89), labor activist and whistleblower who is Vice President of Organizing of the Amazon Labor Union. * Joseph Fitz Randolph (1803–1873), member of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey from 1837 to 1843 * Brandon Renkart (born 1984), practice squad player for the Arizona Cardinals * Paul Rudnick (born 1957), playwright, novelist, screenwriter and essayist * Gail Shollar (1957–1992), early victim of carjacking, whose death led to stricter state penalties for the crime * Bob Smith (New Jersey State Senator), Bob Smith (born 1947), member of the New Jersey Senate since 2002 who spent five years as mayor of Piscataway * Karl-Anthony Towns (born 1995), NBA basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves * Kyle Wilson (cornerback), Kyle Wilson (born 1987), cornerback for the New York Jets * Eric Young Jr. (born 1985), second baseman and outfielder who has played for the New York MetsCastillo, Jorge
"Eric Young Jr. returns to where his baseball career began in his Mets' home debut"
''The Star-Ledger'', June 28, 2013. Accessed November 24, 2013. "A decade had lapsed since Eric Young Jr. was last at the home of the Mets before he arrived at Citi Field today for his Mets home debut. On June 4, 2003, Young, then an 18-year-old Piscataway High School graduate, was drafted by the Rockies in the 30th round."

References

External links

Piscataway Township websitePiscataway Township Schools
*
School Data for the Piscataway Township Schools
National Center for Education Statistics
Township code
{{Authority control Piscataway, New Jersey, 1693 establishments in New Jersey Faulkner Act (mayor–council) Populated places established in 1693 Townships in Middlesex County, New Jersey