Piscataway ( ) is a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of

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

. It is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

of the

New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also called the Tri-State area and sometimes referred to as Greater New York, is the List of cities by GDP, largest metropolitan economy in the world, with a List of U.S. metropolitan areas by GDP, gross metropo ...

, in the Raritan Valley. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 60,804, an increase of 4,760 (+8.5%) from the 2010 census count of 56,044, which in turn reflected an increase of 5,562 (+11.0%) from 50,482 at the 2000 census. The name may be derived from the area's earliest European settlers who came from near the Piscataqua River, a landmark defining the coastal border between

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

and

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

, 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 (), are Munsee and Unami, two closely related languages of the Eastern Algonquian subgroup of the Algonquian language family. Munsee and Unami were spoken aboriginally by the Lenape ...

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

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestantism, Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally ...

and

Baptists Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

who had left the

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

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

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', 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 17, 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 ...

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 May 30, 2024. 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 borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

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 counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

(April 9, 1913) and South Plainfield (March 10, 1926).

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

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

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

team, is in Piscataway as well as part of the

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

History

The earliest settlers of the area were the

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

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 history of the United States, Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1776. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherla ...

, Philip Carteret, granted 12 new settlers from

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

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

New England New England is a region consisting of 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 (state), New York to the west and by the ...

were being formed in other parts of New Jersey, notably the Elizabethtown Tract in Northern New Jersey near the mouth of the

Raritan River The Raritan River is a river of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its Drainage basin, watershed drains much of the mountainous areas in the North Jersey, northern and Central Jersey, central sections of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay near ...

and extending upwards into modern day Essex County, and the Monmouth Tract in

Central New Jersey Central Jersey, or Central New Jersey, is the middle region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The designation Central Jersey is a distinct administrative division, administrative toponymy, toponym. While New Jersey is often divided into North Je ...

near the Raritan Bay and extending southward along the Jersey Shore 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 northern ...

. Additional settlers from the Piscataqua River 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 outer plantations were reported to total 40,000 acres, with 66 square miles of land in 1685. The

Native Americans occupied the entire Piscataway area, but were dispelled as the encroachment of European settlers increased. Across multiple generations, the Lenape established defined trails that European settlers appropriated in order to traverse through the wilderness area and partition 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 population of Native Americans 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 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, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, 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, or Central New Jersey, is the middle region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The designation Central Jersey is a distinct administrative toponym. While New Jersey is often divided into North Jersey and South Jersey, many resi ...

, along with

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

, Highland Park and South Plainfield. Piscataway is 45 minutes southwest of New York City and 53 minutes northeast of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

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

and South Plainfield in Middlesex County; Franklin Township and South Bound Brook in Somerset County; and Plainfield in Union County. Society Hill (with a 2010 Census population of 3,829) is an

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

and

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

(CDP) 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, Fieldville, Johnson Park, Lake Nelson, New Brunswick Highlands, New Market (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, 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 primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. Troops were quartered at Camp Kilmer in preparation for transport to the European Theater of Operations in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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, 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

. The Arbor and New Brunswick Highland sections of Piscataway were African American neighborhoods in the past. 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

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 56,044 people, 17,050 households, and 12,958 families in the township. The

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

was . There were 17,777 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 38.46% (21,554)

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

, 20.69% (11,596) Black or African American, 0.31% (173) Native American, 33.45% (18,744) Asian, 0.02% (13)

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

, 3.59% (2,011) from other races, and 3.48% (1,953) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.22% (6,289) of the population. Of the 17,050 households, 35.0% had children under the age of 18; 59.9% were married couples living together; 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present and 24.0% were non-families. Of all households, 18.6% were made up of individuals and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.33. 20.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 17.8% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.0 years. For every 100 females, the population had 99.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 96.8 males. The Census Bureau's 2006–2010

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars)

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two 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 und ...

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

for the 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.

2000 census

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 was . There were 16,946 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 48.81%

, 20.31%

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

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

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

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

or Latino of any race were 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 are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from India. The terms Asian Indian and East Indian are used to avoid confusion with Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans in the United States, who ar ...

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 recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.4% 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. Since 2013, it has been a subsidiary of the Lixil Group. The company was formed from American Standard Americas, ...

* Cintas Corporation *

Colgate-Palmolive The Colgate-Palmolive Company, commonly known as Colgate-Palmolive, is an American multinational corporation, multinational consumer products company headquartered on Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The company specializes in ...

, 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 are: m ...

''. 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." * GenScript Biotech * Gorgias Press, an academic publisher that specializes in

Eastern Christianity Eastern Christianity comprises Christianity, Christian traditions and Christian denomination, church families that originally developed during Classical antiquity, classical and late antiquity in the Eastern Mediterranean region or locations fu ...

. * Hapag-Lloyd America, an international shipping company. *

IEEE The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is an American 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) public charity professional organization for electrical engineering, electronics engineering, and other related disciplines. The IEEE ...

* Ingersoll Rand and its wholly owned subsidiary Trane *

Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical technologies corporation headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Its common stock is a c ...

Health Care Systems Inc. * Pepsi Cola Bottling Group – bottling plant. * Siemens Hearing Instruments, the world's largest manufacturer of hearing aids. The world headquarters of Telcordia Technologies had been located in Piscataway, until a June 2011 deal in which

Ericsson (), commonly known as Ericsson (), is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Ericsson has been a major contributor to the development of the telecommunications industry and is one ...

acquired the company in a deal valued at $1.15 billion.

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. Jersey Mike's Arena 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 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 sports and concert venue located in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. Since closing, ...

was completed. Yurcak Field is a multi-purpose

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

and

lacrosse Lacrosse is a contact 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 w ...

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 completely or partially surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit ...

, 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 tha ...

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, 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 Gabrielle Cahill (D, 2024; At Large), Council Vice President Dennis Espinosa (D, 2026; Ward 2), Sharon Carmichael (D, 2026; Ward 3), Michele Lombardi (D, 2026; Ward 4), Linwood D. Rouse (D, 2024; At Large – elected to serve an unexpired term), Kapil K. Shah (D, 2024; At Large) and Frank Uhrin (D, 2026; Ward 1).Mayor & Township Council
Township of Piscataway. Accessed May 28, 2024.Township of Piscataway

Middlesex County, New Jersey Middlesex County is a County (United States), county located in the North Jersey, north-Central Jersey, central part of the U.S. state of New Jersey, extending inland from the Raritan River, Raritan Valley region to the northern portion of the ...

. Accessed May 7, 2020.November 8, 2022 General Election Official Results

, updated November 22, 2022. Accessed January 1, 2023.General Election November 2, 2021 Official Results

, updated November 19, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.Official Results of the 2020 General Election

. Accessed February 7, 2022. 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, 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. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey League of Women Voters. Accessed October 30, 2019.

Politics

As of March 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 was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

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

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...

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 John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...

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 served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

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 and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

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 and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...

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

Rutgers building on stilts Livingston campus

The Piscataway Township Schools serves students in pre-kindergarten through

twelfth grade Twelfth Grade (also known as Grade 12, Senior Year, Standard 12, 12th Standard, 12th Class, or Class 12th or Class 12) is the twelfth and final Educational stage, year of Formal education, formal or compulsory education. It is typically the final ...

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 of 13.5:1.District information for Piscataway Township School District

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data on education in the United States. Established under , it operates within the Institute of Education S ...

. 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

) 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 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 Magnet Schools, a county-wide vocational school district that offers full-time career and technical education at its schools in East Brunswick, Edison, Perth Amboy, Piscataway and Woodbridge Township, 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 Academy, opened in February 1959, serves students in Pre-K to tenth grade. * 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 and Livingston Campuses *

Rutgers Health Rutgers Health is the umbrella group for Rutgers University's medical schools, medical research and clinical healthcare units. It was established in 2013 as Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences after parts of the University of Medicine and ...

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 Medical transcription, also known as MT, is an allied health profession dealing with the process of transcribing voice-recorded medical reports that are dictated by physicians, nurses and other healthcare practitioners. Medical reports can be v ...

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 The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transport ...

. Piscataway is served by a number of roads and highways.

Interstate 287 Interstate 287 (I-287) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US states of New Jersey and New York (state), New York. It is a partial beltway around New York City, serving northern New Jersey and the counties of Rockland County, New York ...

traverses the township and includes exits 6, 7, 8 and 9. Reconstruction of the River Road (CR 622) Bridge at exit 9 was completed in 2024. County roads include CR 501 (along the border with South Plainfield) and CR 529. Route 18 runs along Hoes Lane to

, which passes through the center of the township for about . Other limited access roads that are accessible include the New Jersey Turnpike (

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...

) 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 The Port Authority Bus Terminal (colloquially known as the Port Authority and by its acronym PABT) is a bus station, bus terminal located in Manhattan in New York City. It is the busiest bus terminal in the world by volume of traffic, serving ab ...

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...

on the 114 route, to Newark on the 65 and 66 routes and local service on the 819 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 The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C., in the south, with major stops in Providence, Rhod ...

at the Edison station. Taiwanese airline

EVA Air EVA Airways Corporation ( ; ) () is an international airline headquartered in Taoyuan City. It is one of the two largest airlines in Taiwan along with state-owned China Airlines. The privately owned airline operates passenger and dedicated c ...

provides a private bus service to and from

John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is ...

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 The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

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

, 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 (born 1965), former NFL wide receiver * Edward Antill (1701–1770), colonial plantation owner, attorney, and early politician in New Jersey colony * Edward Antill (1742–1789), soldier who fought at the Battle of Quebec and was the son of the politician with the same name * Margueritte Aozasa (born 1990), college soccer coach who is head coach of the UCLA Bruins women's soccer team * Melissa Bacelar (born 1979), horror film actress * Justin Bailey (born 1977), basketball player for University of Hartford and then foreign professional teams for 13 years * Samuel E. Blum (1920–2013), chemist and physicist who developed the

ultraviolet Ultraviolet radiation, also known as simply UV, is electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths of 10–400 nanometers, shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight and constitutes about 10% of ...

excimer laser * Marvin Booker (born 1990),

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

who has played in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers * Ralph Bowen (born 1961), Canadian-born 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 The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

* Mark Ciardi (born 1961), film producer and former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

* Anthony Davis (born 1989), offensive tackle for the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

* Dwayne Gratz (born 1990),

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

who has played in the NFL for the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

* J. D. Griggs (born 1990),

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

who has played in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

for the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

* Rachael Hip-Flores, actress who has appeared in ''Good People in Love'' and the web series '' Anyone But Me'' * Malcolm Jenkins (born 1987),

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

for the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

. 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 A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists ...

, 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 The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates of twelve of the Thirteen Colonies held from September 5 to October 26, 1774, at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia at the beginning of the American Revolution. The meeting was organized b ...

in 1774 who opposed armed conflict with the British and left the American side after the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

* Nicholas Low (1739–1826), merchant, developer, and younger brother of Isaac * Lisa Marie (born 1968), actress who has appeared in '' Planet of the Apes'' and '' Sleepy Hollow'' * Luther Martin (1748–1826), Founding Father who refused to sign the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally includi ...

as it violated

states' rights In United States, American politics of the United States, political discourse, states' rights are political powers held for the state governments of the United States, state governments rather than the federal government of the United States, ...

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 A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

and

professor emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

, who served as president of the New Jersey Historical Society * Steven Miller (born 1991), former professional football

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

who played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the

* Matt Nagy (born 1978), head coach of the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

who played in the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...

* 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 * Larry Ray (born 1959), criminal convicted of sex trafficking, extortion, forced labor, and other offenses, sentenced to 60 years in prison"Sarah Lawrence Parent Accused of Sex Trafficking and Abusing Students,"
''The New York Times''. * Brandon Renkart (born 1984), practice squad player for the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

Paul Rudnick Paul Rudnick (born December 29, 1957) is an American novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and essayist. His plays have been produced on and off Broadway theatre, Broadway. He wrote the screenplays for ''Sister Act'', ''Addams Family Values'', Jef ...

(born 1957), playwright, novelist, screenwriter and essayist * Gail Shollar (1957–1992), early victim of

carjacking Carjacking is a robbery in which a motor vehicle is taken over.Michael Cherbonneau, "Carjacking," in ''Encyclopedia of Social Problems'', Vol. 1 (SAGE, 2008: ed. Vincent N. Parrillo), pp. 110-11. In contrast to car theft, carjacking is usually i ...

, whose death led to stricter state penalties for the crime * Bob Smith (born 1947), member of the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate is 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 232,225 (2020 figure ...

since 2002 who spent five years as mayor of Piscataway * Karl-Anthony Towns (born 1995), NBA basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves * Kyle Wilson (born 1987),

for the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

* Eric Young Jr. (born 1985),

second baseman In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...

and

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

who has played for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

Castillo, 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

* {{Authority control 1693 establishments in New Jersey Faulkner Act (mayor–council) Populated places established in 1693 Townships in New Jersey Townships in Middlesex County, New Jersey