Bridgewater Township, New Jersey

Bridgewater Township is a township located in Somerset County, New Jersey. As of the 2000 census, the township had a total population of 42,940. Bridgewater Township is governed under the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) system of municipal government.

Locale and history

Its zip code is 08807 and its area code is 908/732. Bridgewater is a relatively large, affluent (but with affluence rapidly declining) suburban township located in the center of Somerset County, adjacent to and north of Somerville, the seat of Somerset County.

The thirty-three square mile area which is now the Township of Bridgewater was originally purchased from a local Indian tribe. Chartered by George II of Great Britain in 1749, and incorporated in 1899, Bridgewater is a modern suburban municipality with a balance of residential and commercial uses. In the early years, Bridgewater was known as a farming town, until around the 1970's when it's population began to grow, and is now a more typical suburban town. What is now Somerville and Raritan were once part of Bridgewater Township until they broke away years after the chartering.

Bridgewater is divided into districts consisting of:

• Bradley Gardens: Located in southwestern Bridgewater near Raritan one of the more lower-class communities in Bridgewater which has a reputation for being dirty.
• Finderne: Located in southeastern Bridgewater on the borders of Franklin and Bound Brook, home of a large shopping center and the stadium for The Somerset Patriots. Like Bradley Gardens, Finderne is a generally lower-middle class community in Bridgewater, and is one of Bridgewater's most ethnically diverse areas, as well.
• Martinsville: Located in Northeastern Bridgewater near Warren. Unlike Bradley Gardens and Finderne, Martinsville is a very upper-class area of Bridgewater, with many estates and mansions on mountains, as Martinsville is located in a mountainous area.
• Green Knoll: Located in central Bridgewater, is the real commerce center of the town, where most of the towns corporations, shopping centers, and its municipal building are located. Bridgewater Commons Mall is also in Green Knoll. Green Knoll is a more strictly middle-class area in Bridgewater.
• Van Holten: Is also located in central Bridgewater, but further north and closer to Bedminster. Van Holten is the most populated area in Bridgewater. It is predominantly upper-middle class, but does have an upper class area in the northern part due to it's proximity to Bedminster.
• Kennedy: Kennedy is an often missed area of Bridgewater just northeast of Bradley Gardens bordering Raritan and Branchburg. It is mainly made up of newly constructed townhouses, condos and single homes and is called Kennedy because its elementary aged students go to Kennedy School in Raritan, but it often overlaps with Bradley Gardens and Van Holten. A new elementary school has been built nearby to accommodate this newly formed area. Kennedy is generally middle-class with a few upper-middle class areas. There is a disproportionately high Asian population in Kennedy.

Bridgewater is also home to the Bridgewater Commons, a large regional shopping mall, and is home to the Commerce Bank Ballpark, home of the Somerset Patriots.

Bridgewater, as Somerset Counties largest single municipality, is the main cultural center of the county. Besides Franklin (which does not count because part of it is in Middlesex County), Bridgewater is the only town in Somerset County with over 40,000 people.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 84.3 km² (32.5 mi²). 84.0 km² (32.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.28% water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 42,940 people, 15,561 households, and 11,888 families residing in the township. The population density is 510.9/km² (1,323.4/mi²). There are 15,879 housing units at an average density of 188.9/km² (489.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the township is 85.07% White, 2.17% African American, 0.08% Native American, 10.54% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.89% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. 4.79% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 15,561 households out of which 38.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.6% are married couples living together, 7.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 23.6% are non-families. 19.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.71 and the average family size is 3.14.

In the township the population is spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.4 males.

The median income for a household in the township is $88,308, and the median income for a family is $99,832. Males have a median income of $67,089 versus $49,096 for females. The per capita income for the township is $39,555. 2.1% of the population and 1.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 1.7% of those under the age of 18 and 3.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.de:Bridgewater Township (New Jersey)