Old Bridge Township is a township in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located in the Raritan Valley Region and within the New York Metro Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township was the state's 21st-most-populous municipality,Table1. New Jersey Counties and Most Populous Cities and Townships: 2020 and 2010 Censuses , New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed December 1, 2022. with a population of 66,876, an increase of 1,501 (+2.3%) from the 2010 census count of 65,375, which in turn reflected an increase of 4,919 (+8.1%) from the 60,456 counted in the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010 , New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023. As of the 2010 Census, the township was ranked 18th in the state by population, after being the state's 21st most-populous municipality in 2000.The Counties and Most Populous Cities and Townships in 2010 in New Jersey: 2000 and 2010 , United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 11, 2012. The township is a bedroom suburb of New York City located across the Raritan Bay from Staten Island. It is about from New York CityMulvihill, Geoff; and Cortez, Julio. "Official: 3 dead in NJ supermarket shooting" ." Houston Chronicle, from the Denver Post, August 31, 2012. Accessed August 31, 2012. "Old Bridge is a bedroom suburb of about 23,000 about 25 miles from Manhattan but just across the Raritan Bay from Staten Island." and about south of Newark.Ariosto, David. "Gunman kills two, then himself, at New Jersey supermarket, authorities say ." CNN. August 31, 2012. Accessed August 31, 2012.
What is now Old Bridge Township was originally incorporated as Madison Township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 2, 1869, from portions of South Amboy Township (now City of South Amboy).Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 170. Accessed May 30, 2024. In a referendum held on November 5, 1975, voters approved changing the township's name to Old Bridge Township by a margin of 7,150 votes to 4,888.History, Old Bridge Township. Accessed May 28, 2024. The township's name was changed to avoid confusion with the borough of Madison in Morris County.Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living in: Old Bridge" , The New York Times, April 21, 1991. Accessed March 11, 2012. When the township was established, the area was made up primarily of farms and the population grew slowly. In 1880, the population was 1,662 and by 1950 it had reached 7,365. Over the next decade, a building boom started;Depalma, Rachelle. "If You're Thinking Of Living In; Old Bridge", The New York Times, June 1, 1986. Accessed May 28, 2024. "In the 1950s, large-scale development began in the community - then called Madison Township - when investors purchased huge tracts of land to meet the housing demands of people anxious to leave urban areas." as farms gave way to developments, the population tripled to 22,772 by 1960. The 1980 census cited 51,406 people. The township saw major changes with the extension of Route 18 to the shore.
The township was named as a contender for the title of one of the best places to live in the United States by Money magazine in both 2005 and 2007.MONEY Magazine Best places to live 2007 , Money.Best Places to Live 2005 , Money.
In 2016, SafeWise named Old Bridge Township as the sixth-safest city in America to raise a child; the township was the second-highest ranked of the 12 communities in New Jersey included on the list.Maurer, Caroline. "The 30 Safest Cities to Raise a Child – 2016", SafeWise, June 27, 2016. Accessed August 22, 2016.
History The first inhabitants of the area known as Old Bridge were the Lenni Lenape Native Americans. Those who settled in Old Bridge and other parts of Central Jersey were known as the Unami, or "people down the river." They migrated to the shore along the Raritan each summer from their hunting grounds in the north. When the English gained control from the Dutch in 1664, the state was divided into two provinces, East Jersey and West Jersey. In 1683, the general assembly of East Jersey defined the boundaries of Middlesex County and the three other original counties (Bergen, Essex and Monmouth) as containing all plantations on both sides of the Raritan River, as far as Cheesequake Harbor to the east, then southwest to the Provincial line, with the southwest line being the border of Monmouth and Middlesex counties and the Township's southern border.De Angelo, Walter A. The History Buff's Guide to Middlesex County , Middlesex County, New Jersey. Accessed December 16, 2019. "On March 7, 1683, the Assembly of East Jersey established four counties, Middlesex, Bergen, Essex and Monmouth. Middlesex County's original boundaries ran from the Essex County line eastward as far as Cheesequake Harbour, then southwest to the boundary between the provinces of East and West Jersey, and then northwest to the provincial boundary of East Jersey."
Thomas Warne, one of the original 24 proprietors of East Jersey, was listed as a landowner of this area, and his son is said to have been the earliest European resident residing in the Cheesequake area in 1683. John and Susannah Brown were granted a land grant from the King of England in 1737. They called the area Brownville, and this part of township is still known as Browntown.
In 1684, South Amboy Township was formed. At that time, it covered an area that now consists of the Townships of Monroe and Old Bridge, the Borough of Sayreville and the City of South Amboy. The Township covers that separated from South Amboy on March 2, 1869, and was originally called Madison Township. In 1975, the name was changed by referendum to the Township of Old Bridge. The purpose was to establish a single postal designation and ZIP code for the township and to differentiate the township from the Borough of Madison in Morris County.Launay, Michael J. Images of America: Old Bridge. Charleston, SC. Arcadia Publishing, 2002. . Accessed January 18, 2018.Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living In/Old Bridge Township, N.J.; Fast Growing, but With a Rural Ambience" , The New York Times, February 20, 2000. Accessed May 28, 2024. "Adopting the name Madison, the new township remained a sleepy farming community until 1950 when the postwar building boom hit. Within a decade, the population more than tripled to 22,772. By 1980, it had reached 51,406 and since then about 9,500 have been added." The community of Old Bridge in East Brunswick derives its name from the fact that the first bridge spanning the South River was built there, and as other bridges were built across the river the first one became known as "the Old Bridge."
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 40.93 square miles (106.00 km2), including 38.18 square miles (98.89 km2) of land and 2.75 square miles (7.11 km2) of water (6.71%).
Brownville (2020 population of 2,383), Laurence Harbor (6,635), Madison Park (8,050) and Old Bridge CDP (27,210) are unincorporated communities and census-designated places (CDPs) located within Old Bridge Township. Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names within Old Bridge Township include Browntown, Brunswick Gardens, Cheesequake, Cottrell Corners, Matchaponix, Moerls Corner, Morristown, Parlin, Redshaw Corner, Runyon, Sayre Woods South, South Old Bridge and Texas.Locality Search , State of New Jersey. Accessed April 8, 2015.
Old Bridge borders the municipalities of East Brunswick, Monroe Township, Sayreville and Spotswood in Middlesex County; Aberdeen, Manalapan, Marlboro and Matawan in Monmouth County; and shares a border with the borough of Staten Island in New York City, across the Raritan Bay.Areas touching Old Bridge Township , MapIt. Accessed June 30, 2015.Municipalities , Middlesex County, New Jersey. Accessed December 1, 2019.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries , New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
Major streams/rivers Raritan Bay South River Matchaponix Brook Deep Run Tennets Brook Barclay Brook Cheesequake Creek
Climate In previous decades the climate of Old Bridge was classified as hot-summer humid continental (Dfa) but according to the most recent temperature numbers it now has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa). The hardiness zones are 7a and 7b.
Demographics
2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 65,375 people, 23,777 households, and 17,333 families in the township. The population density was . There were 24,638 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 74.06% (48,418) White, 6.21% (4,063) Black or African American, 0.20% (129) Native American, 14.34% (9,374) Asian, 0.02% (10) Pacific Islander, 2.72% (1,780) from other races, and 2.45% (1,601) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.81% (7,064) of the population.
Of the 23,777 households, 33.7% had children under the age of 18; 58.5% were married couples living together; 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present and 27.1% were non-families. Of all households, 22.6% were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.25.
22.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 30.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 95.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 92.5 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $82,640 (with a margin of error of +/− $6,053) and the median family income was $98,634 (+/− $2,857). Males had a median income of $67,487 (+/− $3,364) versus $48,856 (+/− $3,104) for females. The per capita income for the township was $35,666 (+/− $1,152). About 3.1% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for Old Bridge township, Middlesex County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 11, 2012.
2000 census As of the 2000 United States census there were 60,456 people, 21,438 households, and 15,949 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 21,896 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 79.48% White, 10.82% Asian, 5.30% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.87% from other races and 2.32% from two or more races. 7.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Old Bridge township, Middlesex County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 15, 2013.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Old Bridge township, Middlesex County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 15, 2013.
There were 21,438 households, out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.2% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.30.