Middlesex County

As of the United States 2000 Census, the population was 750,162. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area and its county seat is New Brunswick. The center of population for New Jersey is located in Middlesex County, in the town of East Brunswick, just east of the New Jersey Turnpike.

The county ranks 63rd in the United States among the highest-income counties by medium household.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 323 square miles (835 km²), of which, 310 square miles (802 km²) of it is land and 13 square miles (33 km²) of it (3.97%) is water.

As of the census of 2000, there were 750,162 people, 265,815 households, and 190,855 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,422 people per square mile (935/km²). There were 273,637 housing units at an average density of 884 per square mile (341/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.42% White, 9.13% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 13.89% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 5.71% from other races, and 2.60% from two or more races. 13.59% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 15.0% were of Italian, 9.8% Irish, 8.0% Polish and 6.2% German ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 265,815 households out of which 34.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.00% were married couples living together, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 22.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.70% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 32.80% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 12.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $61,446, and the median income for a family was $70,749. Males had a median income of $49,683 versus $35,054 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,535. About 4.20% of families and 6.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.20% of those under age 18 and 6.00% of those ages 65 or over.

Middlesex County is served by New Jersey Transit for rail service and both New Jersey Transit and Coach USA for bus service. There are bus routes that serve all townships in the county. The main rail lines that serve Middlesex are: North Jersey Coast Line, Northeast Corridor Line, and Raritan Valley Line. The North Jersey Coast Line runs through the eastern part of the county. The Northeast Corridor Line runs through the northern and central part of the county. The Raritan Valley Line serves some communities along the county's northern border with Union County.

Intercity rail service is also provided by Amtrak. The routes that runs through Middlesex are Acela Express, Keystone, Regional, and Vermonter services.

EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES:
Serving approximately 100,000 primary and secondary school students are 175 public school, five County vocational-technical Schools, and over 70 parochial and private schools.

Middlesex County College, a two year education center for academic and technical training, was one of the first in the State. Graduate level studies are available at Rutgers, The state University of New Jersey. Located in Middlesex County are five main Rutgers campuses; Rutgers College, Cook College, Douglas College, Kilmer Campus, and the Busch Campus Home of New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry. Adjacent to Cook College is the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, a nationally recognized research center. The Forrestal Campus of Princeton University is located in Middlesex County, with Princeton University's main campus nearby.

HEALTH CARE:Middlesex County has five major hospitals with a total bedspace of 1,900. They include John F. Kennedy Medical Center, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Raritan Bay Medical Center (Old Bridge), Raritan Bay Medical Center (Perth Amboy), and St. Peter's University Hospital.

RECREATION:The Middlesex County Department of Parks and Recreation operates 18 county parks encompassing 6,600 acres. Thirteen of these parks contain active recreational facilities and five others are conservation areas or are being held for future recreational development. The County has acquired over 5,000 acres of open space through the Open Space Trust Fund, and an active farmland preservation program has preserved 3,400 acres.

The Middlesex County Improvement Authority operates three golfing facilities: The 36 hole Tamarack Golf Course in East Brunswick, the Meadows at Middlesex in Plainsboro, and the Raritan Landing Golf Course in Piscataway.County parks offer a wide range of excellent facilities, such as East Jersey Olde Towne, a collection of restored, reconstructed and replica buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries in Johnson Park. Popular programs are also featured, including "Plays-in-the-Park" series at the Stephen J. Capestro Theater in Roosevelt Park. There are also numerous private recreational complexes in the County, including golf centers and courses.

Among the historic sites that dot the county are the Cornelius Low House, which is an outstanding example of Georgian architecture and serves as the County museum, and the Edison Memorial State Park built on the site of Thomas Alva Edison's Menlo Park Library.