Bridgewater Township

Bridgewater Township is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. The township population in 2006 was 44,818.Bridgewater is a relatively large, 32.5 sq mi (84.3 km²), mostly affluent suburban township located in the center of Somerset County. The thirty-three square mile area which is now the Township of Bridgewater was originally purchased from a local Lenape Native American tribe. Bridgewater was chartered by George II of Great Britain in 1749.

The median income for a household in the township was $88,308, and the median income for a family was $99,832. Males had a median income of $67,089 versus $49,096 for females. The per capita income for the township was $39,555. About 1.6% of families and 2.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those ages 65 or over.According to National Geographic magazine, Bridgewater has an unusually high number of twins and triplets.

Bridgewater contains a number of communities and sections, many of which do not have officially defined boundaries. They include:

• Bradley Gardens: Located in southwestern Bridgewater, bordered on the east by Raritan and Branchburg to the west. This is one of Bridgewater's older residential areas but also includes some newer developments as well as a commercial area along Old York Road.

• Eastern North Branch: Most of North Branch is in Branchburg, but a portion lies to the east of the North Branch of the Raritan River, in Bridgewater Township.

• Finderne: Located in southeastern Bridgewater between Bound Brook and Somerville. This is a diverse area with older neighborhoods bordering Foothill Road, newer developments, multi-unit housing near the Raritan River/Manville border, as well as commercial and industrial areas. The Middlebrook Crossing industrial park, the Promenade shopping center and Commerce Bank Ballpark, home to the Somerset Patriots, are located here.

• Thomae Park: In the extreme eastern portion of Bridgewater, bordering Bound Brook and Middlesex. Residents there have a Bound Brook ZIP code. One of their main attractions is Thomae Park, which has a playground, basketball court, baseball field, and hiking trail.

• Green Knoll: Located in central Bridgewater, this is a residential area with many major commercial developments and government facilities, including the Bridgewater Commons Mall at the intersection of U.S. Route 22 and U.S. Route 202-206, a large office park just west of the Commons across 202-206, the municipal building and police station, and Bridgewater-Raritan High School.

• Country Club/Meadow Road Area: This area is referred to by some as the "Country Club-Meadow Road area" or similar names, after the major north-south streets there. Some also refer to "the Van Holten area" after the elementary school located there. It borders Bedminster and Branchburg. It is Bridgewater's most "rural" section, although it is comprised almost exclusively of residential communities.

• Milltown/Vanderveer Road Area: This area is known to some as the "Milltown-Vanderveer" area. The area is northeast of Bradley Gardens bordering Raritan and Branchburg. It is mainly a residential community with many new homes built in recent years.

• Martinsville: Located in northeastern Bridgewater near Warren Township and Bernards Township. This is a predominantly residential area, though it does have its own commercial center along Washington Valley Road, and its own post office and ZIP code. This also is a very hilly area as it is the portion of Bridgewater through which the Watchung Mountains pass.

• Sunset Lake: Built around a manmade lake in the extreme northern part of Bridgewater, near the interchange of Interstate 287 and Interstate 78. Some of the residents there have the Basking Ridge ZIP code 07920. Bridgewater is part of the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. All of the schools in the district are in Bridgewater except for Kennedy, which is in Raritan Borough.
  

Primary Schools (grades pre-K through 4):

• Adamsville School, 396 students.
• Bradley Gardens School, 302 students.
• Crim School, 425 students.
• Hamilton School, 366 students.
• John F. Kennedy School, 417 Students.
• Miltown School, 452 students.
• Van Holten School, 415 students.

Intermediate Schools (grades 5-6):

• Eisenhower School, 790 Students.
• Hillside School, 655 students.

Middle School:

• Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School, 2,174 students.

High School:

• Bridgewater-Raritan High School, 2,614 students - During the 1999-2000 school year, Bridgewater-Raritan High School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, the highest award an American school can receive.
• Raritan Valley Community College

Bridgewater is the home of the Somerset County Vocational and Technical High School, a four-year public high school that provides occupational and academic training to students from all of Somerset County.

Bridgewater is criss-crossed by several major highways, including Interstate 287, Interstate 78, U.S. 22, Route 202-206 and Route 28.The Raritan Valley Line of NJ Transit also passes through Bridgewater. There are two stations in the Finderne area and the Bridgewater station on the old American Cyanamid property. NJ Transit bus service is provided on the 114 route to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, to Newark on the 65 line (Limited) and local Wheels service on the 884 and 989 bus routes.

Bridgewater is primarily protected by the Bridgewater Police Department. This large department boasts a detective unit, a traffic unit, a patrol unit, and many other divisions. Fire Bridgewater has five all-volunteer fire companies.

Places of worship in Bridgewater include churches for a number of Christian denominations, Jewish synagogue, and temples for the Hindu and Sikh religions.

Bridgewater is home to 3600 acres of public and private parks and recreation opportunities. Bridgewater boasts Blue Ribbon schools, job opportunities in national and international pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms, and is home to the championship winning Somerset Patriots and Bridgewater Commons Mall, as well as numerous other shopping opportunities and hotels.