Bridgewater Township is a township in Somerset County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located within the heart of the Raritan Valley region. Situated within Central New Jersey and crisscrossed by several major highways, the township is known for being both the regional commercial hub for Somerset County (home to Bridgewater Commons and different corporate headquarters) and as a suburban bedroom community of New York City within the New York metropolitan area.Garbarine, Rachel. "In the Region/New Jersey; Bridgewater Commons Is Entering the Home Stretch", The New York Times, May 21, 2000. Accessed June 27, 2022. The township is located roughly away from Manhattan and about away from Staten Island.Bridgewater NJ to New York NY, Distance between cities. Accessed June 27, 2022.Bridgewater NJ to Tottenville NY Distance between cities. Accessed June 27, 2022.

Bridgewater Township was created by Royal charter on April 4, 1749, from portions of the Northern precinct. It was incorporated as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships by the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, under the Township Act of 1798. During the nineteenth century, portions of the township were taken to form Warren Township (March 5, 1806), Branchburg Township (April 5, 1845), Somerville (March 25, 1863), Raritan (April 3, 1868) and Bound Brook (March 24, 1869).Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. Accessed May 1, 2026.

As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 45,977, an increase of 1,513 (+3.4%) from the 2010 census count of 44,464, which in turn reflected an increase of 1,524 (+3.5%) from the 42,940 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.

History

Bridgewater is a relatively large, suburban township located in the center of Somerset County. The area of the present Township of Bridgewater was originally purchased from a local Lenape Native American tribe. Bridgewater was chartered by George II of Great Britain in 1749 and incorporated on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's 104 original townships. It is named after the town of Bridgwater in the English county of Somerset.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed August 27, 2015.

Tradition holds that it was at the Middlebrook encampment the first official flag of the United States was unfurled, after law to adopt a national flag had been passed by Congress on June 14, 1777. By special order of Congress, a thirteen-star flag is flown 24 hours a day at the Washington Camp Ground, part of the former Middlebrook encampment, in Bridgewater. Since 1889, the first hoisting of the flag is commemorated annually each July 4 with a changing of the flag, a reading of the Declaration of Independence and the delivery of a historical address.Staff. "Patriotic Reading Again Saves Site", The New York Times, July 4, 1970. "Middlebrook Heights, N. J., July 3 (UPI) A reading of the Declaration of Independence tomorrow will preserve for another year the historic campsite here where George Washington is believed to have first flown the 13-star flag officially before his troops."

Until the 1960s, Bridgewater was largely known as a farming community. In the 1970s its population began to grow when residents of larger cities such as Plainfield and Newark started to migrate into Bridgewater as a result of the 1967 Plainfield Riots and 1967 Newark riots. Subsequently, Bridgewater started to receive an influx of residents who worked in the strong pharmaceutical, telecommunications and financial industries in Bridgewater and the Raritan Valley. More recently, there has also been growth as Bridgewater has become more popular with New York City commuters who use the Bridgewater Station on New Jersey Transit's Raritan Valley Line or Interstate 78 East to commute to New York City. Bridgewater is now a fairly developed suburban community, with only a few traces of its rural past still evident in the town (particularly in its northwestern section). Bridgewater is now Somerset County's second-most populous municipality, after Franklin Township.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 32.36 square miles (83.81 km2), including 31.89 square miles (82.59 km2) of land and 0.47 square miles (1.23 km2) of water (1.46%).

While much of Bridgewater has a relatively flat terrain, the northeastern portion of the township is very hilly, with the First Ridge of the Watchung Mountains (sometimes known as the First Watchung Mountain) passing through the township. Additionally, the Second Ridge (Second Watchung Mountain) passes north of the township border. At the border with Warren Township, the Second Ridge features a prominent basalt cliff face at the former Dock Watch Quarry.

The Raritan River and its branches and tributaries form much of Bridgewater's borders with other municipalities and a number of smaller rivers and streams run through Bridgewater. The Raritan itself runs along Bridgewater's southern border (except where Somerville and Raritan were carved out as separate boroughs) and the North Branch of the Raritan River forms the township's western border with Branchburg. The North Branch and South Branch of the Raritan River meet at the extreme southwestern corner of Bridgewater at the border with both Branchburg Township and Hillsborough Township; this point, known as the Raritan River Confluence, was once intended to be a major reservoir.

Bradley Gardens (with a 2020 Census population of 14,077), Bridgewater Center (6,082), Finderne (6,392), Green Knoll (6,594), and Martinsville (12,147) are census-designated places and unincorporated communities located within Bridgewater Township., United States Census Bureau. Accessed February 11, 2013.2006-2010 American Community Survey Geography for New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed February 11, 2013.New Jersey: 2010 - Population and Housing Unit Counts - 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32), United States Census Bureau, August 2012. Accessed February 11, 2013. Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Chimney Rock, Hobbstown, Middle Brook Heights, Milltown, and Sunset Lake.Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed December 20, 2014.

Bridgewater borders 13 other municipalities. Its longest borders are with Branchburg Township, Bedminster Township, Bernards Township, Warren Township, Bound Brook, Somerville, and Raritan. It also borders Green Brook (though connected only by Route 22), Middlesex (though connected only by one local street), South Bound Brook (a very short border in the middle of the Raritan River), Franklin Township (the only street connection is Interstate 287), Manville (the only street connection is Finderne Avenue, a county highway), and Hillsborough Township (no direct street connection).Areas touching Bridgewater Township, MapIt. Accessed March 21, 2020.Municipalities, Somerset County, New Jersey. Accessed March 21, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.

Bridgewater Township's ZIP Code is 08807, with 08836 used in the community of Martinsville, and 08805 used in the Thomae Park section (mailing address of Bound Brook). Bridgewater's area codes are 908 and 732/848. Bridgewater is in Raritan Valley (a line of cities in Central New Jersey). Bridgewater lies in the western division of the Raritan Valley along with Branchburg and Raritan.

Communities

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. Bridgewater Center: Located in the west-central part of Bridgewater, bordered to the northeast by Green Knoll (along Interstate 287), to the southwest by Bradley Gardens (along Route 28), to the south by Raritan (also along Route 28) and Somerville (along U.S. Route 22), to the northwest by Bedminster Township and the west by Branchburg. North Branch (eastern portion): 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 TD Bank Ballpark, home to the Somerset Patriots, are located here. 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 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 it as "the Van Holten area" after the elementary school located there. It borders Bedminster and Branchburg. Milltown/Vanderveer Road Area: This area is northeast of Bradley Gardens bordering Raritan and Branchburg. It is mainly a residential community with many new homes. Martinsville: Located in northeastern Bridgewater near Warren Township and Bernards Township. This is an affluent, 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; it is the portion of Bridgewater through which the Watchung Mountains pass. Sunset Lake: Built around a man-made lake in the extreme northern part of Bridgewater, near the interchange of Interstate 287 and Interstate 78. Some of its residents have the Basking Ridge ZIP Code 07920.

Demographics

According to National Geographic magazine, Bridgewater has an unusually high number of twins and triplets.08730 Triplet Epidemic , National Geographic, October 2005.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 44,464 people, 16,111 households, and 12,035 families in the township. The population density was . There were 16,657 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 76.46% (33,996) White, 2.38% (1,059) Black or African American, 0.10% (46) Native American, 17.83% (7,927) Asian, 0.00% (2) Pacific Islander, 1.46% (647) from other races, and 1.77% (787) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 6.76% (3,004) of the population.

Of the 16,111 households, 38.3% had children under the age of 18; 64.1% were married couples living together; 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 25.3% were non-families. Of all households, 21.8% were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.21.

25.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 30.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.8 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 87.8 males.