Edison, New Jersey

Edison, New Jersey
Nickname: 
"Birthplace of the Modern World"
Motto(s): 
"Let There Be Light"
"Birthplace of Recorded Sound"
Location of Edison in Middlesex County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Middlesex County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Census Bureau map of Edison, New Jersey
Interactive map of Edison, New Jersey
Edison Township
Location in Middlesex County
Edison Township
Location in New Jersey
Edison Township
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 40°31′39″N 74°23′36″W / 40.5274°N 74.3933°W / 40.5274; -74.3933
Country United States
State New Jersey
CountyMiddlesex
Settled1651
IncorporatedMarch 17, 1870 (as Raritan Township)
RenamedNovember 10, 1954 (as Edison Township)
Named afterThomas Edison
Government
 • TypeFaulkner Act Mayor-Council
 • BodyTownship Council
 • MayorSamip Joshi (D, term ends December 31, 2029)
 • AdministratorSonia Alves-Viveiros
 • Municipal clerkCheryl Russomanno
Area
 • Total
30.69 sq mi (79.49 km2)
 • Land30.06 sq mi (77.86 km2)
 • Water0.63 sq mi (1.63 km2)  2.05%
 • Rank88th of 565 in state
4th of 25 in county
Elevation
39 ft (12 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
107,588
 • Estimate 
(2023)
106,836
 • Rank6th of 565 in state
1st of 25 in county
 • Density3,578.2/sq mi (1,381.6/km2)
  • Rank187th of 565 in state
14th of 25 in county
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Codes
08817, 08818, 08820, 08837, 08899
Area codes732 and 908
FIPS code3402320230
GNIS feature ID0882166
Websitewww.edisonnj.org

Edison is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. Situated in Central New Jersey within the core of the state's Raritan Valley region, Edison is a commercial hub (home to Menlo Park Mall and Little India) and is a bedroom community of New York City within the New York metropolitan area.

As of the 2020 United States census, the township was the state's sixth-most-populous municipality, with a population of 107,588, an increase of 7,621 (+7.6%) from the 2010 census count of 99,967, which in turn reflected an increase of 2,280 (+2.3%) from the 97,687 counted in the 2000 census.

What is now Edison Township was originally incorporated as Raritan Township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1870, from portions of both Piscataway and Woodbridge Township. The township got its original name from the Raritan indigenous people. Portions of the township were taken to form Metuchen on March 20, 1900, and Highland Park on March 15, 1905. The name was officially changed to Edison Township on November 10, 1954, in honor of inventor Thomas Edison, who had his main laboratory in the Menlo Park section of the township.