Bridgewater Township, New Jersey
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. The township is located roughly 32 miles (51 km) away from Manhattan and about 20 miles (32 km) away from Staten Island.
Bridgewater Township, New Jersey | |
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Township | |
Raritan River as seen from Duke Island Park RWJ Somerset University Hospital U.S. Route 22 TD Bank Ballpark Sri Venkateswara Temple Van Veghten House North Branch Bridge | |
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Seal | |
Census Bureau map of Bridgewater Township, New Jersey
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Bridgewater Location in Somerset County Bridgewater Location in New Jersey Bridgewater Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 40.592358°N 74.60401°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Somerset |
| Royal charter | April 4, 1749 |
| Incorporated | February 21, 1798 |
| Named for | English town of Bridgwater |
| Government | |
| • Type | Faulkner Act Mayor-council |
| • Body | Township Council |
| • Mayor | Matthew Moench (R, term ends December 31, 2023) |
| • Administrator | Michael Pappas |
| • Municipal clerk | Linda Doyle |
| Area | |
| • Total | 32.36 sq mi (83.81 km2) |
| • Land | 31.89 sq mi (82.59 km2) |
| • Water | 0.47 sq mi (1.23 km2) 1.46% |
| • Rank | 76th of 565 in state 4th of 21 in county |
| Elevation | 138 ft (42 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 45,977 |
| • Estimate (2022) | 46,318 |
| • Rank | 46th of 565 in state 2nd of 21 in county |
| • Density | 1,441.8/sq mi (556.7/km2) |
| • Rank | 342nd of 565 in state 9th of 21 in county |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT)) |
| ZIP Code | |
| Area code(s) | 732 and 908 |
| FIPS code | 3403507720 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882171 |
| Website | www |
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).
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.