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Mayor of Branchburg, New Jersey

Branchburg, New Jersey
Township
Township of Branchburg
Bridge in Neshanic Station
Bridge in Neshanic Station
Official seal of Branchburg, New Jersey
Seal
Map of Branchburg Township in Somerset County. Inset: Location of Somerset County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Map of Branchburg Township in Somerset County. Inset: Location of Somerset County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Branchburg Township, New Jersey
Census Bureau map of Branchburg Township, New Jersey
Coordinates: 40°33′38″N 74°42′53″W / 40.560479°N 74.714754°W / 40.560479; -74.714754Coordinates: 40°33′38″N 74°42′53″W / 40.560479°N 74.714754°W / 40.560479; -74.714754
Country  United States
State  New Jersey
County Somerset
Incorporated April 5, 1845
Named for Raritan River juncture
Government
 • Type Township
 • Body Township Committee
 • Mayor Thomas Young (R, term ends December 31, 2017)
 • Administrator Gregory J. Bonin
 • Clerk Maggie Schmitt
Area
 • Total 20.279 sq mi (52.521 km2)
 • Land 20.044 sq mi (51.912 km2)
 • Water 0.235 sq mi (0.609 km2)  1.16%
Area rank 142nd of 566 in state
7th of 21 in county
Elevation 161 ft (49 m)
Population (2010 Census)
 • Total 14,459
 • Estimate (2015) 14,675
 • Rank 174th of 566 in state
8th of 21 in county
 • Density 721.4/sq mi (278.5/km2)
 • Density rank 412th of 566 in state
14th of 21 in county
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) Eastern (EDT) (UTC-4)
ZIP code 08853 - Neshanic Station
08876 - Somerville
Area code(s) 908
FIPS code 3403507180
GNIS feature ID 0882175
Website www.branchburg.nj.us

Branchburg is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 14,459, reflecting a decline of 107 (−0.7%) from the 14,566 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 3,678 (+33.8%) from the 10,888 counted in the 1990 Census.

While the area of today's Branchburg has a history antedating the American Revolutionary War, the township itself was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 5, 1845, from portions of Bridgewater Township. The township is named for its location at a point where branches of the Raritan River merge.

The land that is now known as Branchburg Township was originally inhabited by the Raritans, a tribe of the Lenni Lenape Native Americans. By 1686 most of the land was purchased from the Lenape by the Lords Proprietors of East Jersey, who sold the land in small parcels to numerous settlers, mostly of Dutch or English extraction. With the 1688 redrawing of the boundary between East and West Jersey, the Branchburg region was split between Essex County to the north and the newly formed Somerset County to the south. With Somerset's acquisition of territory from Essex and Middlesex Counties in 1741, Branchburg lay entirely within Somerset County.

Bridgewater Township was chartered in 1749. The residents of the part of Bridgewater west of the Raritan River petitioned the New Jersey Legislature for incorporation as a separate township, which was granted by an act dated April 5, 1845. The first town meeting was held April 14, 1845, in White Oak Tavern, a stagecoach stop and local meeting place along the Old York Road.


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