Metuchen, New Jersey | |
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Borough | |
Borough of Metuchen | |
Main Street, Metuchen, in spring
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Nickname(s): The Historic Brainy Borough | |
Map of Metuchen in Middlesex County. Inset: Middlesex County highlighted in the State of New Jersey. |
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Census Bureau map of Metuchen, New Jersey |
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Coordinates: 40°32′33″N 74°21′46″W / 40.542445°N 74.362767°WCoordinates: 40°32′33″N 74°21′46″W / 40.542445°N 74.362767°W | |
Country | United States |
State | New Jersey |
County | Middlesex |
Incorporated | March 20, 1900 |
Government | |
• Type | Borough |
• Body | Borough Council |
• Mayor | Peter Cammarano (D, term ends December 31, 2019) |
• Administrator | Jennifer Maier |
• Clerk | Susan Jackson |
Area | |
• Total | 2.766 sq mi (7.166 km2) |
• Land | 2.764 sq mi (7.160 km2) |
• Water | 0.002 sq mi (0.006 km2) 0.09% |
Area rank | 356th of 566 in state 18th of 25 in county |
Elevation | 95 ft (29 m) |
Population (2010 Census) | |
• Total | 13,574 |
• Estimate (2015) | 13,886 |
• Rank | 184th of 566 in state 18th of 25 in county |
• Density | 4,910.4/sq mi (1,895.9/km2) |
• Density rank | 113th of 566 in state 9th of 25 in county |
Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
• Summer (DST) | Eastern (EDT) (UTC-4) |
ZIP code | 08840 |
Area code(s) | 732 |
FIPS code | 3402145690 |
GNIS feature ID | 0885298 |
Website | www |
Metuchen (/mᵻˈtʌtʃᵻn/ mə-TUCH-ən) is a borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, which is 5 miles (8.0 km) northeast of New Brunswick, 13 miles (21 km) miles southwest of Newark, 17 miles (27 km) southwest of Jersey City, and 21 miles (34 km) southwest of Manhattan, all part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 13,574, reflecting an increase of 734 (+5.7%) from the 12,840 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 36 (+0.3%) from the 12,804 counted in the 1990 Census.
Metuchen was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 20, 1900, from portions of Raritan Township (now known as Edison).
Until 1870, what is now Metuchen was part of Woodbridge Township. Because the settlers in the western part of the township were so far removed from the village of Woodbridge, they early developed a separate identity. The name "Metuchen" first appeared in 1688/1689, and its name was derived from the name of a Native American chief, known as Matouchin or Matochshegan. In 1701, an overseer of roads was appointed for "Metuchen district". In 1705, Main Street was laid out at the same time as the road from Metuchen to Woodbridge, which one source calls a "reworking of the original road".