Raritan River

Raritan River
Raritan River as seen from Highland Park
Raritan River watershed: empties near Staten Island in Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.
Other name(s)	Rariton
Etymology	Raritan Indian tribe
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
Counties	Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Somerset
Municipalities	Bridgewater Township, Raritan, Somerville, Bound Brook, South Bound Brook, Piscataway, Franklin Township, New Brunswick, Highland Park, Edison, East Brunswick, Sayreville, Woodbridge, Perth Amboy, South Amboy
Basin features
Main source	Confluence of South Branch Raritan River and North Branch Raritan River 47.7 ft (14.5 m) 40°33′20.0″N 74°41′15.6″W / 40.555556°N 74.687667°W / 40.555556; -74.687667
River mouth	Raritan Bay 0 ft (0 m) 40°29′41.4″N 74°16′13.2″W / 40.494833°N 74.270333°W / 40.494833; -74.270333Coordinates: 40°29′41.4″N 74°16′13.2″W / 40.494833°N 74.270333°W / 40.494833; -74.270333
Basin size	1,100 sq mi (700,000 acres)
Population	~1.2 million
Tributaries	Left: Peters Brook, Cuckles Brook, Middle Brook, Green Brook, Mill Brook, Red Root Creek, Crows Mill Creek Right: Dukes Brook, Millstone River, Fox Creek, Mile Run, Lawrence Brook, South River
Bridges	Victory Bridge, Edison Bridge, Driscoll Bridge, New Jersey Turnpike, U.S. Highway No. 1 Bridge, highway bridge over South River at the town of South River
Physical characteristics
Length	69.6 mi (112.0 km)
Width	Average width: 200 ft (61 m)
Depth	Minimum depth: 9 ft (2.7 m) Maximum depth: 25 ft (7.6 m)
Discharge	Location: Bound Brook Minimum rate: 100 cu ft/s (2.8 m3/s) Average rate: 1,070 cu ft/s (30 m3/s) Maximum rate: 10,800 cu ft/s (310 m3/s)

The Raritan River is a major river of central New Jersey in the United States. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.

Geologists assert that the lower Raritan provided the course of the mouth of the Hudson River approximately 6,000 years ago. Following the end of the last ice age, the Narrows had not yet been formed and the Hudson flowed along the Watchung Mountains to present-day Bound Brook, then followed the course of the Raritan eastward into Lower New York Bay.

The river forms at the confluence of the North and South Branches just west of Somerville at the border of Bridgewater, Branchburg, and Hillsborough Townships. It flows for approximately 16 mi (26 km) before slowing in tidewater at New Brunswick, and its estuary extends 14 mi (23 km) more entering the western end of Raritan Bay at South Amboy.

The river has served an important water transportation route since the Pre-Columbian era. The name Raritan is also applied to the Raritan people, an Algonquian tribe that inhabited Staten Island, near the river's mouth. In colonial days, the river allowed the development of early industry around New Brunswick, as well as the transportation of agricultural materials from central New Jersey. During the American Revolutionary War, the river provided a means for troop conveyance. The construction of the Delaware and Raritan Canal along the right (south) bank of the river provided a critical link between New York City and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the Delaware River.