Metuchen, New Jersey

Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.03% (1510) of the population.

In 1646, Chief Matouchin was part of a group that included 1,200 warriors.

The name "Metuchen" first appeared in 1688/1689, and its name was derived from the name of a Native American chief, whose name was variously spelled 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".

Sometime between 1717 and 1730, a meeting house was constructed for weekday meetings conducted by the pastor of the Woodbridge Presbyterian Church.

In 1756, Metuchen Presbyterians succeeded in forming their own congregation, attesting to their growing numbers.

In 1770, the congregations merged, with Metuchen getting 2/5 of the pastor's services and Woodbridge 3/5; by 1772, Metuchen had grown sufficiently to warrant half of his time.

In 1793, the two churches again separated.

A map from 1799 shows ten buildings in the center of the community along Main Street.

The opening of the Middlesex and Essex Turnpike (now Middlesex Avenue, portions in concurrency with Route 27) in 1806, and the Perth Amboy and Bound Brook Turnpike in 1808 did n...

The Old Franklin Schoolhouse is a one-room school on Route 27 (Middlesex Avenue) near Main Street built in 1807 and used until 1870.

By 1834, a Presbyterian church, a store, two taverns and about a dozen dwellings could be found.

In 1836, the New Jersey Railroad was completed to New Brunswick.

Between 1859 and 1866 the Reformed Church was organized, the first Catholic mass was celebrated and St.

Until 1870, what is now Metuchen was part of Woodbridge Township.

In 1873, the town hosted Howard Newton Fuller and the Rutgers College Glee Club in the first-ever performance of their alma mater.

In 1879, the literary and debating society was formed, and in 1883 the Village Improvement Society.

By 1882, Metuchen School #15 had an enrollment of 256 pupils, and by 1885 the New Jersey Gazette listed 37 businesses.

In 1894, telegraph service was begun and in 1897 telephone service begun by the N.Y.

In 1899, a new street lighting system was installed.

Metuchen was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 20, 1900, from portions of Raritan Township (Since renamed to Edison).

In 1906, it was acquired and restored by the Borough Improvement League and is currently used as a community music venue.

A larger Franklin School, built in 1909, once stood at the intersection of Middlesex and Lake Avenues but fell into disrepair in the mid-1980s.

Metuchen Memorial Park is a war memorial that was created starting in 1925 to honor those who served during World War I and has been updated since then to honor those Metuchen r...

Tommy's Pond, on a 1.8-acre (0.73 ha) site donated to the borough in 1929, includes a 0.4-acre (0.16 ha) pond that is used for an annual fishing derby.

Route 1 just south of Metuchen in 1930 diverted traffic away from Middlesex Avenue, helping the borough retain its residential character.

It was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1942 and given a Certification of Eligibility for the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places in 1990.

From 1948 until 2004, the Ford Motor Company manufactured seven million Ford and Mercury vehicles, including the Ford Mustang, at Edison Assembly, which was named for Metuchen u...

On November 19, 1981, Metuchen became the Seat of the newly established Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen.

It was established in 1982.

Metuchen has been a state-designated "town center" since 1996 and "transit village" since 2001.

It was demolished in 1999 to make way for a residential development called Franklin Square.

=== 2000 census === As of the 2000 United States census there were 12,840 people, 4,992 households, and 3,584 families residing in the borough.

In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 57.9% of the vote (4,152 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W.

Metuchen Borough Hall, dedicated in 2005, replaced a structure built in 1924 during the City Beautiful movement.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $94,410 (with a margin of error of +/− $10,4...

The Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5 Year Data (2009-2021) showed that median household income was $141,915 (with a margin of error of +/− $8,343) and the median fami...

=== 2010 census === The 2010 United States census counted 13,574 people, 5,243 households, and 3,744 families in the borough.

=== Politics === As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 9,520 registered voters in Metuchen, of which 4,120 (43.3%) were registered as Democrats, 1,528 (16.1%) were registe...

Plans to build a residential and commercial center with 700 parking spaces on a parking lot adjacent to the train station were announced in July 2014.

It is part of the Middlesex Avenue–Woodwild Park Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 31, 2017.

Hirsch served on an interim basis until the November 2019 general election, when he was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.

== Demographics == === 2020 census === The 2020 United States census counted 15,049 people and 5,255 households in the borough.

In 2022, Metuchen was nominated as one of the eight semifinalists for the 2023 Great American Main Street Award .

Metuchen's Main Street won Great American Main Street of the Year in 2023.

In April 2024, Metuchen was named by Money Magazine as the best place to live in New Jersey and one of the best to live in the country.

As of 2025, Middlesex County's Commissioners (with party affiliation, term-end year, and residence listed in parentheses) are: Director Ronald G.

For the 2026–2027 session, the 18th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Patrick J.

Members of the borough council are Council President Jason Delia (D, 2027), Joel Branch (D, 2027), Lisa Hyman (D, 2028), Vinita Jethwani (D, 2026), Tyler Kandel (D, 2026) and Me...