Middlesex County

Middlesex County is a county located in the north-central part of the U.S. state of New Jersey, extending inland from the Raritan Valley region to the northern portion of the Jersey Shore. As of the 2020 United States census, the county was the state's third-most populous county[7] with a population of 863,162,[4][5] its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 53,304 (+6.6%) from the 2010 census count of 809,858,[8] which in turn reflected an increase of 59,696 (8.0%) from the 750,162 counted in the 2000 census.[9][10] Middlesex is part of the New York metropolitan area. Many communities within the county serve as commuter towns to and from New York City and other points north. The county is part of the Central Jersey region of the state.[11][12][13]

The county is located in the middle of the Northeast megalopolis of the U.S. Its county seat is the city of New Brunswick,[2] a center for the sciences, arts, and cultural activities, and the headquarters of the state's flagship academic institution, Rutgers University.[14] The county's most populous place, with 107,588 residents as of the 2020 census, is Edison,[15] while Monroe Township covers the largest area of any municipality, at 42.19 square miles (109.3 km2).[16] Since the 2010 census, the state's center of population is in East Brunswick; the center of population for New Jersey has been in Middlesex County since the 1900 census.[17] Middlesex County hosts an extensive transportation network, including several rail stations along the heavily traveled Northeast Corridor Line of the New Jersey Transit commuter rail system, as well as the intersection of the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, the state's two busiest motor vehicle roadways, in Woodbridge Township. Middlesex County calls itself The Greatest County in the Land.[1]

The county was primarily settled due to its optimal location along the Raritan River.[18] Middlesex was originally formed as one of four administrative districts within Province of East Jersey in 1675, together with Bergen, Essex and Monmouth districts. Middlesex County was formed within East Jersey on March 7, 1683.[19] The population increased so the county was partitioned on October 31, 1693, into the townships of Piscataway, Perth Amboy, and Woodbridge. Adjacent Somerset County was established on May 14, 1688, created from portions of Middlesex County.[19]

The county's first court met in June 1683 in Piscataway, and held session at alternating sites over the next century in Perth Amboy, Piscataway, and Woodbridge before relocating permanently to New Brunswick in 1778.[20] Despite its status as a residential, commercial, and industrial stronghold and a centrally accessible transportation hub, Middlesex is also home to an extensive public park system with expansive greenways, totaling more than 6,300 acres (2,500 ha).[21] Middlesex County is most demographically notable as the U.S. county with the highest concentration of Asian Indians, at nearly 20% in 2020, spanning the county's boundaries between Little India, Edison/Iselin in the north and Monroe Township at its southern tip.