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Piscataway Township, New Jersey

Encyclopedia : P : PI : PIS : Piscataway Township, New Jersey

For other uses, see Piscataway (disambiguation).

Piscataway Township (pronounced Pis-CAT-a-way) is a Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 50,482.

Piscataway Township was founded in 1666, and officially incorporated in 1798. The community, the fifth oldest municipality in New Jersey, has grown from Native American territory, through a colonial period and is one of the links in the earliest settlement of the Atlantic Ocean seacoast that ultimately led to the formation of the United States.

Piscataway is in Central Jersey with easy access to major highways, including Interstate 287, the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike.

Society Hill is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Piscataway Township.

Piscataway has advanced educational and research facilities due to the presence of Rutgers University and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Rutgers Stadium is in Piscataway.

Contents

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 49.1 km² (19.0 mi²). 48.6 km² (18.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (1.05%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 50,482 people, 16,500 households, and 12,325 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,037.9/km² (2,688.6/mi²). There were 16,946 housing units at an average density of 348.4/km² (902.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 48.81% White, 20.31% African American, 0.21% Native American, 24.80% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.08% from other races, and 2.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.93% of the population.

As part of the 2000 Census, 12.49% of Piscataway's residents identified themselves as being Indian American. This was the ninth highest percentage of Indian people in any place in the United States with 1,000 or more residents identifiying their ancestry[Asian Indian Communities], accessed June 28, 2006.

There were 16,500 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.29.

In the township the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 14.1% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $68,721, and the median income for a family was $75,218. Males had a median income of $47,188 versus $36,271 for females. The per capita income for the township was $26,321. About 2.7% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

In November, 1966, Piscataway voters, under the Faulkner Act, approved a Charter Study and elected a Charter Study Commission to recommend the form of Government best suited to Piscataway's needs. The Commission recommended Mayor-Council Plan F, and in November 1967, the voters approved, and the new form of government was inaugurated on January 1, 1969. Under Plan F the Mayor is the administrator and the Council is the legislative body. A full time business administrator, appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the Council, and responsible to the Mayor, supervises the day-by-day operation of municipal government. Terms of office for the Mayor and Council members are four years, on a staggered schedule. There are seven Council members, one representing each of four wards, and three At-Large members.

The Mayor of Piscataway is Brian C. Wahler. Members of the Township Council are[Piscataway Mayor and Council], accessed July 9, 2006:

Federal, state and county representation

Piscataway is in the Sixth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 17th Legislative District.

New Jersey's Sixth Congressional District, covering portions of Middlesex County and Monmouth County, is represented by Frank Pallone (D). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Robert Menendez (D, Union City).

The 17th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Bob Smith (D, Piscataway) and in the Assembly by Upendra J. Chivukula (D, Somerset) and Joseph V. Egan (D, New Brunswick). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).

Middlesex County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. Middlesex County's Freeholders are: Freeholder Director David B. Crabiel, Freeholder Deputy Director Stephen J. "Pete" Dalina, Camille Fernicola, H. James Polos, John Pulomena, Christopher D. Rafano and Blanquita B. Valenti.

Education

The Piscataway Township Schools serves almost 7,000 students in grades kindergarten through 12 under the leadership of Superintendent of Schools, Robert L. Copeland. In addition to its high school, there are four schools that educate students in kindergarten through third grade, two intermediate schools serving grades 4-5, and three middle schools for students in grades six, seven, and eight.

Schools in the district (with 2003-04 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are:

Elementary Schools (Grades K-3)

Intermediate Schools (Grades 4-5) Middle Schools (Grades 6-8) High School (Grades 9-12) Piscataway Private Schools include:

References

External links

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