Somerset, New Jersey Explained

Official Name:Somerset, New Jersey
Settlement Type:Census-designated place
Mapsize:250x200px
Pushpin Map:USA New Jersey Somerset County#USA New Jersey#USA
Pushpin Label:Somerset
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Somerset County##Location in New Jersey##Location in the United States
Pushpin Relief:yes
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Somerset
Subdivision Type3:Township
Subdivision Name3:Franklin
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:16.74
Area Land Km2:16.39
Area Water Km2:0.35
Area Total Sq Mi:6.46
Area Land Sq Mi:6.33
Area Water Sq Mi:0.13
Area Water Percent:1.82
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:22968
Population Density Km2:1401.11
Population Density Sq Mi:3629.01
Timezone:Eastern (EST)
Utc Offset:−05:00
Timezone Dst:Eastern (EDT)
Utc Offset Dst:−04:00
Elevation Footnotes:[2]
Elevation M:36
Elevation Ft:118
Coordinates:40.5085°N -74.5002°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP Codes
Postal Code:08873, 08875[3]
Area Code:732/848
Blank Info:[4] [5]
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:02390312[6] [7]
Blank Name:FIPS code

Somerset is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Franklin Township, in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[8] [9] [10] [11] As of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP's population was 22,083.[12]

Somerset housed one of the first Marconi Wireless Stations in the United States.[13] [14]

History

New Brunswick Marconi Station was located at JFK Boulevard and Easton Avenue just a few minutes from the New Brunswick border. Today it is the site of Marconi Park. It was an early radio transmitter facility built in 1913 and operated by the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America. After the interruption of transatlantic telegraph cables by enemy action, the facility was confiscated by the United States Navy on April 7, 1917,[15] to provide transatlantic communications during World War I. The New Brunswick Naval Radio Station was the principal wartime communication link between the United States and Europe, using the callsign NFF. President Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points speech was transmitted from the site in 1918. After the war, ownership of the station, along with Marconi's other US assets, was transferred from the navy to RCA.[16] The antenna masts were demolished in 1952 to make room for what is now a small mall containing a Kmart, but the buildings on the other side of JFK Boulevard were spared. All but one of the brick buildings were demolished around 2004 to make way for a storage locker facility. The bricks and tiles were saved for use in any future restoration of the spared building, and the Marconi facility in Belmar, New Jersey.

During World War I, the original Marconi spark-gap transmitter was replaced with an Alexanderson alternator, the invention of the famous General Electric engineer, with an output power of 200 kilowatts and looking like an ordinary power station generator. Its frequency was around 17 kHz, which made its wavelength around 17,500 meters. The station used a huge 5000adj=midNaNadj=mid antenna supported by eight 400feet tall steel masts, similar to the AT&T long wave telephone transmitter at RCA's Rocky Point, Long Island, transmitter facility.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP had a total area of 6.444 square miles (16.692 km2), including 6.327 square miles (16.388 km2) of land and 0.117 square miles (0.304 km2) of water (1.82%).[4] [17]

Climate

The climate in the area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally cool to cold winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Somerset has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.[18]

Demographics

Census 2010

The 2010 United States census counted 22,083 people, 8,594 households, and 5,552 families in the CDP. The population density was . There were 8,883 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 47.04% (10,387) White, 28.88% (6,378) Black or African American, 0.23% (50) Native American, 17.59% (3,885) Asian, 0.01% (3) Pacific Islander, 2.98% (659) from other races, and 3.26% (721) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.47% (2,092) of the population.[12]

Of the 8,594 households, 27.7% had children under the age of 18; 51.1% were married couples living together; 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 35.4% were non-families. Of all households, 29.0% were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.14.[12]

20.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.8 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 87.2 males.[12]

Census 2000

At the 2000 United States Census[19] there were 23,040 people, 8,238 households and 5,799 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4322.7sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 8,424 housing units at an average density of 1580.5sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the CDP was 43.94% White, 38.55% African American, 0.26% Native American, 8.23% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 6.04% from other races, and 2.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.00% of the population.[20]

There were 8,238 households, of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.29.[20]

24.0% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.[20]

The median household income was $65,831 and the median family income was $73,040. Males had a median income of $50,309 versus $36,162 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $26,798. About 4.9% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.9% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.[20]

Economy

SHI International and Catalent are headquartered in Somerset.

PIM Brands (Division of The Promotion In Motion Companies and Makers of Welch's Fruit Snacks) operates a manufacturing plant in Somerset.

Meda Pharmaceuticals' U.S. home office is located in Somerset.

Based on 2011 data from the United States Census Bureau, The Washington Post named Somerset County as having sixth-highest median household income of any county in the United States.[21]

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Somerset include:

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ArcGIS REST Services Directory. United States Census Bureau. October 11, 2022.
  2. , Geographic Names Information System. Accessed January 13, 2013.
  3. http://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupResultsAction!input.action?resultMode=0&city=somerset&state=NJ Look Up a ZIP Code for Somerset, NJ
  4. http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2010_place_list_34.txt Gazetteer of New Jersey Places
  5. https://mcdc.missouri.edu/applications/geocodes/?state=34 Geographic Codes Lookup for New Jersey
  6. http://geonames.usgs.gov US Board on Geographic Names
  7. https://mcdc.missouri.edu/applications/geocodes/?state=34 Geographic codes for New Jersey
  8. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY10/0500000US34035 GCT-PH1 - Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County -- County Subdivision and Place from the 2010 Census Summary File 1 for Somerset County, New Jersey
  9. http://www2.census.gov/acs2010_5yr/summaryfile/UserTools/Geography/NJ.xls 2006-2010 American Community Survey Geography for New Jersey
  10. https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-32.pdf New Jersey: 2010 - Population and Housing Unit Counts - 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32)
  11. http://www.state.nj.us/infobank/localnames.txt Locality Search
  12. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/1600000US3468370 DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Somerset CDP, New Jersey
  13. Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living In/Somerset, N.J.; Diversity, Stability and Convenience", The New York Times, May 20, 2001. Accessed January 13, 2013. "Somerset also figured prominently in World War I. In 1913, the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company built a giant radio transmission station in Somerset and suspended a milelong antenna from a series of 440-foot-high steel masts along the canal route. In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson used the station to broadcast an appeal to Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II to abdicate, an address that historians credit with hastening the armistice."
  14. Staff. "Marconi Flash To Wales.; First Message Sent from New Wireless Station at New Brunswick", The New York Times, July 3, 1914. Accessed January 13, 2013.
  15. Web site: Howeth: Chapter XX. 1963 . 2018-03-06.
  16. [William B. Brahms]
  17. https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990
  18. http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=729082&cityname=Somerset%2C+New+Jersey%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Somerset, New Jersey
  19. https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website
  20. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/00_SF1/DP1/1600000US3468370 DP-1 - Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 from the Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Somerset CDP, New Jersey
  21. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/local/highest-income-counties/ "Highest Income Counties in 2011"
  22. Newman, Josh. "Rutgers' Agudosi embracing last chance to make impact", Asbury Park Press, August 24, 2016. Accessed December 10, 2017. "'This year is going to be big to prove what I can do,' said Agudosi, a Somerset native and 2012 graduate of Franklin High School."
  23. Staff. "Dr. Anthony Bartholomay Former Member of MCO Facility", Toledo Blade, March 25, 1975. Accessed May 14, 2016.
  24. http://votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=55075 Assembly Member Upendra J. Chivukula
  25. https://www.raritanval.edu/general-information/newsroom/documentary-local-holocaust-survivor-screened-george-street-playhouse "Documentary About Local Holocaust Survivor To Be Screened At George Street Playhouse"
  26. https://winthropeagles.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/krystyna-freda/3325 Krystyna Freda
  27. via Associated Press. "N.J. natives haunt Nets", Courier News, March 27, 1986. Accessed June 15, 2021. "But last night, Edgar Jones, a Newark native, tapped in a missed shot by Roy Hinson, a Franklin Township product, with four seconds left to give the Cavaliers a 110-108 victory over the Nets before 10,278."
  28. O'Brien, Kathleen. "Ebola triggers caution in N.J.'s West African communities", Inside Jersey, October 7, 2014. Accessed November 10, 2018. "'It’s awkward,' said Leeroy Wilfred Kabs-Kanu, a United Nations representative for Sierra Leone who lives in Somerset."
  29. https://hokiesports.com/sports/wrestling/roster/mekhi-lewis/12957 Mekhi Lewis - Wrestling - Virginia Tech Athletics
  30. Teeman, Tim. "Meet Christopher Massimine, the ‘Nice Goy’ Running the National Yiddish Theatre", The Daily Beast, April 1, 2018. Accessed June 15, 2021. "An only child, Massimine was born in Italy, and came to America at 8 months old, his parents—mother a nurse, father an accountant—settling in Somerset, New Jersey."
  31. Fremon, Suzanne S. "State Has 13 on Olympic Team", The New York Times, August 13, 1972. Accessed November 22, 2017. "Judy Melick, 17, of Somerset is the youngest of the New Jersey members of the Olympic team."
  32. Staff. "Franklin Girl Will Swim For U.S. Olympic Team", The Franklin News-Record, August 17, 1972. Accessed November 23, 2017. "Judy Melick of Franklin Township will represent the United States in the XX Olympiad in Munich, Germany next month."
  33. Hockley, Rujeko; Panetta, Jane. Whitney Biennial 2019, p. 86. Yale University Press, 2019. . Accessed October 29, 2019. "Jeanette Mundt - Born 1982 in Princeton, NJ; lives in Somerset, NJ"
  34. Bembry, Jerry. "A man of contradictions – Basketball: Joe Pace was supremely talented on the court, but even more troubled off it. Instead of becoming a rich NBA star, the ex-Coppin State center sank into homelessness.: Joe Pace: A Man Of Contradictions", The Baltimore Sun, January 22, 1999. Accessed November 18, 2011. "On a tree-lined street in Somerset, Josephine and Herbert Pace raised five boys and one girl. One roof. Eight people. And, as Joe Pace tells it, zero sense of family."
  35. Heininger, Claire; and Margolin, Josh. "Randal Pinkett, former 'Apprentice' star, on Corzine's shortlist for lieutenant governor", The Star-Ledger, July 14, 2009. Accessed January 13, 2013. "Pinkett, who lives in Somerset with his wife and daughter, is a millionaire CEO who holds five academic degrees, including one from Rutgers University. He gained fame in 2005, when he beat out 15 other young entrepreneurs on Trump's reality show to win a job working for the business mogul."
  36. https://web.archive.org/web/20150915045609/http://www.teamusa.org/usa-track-and-field/athletes/Jeff-Porter Jeff Porter
  37. Carino, Jerry. "With a gutsy gesture, Jersey's Breein Tyree swats Confederate 'hate groups' at Ole Miss", Asbury Park Press, March 5, 2019. Accessed December 16, 2019. "That’s exactly what Breein Tyree and his University of Mississippi basketball teammates did Feb. 23. Tyree, a Somerset native who starred at St. Joseph-Metuchen High School, was one of six players who took a knee during national anthem to protest a Confederacy rally near the arena."
  38. Web site: На 96-м годзе жыцця памёр адзін з найстарэйшых і самых вядомых дзеячаў беларускай дыяспары ў ЗША, гісторык, публіцыст Янка Запруднік.. Publicist and historian Janka Zaprudnik, one of the oldest and most well-known figures of Belarusian diaspora in United States dies at 96th year of life. Naša Niva. 26 May 2022.

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