Somerset, New Jersey

Somerset is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Franklin Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States.[7][8][9][10] As of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP's population was 22,083.[3]

Not to be confused with Somerset, Mercer County, New Jersey.

Somerset, New Jersey
Census-designated place
Somerset at the intersection of Franklin Boulevard (CR 617) and Hamilton Street (CR 514)
Map of Somerset CDP highlighted within Somerset County. Right: Location of Somerset County in New Jersey.
Coordinates: 40.508507°N 74.500207°W / 40.508507; -74.500207
Country United States
State New Jersey
CountySomerset
TownshipFranklin
Area
 • Total6.444 sq mi (16.692 km2)
 • Land6.327 sq mi (16.388 km2)
 • Water0.117 sq mi (0.304 km2)  1.82%
Elevation118 ft (36 m)
Population
 • Total22,083
 • Density3,490.1/sq mi (1,347.5/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP codes
08873, 08875[4]
Area code(s)732/848
GNIS feature ID02390312[1][5][6]
Marconi Wireless Station in Somerset, New Jersey in 1921

Somerset housed one of the first Marconi Wireless Stations in the United States.[11][12]

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 transatlantic telegraph cables by enemy action, the facility was confiscated by the United States Navy on April 7, 1917,[13] 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.[14] 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.

The station used a huge 5,000-foot-long (1,500 m) antenna supported by eight 400-foot (120 m) steel masts, similar to the AT&T long wave telephone transmitter at RCA's Rocky Point, Long Island, transmitter facility. During World War I, the original Marconi spark 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.

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%).[1][15]

Climate

The climate in the area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Somerset has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[16]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
198021,731—
199022,0701.6%
200023,0404.4%
201022,083−4.2%
Population sources: 1980[17]
1990–2010[9] 2000[18] 2010[3]

Census 2010

The 2010 United States Census counted 22,083 people, 8,594 households, and 5,551.724 families in the CDP. The population density was 3,490.1 per square mile (1,347.5/km2). There were 8,883 housing units at an average density of 1,403.9 per square mile (542.0/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP 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.[3]

The 8,594 households accounted 27.7% with children under the age of 18 living with them; 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.[3]

In the CDP, the population age was spread out with 20.3% 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.[3]

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 4,322.7 per square mile (1,669.0/km2). There were 8,424 housing units at an average density of 1,580.5/sq mi (610.2/km2). 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.[18]

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.[18]

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.[18]

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.[18]

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.

Somerset County is often listen as one of the richest counties in the United States. In 2011, the Washington Post named Somerset County the 6th richest county in the United States. [20]

Notable people

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

References
  1. Gazetteer of New Jersey Places, United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 21, 2016.
  2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Somerset Census Designated Place, Geographic Names Information System. Accessed January 13, 2013.
  3. DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Somerset CDP, New Jersey Archived 2020-02-12 at Archive.today, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 13, 2013.
  4. Look Up a ZIP Code for Somerset, NJ, United States Postal Service. Accessed January 13, 2013.
  5. US Board on Geographic Names, United States Geological Survey. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  6. A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey Archived 2012-05-27 at Archive.today, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed January 13, 2013.
  7. 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 Archived 2020-02-12 at Archive.today, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 13, 2013.
  8. 2006-2010 American Community Survey Geography for New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 13, 2013.
  9. New Jersey: 2010 - Population and Housing Unit Counts - 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32), United States Census Bureau, August 2012. Accessed January 13, 2013.
  10. Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed April 19, 2015.
  11. 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."
  12. 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.
  13. "Howeth: Chapter XX". 1963. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  14. William B. Brahms, Franklin Township, Somerset County, NJ: A History, FTPL; ISBN 0-9668586-0-3 pp. 217-221.
  15. US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  16. Climate Summary for Somerset, New Jersey
  17. Staff. 1980 Census of Population: Number of Inhabitants United States Summary, p. 1-141. United States Census Bureau, June 1983. Accessed January 12, 2012.
  18. 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 Archived 2020-02-12 at Archive.today, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 13, 2013.
  19. U.S. Census website , United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  20. "Top 100 counties - Median household income, 2011". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  21. 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."
  22. Staff. "Dr. Anthony Bartholomay Former Member of MCO Facility", Toledo Blade, March 25, 1975. Accessed May 14, 2016.
  23. Assembly Member Upendra J. Chivukula, Project Vote Smart. Accessed August 12, 2007.
  24. "Documentary About Local Holocaust Survivor To Be Screened At George Street Playhouse", Raritan Valley Community College, February 15, 2017. Accessed April 21, 2020. "The public is invited to attend a free screening of the documentary, Margit: Not A23029, which focuses on the life of Holocaust survivor Margit Feldman of Somerset, February 28, at 7 p.m., at George Street Playhouse, New Brunswick."
  25. 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."
  26. 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."
  27. 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."
  28. Hockley, Rujeko; Panetta, Jane. Whitney Biennial 2019, p. 86. Yale University Press, 2019. ISBN 9780300242751. Accessed October 29, 2019. "Jeanette Mundt - Born 1982 in Princeton, NJ; lives in Somerset, NJ"
  29. 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."
  30. 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."
  31. Jeff Porter, United States Olympic Committee. Accessed August 9, 2016. "Birthplace: Summit, N.J.; Hometown: Somerset, N.J.; High School: Franklin High School (Franklin, N.J.) '03"
  32. 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."
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