Editing Edison, New Jersey (section)

==History==
===Early history===
[[File:Stelton Baptist Church cemetery, Edison, NJ - area view.jpg|thumb|left|[[Stelton Baptist Church, Edison|Stelton Baptist Church and Cemetery]], the second oldest Baptist Church in New Jersey and the tenth oldest in the [[United States]].<ref name=history>{{cite book |last=Jorgensen |first=Charles W. |title=History of the Stelton Baptist Church |year=1964 |publisher=Stelton Baptist Church }}</ref><ref name=middlesex>{{cite book |last=Wall|first=John P. |title=History of Middlesex County, New Jersey |year=1921| url=https://archive.org/details/historyofmiddles01pick}}</ref><ref name=plaque>{{cite web |url=http://www.edisonnj.org/historic/plaques/histplaq2.asp |title=Stelton Baptist Church |access-date=2007-08-26 |quote=The Stelton Baptist Church is the second oldest Baptist Church in New Jersey and the 10th oldest in the nation. Stelton Baptist Church was formed in the spring of 1689, and among its original members was the Stelle family, after whom the Stelton section of Edison is named. Through 1875, however, the church was known as the First Baptist Church of Piscataway. Present-day congregants celebrated the tercentennial of their church in a year-long celebration in 1989. The land now occupied by the church and burial ground at Stelton was purchased in April 1731, and a house of worship erected there in 1748. This building was taken down and rebuilt in 1825, but was destroyed by fire January 1, 1851. The building which took its place, also burned in 1924, and the present church was erected in 1925. In 1870 the incorporation of parts of Piscataway and Woodbridge Townships to form Raritan Township, placed the church in the latter municipality, which became Edison. |publisher=Edison, New Jersey |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070823115555/http://www.edisonnj.org/historic/plaques/histplaq2.asp <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2007-08-23}}</ref>]]
The earliest residents of the area were the [[Raritan people]] of the [[Lenape]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], who lived in the area and travelled through it to the shore. In 1646, Chief Matouchin led a group of 1,200 warriors.<ref>[http://www.metuchen-edisonhistsoc.org/resources/HISTORY+OF+METUCHEN+Transcript+2012.pdf ''History of Metuchen''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730230841/http://www.metuchen-edisonhistsoc.org/resources/HISTORY+OF+METUCHEN+Transcript+2012.pdf |date=July 30, 2020 }}, [[Federal Writers' Project]] of the [[Works Project Administration]], 1941. Accessed December 3, 2019. "The local natives were doubtless a group of the Raritans who belonged to the Unami tribe. Philhower, an expert on New Jersey's Indians, describes them as 'a quickwitted, modest, fine looking people, black-haired and of a dark copper color' who spoke the Lenape dialect. In 1646 the tribe consisted of 1200 warriors and twenty chiefs, among whom tradition has it was Matouchin, chief of the Indians in this section."</ref>

Edison Township, which was formed from sections of Piscataway and Woodbridge townships, was settled (by Europeans) in the 17th century. The earliest village was [[Piscatawaytown, New Jersey|Piscatawaytown]], which is centered around St. James Church and the Piscatawaytown Common, near the intersection of Plainfield and Woodbridge Avenues in South Edison.<ref>Staff. [https://www1.gmnews.com/2011/10/12/artifacts-found-during-search-of-edisons-piscatawaytown/ "Artifacts found during search of Edison's Piscatawaytown"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023145554/https://www1.gmnews.com/2011/10/12/artifacts-found-during-search-of-edisons-piscatawaytown/ |date=October 23, 2019 }}, ''Edison Sentinel'', October 12, 2011. Accessed September 17, 2017. "Three artifacts discovered in the township's oldest neighborhood are believed to date back to the Colonial era.&nbsp;... Piscatawatown and the Commons were founded in 1666 as the original settlement of Piscataway. The Commons is still public land and is one of the few remaining commons areas in the state. The location was part of Piscataway Township until 1870, when it became part of Raritan Township. In 1954, the area became part of Edison."</ref> The [[Laing House of Plainfield Plantation]] (listed on the National Register in 1988), the [[Benjamin Shotwell House]] (listed 1987) and the [[Homestead Farm at Oak Ridge]] (liste 1995), are buildings from the colonial era included in [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, New Jersey|National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County]].<ref>[https://www.nj.gov/dep/hpo/1identify/nrsr_lists/Middlesex.pdf New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places in Middlesex County] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107045405/http://www.nj.gov/dep/hpo/1identify/nrsr_lists/middlesex.pdf |date=November 7, 2014 }}, [[New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection]] Historic Preservation Office, updated September 18, 2019. Accessed December 4, 2019.</ref>

The community was previously known as "Raritan Township", not to be confused with the current-day [[Raritan Township, New Jersey|Raritan Township]] in [[Hunterdon County, New Jersey|Hunterdon County]].<ref name=Story/>

===The Edison era===
[[File:Menlo Park Laboratory of Thomas Edison site of the Invention of the light bulb in Dearborn, Michigan at Greenfield Village The Henry Ford Museum from Menlo Park, New Jersey.JPG|thumb|left|Replica of Edison's lab where he invented the first commercially practical light bulb. Henry Ford, Edison's longtime friend, built it at the [[Henry Ford Museum]] in Michigan.]]
In 1876, [[Thomas Edison]] set up his home and research laboratory in New Jersey on the site of an unsuccessful real estate development in Raritan Township called "[[Menlo Park, New Jersey|Menlo Park]]", (currently located in [[Edison State Park]]). While there he earned the nickname "the Wizard of Menlo Park". Before his death at age 83 in 1931, the prolific inventor amassed a record 1,093 patents for creations including the [[phonograph]], a stock ticker, the motion-picture camera, the [[incandescent light bulb]], a mechanical vote counter, the alkaline storage battery including one for an electric car, and the first commercial electric light.<ref name=Walsh>Walsh, Bryan. [https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1910417_1910419_1910460,00.html "The Electrifying Edison"], ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', July 5, 2010. Accessed March 16, 2015.</ref>

The Menlo Park lab was significant in that was one of the first laboratories to pursue practical, commercial applications of research.<ref>Gordon, John Steele. [https://www.americanheritage.com/10-moments-made-american-business "10 Moments That Made American Business"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181212131912/http://www.americanheritage.com/content/10-moments-made-american-business |date=December 12, 2018 }}, ''[[American Heritage (magazine)|American Heritage]]'', February/March 2007. Accessed December 3, 2019. "But even more important than the inventions themselves was the process. Laboratories in the past had mostly pursued pure research, with little or no regard for the practical applications that might flow from that research. Menlo Park was all about practical application, turning ideas into products that would have commercial potential."</ref> It was in his Menlo Park laboratory that Thomas Edison came up with the [[phonograph]] and a commercially viable [[incandescent light bulb]] filament. Christie Street was the first street in the world to use electric lights for illumination.<ref>[http://cms2.revize.com/revize/townshipofedison/about_edison/township_history/edison_historical_timeline.php An Edison Historical Timeline] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230917185433/http://cms2.revize.com/revize/townshipofedison/about_edison/township_history/edison_historical_timeline.php |date=September 17, 2023 }}, Township of Edison. Accessed September 17, 2017.</ref> Edison subsequently left Menlo Park and moved his home and laboratory to [[West Orange, New Jersey|West Orange]] in 1886.<ref>[http://www.menloparkmuseum.org/history/thomas-edison-and-menlo-park/ Thomas Edison and Menlo Park] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206081249/http://www.menloparkmuseum.org/history/thomas-edison-and-menlo-park/ |date=February 6, 2015 }}, The Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park. Accessed September 17, 2017. "In 1886, Edison started building a new facility in West Orange, New Jersey. In 1887, his laboratory moved out of Menlo Park and into the new, much larger laboratory in West Orange."</ref>

===20th century===
Near Piscatawaytown village, a portion of the township was informally known as "[[Nixon, New Jersey|Nixon]]", after [[Lewis Nixon (naval architect)|Lewis Nixon]], a manufacturer and community leader. Soon after the outbreak of [[World War I]], Nixon established a massive volatile chemicals processing facility there, known as the [[Nixon Nitration Works]]. It was the site of the [[1924 Nixon Nitration Works disaster]], a massive explosion and resulting fire that killed 20 people and destroyed several square miles of the township.<ref>Staff. [https://www.nytimes.com/1924/03/02/archives/fertilizer-plant-blows-up-theory-is-that-tnt-accidentally-left-in.html "Fertilizer Plant Blows Up; Theory Is That TNT, Accidentally Left in Shells, Caused Blast"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723004926/https://www.nytimes.com/1924/03/02/archives/fertilizer-plant-blows-up-theory-is-that-tnt-accidentally-left-in.html |date=July 23, 2018 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', March 2, 1924. Accessed November 4, 2018. "At least twenty persons were killed yesterday in an explosion of a two-story tile and brick fertilizer building of Ammonite Company at Nixon, N.J., six miles northeast of New Brunswick. A dozen others were unaccounted for last night and were listed as missing."</ref>

In 1954, the township's name was changed to honor inventor [[Thomas A. Edison]].<ref name=Story/><ref name="britannica.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Menlo-Park-New-Jersey|title=Menlo Park &#124; New Jersey, United States|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=March 22, 2021|archive-date=January 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124090146/https://www.britannica.com/place/Menlo-Park-New-Jersey|url-status=live}}</ref> Also on the ballot in 1954 was a failed proposal to change the community's name to Nixon.<ref>Staff. [https://www.nytimes.com/1954/09/05/archives/edison-may-be-the-name-of-raritan-after-vote.html "Edison May Be the Name Of Raritan After Vote"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105160451/https://www.nytimes.com/1954/09/05/archives/edison-may-be-the-name-of-raritan-after-vote.html |date=November 5, 2018 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', September 5, 1954. Accessed November 4, 2018. Raritan Township, N. J., Sept. 4 – This community may change its name on election day to Edison, N. J., to honor the man who perfected the incandescent lamp here seventy-five years ago.&nbsp;... The other petition, with 2,856 names, asks that the name be changed to Nixon, N. J., after the late Lewis Nixon, a local manufacturer and civic leader."</ref>

In 1959, the [[Menlo Park Mall]], a two-level [[Super-regional mall|super regional shopping mall]], opened on [[U.S. Route 1 in New Jersey|U.S. Route 1]].

===21st century===
[[File:Mall Menlo Park Mall 04.jpg|thumb|left|[[Menlo Park Mall]]]]
Edison has been one of the fastest-growing municipalities in New Jersey. As of the [[2000 United States Census]], it was the [[List of Municipalities in New Jersey (by population)|fifth most-populated municipality in the state]], after the cities of [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], [[Jersey City, New Jersey|Jersey City]], [[Paterson, New Jersey|Paterson]], and [[Elizabeth, New Jersey|Elizabeth]].<ref name=Census2010XLS>[http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/lpa/census/2010/2010data/nj_tab1.xls The Counties and Most Populous Cities and Townships in 2010 in New Jersey: 2000 and 2010], [[New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development]]. Accessed December 21, 2016.</ref>

Edison is primarily a middle-class community with more than 75 ethnic communities represented. Edison has a large [[Jew]]ish community next to [[Highland Park, New Jersey|Highland Park]], with multiple synagogues located in Edison. Edison also has a growing [[Indian American|Indian]] community and a number of temples serving the religious needs of the community. Reflecting the number of Edison's residents from [[India]] and [[China]], the township has [[Town twinning|sister city]] arrangements with [[Shijiazhuang]], China,<ref name=ACCCI>[http://www.accci.com.au/sister.htm "Position Paper on Sister State and Sister City Relations Between Australia and China"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325024212/http://www.accci.com.au/sister.htm |date=March 25, 2018 }}, Australia-China Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New South Wales, dated November 14, 2001. Accessed August 30, 2015.</ref> and [[Vadodara|Baroda]], India.

Edison was ranked the 28th most-livable small city in the United States by ''[[Money (magazine)|CNN Money]]'' magazine, and second in New Jersey in 2006 in ''Money'' magazine's "Best Places To Live".<ref name="tws23oct01">[https://web.archive.org/web/20100802071714/https://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/snapshots/PL3420260.html 100 Best Places to Live 2006: #28 – Edison], ''[[Money (magazine)|Money]]'' / [[Cable News Network]], October 22, 2009, backed up by the [[Internet Archive]] as of August 2, 2010. Accessed March 16, 2015.</ref> In 2008, two years later, ''Money'' ranked the township 35th out of the top 100 places to live in the United States.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131203011336/https://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2008/states/NJ.html "Best Places to Live 2008: New Jersey"], ''[[Money (magazine)|Money]]'' / [[Cable News Network]], December 5, 2009, backed up by the [[Internet Archive]] as of December 3, 2012. Accessed March 16, 2015.</ref> In the 2006 survey of America's Safest Cities, the township was ranked 23rd, out of 371 cities included nationwide, in the 13th annual [[Morgan Quitno]] survey.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080105095719/http://www.morganquitno.com/cit07pop.htm#25 13th Annual Safest (and Most Dangerous) Cities: Top and Bottom 25 Cities Overall: Top and Bottom 26 Cities Overall], [[Morgan Quitno]], backed up by the [[Internet Archive]] as of January 5, 2008. Accessed April 4, 2016.</ref> In 2009, Edison was ranked as one of "America's 10 Best Places to Grow Up" by ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]''. The rankings focused on low crime, strong schools, green spaces, and abundance of recreational activities.<ref>Mullins, Luke. [http://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/real-estate/articles/2009/08/19/americas-10-best-places-to-grow-up "America's 10 Best Places to Grow Up: Low crime, strong schools, green spaces, and fun activities are key ingredients for a happy childhood"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130324010359/http://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/real-estate/articles/2009/08/19/americas-10-best-places-to-grow-up |date=March 24, 2013 }}, ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'', August 19, 2009. Accessed April 4, 2016.</ref> In 2014, parenting.com ranked Edison as the top safest city in America.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.parenting.com/activities/family-time/top-10-safest-cities-america-2014/ |title=Top 10 Safest Cities in America 2014 |magazine=[[Parenting (magazine)|Parenting]] |date=2014 |access-date=June 10, 2020 |archive-date=June 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610204707/https://www.parenting.com/activities/family-time/top-10-safest-cities-america-2014/ |url-status=live }}</ref>