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File:Albert Einstein with other engineers and scientists at Marconi RCA radio station 1921.jpg
Marconi Wireless Station in Somerset, New Jersey in 1921

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.<ref>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 Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 13, 2013.</ref><ref>2006-2010 American Community Survey Geography for New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 13, 2013.</ref><ref name=CPH232>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.</ref><ref>Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed April 19, 2015.</ref> As of the 2010 United States census, the CDP's population was 22,083.<ref name=Census2010>DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Somerset CDP, New Jersey Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 13, 2013.</ref>

Somerset housed one of the first Marconi Wireless Stations in the United States.<ref>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."</ref><ref>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.</ref>

History

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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,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>William B. Brahms, Franklin Township, Somerset County, NJ: A History, FTPL; Template:ISBN pp. 217-221.</ref> 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 Template:Convert antenna supported by eight Template:Convert tall steel masts, similar to the AT&T long wave telephone transmitter at RCA's Rocky Point, Long Island, transmitter facility.

Geography

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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%).<ref name=CensusArea/><ref name="GR1">US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.</ref>

Climate

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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.<ref>Climate Summary for Somerset, New Jersey</ref>

Demographics

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Template:US Census population

Census 2010

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The 2010 United States census counted 22,083 people, 8,594 households, and 5,552 families in the CDP. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 8,883 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. 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.<ref name=Census2010/>

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.<ref name=Census2010/>

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.<ref name=Census2010/>

Census 2000

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At the 2000 United States census<ref name="GR2">U.S. Census website, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.</ref> there were 23,040 people, 8,238 households and 5,799 families residing in the CDP. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 8,424 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. 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.<ref name=Census2000>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 Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 13, 2013.</ref>

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.<ref name=Census2000/>

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.<ref name=Census2000/>

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.<ref name=Census2000/>

Economy

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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.<ref>"Highest Income Counties in 2011", The Washington Post. Accessed December 5, 2023.</ref>

Notable people

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

References

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Template:Reflist

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Template:Somerset County, New Jersey Template:Authority control