Town guide · Middlesex County
Living in Edison, NJ
Edison is named for the inventor who built his famous laboratory at Menlo Park in 1876. Home to more than 100,000 people, it is a crossroads of the Turnpike, Interstate 287, Route 1 and Route 27, with two NJ Transit lines close by and large county parks inside its borders.
- County
- Middlesex
- Population
- About 107,600 (2020 census)
- Size
- About 31 square miles
- Setting
- Suburban neighborhoods with major highways, business parks and county parkland
- Main roads
- New Jersey Turnpike Exit 10, Interstate 287, U.S. Route 1, Route 27 and Route 440
First things first
Edison surrounds Metuchen
Edison Township completely surrounds the Borough of Metuchen, one of 21 so called doughnut town pairs in New Jersey. Metuchen is a separate municipality, with its own government and its own property taxes.
Edison was called Raritan Township until 1954, when it was renamed for Thomas Edison. Because the two towns share long borders, we always confirm the actual municipality and block and lot for a home near the Metuchen line.
Neighborhoods
A township of many sections
Edison was formed in 1870 from parts of Piscataway and Woodbridge. Its earliest village, Piscatawaytown, grew up around the old common in South Edison. People here often name their section rather than the town.
- Menlo Park: Where Thomas Edison set up his home and laboratory in 1876. The site is now Edison State Park, with the Edison Memorial Tower.
- North Edison and South Edison: The two broad halves of the township. The Edison train station is in South Edison.
- Piscatawaytown: Edison's earliest village, around the Piscatawaytown Common near Plainfield and Woodbridge Avenues.
- Other place names: Bonhamtown, Clara Barton, Lindenau, New Dover, New Durham, Nixon, Oak Tree, Phoenix, Pumptown, Sand Hills, Stelton and Stephenville, among others.
Homes
What you will find
- Single family neighborhoods: Residential streets in both North and South Edison, from Menlo Park to Piscatawaytown.
- Apartments and townhomes: Apartment complexes and townhome communities sit alongside single family streets in many parts of the township.
- Homes near parkland: Neighborhoods near Roosevelt Park, Thomas A. Edison Park and the Dismal Swamp wetlands.
Worth knowing: Edison has a municipal Rent Control Board, and landlords of multiple dwellings must register with the township each year and report base rents. Anyone buying a property to rent out should understand those rules first. Because Edison wraps around Metuchen, we also confirm the municipality on every home near the line, since that decides the tax rate.
Property taxes
What taxes look like in Edison
- 2.005%2025 effective tax rate, as a share of market value
- $10,5852025 average residential tax bill
A home worth $550,000 on today's market would pay roughly $11,028 a year at Edison's 2025 effective rate. Your actual bill depends on your assessment, so we pull the real tax record for any home you are considering.
Source: New Jersey Division of Taxation, 2025 general and effective tax rates. Rates are set each year.
Getting around
Roads and commuting
The New Jersey Turnpike runs about 5 miles through Edison, with Exit 10 where Interstate 287 ends at the Turnpike. U.S. Route 1, Route 27 and Route 440 also pass through the township, and the Garden State Parkway runs just east in Woodbridge. Edison station in South Edison is on NJ Transit's Northeast Corridor Line, with trains to Newark and New York Penn Station and south to Trenton. Some North Edison riders are closer to Metuchen station or Metropark in Iselin. NJ Transit bus route 48 and several local routes serve the township. Route 1 carries much of the shopping, including Menlo Park Mall.
Places worth knowing
Parks, landmarks and open space
- Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park: The Menlo Park Museum and the 131 foot Edison Memorial Tower, topped by a giant light bulb, inside 36 acre Edison State Park.
- Roosevelt Park: The oldest park in the Middlesex County system, with a fishing lake, a seasonal skating rink and summer Plays in the Park.
- Thomas A. Edison Park: A 180 acre Middlesex County park in Edison.
- Dismal Swamp: Nearly 650 acres of wetland and woods in Edison, South Plainfield and Metuchen. Middlesex County preserves about 120 acres of it, and the Middlesex Greenway rail trail reaches part of it.
- Oak Tree Pond: A preserved site of the Battle of Short Hills during the American Revolution.
Common questions
Questions people ask us about Edison
What are property taxes in Edison, NJ?
Edison Township's 2025 effective tax rate is 2.005 percent of market value, and the average residential tax bill is $10,585, according to the New Jersey Division of Taxation. Actual bills depend on each home's assessment.
Is Metuchen part of Edison?
No. Metuchen is a separate borough that Edison Township surrounds on every side, one of 21 doughnut town pairs in New Jersey. It has its own government and property taxes, so a home near the line can carry a different tax bill depending on which side it sits.
Why is the town called Edison?
The township was called Raritan Township until November 1954, when it was renamed in honor of Thomas Edison. Edison built his home and laboratory at Menlo Park in 1876, where the phonograph and a practical light bulb were developed.
Does Edison have a train station?
Yes. Edison station in South Edison is on NJ Transit's Northeast Corridor Line, with service to Newark and New York Penn Station and south to Trenton. Some North Edison residents use Metuchen station or Metropark in Iselin instead.
What Turnpike exit is Edison?
Exit 10 of the New Jersey Turnpike is in Edison. It is where Interstate 287 ends at the Turnpike, and Route 1, Route 27 and Route 440 also pass through the township.
Nearby towns
Towns that border Edison
Buying or selling in Edison?
A big town that sells section by section
A home in North Edison and one in South Edison can sell for very different reasons. We compare each house against its own section, not the township as a whole, and lay out your options plainly.
Call or text either of us directly.