Somerset, New Jersey

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.
Somerset Location in Somerset County Show map of Somerset County, New Jersey Somerset Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Somerset Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 40°30′31″N74°30′01″W / 40.508507°N 74.500207°W / 40.508507; -74.500207
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Somerset
Township	Franklin
Area [1]
• Total	6.46 sq mi (16.74 km2)
• Land	6.33 sq mi (16.39 km2)
• Water	0.13 sq mi (0.35 km2)  1.82%
Elevation [2]	118 ft (36 m)
Population  (2020) [3]
• Total	22,968
• Density	3,629.01/sq mi (1,401.11/km2)
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Codes	08873, 08875 [4]
Area code(s)	732/848
FIPS code	34-68370 [5] [6] [7]
GNIS feature ID	02390312 [5] [8] [9]

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. ^{[10] [11] [12] [13]} As of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP's population was 22,083. ^[14]

Somerset housed one of the first Marconi Wireless Stations in the United States. ^{[15] [16]}

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, ^[17] 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. ^[18] 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 5,000-foot-long (1,500 m) antenna supported by eight 400-foot (120 m) 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%). ^{[5] [19]}

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. ^[20]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1980	21,731		—
1990	22,070		1.6%
2000	23,040		4.4%
2010	22,083		−4.2%
2020	22,968		4.0%
Population sources: 1980 [21] 1990–2010 [12] 2000 [22] 2010 [14] [3]

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 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 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. ^[14]

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. ^[14]

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. ^[14]

Census 2000

At the 2000 United States Census ^[6] there were 23,040 people, 8,238 households and 5,799 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,322.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,669.0/km²). There were 8,424 housing units at an average density of 1,580.5 per square mile (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. ^[22]

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. ^[22]

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. ^[22]

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. ^[22]

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. ^[23]

Notable people

See also: Category:People from Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey

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

• Carlton Agudosi (born 1994), wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL ^[24]
• Anthony Bartholomay (1919–1975), mathematician who introduced molecular set theory ^[25]
• Upendra J. Chivukula (born 1950), politician who represented the 17th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly, and served on the Franklin Township Council from 1997–2005, serving as its mayor in 2000 and its deputy mayor in 1998 ^[26]
• Margit Feldman (1929–2020), public speaker, educator, activist and Holocaust survivor ^[27]
• Krystyna Freda (born 1993), footballer who plays as a forward for Cypriot First Division club Apollon Ladies FC ^[28]
• Roy Hinson (born 1961), first-round draft pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1983 who played for eight seasons in the NBA ^[29]
• Leeroy Wilfred Kabs-Kanu (born 1954), Sierra Leonean-American reverend, journalist and newspaper publisher who served as Minister Plenipotentiary at the Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone to the United Nations ^[30]
• Roy E. LaGrone (1922–1993), art director and illustrator, who was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen ^[31]
• Mekhi Lewis, freestyle and folkstyle wrestler, first NCAA wrestling national champion for Virginia Tech ^[32]
• Christopher Massimine, former CEO of the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene ^[33]
• Judy Melick (born 1954), former competition swimmer who participated as part of the U.S. team at the 1972 Summer Olympics ^{[34] [35]}
• Jeanette Mundt (born 1982), painter, best known for her works in the 2019 Whitney Biennial ^[36]
• Joe Pace (born 1953), played for the NBA Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets from 1972 to 1978 ^[37]
• Randal Pinkett (born 1971), winner of season four of the reality television show, The Apprentice ^[38]
• Jeff Porter (born 1985), track and field athlete who competes in the 110-meter hurdles and was named as part of the U.S. team at the 2016 Summer Olympics ^[39]
• Breein Tyree (born 1998), point guard / shooting guard for the Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team ^[40]
• Jan Zaprudnik (1926–2022), Belarusian-American historian and publicist, one of the leaders of the Belarusian community in the United States ^[41]

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Somerset Census Designated Place, Geographic Names Information System. Accessed January 13, 2013.
3. "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
4. Look Up a ZIP Code for Somerset, NJ, United States Postal Service. Accessed January 13, 2013.
5. Gazetteer of New Jersey Places, United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 21, 2016.
6. U.S. Census website, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
7. Geographic Codes Lookup for New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed June 9, 2023.
8. US Board on Geographic Names, United States Geological Survey. Accessed September 4, 2014.
9. Geographic codes for New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed June 9, 2023.
10. 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.
11. 2006-2010 American Community Survey Geography for New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 13, 2013.
12. 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.
13. Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed April 19, 2015.
14. 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.
15. 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."
16. 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.
17. "Howeth: Chapter XX". 1963. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
18. William B. Brahms, Franklin Township, Somerset County, NJ: A History, FTPL; ISBN   0-9668586-0-3 pp. 217-221.
19. US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
20. Climate Summary for Somerset, New Jersey
21. Staff. 1980 Census of Population: Number of Inhabitants United States Summary, p. 1-141. United States Census Bureau, June 1983. Accessed January 12, 2012.
22. 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.
23. "Highest Income Counties in 2011", The Washington Post . Accessed December 5, 2023.
24. 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."
25. Staff. "Dr. Anthony Bartholomay Former Member of MCO Facility", Toledo Blade , March 25, 1975. Accessed May 14, 2016.
26. Assembly Member Upendra J. Chivukula, Project Vote Smart. Accessed August 12, 2007.
27. "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."
28. Krystyna Freda, Winthrop Eagles. Accessed October 25, 2020. "Hometown: Somerset, NJ; Prev School: Franklin H.S."
29. 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."
30. 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."
31. Saxon, Wolfgang. "Roy E. LaGrone, 72, A Tuskegee Airman And Ex-Art Director", The New York Times , December 14, 1993. Accessed December 4, 2024. "Roy E. LaGrone, a retired art director and illustrator who flew with the Tuskegee airmen in World War II, died on Wednesday at his home in Somerset, N.J."
32. Mekhi Lewis - Wrestling - Virginia Tech Athletics. hokiesports.com. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
33. 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."
34. 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."
35. Staff. "Franklin Girl Will Swim For U.S. Olympic Team" Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine , 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."
36. 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"
37. 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" Archived January 17, 2013, at the Wayback Machine , 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."
38. 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."
39. 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"
40. 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."
41. "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. May 26, 2022.

External links

• Media related to Somerset, New Jersey at Wikimedia Commons