Metuchen Borough

Middlesex County, New Jersey

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Metuchen Borough Hall is located at 500 Main Street, Metuchen, NJ 08840.
Phone: 732‑632‑8540.

Neighborhoods

Beginnings [1]

In 1900, Metuchen separated from Raritan Township and was incorporated as an independent municipality. Although relatively small in size, Metuchen had a successful commercial district centered on its Main Street. Early twentieth century Sanborn Fire insurance maps indicate the area's commercial and residential growth. The number of businesses on Main Street increased and diversified, and residences were developed on newly divided lots.

Metuchen's location on the Lincoln Highway and accessibility by direct train lines to major metropolitan areas led to its rapid population growth: 1800 residents in 1910, 3334 in 1920, and 5748 in 1930. The "country atmosphere" and ability to commute to New Brunswick and New York City attracted bankers, writers, and other "literati" to the area. Metuchen became known as the "Brainy Borough" when literary figures such as novelist Mary Wilkins Freeman and Harper's Magazine editor Henry Alden Mills moved to Metuchen.

  1. Nancy L. Zerbe and Tyreen Reuter, Metuchen Borough Hall, Middlesex County, NJ, nomination document, 2001, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.

Nearby Towns: Edison Twp • Fanwood Boro • Highland Park Boro • New Brunswick City • Perth Amboy City • Plainfield City • Sayreville Boro • South Amboy City • Woodbridge Twp •


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