Franklin Township is a township in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is centrally located in the Raritan Valley region within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 68,364, an increase of 6,064 (+9.7%) from the 2010 census count of 62,300, which in turn reflected an increase of 11,397 (+22.4%) from the 50,903 counted in the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023. The township was the state's 19th most-populous municipality in 2020, after being ranked 22nd in 2010.Table1. New Jersey Counties and Most Populous Cities and Townships: 2020 and 2010 Censuses, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed December 1, 2022.
Traditionally a farming community, it has become a fast-growing suburb with massive development in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, fostering a diverse blend of races, religions, and cultures. In 2008, Franklin Township ranked #5 on Money magazine's list of America's Top 100 Best Places to Live.#5 – Franklin Township; America's Top 100 Best Places to Live, Money. Accessed February 12, 2013.
What is now Franklin Township was originally formed circa 1745 as Eastern precinct. Franklin Township was incorporated on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships by an act of the New Jersey Legislature. Portions of the township were taken to form South Bound Brook (formed within Township, became an independent municipality as of April 11, 1907) and East Millstone (formed on February 18, 1873, and returned to Franklin Township on December 31, 1949).Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 223. Accessed October 28, 2012.
History It has been unclear if the township was named for founding father Benjamin Franklin or for his illegitimate son William Franklin, a Loyalist and the last Royal Governor of New Jersey (from 1763 to 1776). In 2000, after considering the evidence set forth by William B. Brahms in his books Images of America: Franklin Township (1997)Brahms, William B., Images of America: Franklin Township, Arcadia Publishing; and Franklin Township, Somerset County, NJ: A History,Brahms, William B., Franklin Township, Somerset County, NJ: A History, FTPL; and The Case for William Franklin and The Case for Benjamin Franklin, the Township Council chose the theory that the township was indeed named for Benjamin Franklin.History , Township of Franklin. Accessed March 31, 2020. "After considering the evidence set forth in Franklin Township, Somerset County, NJ: A History, William B. Brahm, Commissioned by the Franklin Township Library, 1998, Chapter 12, Municipal Government, The Case for William Franklin and The Case for Benjamin Franklin, the Township Council determined to espouse the theory that the Township was named for Benjamin Franklin."Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed August 31, 2015.
Franklin Township was very much a part of Revolutionary War history and the scene of many raiding parties along Route 27, then known as the King's Highway. Two British generals, Cornwallis and DeHeister, tried to lure General George Washington and his Continental Army into battle on the plains of Middlebush and East Millstone. Washington, however, kept his troops at Chimney Rock, just north of Franklin, until the British withdrew. Several of the prosperous Middlebush farms were destroyed by the British soldiers during their retreat. In 1777, near the mill on the Millstone River at Weston, the Continental Army and local militia engaged and successfully drove off a British foraging party of about 600 troops, sent out of New Brunswick by General Cornwallis. On November 2, 1783, Washington composed his farewell address to the army while staying at Rockingham near Rocky Hill.
The construction of the Delaware and Raritan Canal in the 1830s, stretching to connect New York City and Philadelphia, led to significant growth in the township, with as much as 200,000 tons of goods shipped on barges using the canal by the 1860s. The rise of shipping commercial goods using railroads led to a substantial decline in canal traffic.History , Township of Franklin. Accessed March 31, 2020. The area has been restored as the Delaware and Raritan Canal State ParkHistory. Accessed March 31, 2020.
The Van Wickle House, located next to the Delaware and Raritan Canal in the Somerset section of the township, in between New Brunswick and South Bound Brook, was built in 1722 by Dutch settlers and is now owned by Franklin Township and leased by the Meadows Foundation. Set back behind Easton Avenue, the home adjoins the Rutgers Preparatory School and a Revolutionary War-era graveyard.Van Wickle House 1722, Meadows Foundation. Accessed March 31, 2020.
Passenger and freight railroad service was available in Franklin Township during the later half of the 19th century via the Millstone and New Brunswick Railroad (M&NB) which opened in 1854. The railroad was built and operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), from a junction with the PRR mainline at Jersey Avenue in New Brunswick to East Millstone. The M&NB is now known as the Conrail Millstone Secondary Branch. The branch line was still operated by Conrail up to just west of Clyde Road in Somerset for a time, serving local industry in the industrial section of Somerset.A pictorial account concerning the current condition and history of the Millstone Branch As of 2011, Hermann Warehouse Corp re-located out of the Clyde Road facility and there has not been rail service into that building since then. A bumper was placed east of the Somerset Road/Route 27 crossing, with Clyde Road, Veronica Avenue and Route 27 crossings currently out of service. Jersey Avenue/Route 91 remains the sole active crossing on the line.
In 1922, the infamous Hall-Mills Murder took place in Franklin Township, in the area adjacent to New Brunswick known as Somerset.The Changing Landscape of North Brunswick, Rutgers University. Accessed February 12, 2013. "Yorston is best remembered for his work in removing the 520 bodies from the New Brunswick Presbyterian Church's cemetery to Van Liew Cemetery to make way for new construction, for his around-the-clock service during the 1918 deadly influenza epidemic, and for his service in connection with the autopsy involving the infamous Hall-Mills murder in neighboring Franklin Township."
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 46.88 square miles (121.43 km2), including 46.17 square miles (119.58 km2) of land and 0.71 square miles (1.85 km2) of water (1.52%).
The community is approximately 75% rural.Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living In Franklin Township, N.J.; A Town Acting to Preserve Its Farmland", The New York Times, November 15, 1998. Accessed August 23, 2012. "The 47-square-mile community, which is still three-fourths rural, is coming under increasing development pressure, according to Mayor Bottcher."
The township borders the municipalities of Bridgewater Township, Hillsborough Township, Manville, Millstone, Montgomery Township, Rocky Hill and South Bound Brook in Somerset County; Princeton in Mercer County; New Brunswick, North Brunswick, Piscataway and South Brunswick in Middlesex County.Areas touching Franklin Township, MapIt. Accessed March 31, 2020.Municipalities, Somerset County, New Jersey. Accessed March 31, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
Communities
The following are unincorporated communities and census-designated places (CDPs) located within Franklin Township: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 , United States Census Bureau. Accessed February 12, 2013.2006-2010 American Community Survey Geography for New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed February 12, 2013.New Jersey: 2010 – Population and Housing Unit Counts – 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32), United States Census Bureau, August 2012. Accessed February 12, 2013. Blackwells Mills (2010 CDP population of 803)DP-1 – Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Blackwells Mills CDP, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 23, 2012. Clyde (2010 CDP population of 213)DP-1 – Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Clyde CDP, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 23, 2012. East Franklin (2010 CDP population of 8,669)DP-1 – Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for East Franklin CDP, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 23, 2012. East Millstone (2010 CDP population of 579)DP-1 – Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for East Millstone CDP, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 23, 2012. East Rocky Hill (2010 CDP population of 469)DP-1 – Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for East Rocky Hill CDP, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 23, 2012. Franklin Center (2010 CDP population of 4,460)DP-1 – Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Franklin Center CDP, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 23, 2012. Franklin Park (2010 CDP population of 13,295)DP-1 – Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Franklin Park CDP, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 23, 2012. Griggstown (2010 CDP population of 819)DP-1 – Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Griggstown CDP, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 23, 2012. Kingston – officially designated as a Village Center by the New Jersey State Planning Commission. The Kingston Village Advisory Committee, jointly appointed by the Councils of Franklin and South Brunswick townships, advises Franklin on matters of concern to Kingston's residents. (2010 CDP population of 271 for portion of Kingston in Franklin Township)DP-1 – Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Kingston CDP, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 23, 2012. Middlebush (2010 CDP population of 2,326)DP-1 – Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Middlebush CDP, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 23, 2012. Pleasant Plains (2010 CDP population of 922)DP-1 – Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Pleasant Plains CDP, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 23, 2012. Six Mile Run (2010 CDP population of 3,184)DP-1 – Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Six Mile Run CDP, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 23, 2012. Somerset (2010 CDP population of 22,083)DP-1 – Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Somerset CDP, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 23, 2012. Ten Mile Run (2010 CDP population of 1,959)DP-1 – Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Ten Mile Run CDP, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 23, 2012.