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Cartographic Conundrums

by: Scott Weingart

Tue Jul 15, 2008 at 08:31:07 AM EDT

CNN Money recently released its Best Places to Live list for 2008, and nine New Jersey communities made the top 100.

Check out the page for 58th ranked Washington Township, specifically the two maps:

Catch the discrepancy? The bigger map shows the Washington Township in Bergen County, while the smaller map shows the Washington Township in Gloucester County. The difference? A two hour drive on the Turnpike and the Parkway.

CNN's mistake is somewhat understandable. Until Mercer County's smallest township changed its name to Robbinsville in January, New Jersey was home to six Washington Townships. You can still find a Washington Township on a map of Bergen, Burlington, Gloucester, Morris or Warren County. In Warren County, the Washington Township surrounds a Washington Borough.

And Washington isn't the only possible point of place name confusion in the state. New Jersey had two Dovers before one changed its name to Toms River. By my count, fourteen names are still shared by at least two municipalities in at least two different counties:

2 Fairfield Townships

5 Franklin Townships (plus one Franklin Lakes)

3 Greenwich Townships

2 Hamilton Townships

2 Harrisons (one town, one township)

2 Hopewell Townships (plus one Hopewell Boro)

2 Lawrence Townships

2 Mansfield Townships

2 Millstones (one boro, one township)

2 Monroe Townships

2 Ocean Townships (edit: plus one Ocean City)

2 Raritans (one boro, one township)

2 Union Townships (plus one Union City)

5 Washington Townships (plus one Washington Boro)

Yet New Jersey trails far behind some other states on the ambiguous geography front. Half of Indiana's 92 counties contain a Washington Township.

Scott Weingart :: Cartographic Conundrums

Tags: Geography, place names, Washington Township, (All Tags)

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Cartographic Conundrums | 13 comments

And this is why (4.00 / 1)

it's always a good idea to qualify place names in NJ with a county.

Just get in the habit of writing, whatever township, whatever co. every time.

I especially love it in Pa., where Chester the city is in Delaware Co., NOT Chester Co. ...

by: denniscmcgrath @ Tue Jul 15, 2008 at 14:01:30 PM UTC

by: you @ soon

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yeah (0.00 / 0)

The traffic reports about Delaware County always confuse me when I'm driving in the State of Delaware.

Frank LoBiondo Record and Jon Runyan Watch

by: Hopeful @ Tue Jul 15, 2008 at 15:05:06 PM UTC

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Gloucester City is in Camden County (0.00 / 0)

...right outside of Gloucester County.

by: CamCoLib @ Wed Jul 16, 2008 at 01:24:15 AM UTC

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We used to have two Madisons. (4.00 / 2)

Until Old Bridge renamed itself after a small corner of itself.

When I enter databases as in South Brunswick (which isn't a post office) that sometimes gets automatically changed to Monmouth Junction. So I've gotten mail tha confused the delivery system because it was addressed to me in Monmouth Junction, 08824 (which is my correct zip code in Kendall Park).

by: Dvd Avins @ Tue Jul 15, 2008 at 14:22:29 PM UTC

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Speaking of which... (0.00 / 0)

...where did CNN get it's Old Bridge population figures? The town itself is over 60,000; they list it according to Census figures, failing to note that, for some reason I could never understand, the census counts Old Bridge as about 6 different "Census-Designated Places," most of which technically aren't legally anything.

Ok, that's the end of my rant. I'll let one of the Madison Park folks I've just denigated respond.

Alternatively, if anyone knows the historical reasoning for this distinction, I'd like someone to tell me.

by: dennisl @ Tue Jul 15, 2008 at 18:47:05 PM UTC

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I can attest... (0.00 / 0)

That Washington Township BERGEN is NOT one of the best places to live. It is a pretty town, with for Bergen, relatively low taxes for now. But its one-party rule of cronyists who put Ferriero's bunch to shame. This is a town about to spend $2 million on artificial turf for sports fields, that refuses to do anything to get the town services off the grid, refuses to buy fuel-efficient vehicles for the police department, and in general spends money without any accountability to the public it serves. The mayor and council run unopposed every time (the Ferriero-based Democratic organization doesn't even bother to run candidates), so why should they think they're accountable?

by: brilliantatbreakfast @ Tue Jul 15, 2008 at 16:05:38 PM UTC

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Cedar Groves (0.00 / 0)

Growing up in Cedar Grove (Essex co) I was told that there were four more throughout the state.

And let's not forget that we have a Warren Township (in Somerset Co) which is no where near Warren Co.

by: Zames @ Tue Jul 15, 2008 at 16:44:24 PM UTC

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Can't win (0.00 / 0)

There's only one Piscataway. But, growing up there, I know every now and then, somebody confuses it with Parsippany.

Go Chiefs!

by: Jeff Gardner @ Tue Jul 15, 2008 at 17:18:20 PM UTC

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And the name comes from across the town border (0.00 / 0)

The original settlement Piscataway lies in what is now Edison Township, which was formed (and later renamed) from pieces of Woodbridge and Piscataway Townships.

by: Dvd Avins @ Tue Jul 15, 2008 at 17:24:38 PM UTC

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Interesting (0.00 / 0)

Where in Edison?

by: Jeff Gardner @ Tue Jul 15, 2008 at 17:27:01 PM UTC

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Piscatawaytown (0.00 / 0)

The area around the inersection of Woodbridge Ave. and Plainfield Ave.

On some maps I've seen it written Piscatawaytown, which was also used as the name of an elementary school there at least as recently as the 1950s. That name's als used to refer to the Piscatawaytown Burial Grounds, though I don't if the cemetary was called that when it was active.

This article says it's the oldest neighborhood in Edison.

by: Dvd Avins @ Tue Jul 15, 2008 at 18:14:52 PM UTC

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Piscataway ... (0.00 / 0)

ain't what it used to be.

From a town history:

During its 300 years of existence, Piscataway has changed. Farms are now hidden in a sea of factories and businesses. The population has grown from 43 families (Piscataway Township Libraries) to a 47,038 population (1990 Census). The size of our town has, also, changed drastically. Piscataway has "...decrease(d) in area from the original size of over 300 square miles... to 19 square miles..." (Piscataway Township Libraries, inside front cover).

Good thing Edison didn't go with its first urge and rename itself Nixon in 1954 (when it was known as Raritan Township) ... but Piscataway was one of the original five towns ... Elizabethtown, Woodbridge, Matawan, Newark (?) - I can't remember - were the original Five Towns of East Jersey - everything else was carved from them at some point. Which is how you end up with Piscatawaytown in Edison (nee Raritan).

by: denniscmcgrath @ Tue Jul 15, 2008 at 19:09:45 PM UTC

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