What is now Old Bridge Township was originally incorporated as Madison Township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 2, 1869, from portions of South Amboy Township (now City of South Amboy).[28] In a referendum held on November 5, 1975, voters approved changing the township’s name to Old Bridge Township by a margin of 7,150 votes to 4,888.[29][30] The township’s name was changed to avoid confusion with the borough of Madison in Morris County.[29][24] After the township was established, the area was made up primarily of farms and the population grew slowly. In 1880, the population was 1,662 and in 1950 it had reached 7,365. Over the next decade, a building boom started and farms gave way to developments, and the population grew to 22,772 by 1960. The 1980 census cited 51,406 people. The township saw major changes with the extension of Route 18 to the shore.

Middletown is a bedroom community of New York City, located alongside of the Raritan Bay within the Raritan Valley region in the New York metropolitan area. Due to its affluence, low crime, access to cultural activities, public school system, proximity to the Jersey Shore and Raritan Bayshore, and central commuting location, Middletown was ranked in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2014 in the Top 100 in CNNMoney.com’s Best Places to Live.[30][31][32][33] Time magazine listed Middletown on its list of “Best Places to Live 2014”.[34]

Traditionally a farming community, it has become a fast-growing suburb with massive development in the later 20th and 21st centuries as 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.[25]

Union City was incorporated as a city by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on June 1, 1925, with the merger of Union Hill and West Hoboken Township.[25] The city’s name references the merger of those two municipalities.[26]

East Orange had its origins in Connecticut’s New Haven Colony. In 1666, a group of 30 of New Haven’s families traveled by water to found “a town on the Passayak” River. They arrived on territory now encompassing Newark, the Oranges, and several other municipalities. The area was situated in the northeast portion of a land grant conveyed by King Charles II of England to his brother James, Duke of York. In 1664, James conveyed the land to two proprietors, Lord John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. Since Carteret had been Royal Governor of the Isle of Jersey, the territory became known as “New Jersey.”

Located north of Newark on the Passaic River, it was first settled in 1678 by Dutch traders, as Acquackanonk Township. The city and river draw their name from the Lenape word “pahsayèk” which has been variously attributed to mean “valley” or “place where the land splits.”[26][27][28][29]

Bayonne was originally formed as a township on April 1, 1861, from portions of Bergen Township. Bayonne was reincorporated as a city by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 10, 1869,[24] replacing Bayonne Township, subject to the results of a referendum held nine days later.[25] At the time it was formed, Bayonne included the communities of Bergen Point, Constable Hook, Centreville, Pamrapo and Saltersville.[26]

Beginning in the early 1900s, Camden was a prosperous industrial city, and remained so throughout the Great Depression and World War II. During the 1950s, Camden manufacturers began gradually closing their factories and moving out of the city. With the loss of manufacturing jobs came a sharp population decline. The growth of the interstate highway system also played a large role in suburbanization, which resulted in white flight. Civil unrest and crime became common in Camden. In 1971, civil unrest reached its peak, with riots breaking out in response to the death of Horacio Jimenez, a Puerto Rican motorist who was killed by two police officers.[28]

A majority of Brick Township is located on the mainland. Ocean Beaches I, II, and III are situated on the Barnegat Peninsula, a long, narrow barrier peninsula that separates Barnegat Bay from the Atlantic Ocean.[21] The mainland and beach area of the town are not geographically adjacent. Brick Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 15, 1850, from portions of both Dover Township (now Toms River Township) and Howell Township. The township was named after Joseph Brick, the owner of Bergen Iron Works located on the Metedeconk River.[22][23] Portions of the township were taken to form Point Pleasant Beach (May 18, 1886), Bay Head (June 15, 1886), Lakewood Township (March 23, 1892), Mantoloking (April 10, 1911) and Point Pleasant (April 21, 1920).[24] In 1963, voters rejected a referendum that would have changed the township’s name to “Laurelton”.[25]

Cherry Hill is a suburb of Philadelphia and is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan statistical area. With the decline of downtown Camden, it has become an edge city and one of the region’s main commercial centers.[20][21]