Edison Apartments and Rentals

Edison is a census-designated place located in central New Jersey in Middlesex County. The township is bordered by the Raritan River and is home to more than 101,000 people.

While residents of Edison love their town, many national publications also regularly tout the town's accolades. Money Magazine name Edison one of the best places to live, SELF magazine named it one of the safest places for women in the country and U.S. News & World Report named it one of the nation's best places to grow up. The CDP's central location, vibrant business district, diverse community and the high reputation for its public schools system make Edison apartments for rent a great option for individuals and families alike.

Edison was formerly known as Raritan Township. The area was first settled in the 1600s when it was still part of the Woodbridge and Piscataway townships. Those living in Edison apartments can enjoy being part of a township with a prehistoric history as well, as skull and bone fragments were discovered in the Piscatawaytown area that date back to the Stone Age. There were also arrowheads and cooking tools found in the Dismal Swamp during an archeological dig that are said to have originated from some of the first Native American inhabitants of the town.

Edison was mainly a rural-residential community in the 1920s and has since seen substantial growth in its population, and commercial and industrial centers, ranking today as the fifth largest municipality in the state of New Jersey. In 1954, citizens voted to change the name to Edison, as there were a number of municipalities in the state with the name Raritan already. One of the other names up for suggestion was Nixon, which residents rejected in favor of the local great inventor, Thomas Edison.

Apartments near Edison are attractive, popular housing options for many business professionals and students. Raritan Center, one of the largest industrial parks on the east side of the Mississippi River, has contributed significantly to the township's growth in the transportation sector. Edison continues to serve as a major transportation center for the distribution of goods. Notable companies located in Edison include Ford Motor Co., United Parcel Service, New York Times, Etienne Aigner, William Grant & Sons, Wakefern Foods and Revlon Research Center. Manufacturing industries continue to be the most common for employment, offering occupations with industrial machinery, electrical appliances and automobile parts to name a few.

Students have a number of higher education facilities to take advantage of, including the Middlesex County College, the Technical School in New Jersey and Rabbi Jacob Joseph School. The main area school is Middlesex County College, which was founded in 1964 and enrolls nearly 13,000 students annually.

According to data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau, Edison rentals have a vacancy rate of 1.6 percent, and the median gross rent was $1,260 in 2009. The largest portion of renters, 48.5 percent, fall in the gross rent range of $1,000 to $1,499, with 28.9 percent falling in the next largest range of $1,500 or more for gross rent. The data further indicated that roughly 26.3 percent of all renters reported spending 35 percent or more of their household income on gross rental costs.

City-Data information revealed that in March 2012, the cost of living in Edison was 122.3 points, which is 22.3 percent higher than the national average.

People living in Edison apartments have many area attractions to enjoy, in particular the Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park. This is perhaps the most famous local attraction. Thomas Edison moved his experimental facilities to the village in 1876 and the community is proud to call him a former resident.

Thomas Edison patented roughly 400 inventions in the six years following his move to Menlo Park, including the phonograph and his devices for electric light and power generation, which have revolutionized the world we live in today. Visitors can come to the center to honor Edison's memory and learn about his significant accomplishments. The museum is relatively small, made up of two rooms that include original artifacts as well as interpretive exhibits that relate to Edison's major inventions.

To find your next rental apartment or house in Edison, take a look at our listings on Rent.com®.