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So, I'm writing a story (for NaNoWriMo, for those curious) and Edison seemed the most logical place to set it. I'm a New Yorker, and going down to NJ would be interesting, but I only have 1-2 days left until NaNo starts, so I don't have the time.
So, what's Edison, NJ like? The people, the buildings, the different places in the town... tell me everything!
Big town. Houses. Apartments. Trees. Traffic. Menlo Mall. Safe. white with lots of asian culture. a few office buildings. matured but high-scale suburban neighborhoods.
Edison IS mostly white but there are people from all cultures there. BIG Asian population. Most professionals living in town commute to other towns cities. VERY large train station called Metro Park on the North East Corridor Line direct service to Newark, NYC, Trenton, and Philly. Some industry but not an industrial town. South Edison is mostly middle class, bluecollar, diverse. North Edison is a more affluent area with bigger homes and a more suburban setting. I mean, most of Edison is suburban but North side is just more so. 2 Highschools (North and South) Big HS and College football town (Being so close to Rutgers...especially now that they actually have an OK football program). There is no 'Main Street' but there are many huge strip mall type shopping centers so its never a problem shopping close to home. Edison is at the crossroads of 3 MAJOR highways. 287, 1, NJTPK. So rush hour traffic can be horrible. Taking the major in town non highways roads (514, 27) and nearby (28,18) are just as bad if not worse.
Comming from Elizabeth (similar to the urban areas of Brooklyn and Queens) Edison is as suburban as I can stand while still being in a 'city'.
Edison is the town that seperates north jersey from the rest. Historically an important part of the revolutionary war. There are small houses and big ones, most built in 60s. There are parks, one or two nice ones. The Raritan river flows below edison a few miles from the ocean seperating new brunswick. Edison is not cheap. A town Metuchen is completely surrounded by Edison which has a Main street which looks cute and historical. There's a nj train station in south edison, going north to metuchen, and more north the big metro station. Good ethnic food can be found in Edison. The famous Oaktree rd runs through little india where it's jammed and people drive crazy. Woodbridge is a similar town next door. turnpike exit9,10,11 goes to edison or exits 127-131 on the garden state parkway. If u get lost u could end up in perth amboy a crouded latino town by the ocean. U can use these facts for ur story. It's an interesting settings.
Until its closing in 1963 the Raritan Arsenal dominated the area and covered the land from 287 to the Nixon end of MCC and down to the Raritan river. Many area residents made a living there.
Row after row of tanks, army ducks and trucks were stocked there as well as tons of munitions in the 'igloo area'. War surplus weapons etc were buried in the 'million dollar dump'. Phosgene, etc was buried in fenced off areas scattered within the arsenal. Watch towers and canals dominated the area near the river and along Red Root Creek along with a long loading dock across from Crab Island. Supposedly prisoners of war were held there during WWII.
Live munitions are still uncovered to this day.
My great grandfather told of a horse race from the tavern at the corner of New Brunswick and Amboy avenues up to Bonhamtown and back on the dirt road/ rt 514.
Black ducks, muskrats, gray fox, pheasants, rabbits and deer were fair game along the river as hunting was allowed in Edison twsp.
You couldn't find a crow, goose or mallard to save your life. Huge flocks of starling would roost in the fragmites in the marshy areas. New wildife imigrants seen today as common mimic the ethnic diversity now found in Edison.
Edsion sacrificed a huge opportunity to create an unprecedented waterfront park/ preserve by choosing concentrated wharehousing to replace the vast Raritan Arsenal.
Edison is situated in an area of incredible geolological and resultant plant and animal diversity at the intersection of the Raritan river and Bay. A major intersection of migratory flyways and a passage for anadromous and salt water fisheries. What a shame, what a shame!!!!!!! So much for eco tourism and potential overflowing municipal coffers.
Is it a coincidence that the southern most sighting of the "Blind Owl"= Boreal owl= Richardson's owl was in the Raritan Arsenal home of the blind Edison twsp?
The Kinbuc dump? sp? dump was a high priority super fund site at one time.
Photo: portion of the arsenal dock from Red Root creek looking south to Sayreville/So River.
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time frame? what do all those letters mean NaNo...?
