Edison, NJ Homes For Rent

Homes for Rent in Edison, NJ: What You Need to Know

Edison is a township in Middlesex County in north-central New Jersey. It’s where Thomas Alva Edison invented the incandescent lamp and many other items that generated 400 patents.

Local History

The area, originally known as Raritan Township, was first settled in the late 1600s. It was renamed Edison in 1954 partly because of the confusion arising from several towns named Raritan. Residents voted to rename their hometown after Thomas Edison. In 1876, he built his laboratories in Menlo Park, a neighborhood in Edison, where he invented the phonograph and electric railway, among other things. He chose Menlo Park because it was the highest point along the Pennsylvania Railroad between New York and Philadelphia. 

Things to Do in Edison, NJ

It’s hard to miss the Edison Memorial Tower, standing at almost 15 feet on the site of Edison’s laboratories. To truly appreciate the inventor’s genius, visit the Thomas Edison Center, which includes a two-room museum displaying original artifacts and interpretive exhibits. Spend a leisurely hour or two in Roosevelt Park, which has grassy fields, basketball and tennis courts, and an artificial lake. There’s a roller-skating rink next to the park, which becomes an ice-skating rink in the winter.

Cost of Living

Edison (population: 103,000) is a suburb of New York City, 33 miles away. It isn’t exactly cheap, but it’s still better than the Big Apple. Edison’s cost of living rate and food costs are 22.6% and 6.5% higher than the national average, respectively. At least, housing cost is 7% lower than the national average with median gross rent at $1,258. The Garden State collects 1.40% to 10.75% in income tax. The top rate is among the highest in the country. New Jersey collects 3.3125% to 6.625% in sales tax. 

Know Your Neighborhoods

Over the years, a number of magazines have chosen Edison as one of the most livable small places in America. Residents praise their hometown for its top-notch public schools, safe and family-friendly environment, and great amenities. Metuchen and Monmouth Junction, both in Middlesex County, have comparable schools and amenities.

Weather and Climate

You can expect ample precipitation in Edison, which receives 48 inches of rain per year, more than the U.S. average of 38 inches. The city gets about 24 inches of snow annually versus the national average of 28 inches. The epic blizzard on Jan. 6-8, 1996, dumped 32 inches of snow in Edison, two inches less than the state record set in 1899. The blizzard paralyzed much of the East Coast.