Bridgewater is a relatively large, suburban township located in the center of Somerset County. The area of the present Township of Bridgewater was originally purchased from a local Lenape Native American tribe. Bridgewater was chartered by George II of Great Britain in 1749, and incorporated on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's 104 original townships. It is named after the town of Bridgwater in the English county of Somerset.
Bridgewater Township is a township in Somerset County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located within the heart of the Raritan Valley region. Situated within Central New Jersey and crisscrossed by several major highways, the township is known for being both the regional commercial hub for Somerset County (home to Bridgewater Commons and different corporate headquarters) and as a suburban bedroom community of New York City within the New York Metropolitan Area. The township is located roughly 32 miles (51 km) away from Manhattan and about 20 miles (32 km) away from Staten Island.