[5] The township had a total area of 30.638 square miles (79.351 km2).
[2] Large acreages of the closed Raritan Arsensal, Camp Kilmer and the Edison Assembly have given way to mixed-use projects.
Until the later part of the 20th century, the township comprised several rural crossroad communities, the borders of which became less distinct with suburban development.
[10][11][12] A section in the center of Raritan Township was ceded to create the Borough of Metuchen on March 20, 1900.
While Metuchen is a separate municipality, it remains fully enclaved by, and is the geographic center of Edison,[11] making Edison a so-called 'doughnut' town.