Bridgewater. 1 Town (2020 pop. 28,633), Plymouth co., E Mass.; inc. 1656. Manufacturing includes shoes and metal products. Its iron foundry industry dates from colonial times. Bridgewater State Univ. and a state prison are there. 2 Town (2020 pop. 45,977), Somerset co., central NJ. The town was chartered by King George II in 1749, and was among the original 104 townships incorporated by the state of NJ in 1798. The area was basically rural and agricultural until 1960 when it developed into a suburban bedroom community bolstered by the area's pharmaceutical, telecommunications, and financial industries.
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