Somerville, borough, seat of Somerset County, north central New Jersey, on the Raritan River; incorporated as a borough 1909. It is chiefly a residential and commercial center; manufactures include pharmaceuticals, chemicals, machinery, and metal and plastic goods. Points of interest include the Wallace House, used (1778-79) by George Washington as his headquarters; and a Dutch parsonage (1751), in which the forerunner of Rutgers, the State University, was founded in 1766. The community, settled by Dutch farmers in 1683, was once known as Raritan and received its present name in the early 19th century. Population 11,973 (1980); 11,632 (1990); 12,423 (2000).
