Woodbridge, township, Middlesex County, eastern New Jersey, on the Arthur Kill (a narrow channel), opposite Staten Island; incorporated 1669. It is a transportation and industrial center. Manufactures include chemicals, refined petroleum, and construction materials. Large retail shopping complexes are also here. The township was settled in 1665 by New Englanders, and one of New Jersey's first printing presses was established here in 1751. Population 17,434 (1996 estimate).