Station area (downtown vicinity)Built / opened
The Forum at Madison
All-affordable family rental building (Passive House / Zero Energy Ready). Ribbon cutting in May 2025.
Ribbon cutting: May 28, 2025source, 2025-05-30
Stop 2 of 7 Madison
2.0 miles west of Chatham
The Rose City: a former rose-growing center that once sent tens of thousands of blooms to New York by early-morning train.
16,447residents
$171,471median household income
$943,200median home value
888riders board here on an average weekday (2024)
Wait, really?
01Madison was originally called Bottle Hill. In 1832, 420 of the village's 500 residents belonged to the Madison Total Abstinence Society, and many found the old name offensive, so it was changed in 1834.02The first name proposed to replace Bottle Hill, at an April 2, 1834 meeting, was "Jefferson"; it was dropped because another New Jersey post office already had it, and "Madison" passed narrowly on August 30, 1834.03On March 1, 1889, the Madison Eagle reported that 40,000 to 50,000 roses a day were going into New York City on the early-morning train.04Madison's rose industry peaked in 1950, when one million rose plants were growing in and around the town.05After buying the Slaughter greenhouses in 1908, Joseph F. Ruzicka turned twelve miles of steam pipes into planting tables for 165,000 rose bushes.06Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge commissioned the Hartley Dodge Memorial, Madison's municipal building, in 1927 in honor of her son; it was finished in 1932.07The name of the Florham estate, now Fairleigh Dickinson University's campus, combines the first names of Florence Vanderbilt and Hamilton Twombly.08Giralda Farms, an office development on the former Geraldine R. Dodge estate, must keep 85% of its land undeveloped, with almost all parking underground.100 neighbors
If Madison Borough were 100 people, by race and ethnicity.
- White, not Hispanic 73.4%
- Hispanic or Latino (any race) 13.3%
- All other groups (Asian, Black, multiracial, other) 13.3%
Within the total population: Asian alone 6.3%, Black alone 1.5%, two or more races 14.1% (these categories can include Hispanic residents).
Schools in town
5public
1private
8nursery / pre-K
Madison Public Schools (Madison Borough School District) · high school: Madison High School (grades 9-12)
The station
| Station location | Madison Borough |
|---|---|
| Address | 47 Kings Road, Madison, NJ |
| Miles from New York Penn | 28.1 |
| First passenger service | 1837-09-17 first passenger train; regular service 1837-09-28 |
| Current station opened | 1916 |
| Architecture / history | Architect Frank J. Nies. National Register of Historic Places, 1984. |
| Service | Electric. Midtown Direct trains to New York Penn and trains to Hoboken. |
| Parking | 413 spaces (10 accessible) |
| Accessibility | Accessible |
| Average weekday boardings | 888 (FY2024) |
| Fare zone | 11 |
Travel times are not shown. NJ TRANSIT’s Portal North Bridge cutover schedule (October 11 to November 14, 2026) diverted weekday Midtown Direct trains to Hoboken, and the regular timetable resumes November 15, 2026, subject to safety testing. Check njtransit.com for current times.
The people
| Population, 2020 Census | 16,937 |
|---|---|
| Population, 2010 Census | 15,845 |
| Change, 2010–2020 | +6.9% |
| Population, ACS 2020–2024 | 16,447 |
| Median age | 38.2 |
| Households | 5,614 |
| Average household size | 2.65 |
| Median household income | $171,471 |
| Per-capita income | $89,692 |
| Poverty rate | 3.2% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 74.1% |
| White, not Hispanic | 73.4% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 13.3% |
| Asian alone | 6.3% |
| Black alone | 1.5% |
| Two or more races | 14.1% |
| Born outside the U.S. | 14.8% |
| Language other than English at home | 18.3% |
| Median home value | $943,200 |
| Median gross rent | $2,253 |
| Owner-occupied homes | 63.8% |
| Mean travel time to work | 27.6 min |
| Commute by public transit | 8.01% |
| Work from home | 27.7% |
| Land area | 4.31 sq mi |
| People per square mile | 3,927 |
U.S. Census Bureau: ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates and the 2010 and 2020 Census. Rows not shown were not available from the sources used.
1,000,000Rose plants growing in and around Madison in the peak year of 1950420 of 500Residents in the temperance society in 1832, two years before Bottle Hill became Madison
Rt 46 · 80 · 10 and station-area projects
Station areaBuilt / opened
Madison Mall Apartments (Madison Mall on Main) expansion
Downtown apartment expansion. Madison's Round 4 plan lists it as completed. Exact opening date not stated.
Approved: June 2022; Completed: listed as completed in the Mar 3, 2026 housing plan; leasing Feb 2026source, 2026-03-03
Station areaProposed
31–33 Kings Road rezoning (Round 4 site)
Proposed multifamily rezoning near the station in Madison's adopted Round 4 housing plan.
In adopted housing plan: Mar 3, 2026source, 2026-03-03
In town, off corridorUnder development
1 Giralda Farms residential conversion
Former corporate office campus approved for housing. It is listed for context because it is outside the station area.
Planning Board approval: Nov 3, 2025source, 2025-11-04 (original: New Jersey Hills)