Woodbridge Proper is the central section of Woodbridge Township, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, and the historic heart of the oldest original township in the state. The township was settled in 1664 and received a royal charter from King Charles II on June 1, 1669, taking its name from Reverend John Woodbridge of Newbury, Massachusetts. Woodbridge Proper retains that early identity as the civic and commercial core, housing the municipal complex, the main library, and the township's flagship high school within a compact, walkable area. The section sits in a township of roughly 100,000 residents that functions as a dense suburb of New York City, roughly 25 miles southwest of Manhattan. Woodbridge Proper's downtown offers a genuine pedestrian core of restaurants, shops, and civic spaces, anchored by Parker Press Park, where James Parker established New Jersey's first printing press in 1751 and where summer concerts draw the community together. The Woodbridge Community Center adds a pool, ice and roller rinks, batting cages, and miniature golf, giving the center a family-oriented recreational spine. Transportation defines much of Woodbridge Proper's appeal. The neighborhood is near the Woodbridge Station on NJ Transit's North Jersey Coast Line, with direct service to New York Penn Station, and the Metropark Station on the Northeast Corridor provides express rail and Amtrak connections nearby. The Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike, and U.S. Route 1/9 frame the township, making the section one of central Jersey's most connected residential areas. Woodbridge Proper suits commuters and families who want a walkable downtown, historic character, and strong transit access without the density or cost of Hudson County's waterfront cities. Its blend of older single-family homes, newer apartments near the station, and a genuine town center gives it a distinct identity among the township's many sections.