Dunellen is a borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, situated in the Raritan Valley region of central New Jersey, roughly midway between Plainfield and Bound Brook. It is small and fully developed—just over one square mile—with a 2020 population of 7,637, a figure that grew by about 5.7 percent over the prior decade. The borough was incorporated on October 28, 1887, from portions of Piscataway Township, and it took its name from the local station of the Central Railroad of New Jersey. Railroad history is woven into Dunellen's identity. The community grew up around its station, established in the late 1860s, and today that station survives as the only Raritan Valley Line stop in Middlesex County on NJ Transit, giving residents a direct rail link toward Newark and connections to New York. The railroad also attracted industry: the Art Color printing plant, built in 1925, became the borough's principal employer and printed as many as ten million magazines a month before closing in 1968. Modern Dunellen is a commuter town with a dense, walkable core. State Route 28 bisects the borough as its commercial spine, with the downtown clustered near the tracks and residential streets of small colonials, Cape Cods, ranches, and split-levels filling the surrounding blocks. Dunellen Public Schools, a Pre-K through 12th grade district with three campuses, anchors the community. For households seeking an affordable, transit-connected small town within commuting distance of New York, Dunellen offers a distinctive combination: genuine walkability, direct rail service, and an established housing stock, all within a compact, close-knit borough whose railroad roots remain visible in its everyday geography.