Iselin is an unincorporated community and census-designated place within Woodbridge Township, in Middlesex County, New Jersey. With a population of about 20,000, it is one of the more densely settled sections of a township that also includes communities such as Colonia, Avenel, and Fords. Iselin sits in central New Jersey, roughly 25 miles southwest of Manhattan, and functions as both a residential suburb and a notable cultural and transit center within the New York metropolitan area. The community's origins trace to 19th-century settlements known as Perrytown and Uniontown, and its development accelerated with the arrival of the railroads in the 1830s and subsequent housing growth after World War I. Iselin takes its present name from Adrian Iselin, a New York City investment banker associated with the area's early rail development. Iselin is best known today for Oak Tree Road, the commercial corridor it shares with neighboring Edison. This strip has become one of the largest South Asian business districts in the United States, widely referred to as "Little India," with hundreds of restaurants, grocers, and specialty retailers. The community has one of the highest concentrations of Asian Indian residents of any census-designated place in the country, a defining element of its contemporary character. Transit is another cornerstone of Iselin's identity. Metropark station, located within the community, serves NJ Transit's Northeast Corridor Line and multiple Amtrak routes, providing direct rail access to Newark, New York, and the broader Northeast. For residents, Iselin combines established suburban housing, a distinctive cultural and culinary scene, and one of the region's most convenient rail connections.