Princeton Township, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Also Princeton Borough
Borough of Princeton, New Jersey
The Borough of Princeton is a borough and is one of the two municipalities making up Princeton, New Jersey. It lies in Mercer County, New Jersey, and is completely surrounded by Princeton Township, from which it was formed in 1894...

 is an independent municipality completely surrounded by the township.

Princeton North
Princeton North, New Jersey
Princeton North is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Princeton Township, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the CDP population was 4,528....

 is a census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...

 and unincorporated area located within Princeton Township.

The Princeton Airport
Princeton Airport (New Jersey)
Princeton Airport is a public-use airport located in Montgomery Township, Somerset County, New Jersey, United States, three miles north of the central business district of Princeton and just west of Rocky Hill. The airport is privately owned by Princeton Aero Corp...

 is situated less than a mile across the Somerset County border, located in Montgomery Township
Montgomery Township, New Jersey
Montgomery Township is a Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population was 22,254, which represents growth of 27% since 2000 and more than 130% since the 1990 Census population figure of 9,612.Montgomery Township was...

, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

, though it is within Princeton's postal district.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 16,027 people, 6,044 households, and 4,357 families residing in the township. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 978.2 people per square mile (377.8/km²). There were 6,224 housing units at an average density of 379.9 per square mile (146.7/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 79.91% White, 5.32% African American, 0.12% Native American, 9.98% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.11% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 2.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.28% of the population.

There were 6,044 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.3% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the township the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $94,580, and the median income for a family was $123,098. Males had a median income of $77,845 versus $41,563 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the township was $56,360. About 4.2% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.

The township is listed 25th out of all incorporated areas and census-designated places in New Jersey ranked by per capita income.

Local government

Princeton Township is governed under the Township
Township (New Jersey)
A township, in the context of New Jersey local government, refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government. As a political entity, a township is a full-fledged municipality, on par with any town, city, borough, or village, collecting property taxes and providing...

 form of government with a five-member Township Committee. The Township Committee is elected directly by the voters in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one seat coming up for election each year. A Mayor and Deputy Member are elected by the Committee from among its members and serve a one-year term. The Mayor serves as the Chairperson of the Committee and exercises executive powers vested in the Mayor's Office bylaw. All legislative powers are assigned to the Committee. 105 of the 566 municipalities in New Jersey operate with a five-member Committee form of local government.

An Administrator is also empowered by ordinance to serve in an executive capacity and direct the Township's day-to-day operations. James Pascale is the current Township Administrator.

, members of the Princeton Township Committee are Mayor Chad Goerner, Deputy Mayor Sue Nemeth, Liz Lempert, Lance Liverman and Bernard P. Miller.

Merger of Borough and Township

On November 8, 2011 the residents of both the Borough of Princeton and the Township of Princeton voted to merge the two municipalities into one. In Princeton Borough 1,385 voted for, 902 voted against while in Princeton Township 3,542 voted for and 604 voted against. Proponents of the consolidation measure asserted that when the merger is completed the new municipality of Princeton will save $3.2 million dollars as a result of some scaled down services including layoffs of 15 government workers including 9 police officers (however, the measure itself does not create any line item cost reduction or layoffs). Opponents to the consolidation measure asserted that cost savings alleged by a widely circulated report were incorrect and/or unsubstantiated and that individual voter representation would be diluted by the merged municipal structure. The consolidation is to take effect in 2013.

Federal, state and county representation

Princeton Township is in the 12th Congressional district.

Princeton is in the

Colleges and universities

Part of Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

, including most of the athletic facilities, is in the township. Most university buildings are in the borough. The rest of the university's land is across Carnegie Lake in West Windsor Township
West Windsor Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of Census 2010, West Windsor had a population of 27,165. The median age was 39.6. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 54.9% White, 3.7% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 37.7% Asian, 1.0% some other race and 2.6% reporting two or more races...

.

The Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...

 and the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...

 are in the township.

Westminster Choir College
Westminster Choir College
Westminster Choir College is a residential college of music, part of Rider University, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States.Westminster Choir College educates men and women at the undergraduate and graduate levels for musical careers in music education, voice performance, piano...

 is located mainly in the borough; a small part is in the township.

Mercer County Community College
Mercer County Community College
Mercer County Community College is an accredited, co-educational, two-year, public, community college located in Mercer County, New Jersey. The school's current president is Dr. Patricia C. Donohue...

 serves residents of the township.

Public schools

For grades K through 12, public school students attend the Princeton Regional Schools
Princeton Regional Schools
Princeton Regional Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, New Jersey, United States. Students from Cranbury Township attend the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship...

, a regional school district shared with the Borough of Princeton
Borough of Princeton, New Jersey
The Borough of Princeton is a borough and is one of the two municipalities making up Princeton, New Jersey. It lies in Mercer County, New Jersey, and is completely surrounded by Princeton Township, from which it was formed in 1894...

, or the Princeton Charter School
Princeton Charter School
Princeton Charter School is a K-8 charter school in Princeton Township, in Mercer County, New Jersey, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade.-History:...

 (grades K-8), located in the township.

Four elementary schools (Johnson Park, Community Park, Littlebrook, and Riverside) and John Witherspoon Middle School
John Witherspoon Middle school
John Witherspoon Middle School is a middle school in Princeton, New Jersey. It is located across the street from Princeton High School. There are currently just under 700 students in three grades with a staff of approximately 70...

 are located in the township and serve the borough and township.

Princeton High School
Princeton High School (New Jersey)
Princeton High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Princeton Regional Schools district, which serves all public school students in the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township...

 is located in the borough of Princeton and serves the borough and the township, and Cranbury Township
Cranbury Township, New Jersey
- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 3,227 people, 1,091 households, and 877 families residing in the township. The population density was 240.6 people per square mile . There were 1,121 housing units at an average density of 83.6 per square mile...

, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

, as part of a sending/receiving relationship
Sending/receiving relationship
A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts have grown as part of a historical relationship...

.

Private schools

Several private schools are located in the Township, including the American Boychoir School
American Boychoir School
The American Boychoir School is a music boarding school located in Princeton, New Jersey. It is one of only two boychoir boarding schools in the United States, the other being Saint Thomas Choir School in New York City...

, Hun School of Princeton
Hun School of Princeton
The Hun School of Princeton is a private, coeducational, secondary boarding school located in Princeton Township, New Jersey, United States. The school has a Princeton, New Jersey mailing address. The school serves students from grades 6 through high school. Currently, the headmaster is Jonathan...

, Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart, Princeton Day School
Princeton Day School
Princeton Day School is a private coeducational day school located in Princeton Township, New Jersey, serving students in grades pre kindergarten - 12. The largest division is the Upper School , with an enrollment of approximately 400...

, Princeton Friends School
Princeton Friends School
Princeton Friends School is an independent Quaker day Kindergarten-8th grade school in Princeton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, USA. It is under the care of Princeton Monthly Meeting and located on the Meeting's historic property, adjacent to both the Institute for Advanced Study Woods and...

, and Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart
Stuart Country Day School
Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart is an independent all-girls Catholic country day school located in Princeton Township, New Jersey, that serves students from pre-school through grade 12...

.

Public libraries

The Princeton Public Library, located in the borough, serves the borough and the township. The library was entirely rebuilt in 2004 at its downtown location at the corner of Witherspoon Street and Wiggins Street and opened its doors in April of that year.

Transportation

New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...

 operates the "Dinky", a small train that connects Princeton to the Princeton Junction
Princeton Junction (NJT station)
Princeton Junction Station at West Windsor is a New Jersey Transit and Amtrak rail station on the Northeast Corridor located in Princeton Junction, an area within West Windsor Township in New Jersey, USA...

 station in West Windsor
West Windsor Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of Census 2010, West Windsor had a population of 27,165. The median age was 39.6. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 54.9% White, 3.7% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 37.7% Asian, 1.0% some other race and 2.6% reporting two or more races...

.

Princeton Township hosts U.S. Route 206
U.S. Route 206
U.S. Route 206 is a long north–south United States highway in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, United States. Only about a half a mile of its length is in Pennsylvania; the Milford-Montague Toll Bridge carries it over the Delaware River into New Jersey, where it is the remainder of the route...

 and Route 27 as its main roads. CR 583
County Route 583 (New Jersey)
County Route 583, abbreviated CR 583, is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its northern end is at an intersection with Route 27 in Princeton; its southern end is in a concurrency with U.S. Route 1 Business and U.S...

, CR 571
County Route 571 (New Jersey)
County Route 571, abbreviated CR 571, is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends from Route 37 in Toms River Township to Route 27 in the Borough of Princeton.-Ocean County:...

 (commonly known as Washington Rd), and CR 533
County Route 533 (New Jersey)
County Route 533 is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends from the White Horse Circle, in Hamilton Township to County Route 527 in Bound Brook. Route 533 shares a major concurrency with U.S...

 also pass through the township.

Other major roads that are accessible outside the municipality include U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 in New Jersey
U.S. Route 1 is a United States highway which parallels the East Coast of the United States, running from Key West, Florida in the south to Fort Kent, Maine at the Canadian border in the north. Of the entire length of the route, of it runs through New Jersey...

 (in Lawrence, West Windsor & South Brunswick), Interstate 287
Interstate 287
Interstate 287 is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York. It is a partial beltway around New York City, serving the northern half of New Jersey and the counties of Rockland and Westchester in New York...

 (in Franklin), Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in New Jersey
Interstate 95 is a major Interstate Highway that traverses the full extent of the East Coast of the United States, from Florida to Maine...

 (the section north of Trenton) and Interstate 295
Interstate 295 (Delaware-New Jersey)
Interstate 295 in New Jersey and Delaware is an auxiliary Interstate Highway, designated as a bypass around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The route begins at a junction with Interstate 95 south of Wilmington, Delaware, and runs to another junction with I-95 north of Trenton, New Jersey...

 (both in Lawrence) and the New Jersey Turnpike
New Jersey Turnpike
The New Jersey Turnpike is a toll road in New Jersey, maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. According to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, the Turnpike is the nation's sixth-busiest toll road and is among one of the most heavily traveled highways in the United...

 (also designated as Interstate 95 in South Brunswick). The closest Turnpike interchange is Exit 8A located nine miles away in Monroe Township
Monroe Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey
Monroe Township is a Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 27,999. Monroe was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 9, 1838, from portions of South Amboy Township, based on the...

. But it is also accessible from Exit 9 in East Brunswick
East Brunswick Township, New Jersey
The town is located southwest of New York City and 48 miles northeast of Philadelphia.Lawrence Brook, a tributary of the Raritan River, runs along the western border of the township...

, Exit 8 in East Windsor
East Windsor Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 24,919 people, 9,448 households, and 6,556 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,592.8 people per square mile . There were 9,880 housing units at an average density of 631.5 per square mile...

 and Exit 7A in Robbinsville.

A couple of proposed highways around the township have been canceled. The Somerset Freeway
Interstate 95 in New Jersey
Interstate 95 is a major Interstate Highway that traverses the full extent of the East Coast of the United States, from Florida to Maine...

 (Interstate 95) was to pass just outside the township before ending in Hopewell (to the south) and Franklin (to the north). This project was canceled in 1980.
Route 92 was supposed to remedy the lack of limited-access highways to the greater Princeton area. The road would've started at Route 1 near Ridge Road in South Brunswick and ended at Exit 8A of the turnpike. However, that project was killed in 2006.

Points of interest

  • The site of the Mercer Oak
    Mercer Oak
    The Mercer Oak was a large white oak tree that stood in Princeton Battlefield State Park in Princeton Township, New Jersey. The tree was about 300 years old when it was torn by strong winds in March 2000. It is the emblem of Princeton Township and appears on the seal of the township...

    , against which the dying General Hugh Mercer
    Hugh Mercer
    Hugh Mercer was a soldier and physician. He initially served with British forces during the Seven Years War but later became a brigadier general in the Continental Army and a close friend to George Washington...

     rested while his men around him continued to fight the Battle of Princeton
    Battle of Princeton
    The Battle of Princeton was a battle in which General George Washington's revolutionary forces defeated British forces near Princeton, New Jersey....

     in 1777. The oak is the emblem of Princeton Township and appears on the seal of Mercer County
    Mercer County, New Jersey
    As of the census of 2000, there were 350,761 people, 125,807 households, and 86,303 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,552 people per square mile . There were 133,280 housing units at an average density of 590 per square mile...

    . The tree died in 2000, and one of its saplings now grows in its place.
  • The Washington Oak
    Washington Oak
    The Washington Oak is a protected ancient white oak tree in Princeton Township, New Jersey, USA that overlooks the Princeton Battlefield State Park...

     - 275+ year-old white oak overlooking Princeton Battlefield State Park on the spot where British and American forces first saw each other.
  • Delaware and Raritan Canal
    Delaware and Raritan Canal
    The Delaware and Raritan Canal is a canal in central New Jersey, United States, built in the 1830s that served to connect the Delaware River to the Raritan River. It was intended as an efficient and reliable means of transportation of freight between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York City,...

     - runs along the Stony Brook
    Stony Brook
    Stony Brook, Stonybrook or Stoney Brook may refer to:In California* Farwell, California, once known as StonybrookIn Massachusetts* Stony Brook , a tributary of the Charles River in Boston...

     and the eastern bank of Carnegie Lake.
  • Stony Brook Meeting House and Cemetery
    Stony Brook Meeting House and Cemetery
    Stony Brook Meeting House and Cemetery are historic Quaker sites located at the Stony Brook Settlement at the intersection of Princeton Pike/Mercer Road and Quaker Road in Princeton Township, New Jersey, United States. The first Europeans to settle in the Princeton area were six Quaker families who...

     - historic sites of 18th century meeting house and burial site of Richard Stockton
    Richard Stockton (1730-1781)
    Richard Stockton was an American lawyer, jurist, legislator, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.-Early life:...

     (signer of the Declaration of Independence
    United States Declaration of Independence
    The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...

    ) and Governor of New Jersey
    Governor of New Jersey
    The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...

     Charles Smith Olden
    Charles Smith Olden
    Charles Smith Olden was an American Republican Party politician, who served as the 19th Governor of New Jersey from 1860 to 1863 during the first part of the American Civil War.-Biography:...

    .
  • Drumthwacket
    Drumthwacket
    Drumthwacket is the official residence of the governor of New Jersey. The mansion is located at 354 Stockton Street in Princeton, New Jersey, close to the state capital of Trenton...

     - official residence of the Governor of New Jersey

Sister city

Comune di Pettoranello del Molise
Pettoranello del Molise
Pettoranello del Molise is a comune in the Province of Isernia in the Italian region Molise, located about 30 km west of Campobasso and about 6 km southeast of Isernia...

, Molise
Molise
Molise is a region of Southern Italy, the second smallest of the regions. It was formerly part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise and now a separate entity...

, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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