West Windsor Township, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
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. 4.5% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.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 21,907 people, 7,282 households, and 5,985 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 842.4 people per square mile (325.2/km²). There were 7,450 housing units at an average density of 286.5 per square mile (110.6/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 71.53% White, 2.76% African American, 0.08% Native American, 22.76% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.08% 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 1.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.07% of the population.
As of the 2000 census, 8.31% of West Windsor Township's residents identified themselves as being of Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
ancestry. This was the fourth highest percentage of people with Chinese ancestry in any place in New Jersey with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.
There were 7,282 households out of which 50.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.3% 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, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.8% were non-families. 14.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.36.
In the township the population was spread out with 31.8% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 6.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $134,353, and the median income for a family was $151,545. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $56,002 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 $48,511. About 2.0% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.
West Windsor was ranked 30th among the highest-income places with a population of at least 10,000 in the United States.
In 2008, Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
listed West Windsor as the 15th most affluent neighborhood in the U.S., with a median household income of $134,353.
AOL and NeighborhoodScout named West Windsor in 2009 as the best neighborhood to raise kids for its school district (top 7% in New Jersey, top 3% nationwide), prevailing family type (families with school-aged children), and neighborhood safety (safer than 97% of neighborhoods).
Landmarks
Grover's MillGrover's Mill
Grover's Mill is an unincorporated area within West Windsor Township, New Jersey made famous in Orson Welles' 1938 radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds, where it was depicted as ground zero for a Martian invasion, on October 30th of that year....
in West Windsor was the site Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
chose for the Martian invasion in his 1938 radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds (radio)
The War of the Worlds was an episode of the American radio drama anthology series Mercury Theatre on the Air. It was performed as a Halloween episode of the series on October 30, 1938, and aired over the Columbia Broadcasting System radio network. Directed and narrated by actor and future filmmaker...
.
Local government
West Windsor Township was established by an Act of the New Jersey LegislatureNew Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...
on February 9, 1797, and incorporated on February 21, 1798. From the time of its formation, until 1993, the Township was governed by a Township Committee, which had both executive and legislative authority. In May 1993, West Windsor Township residents voted to change their form of government from a Township Committee to a Mayor-Council
Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council)
The Faulkner Act, or Optional Municipal Charter Law, provides for New Jersey municipalities to adopt a Mayor-Council government.This form of government provides for election of a mayor and five, seven, or nine council members...
form under the Faulkner Act
Faulkner Act (New Jersey)
The Optional Municipal Charter Law or Faulkner Act provides New Jersey municipalities with a variety of models of local government. This legislation is called the Faulkner Act in honor of the late Bayard H...
. The new form of government was initiated on July 1, 1993.
Under the current Mayor-Council form of government, the Mayor and Council function as independent branches of government. The Mayor is the Chief Executive of the Township and heads its Administration. The Mayor is elected in a non-partisan election and serves for a four-year term. The Mayor may attend Council meetings but is not obliged to do so.
The Council is the legislative branch. The five members of the Township Council are elected on a non-partisan basis for four-year, staggered terms. At the annual organizational meeting held during the first week of July of each year, the Council elects a President and Vice President to serve for one-year terms. The Council President chairs the meetings of the governing body.
, the Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of West Windsor Township is Shing-Fu Hsueh, whose term of office ends December 31, 2013. Members of the West Windsor Township Council are Council President Kamal Khanna (2013), Council Vice-President Diane Ciccone (2013), George Borek (2011), Linda Geevers (2013) and Charles C. Morgan (2011).
Federal, state and county representation
West Windsor Township is in the 12th Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 14th state legislative district. The city was relocated to the 15th state legislative district by the New Jersey Apportionment CommissionNew Jersey Apportionment Commission
The New Jersey Apportionment Commission is a constitutionally-created ten-member commission responsible for apportioning the forty districts of the New Jersey Legislature. The commission is convened after each decennial U.S. Census, and the districts are to be in use for the legislative elections...
based on the results of the 2010 Census. The new district was in effect for the June 2011 primary and the November 2011 general election, with the state senator and assembly members elected taking office in the new district as of January 2012.
Colleges and universities
West Windsor is the site of the West Windsor Campus of the Mercer County Community CollegeMercer 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...
.
Part of the 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....
campus is located in West Windsor.
Primary and secondary schools
Plainsboro TownshipPlainsboro Township, New Jersey
Plainsboro Township is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township population was 20,215.Plainsboro was incorporated as a township on May 6, 1919...
and West Windsor are part of a combined school district, the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District
West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District
West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District is a regional school district in New Jersey, serving students from West Windsor Township and Plainsboro Township ....
. Schools in the district (with 2009-10 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics
National Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
) are four K-3 elementary schools —
Dutch Neck Elementary School (763 students),
Maurice Hawk Elementary School
Maurice Hawk Elementary School
Maurice Hawk Elementary School is a neighborhood public lower elementary school in Princeton Junction, Mercer County, New Jersey, and is part of the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District...
(827),
Town Center Elementary School (706),
J.V.B. Wicoff Elementary School (433) —
Millstone River Elementary School (869) and
Village Elementary School (651) for grades 4-5,
Community Middle School
Community Middle School
Community Middle School is a middle school located in Princeton Junction or West Windsor Twp, New Jersey in Middlesex County, New Jersey serving students in grades 6 through 8...
(1,256) and
Thomas Grover Middle School
Thomas Grover Middle School
Thomas R. Grover Middle School is located in Princeton Junction in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, and serves grades six through eight. Grover's mascot is a jaguar, and its students are known as 'Jags'...
(1,096) for grades 6-8, and
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, also known as WW-P North, is a four-year public comprehensive high school located in Plainsboro Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey serving students in grades 9 through 12...
(1,608) and
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Princeton Junction in Mercer County, New Jersey, serving students in Grades 9 through 12...
(1,613) for grades 9-12.
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South was ranked 16th and West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North was the 29th ranked public high schools in New Jersey out of 322 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly
New Jersey Monthly
New Jersey Monthly is a monthly glossy publication featuring issues of possible interest to residents of the United States state of New Jersey...
magazine's September 2010 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 21st and 19th respectively in 2008 out of 316 schools.
Transportation
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...
serves the township, as does Route 64 (which is part of CR 526/571).
A few major county routes pass through. 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...
(Quakerbridge Rd) passes along the western border with Lawrence. CR 526
County Route 526 (New Jersey)
County Route 526 is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends from Hightstown Road in West Windsor Township to Lanes Mill Road in Lakewood Township....
and 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:...
are multiplexed together from the northwestern part until they split in the center of the municipality. CR 535
County Route 535 (New Jersey)
County Route 535 is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends from Logan Avenue , at the boundary between Trenton and Hamilton Township in Mercer County to the intersection of Main Street, Raritan Street and Washington Road in Sayreville in Middlesex County.The road...
passes through in the south and serves Mercer County College.
Other major roads that are accessible outside the municipality are 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...
(in Hamilton and Lawrence), Interstate 195
Interstate 195 (New Jersey)
Interstate 195 is an auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its western end is at I-295 and Route 29 just south of Trenton, New Jersey in Hamilton Township, Mercer County while its eastern end is at the Garden State Parkway, Route 34 and Route...
(in Hamilton and Robbinsville), 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...
(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...
) (in Robbinsville (Exit 7A) and East Windsor (Exit 8)).
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, a Northeast Corridor
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...
stop on Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
and 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...
, is located within West Windsor. Amtrak's Keystone Service
Keystone Service
Amtrak's Keystone Service provides frequent passenger train service along the Amtrak-owned Keystone Corridor and Northeast Corridor between the Harrisburg Transportation Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Station in New York via 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. It is...
and Northeast Regional routes stop at Princeton Junction. Princeton Junction is ranked as one of the top ten busiest train stations in the Northeast.
Running between the Princeton Junction and Princeton
Princeton (NJT station)
Princeton is served by thePrinceton Branch of New Jersey Transit. It serves the borough of Princeton and is located on the Princeton University campus...
stations is what is known to locals as the "Dinky." The Dinky is a one-car train that shuttles back and forth many times a day between the two stations. Traveling only 2.7 miles each way, it is the shortest regularly scheduled passenger route in the United States.
NJ Transit bus service to Trenton
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
is provided via the 600, 603, 609, with other area service on the 605 route.
Notable events
West Windsor was the site of the anthrax terrorism scare back in 2001-02. The post office was found to be infected with anthrax and several residents were sickened and killed.The Mercer County Italian-American Festival is held annually in West Windsor (on the grounds of Mercer County Park).
Noted residents
Notable current and former residents of West Windsor Township include:- Jack AkerJack AkerJackie Delane Aker is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. Aker was used exclusively in relief. He appeared in 495 games, none as a starter, and was one of the American League's best closers of his era. He is of Potawatomi Indian ancestry...
(born 1940), former Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher. - Kevin Barry (born 1978), Atlanta BravesAtlanta BravesThe Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
relief pitcherRelief pitcherA relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
. - Aneesh ChopraAneesh ChopraAneesh Paul Chopra is the first Federal Chief Technology Officer of the United States .Chopra previously served as Virginia’s fourth Secretary of Technology. Prior to his government service, Chopra was Managing Director for the Advisory Board Company, a health care think tank for hospitals and...
(born 1972), first Chief Technology Officer of the United StatesChief Technology Officer of the United StatesThe Chief Technology Officer of the United States , formally known as the Assistant to the President, Associate Director for the Office of Science and Technology Policy is a position created within the Office of Science and Technology Policy by President Barack Obama...
. - Stanley DancerStanley DancerStanley Franklin Dancer was an American harness racing driver and trainer. He was the only horsemen to drive and train three Triple Crowns in horse racing. In total, he drove 23 Triple Crown winners. He was the first trainer to campaign a horse to $1 million in a career, Cardigan Bay in 1968 and...
(1927–2005), harness racing driver and trainer. - Douglas Forrester (born 1953), former mayor of West Windsor Township who was the Republican Party nominee for U.S. Senator in 2002 and Governor of New Jersey in 2005.
- Ethan HawkeEthan HawkeEthan Green Hawke is an American actor, writer and director. He made his feature film debut in 1985 with the science fiction movie Explorers, before making a supporting appearance in the 1989 drama Dead Poets Society which is considered his breakthrough role...
(born 1970), actor. - Kris KolluriKris KolluriKris Kolluri serves as head of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority, having taken office as of December 1, 2008, where he succeeded Scott Weiner. He had previously served as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation , having been sworn into office on March 13, 2006...
(born c. 1969) former Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of TransportationNew Jersey Department of TransportationThe New Jersey Department of Transportation is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey. It is headed by the Commissioner of Transportation...
. - Ben H. LoveBen H. LoveBen H. Love was the eighth Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America serving from 1985 to 1993.-Scouting professional:...
(1930–2010), the eighth Chief Scout ExecutiveChief Scout ExecutiveThe Chief Scout Executive is the top professional of the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America. In most similar non-profit organizations, this is equivalent to the position of executive director....
of the Boy Scouts of AmericaBoy Scouts of AmericaThe Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
serving from 1985 to 1993. - John Forbes Nash, Jr. (born 1928), Nobel PrizeNobel PrizeThe Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
-winning mathematician who was the subject of the film A Beautiful MindA Beautiful Mind (film)A Beautiful Mind is a 2001 American drama film based on the life of John Nash, a Nobel Laureate in Economics. The film was directed by Ron Howard and written by Akiva Goldsman. It was inspired by a bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-nominated 1998 book of the same name by Sylvia Nasar...
. - Fernando PerezFernando Perez (baseball)Fernando Perez is an outfielder is an American professional baseball outfielder for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball.-Early life:...
(born 1983), Tampa Bay RaysTampa Bay RaysThe Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
outfielder. - Steve Rogers (born 1949), former pitcher for the Montreal ExposMontreal ExposThe Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
. - Bryan SingerBryan SingerBryan Singer is an American film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially well-known among fans of the science fiction and superhero genres for his work on the X-Men films and Superman Returns.-Early life:Singer was born in New...
(born 1965), film director, for such films as Public Access, Apt PupilApt PupilApt Pupil is a novella by Stephen King, originally published in the 1982 novella collection Different Seasons, subtitled "Summer of Corruption".-Format of the story:Apt Pupil consists of 29 chapters, many of which are headed by a month...
, X-MenX-Men (film)X-Men is a 2000 superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics characters of the same name. Directed by Bryan Singer, the film stars Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Anna Paquin, Famke Janssen, Bruce Davison, James Marsden, Halle Berry, Rebecca Romijn, Ray Park and Tyler Mane...
, X2X2 (film)X2 is a 2003 superhero film based on the fictional characters the X-Men. Directed by Bryan Singer, it is the second film in the X-Men film series...
,Superman ReturnsSuperman ReturnsSuperman Returns is a 2006 superhero film directed by Bryan Singer. It is the fifth and final installment in the original Superman film series and serves as a alternate sequel to Superman and Superman II by ignoring the events of Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace .The film stars...
and ValkyrieValkyrie (film)Valkyrie is a 2008 American historical thriller film set in Nazi Germany during World War II. The film depicts the 20 July plot in 1944 by German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler and to use the Operation Valkyrie national emergency plan to take control of the country...
. His break out film was The Usual SuspectsThe Usual SuspectsThe Usual Suspects is a 1995 American neo-noir film written by Christopher McQuarrie and directed by Bryan Singer. It stars Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Spacey and Pete Postlethwaite....
. He has also worked on television shows including HouseHouse (TV series)House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
.
External links
- Official township web site
- West Windsor-Plainsboro School District
- Data for the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
- West Windsor/Plainsboro Today: local online news and chat site
- The Not So Rinky Dinky (news article about the local rail shuttle service)