Princeton Township, New Jersey
See also: the
Borough of Princeton, New Jersey and
Princeton, New Jersey |
Princeton Township highlighted in Mercer County. Inset map: Mercer County highlighted in the State of New Jersey. |
Princeton Township is a
township in
Mercer County,
New Jersey,
United States. As of the
United States 2000 Census, the township population was 16,027.
The township is the home of the
Institute for Advanced Study, a private research institution that has been an academic home to
Albert Einstein,
Kurt Gödel, and many other famous and prize-winning scientists.
Princeton University is located mostly within the
Borough of Princeton, but parts of the campus extend into Princeton Township.
Areas within the Borough of Princeton and the Princeton Township have "
Princeton, New Jersey" mailing addresses. Together the two municipalities are thought of as "Princeton."
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 43.0
km² (16.6
mi²). 42.4 km² (16.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (1.38%) is water.
Princeton Township borders
Hopewell Township,
Lawrence Township, and
West Windsor Township in
Mercer County;
Somerset County, and
Middlesex County.
Princeton Borough is an independent municipality completely surrounded by Princeton Township.
Princeton North is a
census-designated place and
unincorporated area located within Princeton Township.
The
Princeton Airport is situated less than a mile across the Somerset County border, located in
Montgomery Township, New Jersey, though it is within Princeton's postal district.
As of the
census2 of 2000, there were 16,027 people, 6,044 households, and 4,357 families residing in the township. The
population density was 377.8/km² (978.2/mi²). There were 6,224 housing units at an average density of 146.7/km² (379.9/mi²). 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, 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 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 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.
Local government
The Township of Princeton governing body is a Committee form of government chartered by the State of New Jersey. The
Township form of government is the oldest form of municipal government in the State of New Jersey originating with the Township Act of 1798. This form of municipal government patterned after the New England Township meeting, was modified numerous times throughout the 19th century. At the end of the 19th century, the law was modified to abolish the township meeting and replace it with a township committee that was vested with all municipal powers.
Under the current township government laws as they apply to Princeton Township, five Committee members are elected at-large in partisan elections to serve staggered three-year terms. The Mayor is elected by the Committee and serves a one-year term as does the Deputy Mayor. The Mayor serves as the Chairperson of the Committee and exercises executive powers vested in the Mayor's Office by law. 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 day-to-day operations of the Township.
Members of the Princeton Township Committee are
[Princeton Governing Body, accessed July 20, 2006]:
*
Mayor Phyllis L. Marchand*
Deputy Mayor Bernard P. Miller*
Vicky Bergman*
Bill Hearon*
Lance LivermanFederal, state and county representation
West Windsor Township is in the Twelfth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 15th Legislative District.
For grades K through 12, public school students attend the
Princeton Regional Schools, a regional school district shared with the
Borough of Princeton, or the
Princeton Charter School (grades K-8), located in the township.
Four elementary schools (Community Park, Johnson Park, Littlebrook, and Riverside) and Witherspoon Middle School are located in the township and serve the borough and township.
Princeton High School is located in the borough of Princeton and serves the borough, the township, and
Cranbury Township, New Jersey.
There are also several private schools in the area.
Hun School of Princeton and
Princeton Day School are located in the township.
Stuart Country Day School is an independent all-girls
Catholic school that enrolls 550 students from pre-school through grade 12.
Colleges and universities
Part of
Princeton University, 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.
The
Princeton Theological Seminary and the
Institute for Advanced Study are in the township.
Westminster Choir College is located mainly in the borough; a small part is in the township.
*
Official township web site*
Princeton Regional Schools*
National Center for Education Statistics data for the Princeton Regional Schools
