Princeton, New Jersey

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See also: Princeton Township, New Jersey and Borough of Princeton, New Jersey
Nassau Street, Princeton's main street.
Nassau Street, Princeton's main street.

Princeton, New Jersey is located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. Princeton University has been sited in the town since 1756. Although Princeton is a "college town", there are other important institutions in the area, including the Institute for Advanced Study, Educational Testing Service (ETS), Opinion Research Corporation, Siemens Corporate Research, Sarnoff Corporation, FMC Corporation, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Princeton Theological Seminary, Westminster Choir College, Church and Dwight and Dow Jones & Company.

The town is roughly equidistant between New York and Philadelphia. Princeton has been home to New York commuters (via Princeton Junction) since the end of World War II. [1] The town is close to many major highways that can take residents to both cities. While the Amtrak ridetime is similar to each city, the more usual commuter train ride to New York via the New Jersey Transit Northeast Corridor Line, is generally much shorter than the equivalent train ride to Philadelphia, which involves a transfer to SEPTA trains in Trenton. Princeton receives TV and radio from both cities.

New Jersey's State capital is the city of Trenton, but the Governor's official residence has been in Princeton since 1945, when Morven became the first Governor's mansion. It was later replaced by the larger Drumthwacket, a larger colonial mansion also located in Princeton. Morven became a museum property of the New Jersey Historical Society.

Princeton was named #15 of the top 100 towns in the United States to Live and Work In by Money Magazine in 2005.[2]

Although residents of Princeton (Princetonians) traditionally have a strong town-wide identity, legally there is not one municipality, but two: a township and a borough.The central borough is completely surrounded by the township. The Borough seceded from the Township in 1894 in a dispute over school taxes; the two municipalities later formed the Princeton Regional Schools, and some other public services are conducted together. There have been three referenda proposing to reunite the two Princetons, but they have all been narrowly defeated. The Borough contains Nassau Street, the main commercial street, most of the University campus, and incorporated most of the urban area until the postwar suburbanization. Borough and Township now have roughly equal populations, together approaching 30,000.

United States Postal Zip Codes for Princeton include 08542 (largely the Borough), 08544 (the University), and 08540. The latter covers areas outside Princeton proper, including portions of Lawrence and West Windsor Townships in Mercer County, Montgomery and Franklin Townships in Somerset County, and Plainsboro and South Brunswick Townships in Middlesex County. The resulting ambiguity is exploited by local realtors who will often advertise a property in these neighboring communities as having a "prestigious Princeton address".[3][4] Further adding to confusion is the spread of "Princeton" as part of business, church and residential development even further beyond the boundaries of the Township and Borough. Princeton lies at latitude 40°21' North, longitude 74°40' West.

Contents

[edit] History

During the War for Independence, British and American armies crossed New Jersey several times. On January 3, 1777, the American forces led by George Washington scored an important victory over British forces led by Charles Cornwallis in the Battle of Princeton. British forces marching from New York to respond to the raid on Trenton (December 26, 1777) were spotted by Washington's troops about two miles west of what was then Princeton (now the very center of the town). In one engagement Washington's forces defeated the British rear guard, although Brigadier General Hugh Mercer was killed commanding the unit. The site is preserved as Princeton Battlefield State Park. In a series of other engagements Washington scattered the British in Princeton and achieving a decisive, if minor, victory.

Nassau Hall of Princeton University
Nassau Hall of Princeton University

In the summer of 1783, the Continental Congress met in Nassau Hall at Princeton University, making Princeton the capital of the United States for four months. It was there that the Continental Congress learned of the signing of the Treaty of Paris (1783) which ended the war. The area was agricultural at that time, Nassau Hall and a few houses comprising the entire University.

In 1840, Joseph Henry operated one of the first telegraphs here. Henry was a professor at the College of New Jersey, and used the invention to contact his servants at home while he was working in his laboratory on the campus, a few blocks away.

Princeton was a stopping point on the colonial-era Post Road from New York to Philadelphia. The historic route follows New Jersey Route 27 into Princeton from Kingston, and then follows Stockton Street (U.S. Route 206) towards Lawrenceville. Between 1830 and 1834 the Delaware and Raritan Canal was built, operating less than a mile from the center of town on the far side of the Millstone River.

At the same time, The Camden & Amboy Railroad, the earliest New York-Philadelphia rail line, was laid on the east bank of the canal and river. In 1863 the railroad built a new, straighter alignment further east, going through Princeton Junction. The old alignment was used by some trains until 1865, when the Princeton Branch line was opened connecting Princeton Junction with a station in the borough of Princeton. The train, called the "Dinky," remains a cherished, one-of-a-kind asset. Both lines were absorbed by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1871, and are now operated by New Jersey Transit.

A trolley line ran from Trenton to Princeton between 1900 and 1941, the line running north of the Lawrenceville-Princeton Road. It operated as a steam freight railroad (the Trenton, Princeton and Lawrenceville) for some of its length, and as an electric trolley for the remainder[5]. Trolley magnate A L Johnson planned to make a trolley route through Princeton to New York in 1901, but died before the project could be completed.[6][7] The line, which has since been removed and largely reverted from right of way, followed what is now Paul Robeson Place into the center of town.

In 1894, during his second term as President, Grover Cleveland bought a house in Princeton, which he named Westland, and became a fixture of the Princeton community, including the University. He later died in Princeton. After his death, he was buried in Princeton Cemetery.

In 1912, Woodrow Wilson, a former professor (and University president of Princeton) and Governor of New Jersey, was elected President of the United States. He served two terms as President, wrote the Fourteen Points and was President during World War I.

Princeton High School opened in 1915, at time when racial segregation was the norm in the area. Despite this, and the fact that there was a separate elementary school for black Princetonians, the school admitted students of all races. [8]

In 1933, Albert Einstein arrived at Princeton, where he was affiliated with the Institute for Advanced Study. Shortly after his arrival, in a private correspondence, Einstein described Princeton as "a quaint and ceremonious village of puny demigods on stilts." Over time, he came to appreciate the environment provided by the town and the Institute, and in many ways became more at home in Princeton than in any of his previous residences. He stayed until his death in 1955.

In the academic year 1948–1949, following the mandate of the 1947 New Jersey State Constitution, which prohibited segregation in the public schools and the state militia, Princeton's lower schools were finally integrated. This was accomplished by an overhaul of the entire system, called the 'Princeton Plan', so that all the building, students, and teachers of the previously all African-American school were incorporated into the new town wide system.

The area was implicated in the transmission of anthrax tainted mail on September 18, 2001 to certain publications, such as the National Enquirer.[citation needed]

[edit] Education

[edit] Colleges and universities

Princeton University, located in both the borough and the township and in West Windsor Township, serves as a prominent feature of Princeton.

Westminster Choir College, part of Rider University, is located in the Borough.

Princeton Theological Seminary's academic campus is located in the Borough, and a residential campus is located just outside the Township in West Windsor Township.

The Institute for Advanced Study is in the Township and maintains extensive land holdings (the "Institute Woods") in the Township.

Mercer County Community College in West Windsor is the nearest public college to serve Princeton residents.

[edit] Primary and secondary schools

[edit] Public schools

Princeton High School
Princeton High School

The six public schools of the Princeton Regional Schools district serve both the borough and the township: four elementary schools (Community Park, Johnson Park, Littlebrook and Riverside), John Witherspoon Middle School, and Princeton High School. In the early 1990's, redistricting occurred between the Community Park and Johnson Park School districts, as the population within both districts had increased due to residential development. Concerns were also raised about the largely white, wealthy student population attending Johnson Park and the more racially and economically diverse population at Community Park. As a result of the redistricting, the wealthy Hodge Road/Library Place neighborhood was redistricted to CP, and portions of the racially diverse John Witherspoon Neighborhood were set to be bused to JP. The high school is located in the borough; the other schools are in the township. The high school also serves students from Cranbury Township as part of a sending/receiving relationship.

The Princeton Charter School (grades K-8) is located in the township. The school operates under a charter granted by the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education. The school is a public school that operates independently of the Princeton Regional Schools, and is funded on a per student basis by locally-raised tax revenues.

[edit] Private schools

Several private schools are located in the Township, including the American Boychoir School, Hun School of Princeton, The The Lewis School and Diagnostic Clinic, Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart, Princeton Day School, Princeton Friends School, and Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart. St Paul School is located in the Borough. Chapin School and Princeton Junior School lie in neighboring Lawrence Township, but have Princeton mailing addresses. The Waldorf School of Princeton and Princeton Montessori School are both located in Montgomery Township, but have Princeton mailing addresses.

[edit] Public libraries

The Princeton Public Library, located in the borough, serves the borough and the township. The facility was opened in April 2004 as part of the on-going downtown redevelopment project taking shape and replaced a building dating from 1966. The library itself was founded in 1909.

[edit] Noteworthy Princetonians

Princeton has been the setting of several motion pictures, most notably the Academy Award-winning A Beautiful Mind about the schizophrenic mathematician John Nash. The 1994 film I.Q., featuring Meg Ryan, Tim Robbins, and Walter Matthau as Albert Einstein, was also set in Princeton. The TV show House is located in Princeton, at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, and establishing shots for the hospital display the Frist Campus Center of Princeton University.

Other famous Princetonians include:

[edit] Points of interest

Preceded by
Philadelphia		 Capital of the United States of America
1783		 Succeeded by
Annapolis, Maryland

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.princetontwp.org/histofpt.html Housing development boomed as postwar employment expanded in Princeton and nearby communities and as commuting to New York became more affordable and practical.
  2. ^ Best Places to Live 2005: No. 15 - Princeton, NJ, Money (magazine), accessed November 2, 2006
  3. ^ Garden Homes of New Jersey
  4. ^ The Estates at Princeton Junction - Heritage Collection - New Homes in Princeton, NJ by Toll Brothers
  5. ^ [1] New York Times article on new steam railway 1899
  6. ^ [2] April 1901 NY Times article on original plan
  7. ^ [3] July 1901 notice of Johnson's death
  8. ^ 'The Princeton Plan' Fifty years of school desegregation. By Louise Handelman. Princeton Packet. Tuesday, June 8, 1999
  9. ^ (1963) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 

[edit] Sources

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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