West Windsor Township, New Jersey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| West Windsor, New Jersey | |
 |
|
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Mercer |
| Incorporated | February 21, 1798 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Faulkner Act Mayor-Council |
| - Mayor | Shing-Fu Hsueh |
| Area | |
| - Total | 26.3 sq mi (68.2 km²) |
| - Land | 26.0 sq mi (67.4 km²) |
| - Water | 0.3 sq mi (0.8 km²) |
| Elevation [1] | 79 ft (24 m) |
| Population (2006)[2] | |
| - Total | 26,279 |
| - Density | 842.4/sq mi (325.2/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 08550 |
| Area code(s) | 609 |
| FIPS code | 34-80240[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882124[4] |
| Website: http://www.westwindsornj.org | |
West Windsor Township is a Township in Mercer County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 21,907.
Princeton Junction is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within West Windsor Township.
A small portion of Princeton University is located in West Windsor Township.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 26.3 square miles (68.2 km²), of which, 26.0 square miles (67.4 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.8 km²) of it (1.22%) is water.
West Windsor Township borders Princeton Township, Lawrence Township, Hamilton Township, Robbinsville Township, East Windsor Township, and Plainsboro Township in Middlesex County.
| [[Image:|50px]] | Princeton, New Jersey | Grover's Mill |
|
||||
 |
|||||||
 West Windsor Township  |
|||||||
 |
|||||||
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 1,711 |
|
|
| 1940 | 2,160 | 26.2% | |
| 1950 | 2,519 | 16.6% | |
| 1960 | 4,016 | 59.4% | |
| 1970 | 6,431 | 60.1% | |
| 1980 | 8,542 | 32.8% | |
| 1990 | 16,021 | 87.6% | |
| 2000 | 21,907 | 36.7% | |
| Est. 2006 | 26,279 | [2] | 20.0% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[5] | |||
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 21,907 people, 7,282 households, and 5,985 families residing in the township. The population density was 842.4 people per square mile (325.2/km²). There were 7,450 housing units at an average density of 286.5/sq mi (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, 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 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.[6]
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 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 $116,335, and the median income for a family was $127,877. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $56,002 for females. The per capita income 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.
[edit] Landmarks
Grover's Mill in West Windsor was the site Orson Welles chose for the Martian invasion in his 1938 radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
West Windsor Township was established by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 9, 1797, and incorporated on February 21, 1798.[7] 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 of 1993, West Windsor Township residents voted to change their form of government from a Township Committee to a Mayor-Council form under the Faulkner Act.[8] 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.[9]
The Mayor of West Windsor Township is Shing-Fu Hsueh, who took office as of July 1, 2002.[10] Members of the West Windsor Township Council are Council President William Anklowitz (term ends June 30, 2011), Council Vice-President George Borek (2011) Linda Geevers (2009), Heidi Kleinman (2009) and Charles C. Morgan (2011).[11] On July 1, 2007, George Borek replaced Franc Gambatese, with a term ending in 2011.[12]
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
West Windsor Township is in the Twelfth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 14th Legislative District.[13]
New Jersey's Twelfth Congressional District, covering all of Hunterdon County and portions of Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Morris County, and Somerset County, is represented by Rush D. Holt Jr. (D). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
For the 2008-2009 Legislative Session, the 14th district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Bill Baroni (R, Hamilton Township) and in the Assembly by Wayne DeAngelo (D, Hamilton Township) and Linda R. Greenstein (D, Plainsboro Township).[14] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[15]
Mercer County has a County Executive form of government, in which the County Executive performs executive functions and a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders acts in a legislative capacity. As of 2008, the County Executive is Brian M. Hughes.[16] Members of the Board of Chosen Freeholders are elected at-large to serve three-year staggered terms, with a Freeholder Chair and Vice-Chair selected on an annual basis from among its members.[17] County Freeholders are Freeholder Chair Lucylle R. S. Walter (term ends December 31, 2008; Ewing Township), Freeholder Vice Chair Elizabeth Maher Muoio (2009; Pennington Borough), Ann M. Cannon (2009; East Windsor Township), Anthony P. Carabelli (2010; Trenton), Pasquale "Pat" Colavita, Jr. (2009; Lawrenceville), Keith V. Hamilton (2010; Hamilton Township) and Tony Mack (2008; Trenton).[18]
[edit] Education
[edit] Colleges and universities
West Windsor is the site of the West Windsor Campus of the Mercer County Community College.
Part of the Princeton University campus is located in West Windsor.
[edit] Primary and secondary schools
Plainsboro Township and West Windsor are part of a combined school district, the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[19]) are four K-3 elementary schools: Dutch Neck Elementary School (657 students), Maurice Hawk Elementary School (767), Town Center Elementary School (726) and J.V.B. Wicoff Elementary School (353); both Millstone River Elementary School (826) and Village Elementary School (665) for grades 4-5; Community Middle School (1,121) and Thomas Grover Middle School (1,182) for grades 6-8; and West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North (1,401) and West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South (1,595) for grades 9-12.
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South was ranked ninth and West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North was the eighteenth ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 316 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2006 cover story on the state's Top Public High Schools.[20]
[edit] Transportation
U.S. Route 1 serves the township, as does Route 64.
Princeton Junction station, a Northeast Corridor stop on Amtrak and New Jersey Transit, is located within West Windsor. Amtrak's Keystone Service, Regional, and Pennsylvanian routes stop at Princeton Junction station. A traditional gathering spot, the "Lick It" ice cream stand, recently went out of business and was demolished to make room for a new PNC Bank location.
Running between the Princeton Junction and Princeton 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. It is also the most expensive per-mile train route in the country.
NJ Transit bus service to Trenton is provided via the 600, 603, 609, with other area service on the 605 route.[21]
[edit] Noted residents
Notable current and former residents of West Windsor Township include:
- Kevin Barry (1978-), is an Atlanta Braves relief pitcher.[22]
- Ethan Hawke (1970-), actor.[23]
- Ben H. Love, the eighth Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America serving from 1985 to 1993. [24]
- Timothy Patrick Murphy (1959-1988), television and movie actor, best known for his the television soap Dallas, playing the character of "Mickey Trotter" from 1982-84.[citation needed]
- John Forbes Nash is a Nobel Prize-winning mathematician. The film A Beautiful Mind was loosely based on his life. He has resided in West Windsor for many years.[25]
- Steve Rogers (1949-), former pitcher for the Montreal Expos.[26]
- Bryan Singer (1965-), film director, for such films as Public Access, Apt Pupil, X-Men, X2, and Superman Returns. His break out film was The Usual Suspects. He has also worked on television shows including House.[27]
[edit] References
- ^ USGS GNIS: Township of West Windsor, Geographic Names Information System. Accessed January 4, 2008.
- ^ a b Census data for West Windsor township, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 3, 2007.
- ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
- ^ Chinese Communities, Epodunk. Accessed August 23, 2006.
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 165.
- ^ 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 70.
- ^ Township Government - History and Organization, West Windsor Township. Accessed July 21, 2006.
- ^ Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh, West Windsor Township. Accessed July 21, 2006.
- ^ West Windsor Township Council, West Windsor Township. Accessed September 20, 2007.
- ^ Trenton Times article "Transit village foes sweep council race" Dated May 9, 2007, accessed 5/09/2007
- ^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 66. Accessed August 30, 2006.
- ^ Legislative Roster: 2008-2009 Session, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed June 6, 2008.
- ^ About the Governor, New Jersey. Accessed June 6, 2008.
- ^ County Executive, Mercer County, New Jersey. Accessed March 11, 2008.
- ^ What is a Freeholder?, Mercer County, New Jersey. Accessed March 11, 2008.
- ^ Meet the Freeholders, Mercer County. Accessed March 11, 2008.
- ^ Data for the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 28, 2008.
- ^ Top Public High Schools in New Jersey, New Jersey Monthly, September 2006
- ^ Mercer County Bus/Rail Connections, New Jersey Transit. Accessed June 19, 2007.
- ^ Meggitt, Jane. "Braves give Barry a shot at major league pitching", Allentown Examiner, July 3, 2006. " Kevin grew up in West Windsor, and the two dated while Samantha attended Allentown High School and The College of New Jersey in Ewing. He went to West Windsor High School and Rider University in the Lawrenceville section of Lawrence. The couple married in 2003."
- ^ Profile of Ethan Hawke, Hello!, accessed December 28, 2006. "Born in Austin, Texas, on Novermber[sic] 6, 1970, Ethan was just three years old when his parents divorced and he and his mother moved across the country to settle in West Windsor, New Jersey."
- ^ Jersey Man to Head Scouts. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2 Aug 2007.
- ^ Rosie's confession moves Russo, The Olympian, March 15, 2002.
- ^ Miller, Lynn. "Sugar Plum Role For WW Teen In ‘Nutcracker’", West Windsor & Plainsboro News, November 30, 2007. Accessed April 14, 2008. "Rogers, 16, is a junior at High School South. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, she has lived in West Windsor for eight years. Her father, Steve Rogers, a former baseball player, works at the Major League Baseball Players Association."
- ^ Weinraub, Bernard. "FILM; An Unusual Choice for the Role of Studio Superhero", The New York Times, July 9, 2000. Accessed November 27, 2007. "As a child, Mr. Singer grew up in Princeton Junction, N.J."
[edit] External links
- Official township web site
- West Windsor-Plainsboro School District
- West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District's 2006-07 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- Data for the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, National Center for Education Statistics
- West Windsor/Plainsboro Today: local online news and chat site
- The Not So Rinky Dinky (news article about the local rail shuttle service)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
