Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community 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, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Sarnoff Corporation, FMC Corporation, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Amrep, Church and Dwight, Berlitz International, and Dow Jones & Company.
Princeton is roughly equidistant from both New York City and Philadelphia. Since the nineteenth century, it has been connected by rail to both of these cities by the Princeton Branch rail line to the nearby Princeton Junction Station on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.[1][2] Princeton is close to many major highways that serve both cities, and receives some TV and radio broadcasts from each.
The Princeton train station was moved from under Blair Hall to its present location on University Place in 1918.[1] Commuting to New York from Princeton became commonplace after the Second World War.[3] While the Amtrak ride time is similar to New York and to Philadelphia, the commuter-train ride to New York — via New Jersey Transit's Northeast Corridor Line — is generally much faster than the equivalent train ride to Philadelphia, which involves a transfer to SEPTA trains in Trenton. New Jersey Transit provides shuttle service between the Princeton and Princeton Junction stations; the train is locally called the "Dinky",[2] and has also been known as the "PJ&B" (for "Princeton Junction and Back").[4] Two train cars, or sometimes just one, are used.
New Jersey's capital is the city of Trenton, but the governor's official residence has been in Princeton since 1945, when Morven in the borough became the first Governor's mansion. It was later replaced by the larger Drumthwacket, a colonial mansion located in the township. 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.[5]
Although residents of Princeton (Princetonians) traditionally have a strong community-wide identity, the community has composed of two separate municipalities: 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. They will reunite into a single Princeton in January 2013. 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), 08543 (the Seminary), and 08540. The latter covers areas outside Princeton proper, including portions of Lawrence, Hopewell, 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 real estate agents who will often advertise a property in these neighboring communities as having a "prestigious Princeton address".[6][7] 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.
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The first inhabitants of the Princeton area were the Lenni Lenape Indians. Europeans founded the settlement in the latter part of the 17th century. The first European to find his home in the boundaries of the future town was Henry Greenland. He built his house in 1683 along with a Tavern. It was in this drinking hole that representatives of West and East Jersey met to set boundaries for the location of the township in the State.[8]
Originally, Princeton was known only as part of nearby Stony Brook. Mr. James Leonard was the first to refer to the town as Prince-town, when describing the location of his large estate in his diary.[9] The town had been referred to in a variety of ways since, including: Princetown, Prince’s Town and finally Princeton.[10] Although there is no official documental backing, the town is considered to be named after William, Prince of Orange. Another theory suggests that the name came from a large land owner named Henry Prince, but there is no evidence that this was the case.[10] It is more likely for the settlement to be named after a prince based on the fact that three nearby towns are named similarly: Kingston, Queenstown (Later named Pennington) and Princessville.[9]
When Richard Stockton, one of the founders of the township, died in 1709 he left his estate to his sons, which helped expand property and population. Based on the 1880 census, the population of the town was only 3,209 (not including students).[9] Local population has expanded from the nineteenth century. According to the 2000 census, Princeton Borough has 14,203 inhabitants, while Princeton Township has 16,207.[11][12] These numbers have become stagnant; since the founding of Princeton University, the town’s population spikes every year during the fall and winter and drops significantly over the course of the summer.[9]
Aside from housing the University of the same name, the settlement suffered the revolutionary Battle of Princeton on its soil. After the victory in 1776, the town hosted the first Legislature under the State Constitution of New Jersey to decide the State’s seal, Governor and organization of its government. In addition, two of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence—Richard Stockton and John Witherspoon lived in Princeton.[9] Princetonians honored their citizen’s legacy by naming two streets in the downtown area after them. On January 10, 1938 Henry Ewing Hale called for a group of citizens to discuss opening a “Historical Society of Princeton.” Later the Bainbridge House would be dedicated for this purpose. Previously the house was used once for a meeting of Continental Congress in 1783, a general office and as the Princeton Public Library. The House is actually property of Princeton University and is leased to the Princeton Historical Society for one dollar per year.[13] The house has kept its original staircase, flooring and paneled walls. All together, 70% of the house has been unaltered. Aside from safety features like wheelchair access and electrical work, the house was merely restored to its original look.
During the most stirring events in its history, Princeton was a wide spot in the road; the boundary between Somerset County and Middlesex County ran right through Princeton, along the high road between New York and Philadelphia, now Nassau Street. When Mercer County was formed in 1838, part of West Windsor Township was added to the portion of Montgomery Township which was included in the new county, and made into Princeton Township; the area between the present borough line and the Delaware and Raritan Canal was added to Princeton Township in 1853. Princeton Borough became a separate municipality in 1894.
In the early nineteenth century, New Jersey boroughs had been parish bodies, chartered within existing townships. Princeton Borough received such a charter in 1813, as part of Montgomery and West Windsor Townships; it continued to be part of Princeton Township until the Act of 1894, which required that each township form a single school district; rather than do so, Princeton Borough petitioned to be separated. (The two Princetons now form the Princeton Regional School district.) Two minor boundary changes united the then site of the Princeton Hospital and of the Princeton Regional High School inside the Borough, in 1928 and 1951 respectively.[14]
On November 8, 2011 the residents of both the Borough of Princeton and the Township of Princeton voted overwhelmingly to merge the two municipalities into one. In Princeton Borough 1,385 voted for, 802 voted against while in Princeton Township 3,542 voted for and 604 voted against. 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.[15] The consolidation is to take effect in 2013.[16]
Like most of the Northeastern United States, Princeton has a humid continental climate, and generally sees cold winters and hot, humid summers. According to Weather.com, the lowest recorded temperature in Princeton was −16 °F (−27 °C) on January 28, 1935, and the highest record temperature was 105 °F (41 °C) on July 9, 1936.[17]
| Climate data for Princeton, NJ | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 73 (23) |
75 (24) |
88 (31) |
95 (35) |
96 (36) |
100 (38) |
105 (41) |
102 (39) |
103 (39) |
95 (35) |
82 (28) |
76 (24) |
105 (41) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 38.6 (3.7) |
41.1 (5.1) |
50.1 (10.1) |
61.0 (16.1) |
71.6 (22.0) |
80.2 (26.8) |
85.0 (29.4) |
83.2 (28.4) |
76.2 (24.6) |
65.2 (18.4) |
54.2 (12.3) |
43.5 (6.4) |
62.49 (16.94) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 21.5 (−5.8) |
23.4 (−4.8) |
31.2 (−0.4) |
39.4 (4.1) |
48.9 (9.4) |
57.9 (14.4) |
63.2 (17.3) |
61.6 (16.4) |
54.0 (12.2) |
42.3 (5.7) |
34.6 (1.4) |
26.7 (−2.9) |
42.06 (5.59) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −16 (−27) |
−8 (−22) |
2 (−17) |
18 (−8) |
28 (−2) |
35 (2) |
45 (7) |
40 (4) |
31 (−1) |
22 (−6) |
0 (−18) |
−6 (−21) |
−16 (−27) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 3.79 (96.3) |
2.96 (75.2) |
3.89 (98.8) |
3.91 (99.3) |
4.65 (118.1) |
3.74 (95) |
5.32 (135.1) |
4.20 (106.7) |
4.42 (112.3) |
3.63 (92.2) |
3.84 (97.5) |
3.90 (99.1) |
48.25 (1,225.6) |
| Source no. 1: Homefacts.com[18] | |||||||||||||
| Source no. 2: Weather Channel (records)[17] | |||||||||||||
Princeton University is a dominant feature of the community. Its main campus has its historic center on Nassau Street in the borough and stretches south into the township. Its James Forrestal satellite campus is located in Plainsboro Township, and some playing fields (and half of the University's Lake Carnegie) lie within adjacent West Windsor Township.
Westminster Choir College, a four-year residential college of music, splits its campus between Princeton Township and Princeton Borough.
Princeton Theological Seminary's academic campus is located in the Borough, and residential housing 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") there.
Mercer County Community College in West Windsor is the nearest public college to serve Princeton residents.
The six public schools of the Princeton Regional Schools district serve both the borough and the township, including four elementary schools (Community Park, Johnson Park, Littlebrook and Riverside), one middle school (John Witherspoon Middle School), and one high school: (Princeton High School). 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.[19]
In the early 1990s, 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 (JP) and the more racially and economically diverse population at Community Park (CP). As a result of the redistricting, portions of the affluent Western Section neighborhood were redistricted to CP, and portions of the racially and economically diverse John Witherspoon Neighborhood were redistricted to JP.
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.
New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Princeton High School as the 6th best high school in New Jersey in its 2008 rankings of the "Top Public High Schools" in New Jersey.[20]
Several private schools are located in the Township: American Boychoir School, Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart, Princeton Day School, Princeton Friends School, Hun School of Princeton, and YingHua International School.
St. Paul School (K-8) and The Lewis School and Diagnostic Clinic are located in the Borough.
Schools that are outside the Township and Borough but have Princeton mailing addresses include Chapin School and Princeton Junior School in Lawrence Township, the Waldorf School of Princeton and Princeton Montessori School in Montgomery Township, and Eden Institute in West Windsor Township.
The Princeton Public Library, located in the borough, serves the borough and the township. The current facility was opened in April 2004 as part of the on-going downtown redevelopment project and replaced a building dating from 1966. The library itself was founded in 1909.
Two numbered highways - U.S. Route 206 and State Route 27, pass through Princeton. Another highway, U.S. Route 1, runs just to the east of the community.
Princeton is not served by Interstate 95, the major route along the East Coast, or by the New Jersey Turnpike; they bypass the community to the south and east.
Princeton Airport is a public airport lying three miles (5 km) north of Downtown Princeton in Montgomery Township.
The closest commercial airport to Princeton is Trenton-Mercer Airport in Ewing, however, this airport is currently served by only one airline, which provides service to just one destination. The nearest major airports are Newark Liberty International Airport and Philadelphia International Airport, located 39 miles (63 km) and 52 miles (84 km) away, respectively.
Note: this list does not include people whose only time in Princeton was as a student. Only selected faculty are shown, whose notability extends beyond their field into popular culture. See Faculty and Alumni lists above.
Also:
Princeton was the setting of the Academy Award-winning A Beautiful Mind about the schizophrenic mathematician John Nash. It was largely filmed in central New Jersey, including some Princeton locations. However, many scenes of "Princeton" were actually filmed at Fordham Univerity's Rose Hill campus in the Bronx.[3]
The 1994 film I.Q., featuring Meg Ryan, Tim Robbins, and Walter Matthau as Albert Einstein, was also set in Princeton, and was filmed in the area. It includes some geographic stretches, including Matthau looking through a telescope from the roof of "Princeton Hospital" to see Ryan and Robbins' characters kissing on the Princeton Battlefield.
Historical films which used Princeton as a setting but were not filmed there include Wilson, a 1944 biographical film about Woodrow Wilson.
In his 1989 independent feature film Stage Fright, director Brad Mays shot a drama class scene in the Princeton High School auditorium, using PHS students as extras.
Scenes from the beginning of "Across the Universe" (2007) were filmed on the Princeton University campus.
Parts of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen were filmed in Princeton.
Scenes from the 2008 movie The Happening were filmed in Princeton.
In the movie Toy Story 3, it is inferred from his computer screensaver and "Go Tiger" pennants in his room that Andy is going to Princeton.
The 1938 Orson Welles radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds, is set partly in nearby Grover's Mill, and includes a fictional professor from Princeton University as a main character, but the action never moves directly into 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. However, the Princeton Plainsboro Hospital has been in the works for years now and is being built across the street from Princeton in Plainsboro.
The 1980 television miniseries Oppenheimer is partly set in Princeton.
F. Scott Fitzgerald's literary debut, This Side of Paradise, is a loosely autobiographical story of his years at Princeton University.
Princeton University's Creative Writing program includes several nationally and internationally prominent writers, making the community a hub of contemporary literature.
Many of Richard Ford's novels are set in Haddam, New Jersey, a fictionalized Princeton.
Joyce Carol Oates 2004 novel Take Me, Take Me With You (written pseudonymously as Lauren Kelly) is set in Princeton.[25]
| Preceded by Philadelphia |
Capital of the United States of America 1783 |
Succeeded by Annapolis, Maryland |
The Princeton Packet http://www.princetonpacket.com
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