Princeton, New Jersey (Mercer County)
Population: 14,203 Land Area: 1.85 miles2
Princeton, New Jersey is the name of a section of Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is divided into two legal municipalities, a township and a borough. The township completely surrounds the borough; they are referred together as "the two Princetons". The Borough seceded from the Township in 1894, in a dispute over school taxes; the two municipalities now form a Regional School District, and some other public services are conducted jointly. There have been three referenda proposing to reunite the two Princetons, but they have all been narrowly defeated.
Before the formation of Mercer County in 1836, Nassau Street, the main street of Princeton, was the boundary between Middlesex and Somerset County, New Jersey. Princeton is located at latitude 40°21' North, longitude 74°40' West; there is a USGS survey marker on Nassau Hall.
Princeton is home to Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton University, and Westminster Choir College. The university campus lies mostly within Princeton Borough, but parts of it extend into Princeton Township and it has fields and a separate enclave in West Windsor Township. The university was chartered in 1746, and is one of two universities in New Jersey to be chartered before the American Revolution (Rutgers University is the other). Princeton is also home to Morven, the former home of Richard Stockton, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence who was forced to flee his home during the Revolution. Morven is the current home of the New Jersey Historical Society and former Governor's mansion of the state; the current Governor's mansion is Drumthwacket, a mansion outside the center of town.
In July of 2005, CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Princeton 15th on its list of the 100 Best Places to Live in the United States.
HistoryDuring 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. In the summer of 1783, the Continental Congress met in Nassau Hall at Princeton University, making Princeton the country's capital for four months. It was there that the Continental Congress learned of the signing of the Treaty of Paris (1783) which ended the war.
In 1840, Joseph Henry operated one of the first telegraphs here.
In 1894, during his second term as President, Grover Cleveland bought a house in Princeton. He later died in Princeton. After his death, he was buried in the local cemetery.
In 1912, a former professor at Princeton and Governor of New Jersey named Woodrow Wilson was elected President of the United States. He served two terms as President, wrote the Fourteen Points, and was President during World War I.
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.
