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West Windsor, New Jersey

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West Windsor Township, New Jersey
Township
West Windsor Township highlighted in Mercer County. Inset map: Mercer County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
West Windsor Township highlighted in Mercer County. Inset map: Mercer County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of West Windsor Township, New Jersey
Census Bureau map of West Windsor Township, New Jersey
CountryUnited States
StateNew Jersey
CountyMercer
IncorporatedFebruary 21, 1798
Government
 • TypeFaulkner Act Mayor-Council
 • MayorShing-Fu Hsueh
Area
 • Total26.3 sq mi (68.2 km2)
 • Land26.0 sq mi (67.4 km2)
 • Water0.3 sq mi (0.8 km2)
Elevation
[1]
79 ft (24 m)
Population
 (2006)[2]
 • Total26,279
 • Density842.4/sq mi (325.2/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
08550
Area code609
FIPS code34-80240Template:GR[3]
GNIS feature ID0882124Template:GR
Websitehttp://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.

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.


Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
19301,711—
19402,16026.2%
19502,51916.6%
19604,01659.4%
19706,43160.1%
19808,54232.8%
199016,02187.6%
200021,90736.7%
2006 (est.)26,279[2]
Population 1930 - 1990.[4]

As of the censusTemplate:GR 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.[5]

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 (these figures had risen to $134,353 and $151,545 respectively as of a 2007 estimate[6]). 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.

West Windsor is ranked 30th among the highest-income places with a population of at least 10,000 in the United States.[citation needed]

Forbes recently named West Windsor as the 15th most affluent neighborhood in the U.S., with a median household income of $134,353.[7]

AOL and NeighborhoodScout recently named West Windsor as the best neighborhood to raise kids for its school district (top 7% in New Jersey, top 3% nationwide), prevailing family type (families with school-aged children), and neighborhood safety (safer than 97% of neighborhoods).[8]

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.

Government

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.[9] 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 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.[10] 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.[11]

The Mayor of West Windsor Township is Shing-Fu Hsueh.[12] 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).[13] On July 1, 2007, George Borek replaced Franc Gambatese, with a term ending in 2011.[14]

Federal, state and county representation

West Windsor Township is in the Twelfth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 14th Legislative District.[15]

For the 118th United States Congress, New Jersey's 12th congressional district is represented by Bonnie Watson Coleman (D, Ewing Township).[16][17] New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027)[18] and George Helmy (Mountain Lakes, term ends 2024), who was appointed to the seat following the resignation of Bob Menendez (Englewood Cliffs).[19][20]

For the 2024-2025 session, the 14th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Linda R. Greenstein (D, Plainsboro Township) and in the General Assembly by Wayne DeAngelo (D, Hamilton Township) and Tennille McCoy (D, Hamilton Township).[21] Template:NJ Governor

Mercer County is governed by a County Executive who oversees the day-to-day operations of the county and by a seven-member Board of County Commissioners that acts in a legislative capacity, setting policy. All officials are chosen at-large in partisan elections, with the executive serving a four-year term of office while the commissioners serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats up for election each year as part of the November general election.[22] As of 2024, the County Executive is Daniel R. Benson (D, Hamilton Township) whose term of office ends December 31, 2027.[23] Mercer County's Commissioners are:

Lucylle R. S. Walter (D, Ewing Township, 2026),[24] Chair John A. Cimino (D, Hamilton Township, 2026),[25] Samuel T. Frisby Sr. (D, Trenton, 2024),[26] Cathleen M. Lewis (D, Lawrence Township, 2025),[27] Vice Chair Kristin L. McLaughlin (D, Hopewell Township, 2024),[28] Nina D. Melker (D, Hamilton Township, 2025)[29] and Terrance Stokes (D, Ewing Township, 2024).[30][31][32]

Mercer County's constitutional officers are: Clerk Paula Sollami-Covello (D, Lawrence Township, 2025),[33][34] Sheriff John A. Kemler (D, Hamilton Township, 2026)[35][36] and Surrogate Diane Gerofsky (D, Lawrence Township, 2026).[37][38][39]

Education

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.

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[40]) 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.[41]

Transportation

An Acela Express speeding through West Windsor.

U.S. Route 1 serves the township, as does Route 64.

Other major roads that are accessible outside the municipality are Interstate 295 (in Hamilton and Lawrence), Interstate 195 (in Hamilton and Robbinsville), and the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95) (in Robbinsville and East Windsor).

Princeton Junction station, a Northeast Corridor stop on Amtrak and New Jersey Transit, is located within West Windsor. Amtrak's Keystone Service and Northeast Regional routes stop at Princeton Junction. 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.[42]

Notable events

West Windsor was the site of the anthrax terrorism scare back in 2001-2002. The post office was found to be infected with anthrax and several residents were sickened and killed.

Noted residents

Notable current and former residents of West Windsor Township include:

References

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Township of West Windsor, Geographic Names Information System. Accessed January 4, 2008.
  2. ^ a b Census data for West Windsor township, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 3, 2007.
  3. ^ A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 14, 2008.
  4. ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
  5. ^ Chinese Communities, Epodunk. Accessed August 23, 2006.
  6. ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-context=adp&-qr_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_DP3YR3&-ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_&-tree_id=3307&-redoLog=false&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=06000US3402180240&-format=&-_lang=en
  7. ^ Twenty Most Affluent US Neighborhoods, Forbes. Accessed December 29, 2008.
  8. ^ Family-Friendly Neighborhoods, AOL, NeighborhoodScout. Accessed May 31, 2009.
  9. ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 165.
  10. ^ 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 70.
  11. ^ Township Government - History and Organization, West Windsor Township. Accessed July 21, 2006.
  12. ^ Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh, West Windsor Township. Accessed June 25, 2008.
  13. ^ West Windsor Township Council, West Windsor Township. Accessed June 25, 2008.
  14. ^ Trenton Times article "Transit village foes sweep council race" Dated May 9, 2007. Accessed May 9, 2007.
  15. ^ 2008 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 66. Accessed September 30, 2009.
  16. ^ Directory of Representatives: New Jersey, United States House of Representatives. Accessed January 3, 2019.
  17. ^ Biography, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman. Accessed January 3, 2019. "Watson Coleman and her husband William reside in Ewing Township and are blessed to have three sons; William, Troy, and Jared and three grandchildren; William, Kamryn and Ashanee."
  18. ^ U.S. Sen. Cory Booker cruises past Republican challenger Rik Mehta in New Jersey, PhillyVoice. Accessed April 30, 2021. "He now owns a home and lives in Newark's Central Ward community."
  19. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/23/nyregion/george-helmy-bob-menendez-murphy.html
  20. ^ Tully, Tracey (August 23, 2024). "Menendez's Senate Replacement Has Been a Democrat for Just 5 Months". The New York Times. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  21. ^ Legislative Roster for District 14, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 18, 2024.
  22. ^ Government, Mercer County. Accessed March 1, 2023. "Mercer County is governed by an elected County Executive and a seven-member Freeholder Board."
  23. ^ Meet the County Executive, Mercer County. Accessed March 1, 2023. "Brian M. Hughes continues to build upon a family legacy of public service as the fourth person to serve as Mercer County Executive. The voters have reaffirmed their support for Brian's leadership by re-electing him three times since they first placed him in office in November 2003."
  24. ^ Lucylle R. S. Walter, Mercer County. Accessed March 1, 2023.
  25. ^ John A. Cimino, Mercer County. Accessed March 1, 2023.
  26. ^ Samuel T. Frisby Sr., Mercer County. Accessed March 1, 2023.
  27. ^ Cathleen M. Lewis, Mercer County. Accessed March 1, 2023.
  28. ^ Kristin L. McLaughlin, Mercer County. Accessed March 1, 2023.
  29. ^ Nina D. Melker, Mercer County. Accessed March 1, 2023.
  30. ^ Terrance Stokes, Mercer County. Accessed March 1, 2023.
  31. ^ Meet the Commissioners, Mercer County. Accessed March 1, 2023.
  32. ^ 2022 County Data Sheet, Mercer County. Accessed March 1, 2023.
  33. ^ Meet the Clerk, Mercer County. Accessed March 1, 2023.
  34. ^ Members List: Clerks, Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey. Accessed March 1, 2023.
  35. ^ Meet the Sheriff, Mercer County. Accessed March 1, 2023.
  36. ^ Members List: Sheriffs, Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey. Accessed March 1, 2023.
  37. ^ Meet the Surrogate, Mercer County. Accessed March 1, 2023.
  38. ^ Members List: Surrogates, Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey. Accessed March 1, 2023.
  39. ^ Elected Officials for Mercer County, Mercer County. Accessed March 1, 2023.
  40. ^ Data for the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 28, 2008.
  41. ^ Top Public High Schools in New Jersey, New Jersey Monthly, September 2006
  42. ^ Mercer County Bus/Rail Connections, New Jersey Transit. Accessed June 19, 2007.
  43. ^ http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=445010
  44. ^ 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."
  45. ^ 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."
  46. ^ "Jersey Man to Head Scouts". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 August 2007. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  47. ^ Rosie's confession moves Russo, The Olympian, March 15, 2002.
  48. ^ 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."
  49. ^ 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."
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