Princeton, New Jersey

See also: Borough of Princeton, New Jersey and Princeton Township, New Jersey. For other Princetons, see Princeton.

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, with the township completely surrounding 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 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.

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 United States Geological Survey 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 exclave 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 2005, CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Princeton 15th on its list of the 100 Best Places to Live in the United States.

Its United States Postal Zip Code is 08540 and 08544.

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. 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 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.

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.

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

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, M.D. 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:

Trey Anastasio of the band Phish (Anastasio lived in Princeton with his family and attended Princeton Day School, before attending the Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut, and later the University of Vermont.)
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr, Sr.
Grover Cleveland
Frances Cleveland
Ruth Cleveland
Jonathan Edwards
George Gallup
Ben Bernanke
Michael Graves
Ethan Hawke (went to The Hun School, but claims he went to Princeton High School)
Charles Hodge
John Lithgow
James Madison
John McPhee, author
Ralph Nader, Consumer Advocate
Chris Conley of Saves the Day
Lyle and Erik Menendez
Bebe Neuwirth
Joyce Carol Oates
Christopher Reeve
Paul Robeson, singer
Michael Showalter
James Stewart, actor
Betsey Stockton
Jon Tenney
Andrew Wiles, mathematician
Elisabeth Witherspoon
John Witherspoon
All of the members of Blues Traveler, as well as Chris Barron, lead singer of the Spin Doctors, are from Princeton and were high school friends.

Points of interest

Education

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. The high school is located in the borough; the others are in the township. The high school also serves students from Cranbury Township.

The independent public Princeton Charter School (grades K-8) is located in the township.

There are also many private schools in the area. Hun School of Princeton and Princeton Day School are located in the township.

References

Clark, Ronald W. (1971) Einstein: The Life and Times. ISBN 0-380-44123-3

External links

Photographic tour of Princeton Cemetery.