West Windsor and adjacent East Windsor were established by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 9, 1797, and incorporated on February 21, 1798, as two of the state's initial group of 104 townships, by partitioning provincial Windsor Township.[24]
The Borough of Princeton, now part of Princeton, was formed from a portion of the township on February 11, 1813.[24] The township is closely associated with that now much more widely known town and several localities within West Windsor use Princeton in their name, the most notable of those being Princeton Junction. The Princeton 08540 post office facility is located within West Windsor, and covers parts of the township designated by Princeton mailing addresses.[25]
A portion of Princeton University, covering 400 acres (160 ha) south of Lake Carnegie, is located in West Windsor.[26] The university agreed in 2009 to make an annual payment in lieu of taxes of $50,000 that would be indexed to inflation to cover 81 acres (33 ha) of land in the township that the university had purchased in 2002.[27]
West Windsor is frequently ranked among some of the highest-income municipalities in New Jersey. In 2008, Forbes listed West Windsor as the 15th most affluent neighborhood in the U.S.[28] Using 2012–2016 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, NJ.com listed the township as the 9th highest-income in the state in its January 2018 article "The 19 wealthiest towns in New Jersey, ranked."[29] Based on data from the American Community Survey for 2013–2017, West Windsor residents had a median household income of $175,684, ranked 4th in the state among municipalities with more than 10,000 residents, more than double the statewide median of $76,475.[30]
Prior to individual European land acquisition and settlement around the turn of the 18th century, the primary residents of West Windsor were the LenapeNative Americans. The Assanhicans (Assunpinks) were the subtribe that inhabited the greater Trenton area; artifacts from their society are still found in West Windsor.[32]
The first known European activity in the area now known as West Windsor dates to 1634, during the exploration of Captain Thomas Yong. Yong was an Englishman, who reportedly traded with the native Lenape people.[33] The region was officially claimed for European settlement under the 1682 William Penn treaties, under which the Lenape conveyed vast portions of New Jersey and Pennsylvania to Quaker colonists.[34]
The West Windsor area was within Piscataway Township when it was chartered on December 18, 1666. This changed upon the formation of Middlesex County in 1683.[35]
New Windsor Township (West Windsor's predecessor), known later as Windsor Township, was unofficially formed in 1731, and officially created by Royal Charter on March 9, 1751, from a partition of Piscataway Township.[35] Its borders encompassed today's West Windsor Township, all of present-day Princeton up to Nassau Street, and pre-partition East Windsor Township. In 1756, The College of New Jersey relocated to Nassau Hall in the village of Princeton. When West Windsor and East Windsor were created from the division of Windsor Township on February 9, 1797, West Windsor's boundaries extended up to Nassau Street.[35] Following the 1838 formation of Mercer County and further land acquisitions by Princeton in 1843 and 1853, West Windsor's borders were again redefined to reflect the township's current 26.84 square miles (69.5 km2).[36]
Historically, West Windsor relied heavily upon agriculture. Common products were wheat, tomatoes, rye, and potatoes.[37] This identity dominated the township from its first settlement until the last half of the 20th century, and was really only extinguished upon the township's most rapid period of growth from the late 1970s-the 2000s.[38]
However, this agrarian dominance incentivized the institution of slavery as well. Although records are sparse, township censuses indicate 190 slaves in Windsor Township in 1790. In West Windsor, there were 21 slaves in 1830 and 3 in 1840. Additionally, several late 1700s wills and 1800s "abandonments" show the presence of slavery in the township around the turn of the 19th century.[39]
West Windsor never developed a centralized "downtown." Instead, The township contained within it (entirely or partly) several small hamlets whose names and locations are still identifiable and/or in use in contemporary times.[36] They are as follows:
Aqueduct Mills – centered at Mapleton Avenue, Lower Harrison Street, and the Millstone River. Partly located in Plainsboro.[40]
Canal/Princeton Basin – at the intersection of Alexander Road and the Delaware & Raritan Canal. Partially located in Princeton.
Clarksville – at the intersection of Route 1 and Quakerbridge Road.
Dutch Neck – at the intersection of Village Roads East/West and South Mill Road.
Edinburg – at the intersection of Old Trenton and Edinburg Roads.
Jugtown/Queenston – at the intersection of Nassau and Harrison Streets. Now fully located in Princeton.[41]
Grovers Mill – at the intersection of Cranbury and Clarksville Roads.
Penns Neck – Centered at the intersection of Washington Road and Route 1.
Port Windsor/Mercer – at the end of Quakerbridge Road at the Delaware Canal. Partially located in Lawrence.
Princeton Junction – Initially centered at the Princeton Junction Train Station.[36] Manifested after the mid-1860s relocation of the Camden and Amboy Railroad line (now the Northeast Corridor) and opening of the current station.
During the later part of the 20th century the township underwent dramatic changes, driven mainly by a major boom in new housing developments. For generations, West Windsor had existed mostly as a sparsely populated agricultural community according to a 1999 article in The New York Times, the township "has grown into a sprawl of expensive houses in carefully groomed developments, and home to nearly 20,000 people", since the 1970s.[42]
The West Windsor post office was found to be infected with anthrax during the 2001 anthrax attacks.[25]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 26.25 square miles (68.00 km2), including 25.55 square miles (66.17 km2) of land and 0.71 square miles (1.83 km2) of water (2.69%).[1][2]
The Howard Hughes Corporation has proposed redevelopment of a 653-acre (264 ha) tract of land bounded by the Northeast Corridor train line, Route 1, and Quakerbridge Road, which includes land once owned by American Cyanamid and last used up until 2002 as an agricultural research facility by BASF; in of 2017 a plan was proposed to create mixed-use development that would include 2,000 residences along with 1,300,000 square feet (120,000 m2) of retail and commercial space on the site, which is currently zoned for commercial use.[54][55] The local school district has developed a report identifying significant potential growth in the number of students enrolling from this and other residential development in both West Windsor and Plainsboro.[56] In 2019, Atlantic Realty purchased the property, and in November 2020 they and the township reached an agreement to restrict the tract to non-residential use and convert it to warehouse space. The West Windsor Planning Board granted approval to build 5.5 million square feet of warehouse space (called "Bridge Point 8") on June 29, 2022."[57]
According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, West Windsor Township would have a dominant vegetation type of Appalachian Oak (104) with a dominant vegetation form of Eastern Hardwood Forest (25).[60]
AOL/NeighborhoodScout named West Windsor in 2009 as the best neighborhood to raise children because of 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).[72] As of January 2018 the township's population was the second most educated in the state of New Jersey, according to an analysis by NJ.com. The percent of residents with a bachelor's degree or higher was 81.7%, with 48% of residents holding advanced graduate or professional degrees.[73]
The 2010 United States census counted 27,165 people, 9,449 households, and 7,606 families in the township. The population density was 1,062.6 per square mile (410.3/km2). There were 9,810 housing units at an average density of 383.7 per square mile (148.1/km2). The racial makeup was 54.94% (14,924) White, 3.67% (998) Black or African American, 0.09% (25) Native American, 37.71% (10,245) Asian, 0.04% (10) Pacific Islander, 0.97% (263) from other races, and 2.58% (700) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.47% (1,213) of the population.[21]
Of the 9,449 households, 45.5% had children under the age of 18; 73.0% were married couples living together; 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 19.5% were non-families. Of all households, 16.7% were made up of individuals and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.23.[21]
28.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 94.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 91.4 males.[21]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $137,265 (with a margin of error of +/− $12,610) and the median family income was $156,110 (+/− $6,769). Males had a median income of $120,662 (+/− $6,410) versus $71,151 (+/− $9,841) for females. The per capita income for the township was $59,946 (+/− $3,307). About 3.6% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.[74]
As of the 2000 United States census[18] there were 21,907 people, 7,282 households, and 5,985 families residing in the township. The population density was 842.4 inhabitants per square mile (325.3/km2). There were 7,450 housing units at an average density of 286.5 per square mile (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.[70][71]
As of the 2000 Census, 8.31% of West Windsor'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.[75]
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.[70][71]
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.[70][71]
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.[70][71]
West Windsor's economy includes a mix of corporate, retail and local services. NRG Energy, a company specializing in electricity generation and retail, has its corporate headquarters located in West Windsor.[76][77][78]
The township benefits from its proximity to New York City and Philadelphia, making it an attractive location for businesses and sectors such as finance, technology, and healthcare. Several small and medium-sized enterprises operate within the township, ranging from local startups to regional offices of larger corporations.[79] Retail centers, such as the MarketFair in West Windsor, and the nearby Quaker Bridge Mall in Lawrence Township, also drive commerce and attract customers from surrounding communities.[80]
Agriculture remains a small but notable part of West Windsor's economy, with local farms contributing to the region's farmers' markets and community-supported agriculture programs. These farms offer fresh produce and promote agricultural practices that appeal to environmentally-conscious residents. [81] The township's support for green initiatives and environmentally-friendly policies has also made it an appealing place for businesses and residents focused on sustainability. [82]
The West Windsor Arts Center is the junction where the arts and community meet. They offer performances, classes, workshops, exhibitions, literary arts events and various other special events. It is located in the historic Princeton Junction Firehouse.[83]
The Mercer County Italian-American Festival, established in 2000 and held annually in West Windsor, celebrated its 20th annual event in September 2019.[84][85]
Richard J. Coffee Mercer County Park is located on Old Trenton Road. Administered by the Mercer County Park Commission and located primarily in West Windsor, it has athletic fields, a dog park, picnic grounds, a newly renovated boathouse and marina on Mercer Lake, bike trails and an ice skating rink that is home to the Mercer Bulldogs special hockey team.[87][88]
The West Windsor Community Park is a 123-acre (50 ha) public park which serves as the primary park for active recreation. Facilities include a playground, jogging/bicycling paths, basketball courts, dog parks, a skate park, tennis courts and pickleball courts. This park also features 3 baseball fields and an indoor baseball facility where many children go to train. The park is also home to the West Windsor Waterworks Family Aquatics Center.[89]
Duck Pond Park is a 120-acre (49 ha) park under construction located off Meadow Road between the intersections with Clarksville Road and Bear Brook Road, bordering Duck Pond Run. It is designed to be a "second community park" for the township. As of 2015, lighted soccer fields have been completed and in use by the West Windsor–Plainsboro Soccer Association, as well as tennis, volleyball and basketball courts. Future plans include a playground, picnic areas, an amphitheater, and a fishing pond.[90]
West Windsor is governed under the Faulkner Act (formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law) within the mayor-council form of New Jersey municipal government (Plan 6), implemented based on the recommendations of a Charter Study Commission as of July 1, 1993.[7][91][92] The township is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government.[93] From the time of its formation in 1797, until 1993, the township was governed by a township committee, which combined both executive and legislative authority. In May 1993, West Windsor residents voted to change their form of government to a Faulkner Act form of government.
The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the five-member Township Council. Under the township's 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 obligated 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 terms on a staggered basis, with either two seats (and the mayoral seat) or three seats up for vote in odd-numbered years as part of the November general election. At the annual organizational meeting held during the first week of January 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.[95][96] Starting in 2011, the township's elections were shifted from May to November as part of an effort to lower costs of running standalone municipal elections and as part of an effort to increase voter participation.[97]
As of 2023[update], the mayor of West Windsor is Hemant Marathe, whose term of office ends December 31, 2025;[3] Marathe is the first Indian-American to serve as the township's mayor.[98] Members of the West Windsor Township Council are Council President Andrea Sue Mandel (2023), Council Vice President Michael Ray Stevens (2023), Sonia Gawas (2023), Linda Geevers (2023) and Martin Whitfield (2025).[99][100][101][102][103]
In June 2017, council president Peter Mendonez resigned from office. Council vice president Allison Miller was chosen to serve as acting council president and Jyotika Bahree was appointed to fill the vacant seat left by Miller expiring in December 2019.[104] In the November 2018 general election, Yingchao "YZ" Zhang was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.[105]
In June 2015, the township council selected Hemant Marathe to fill the vacant seat expiring December 2015 of Kristina Samonte, who had resigned from office in the previous month as she was relocating out of the township.[106]
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.[117] As of 2024[update], the County Executive is Daniel R. Benson (D, Hamilton Township) whose term of office ends December 31, 2027.[118] Mercer County's Commissioners are:
Mercer County's constitutional officers are:
Clerk Paula Sollami-Covello (D, Lawrence Township, 2025),[128][129]
Sheriff John A. Kemler (D, Hamilton Township, 2026)[130][131] and
Surrogate Diane Gerofsky (D, Lawrence Township, 2026).[132][133][134]
As of March 2011, there were a total of 16,034 registered voters in West Windsor, of which 5,384 (33.6%) were registered as Democrats, 2,968 (18.5%) were registered as Republicans and 7,672 (47.8%) were registered as unaffiliated. There were 10 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.[135]
In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 63.1% of the vote (7,769 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 35.7% (4,401 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (148 votes), among the 14,045 ballots cast by the township's 17,891 registered voters (1,727 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 78.5%.[138][141] In the 2008 presidential election, Obama received 64.3% of the vote (7,895 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 33.3% (4,092 votes) and other candidates with 1.0% (125 votes), among the 12,273 ballots cast by the township's 16,548 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.2%.[142]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 63.0% of the vote (4,983 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 35.3% (2,793 votes), and other candidates with 1.7% (137 votes), among the 8,181 ballots cast by the township's 17,648 registered voters (268 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 46.4%.[145][148] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 49.5% of the vote (3,918 ballots cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 43.4% (3,436 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 6.0% (474 votes) and other candidates with 0.4% (34 votes), among the 7,914 ballots cast by the township's 16,267 registered voters, yielding a 48.7% turnout.[149]
West Windsor and Plainsboro are part of a combined school district, the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, which serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from the two communities.[152] The district has four elementary schools (grades Pre-K/K–3), two upper elementary schools (grades 4 and 5), two middle schools (grades 6–8) and two high schools (grades 9–12).[153] As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of 10 schools, had an enrollment of 9,386 students and 773.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.1:1.[154] Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[155]) are
Dutch Neck Elementary School[156] (located in West Windsor: 704 students; in grades K-3),
Maurice Hawk Elementary School[157] (West Windsor: 723; K-3),
Town Center Elementary School[158] (Plainsboro: 431; PreK-2),
J.V.B. Wicoff Elementary School[159] (Plainsboro: 349; K-3),
Millstone River School[160] (Plainsboro: 967; 3–5),
Village School[161] (West Windsor: 617; 4–5),
Community Middle School[162] (Plainsboro: 1,131; 6–8),
Thomas R. Grover Middle School[163] (West Windsor: 1,208; 6–8),
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North[164] (Plainsboro: 1,521; 9–12) and
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South[165] (West Windsor: 1,649; 9–12).[166][167][168][169] The district is overseen by a directly elected nine-member board of education whose seats are allocated to the two constituent municipalities based on population, with five of the nine seats allocated to West Windsor.[170]
Three of the district's schools have been recognized by the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program. West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South was recognized during the 1992–1993 school year and Maurice Hawk Elementary School was recognized in 1993–1994,[171] while West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North was recognized in the 2006–2007 school year.[172]
Eighth grade students from all of Mercer County are eligible to apply to attend the high school programs offered by the Mercer County Technical Schools, a county-wide vocational school district that offers full-time career and technical education at its Health Sciences Academy, STEM Academy and Academy of Culinary Arts, with no tuition charged to students for attendance.[173][174]
As of 2010[update], the township had a total of 151.84 miles (244.36 km) of roadways, of which 123.43 miles (198.64 km) were maintained by the municipality, 24.16 miles (38.88 km) by Mercer County and 4.25 miles (6.84 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.[176]
US 1 is the largest and busiest highway in West Windsor, crossing the northwestern sections of the township, oriented southwest to northeast.[177]CR 533 (Quakerbridge Road) passes along the western border with Lawrence.[178]CR 526[179] and CR 571[180] are multiplexed together from the northwestern part of the township until they split in the center of the municipality. CR 535 passes through in the south and serves Mercer County Community College.[181]New Jersey Route 64 is a short, unsigned state highway that runs 0.32 miles (0.51 km) concurrent with CR 526/CR 571 where they cross the Northeast Corridor rail line.[182]
Other major roads that are accessible in neighboring municipalities include: Interstate 295 in Hamilton and Lawrence, Interstate 195 in Hamilton and Robbinsville, and the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95) in Robbinsville (Exit 7A) and East Windsor (Exit 8).
Running between the Princeton Junction station and the Princeton station 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 2.7 miles (4.3 km) each way, it is the shortest regularly scheduled passenger route in the United States.[185]
NJ Transit bus service to Trenton is provided via the 600, 603, 609, with other area service on the 605 route.[186][187]
Douglas Forrester (born 1953), former mayor of West Windsor Township who was the Republican Party nominee for U.S. Senator in 2002 and for Governor of New Jersey in 2005[200]
^ abKleinfeld, N. R. A Nation Challenged: The Sites; Anthrax Closes a 3rd New Jersey Post Office, The New York Times, October 28, 2001. Accessed September 17, 2011. "New Jersey health officials said the bin at the Princeton Main Post Office in neighboring West Windsor tested positive for what they said was a tiny, 'single colony' of anthrax. Some 60 to 70 people work at the center."
^Petenko, Erin. "The 19 wealthiest towns in New Jersey, ranked", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 2018. Accessed December 2, 2019. "A note about the data: The source of this data is median household income in the 2012–2016 American Community Survey snapshot, compared with the 2007–2011 ACS snapshot. All of the towns have a median income of more than $150,000. Towns with a high margin of error were excluded.... 9. West Windsor township, Mercer County Median income: $167,629"
^Raychaudhuri, Disha. "The wealthiest towns in N.J., ranked", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, June 7, 2019. Accessed November 4, 2019. "The median household income in N.J. is $76,475, recent Census data shows.... A note about the data: The data comes from 2013–2017 American Community Survey conducted by U.S. Census Bureau. Smaller towns with less than 10,000 residents were excluded from the list.... 4. West Windsor, Mercer County Median income: $175,684"
^ abcdHistory, Township or West Windsor. Accessed April 6, 2012. "Martians from the Orson Welles produced radio drama based on the book The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. In this drama, the audience was told that an alien spacecraft had landed on a farm near Grovers Mill, located in West Windsor."
^"Agriculture". The Schenck Farmstead. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
^"Slavery". The Schenck Farmstead. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
^Aqueduct, West Windsor History. Accessed September 29, 2020.
^Queenston, West Windsor History. Accessed September 29, 2020.
^Peterson, Iver. "Our Towns; Fast Food? Not So Fast, Suburb Says", The New York Times, September 12, 1999. Accessed July 11, 2016. "Take West Windsor. Until a little over a generation ago, it was little more than the open farmland that separated Princeton from the New Jersey Turnpike. But since the 1970's, it has grown into a sprawl of expensive houses in carefully groomed developments, and home to nearly 20,000 people."
^Rojas, Cristina. "Mixed-use project planned for 653-acre site off Route 1", The Star-Ledger, February 19, 2017. Accessed February 19, 2017. "For more than a decade, the 653-acre former American Cyanamid complex has sat vacant, a ghost town of rundown buildings overgrown with weeds and brush.... The proposal envisions about 2,000 housing units, retail and office space, walking trails and parks and potential sites for a hotel and school. For much of the site's history, the buildings were used as an agricultural research facility and was last occupied in 2002 by German chemical giant BASF."
^Xu, Vincent. "Developer submits plans for 1,976 homes at Quakerbridge Road site", Mercerspace, February 17, 2017. Accessed March 27, 2017. "The Howard Hughes Corporation has proposed an ambitious mixed-use development plan with nearly 2,000 residential units and more than 1.3 million square feet of commercial space.... Howard Hughes submitted a concept plan to West Windsor Township on Feb. 10. At this point the proposal is effectively a wish list, since the land is commercially zoned for more than 6 million square feet of research, office and light manufacturing."
^Mulvaney, Nicole. "NRG Energy's new $40M headquarters in West Windsor taps into power-saving technology", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, August 29, 2014. Accessed October 11, 2024. "From its solar paneled parking canopies to its rainwater storage system and other energy-saving elements in between, NRG Energy's new $40 million headquarters will be a true "green development," township officials said today. West Windsor's planning board in May granted real estate developer Boston Properties approval to construct a 120,500-square-foot building in Carnegie Center that NRG, a power generation and retail electricity business, will move into by the first quarter of 2016."
^Home Page, West Windsor Arts Center. Accessed July 11, 2016.
^Home page, Mercer County Italian American Festival. Accessed August 22, 2014.
^"Mercer County Italian American Festival to celebrate 20th anniversary in September", The Star-Ledger, September 12, 2019. Accessed December 2, 2019. "The Mercer County Italian American Festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary Sept. 27–29 and is pulling out all the stops with a full lineup of entertainment, food and attractions. The festival was started in 2000 by Festival Association President, Cav. John Scarpati, in direct response to what he felt was the diminishing presence of the Italian American Culture with which he grew up."
^Mercer County Television (MCTV 26), K12 Academics (company). Accessed December 2, 2019. "In January 2009, MCTV became available on Verizon FiOS channel 20 in Mercer County."
^Two Parks under Development in West Windsor, Township of West Windsor, January 2, 2013. Accessed November 15, 2015. "Duck Pond Park, measures 123.48 acres in area. Named after the stream it borders, Duck Pond Run, the park will be a second 'community' park for West Windsor, located on the north side of the Northeast Corridor train line."
^"Government". The Schenck Farmstead. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
^Township Government – History and Organization, West Windsor Township. Accessed December 2, 2019. "West Windsor Township was established by an Act of the N.J. legislature on Feb. 9, 1797, and the Township was governed by a Township Committee, which had both executive and legislative authority until 1993. In May of 1993 West Windsor residents voted to change their form of government from a Township Committee to a Mayor Council form. The new government was initiated on July 1, 1993."
^Township Council, West Windsor Township. Accessed June 14, 2022. "The Township Council is the legislative branch of the government. The five Council members are representatives of the people and are elected by the entire township regardless of neighborhood or election district. The Township Council members are elected on a non-partisan basis for four-year, staggered terms."
^Costa, Samantha. "Close race in West Windsor shows every vote counts", The Times, November 16, 2011. Accessed April 26, 2015. "Township officials sought to save money by switching their election from May to November this year; what they got was an extremely tight race."
^Sohrabji, Sunita. "Electrical Engineer Hemant Marathe Elected First Indian American Mayor of West Windsor, New Jersey", IndiaWest, November 10, 2017. Accessed January 1, 2018. "Electrical engineer Hemant Marathe won West Windsor, New Jersey's mayoral race Nov. 7, becoming the first Indian American mayor of the small town.Marathe took 3,327 votes, or 48 percent, beating out fellow Indian American Kamal Khanna, who came in second place with 31 percent of the votes; and Yan Mei Wang, who captured 20 percent."
^Muchhal, Siddharth. "West Windsor Council selects Jyotika Bahree to fill vacancy", Community News, July 11, 2017. Accessed January 1, 2018. "West Windsor Township Council June 26 selected Jyotika Bahree to fill the vacancy created by the sudden and still-unexplained resignation of former council president Peter Mendonez.... Also, the council opted not to select a new council president, and Miller, as vice president, will act as council’s presiding officer through the end of the year, according to township clerk Sharon Young."
^Xu, Vincent. "Council Appoints Marathe, Revisits Affordable Housing", West Windsor & Plainsboro News, June 12, 2015. Accessed July 3, 2015. "Council sided with familiarity and experience, unanimously selecting former School Board president to serve the final half-year of Kristina Samonte's council term. Samonte resigned her position last month because her family is moving out of town."
^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."
^Government, Mercer County. Accessed March 1, 2023. "Mercer County is governed by an elected County Executive and a seven-member Freeholder Board."
^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."
^"Education". The Schenck Farmstead. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
^West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, West Windsor-Plainsboro School District. Accessed December 12, 2022. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Kindergarten through twelve in the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District. Composition: The West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of West Windsor and Plainsboro Township."
^About Us, West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District. Accessed December 12, 2022. "Ten schools will serve our students. Three elementary schools - Dutch Neck Elementary School, Maurice Hawk Elementary School, and Wicoff Elementary School - accommodate kindergarten through Grade 3. Town Center Elementary School serves students in kindergarten through Grade 2. Millstone River School serves students in Grades 3 through Grade 5, and Village School serves children in Grades 4 and 5. Students in Grades 6, 7, and 8 are assigned to one of two middle schools - Community Middle School and Thomas R. Grover Middle School. Two high schools, High School North and High School South, serve students in Grades 9 through 12."
^Board of Education, West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District. Accessed June 13, 2024. "Members of the Board of Education are elected by qualified voters in the communities of West Windsor and Plainsboro Townships. Members are elected to three-year terms and normally three seats are up for election each spring. The Board of Education is composed of four elected representatives from Plainsboro and five elected representatives from West Windsor, all of whom serve without remuneration."
^Heyboer, Kelly. "How to get your kid a seat in one of N.J.'s hardest-to-get-into high schools", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 2017. Accessed November 18, 2019. "Mercer County has a stand-alone specialized high school for top students: a Health Sciences Academy at the district's Assunpink Center campus. The district also offers a STEM Academy at Mercer County Community College. How to apply: Students can apply online in the fall of their 8th grade year."
^Mulvaney, Nicole. "Wilberforce School finds new home at Windsor Athletic Center", The Times, February 11, 2014. Accessed March 15, 2016. "The West Windsor location was exactly what the Wilberforce officials were looking for — about 22,000 square feet of space to house an additional 100 students as they launch its high school programming in the 2014–15 school year, Whitman said."
^Train Station, West Windsor Township Business Opportunities. Accessed December 2, 2013. "The Princeton Junction Train Station (PJC) is the second busiest train station on the Northeast corridor of New Jersey and the eighth most heavily used Amtrak station in New Jersey, providing efficient rail service into important business destinations such as New York, Philadelphia, and Newark Liberty International Airport."
^Reed, J. D. "The Little Engine That Can", The New York Times, March 31, 2002. Accessed May 10, 2011. "So the single car, operated by New Jersey Transit, plies back and forth about every half hour between the magnolia-budded tranquility of the university campus and the hard-edged, workday bustle of Princeton Junction a mere 2.7 miles (4.3 km) away, making it perhaps the shortest regularly scheduled passenger route in America."
^[2], Penn Medicine: Princeton Medical Center, Our locations. Accessed July 4, 2023.
^[3], Penn Medicine: Princeton Health, Princeton Medicine Physicians. Accessed July 4, 2023.
^[4], Penn Medicine: Princeton Health, Princeton Medicine Physicians Locations. Accessed July 4, 2023.
^[5], Penn Medicine: Princeton Health, Physician Practices, Primary and Specialty Care. Accessed July 4, 2023.
^Reader, Bill. "Seattle Pilots ... Where are they now?", The Seattle Times, July 9, 2006. Accessed July 6, 2014. "Aker, 65, lives in West Windsor, N.J., with his wife Jane Charnin-Aker, who won $250,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in 2001."
^Meggitt, Jane. Braves give Barry a shot at major league pitchingArchived May 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Allentown Examiner, July 3, 2006. Accessed February 22, 2011. "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."
^"West Windsor author Kevin G. Chapman publishes third novel", Community News, December 12, 2018, updated January 11, 2022. "Kevin G. Chapman, a resident of West Windsor, has published his third novel—a crime thriller titled Righteous Assassin (A Mike Stoneman Thriller). Chapman, a 23-year resident of West Windsor, is an attorney for whom fiction writing is a passion."
^Tracy, Ryan. "Obama taps WW-PS alum for technology post", The Times, April 21, 2009. Accessed February 22, 2011. "President Obama has picked a graduate of West Windsor-Plainsboro High School to be the nation's first chief technology officer. Aneesh Chopra, 36, graduated from West Windsor's south campus in 1990 and spent the last three years as secretary of technology under Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine."
^Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey, Volume 205, Part 2, p. 245. J. A. Fitzgerald, 1993. Accessed March 14, 2023. "John W. Hartmann, Rep., West Windsor - He was graduated from Princeton Day School and, in 1989, received a bachelor of arts degree in history at Georgetown University."
^Profile of Ethan Hawke, Hello. Accessed February 22, 2011. "Born in Austin, Texas, on November 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."
^Matt Lalli, Colgate Raiders men's lacrosse. Accessed September 21, 2015. "Hometown: Princeton Junction, N.J. High School: West Windsor Plainsboro... Born on March 27, 1986 in Princeton, N.J."
^Staff. Jersey Man to Head Scouts, The New York Times, October 21, 1984. Accessed June 12. 2012. "Mr. Love, who is 54 years old and lives in Princeton Junction, N.J., has headed the organization's Northeast region, based in Dayton, N.J."
^Feil, Justin. "Brothers push each other to soccer success for WW-P High School South", Community News, October 17, 2017. Accessed February 23, 2020. "Ramesses Moore-McGuinness thinks often of his roots. Before every soccer game and after every goal he scores, the West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South senior captain says a little prayer for St. Croix, where he was born and raised.... The boys moved to West Windsor to live with their aunt in 2015 and last spring, their dad moved up from St. Croix to join them."
^Biese, Alex. "11 geeky movies to see this spring and summer", Asbury Park Press, May 1, 2015. Accessed October 26, 2015. "Us Jersey guys have got to stick together. Princeton Junction native Christopher McQuarrie has written a number of films for Tom Cruise, who grew up in Glen Ridge, including Valkyrie (2008), Jack Reacher (2012) and Edge of Tomorrow (2014)."
^Timnick, Lois via Los Angeles Times. "Tapes: Hatred inspired former N.J. brothers to kill parents", Courier News, March 29, 1991. Accessed June 27, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Lyle and Erik Menendez lived with their parents in a succession of Princeton-area homes throughout their teen-age years. From a house they rented in West Windsor in 1977, the family relocated two years later to the exclusive Elm Ridge park section of Hopewell Township."
^Battaglia, Andy. "Shut Up and Dance", New York, March 15, 2007. Accessed January 13, 2022. "Murphy grew up a suburban punk-rocker in Princeton Junction, New Jersey, where he stayed for a year after high school to train as a competitive kickboxer (he still speaks with pride about his reputation as the weird kid who never lost a fight)."
^Staff. "John Forbes Nash May Lose N.J. Home", Associated Press, March 14, 2002. Accessed July 6, 2014. "West Windsor, N.J. (AP) _ John Forbes Nash, whose life is chronicled in the Oscar-nominated movie A Beautiful Mind, could lose his home if the township picks one of its proposals to replace a nearby bridge."
^Staff. "The Star-Ledger Scholars 2004: Taktin Oey", The Star-Ledger, May 16, 2004. Accessed October 26, 2015. "Taktin's father, Lie-Yauw, is a research scientist at Princeton. His mother, Chisato Oey, works at home. He has two younger sisters, Shoni, 12, and Yuzki, 10. They live in Princeton Junction."
^Schwarz, Alan. The Rays Receive Help From an Unlikely Place, The New York Times, October 4, 2008. Accessed February 22, 2011. "A native of West Windsor, N.J., who each off-season rents an apartment with friends in a different neighborhood of New York, Perez was named the Rays' minor league player of the year for hitting .288 with 43 stolen bases at Class AAA Durham this season, only his third as a switch-hitter."
^Miller, Lynn. "Sugar Plum Role For WW Teen In Nutcracker"Archived May 29, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, 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."