Kingston is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) along the border of South Brunswick Township in Middlesex County and Franklin Township in Somerset County, and also located relatively near Princeton in Mercer County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The historic settlement is in the Raritan Valley region, located along the course of the Millstone River. As of the 2020 census, the CDP's population was 1,581,
The New Jersey State Planning Commission created the Kingston Village Advisory Committee in 2001 to address issues related to this distinct area. Both South Brunswick and Franklin appoint members to the committee, which holds an annual meeting to discuss issues pertinent to the Kingston area. Kingston is (so far) unique as the only village center that has been officially designated by the New Jersey State Planning Commission.
Kingston is located in five historic districts and is part of the Millstone River Valley Scenic Byway. The Delaware and Raritan Canal and Rockingham State Historic Site are a short distance away.
History
Jediah Higgins purchased from the Native Americans in the early 18th century and the town of Kingston was established. Kingston's location on the Lenape Assunpink Trail where it crossed the Millstone River and later becoming part of the King's Highway was the prime factor in its early prominence. Kingston was by far the most active and important village, being situated on both the heavily traveled King's Road and Millstone River, combining commercial activities of both mills and taverns.
Geography
Kingston is in southwestern Middlesex County, in the western end of South Brunswick Township, and in southern Somerset County, occupying the southern tip of Franklin Township. It is bordered to the east by Heathcote in Middlesex County and to the north by East Rocky Hill in Somerset County. It is bordered to the west by the Millstone River, which forms the Mercer County line. The borough of Princeton borders Kingston across the Millstone River.
New Jersey Route 27 is Kingston's Main Street; Route 27 leads southwest to its terminus in the center of Princeton, and northeast to New Brunswick, the Middlesex county seat.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Kingston CDP has an area of , of which are land and , or 3.55%, are water. 1960 1970<br> 1980 1990 2000<br> 2010 2020
!Pop 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|White alone (NH)
|874
|1,053
|style='background: #ffffe6; |875
|67.65%
|70.53%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |55.34%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|103
|82
|style='background: #ffffe6; |106
|7.97%
|5.49%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |6.70%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|1
|1
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1
|0.08%
|0.07%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.06%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|130
|186
|style='background: #ffffe6; |322
|10.06%
|12.46%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |20.37%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|6
|2
|style='background: #ffffe6; |17
|0.46%
|0.13%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.08%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|27
|24
|style='background: #ffffe6; |53
|2.09%
|1.61%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.35%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|151
|145
|style='background: #ffffe6; |207
|11.69%
|9.71%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |13.09%
|-
|Total
|1,292
|1,493
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,581
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2010 census
thumb|left|250px|Kingston as seen from northbound [[New Jersey Route 27|Route 27]]
Middlesex County portion
The 2010 United States census counted 1,222 people, 533 households, and 303 families in the CDP. The population density was . There were 566 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 71.28% (871) White, 6.30% (77) Black or African American, 0.25% (3) Native American, 14.73% (180) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 5.32% (65) from other races, and 2.13% (26) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.64% (130) of the population.
Of the 533 households, 26.1% had children under the age of 18; 47.8% were married couples living together; 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 43.2% were non-families. Of all households, 37.5% were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.10.
There were 561 households, out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.7% were non-families. 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 3.08.
thumb|right|Kingston United Methodist Church November 13, 2019
National Register of Historic Places
The following sites and districts in Kingston are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:
- Rockingham Historic Site, George Washington's last war-time headquarters in 1783, added in 1970 it is #70000394.
- Delaware and Raritan Canal Historic District was added in 1973, it is district #73001105.
- Kingston Mill Historic District was added in 1986, it is district #86000707.
- Kingston Village Historic District was added in 1990, it is district #89002163.
- King's Highway Historic District was added in 2000, it is district #00001493.
- Princeton Nurseries Historic District, was added in August 2018, it is district #08000899.
Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Kingston include:
- Cynthia Gooding (1924–1988), folk singer
- Andrew Zwicker (born 1964), physicist and member of the New Jersey General Assembly
References
External links
- Rockingham State Historic Site
- Kingston Greenways Association: http://kingstongreenways.org/
- Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands: http://fpnl.org/
- Kingston Historical Society: http://www.khsnj.org/
- No 92
- Preservation New Jersey: Vanishing Villages
- Kingston Women's Chorus