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Mercer County is a reliably Democratic county; it has gone for Republicans only three times (in 1956, 1972, 1984) since 1936. In each presidential election of the 21st century, the Democratic candidate earned at least 60% of the vote. Since the 2008 election, every municipality has voted for the Democratic candidate, and in the 2024 election, it was the 2nd most Democratic county in the state. This comes after Joe Biden won the county by 40.0% in 2020, the widest margin for anyone since 1964. As of October 1, 2021, there were a total of 265,703 registered voters in Mercer County, of whom 121,653 (45.8%) were registered as Democrats, 41,701 (15.7%) were registered as Republicans and 98,343 (37.0%) were registered as unaffiliated. There were 4,006 voters (1.5%) registered to other parties.

Transportation

thumb|upright=1.1|[[New Jersey Route 27|Nassau Street in Princeton]]

Roads and highways

Mercer County has county routes, state routes, U.S. Routes and Interstates that all pass through. , the county had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the local municipality, by Mercer County, by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission and by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

Mercer County is served by the following major roadways:

  • U.S. Route 1 (Which bisects the county)
  • U.S. Route 1 Business
  • Route 27 (Only in Princeton)
  • Route 29
  • Route 31
  • Route 33
  • Route 64 (A small state-maintained bridge located in West Windsor)
  • Interstate 95 (New Jersey Turnpike)
  • Route 129
  • U.S. Route 130
  • Route 133 (Only in East Windsor)
  • Route 175
  • Interstate 195
  • U.S. Route 206
  • Interstate 295

I-295 functions as a partial ring-road around the Trenton area, while I-195 serves as an east–west expressway from Trenton to the Jersey Shore. The New Jersey Turnpike (I-95) passes through the southeastern section of the county, and serves as a major corridor to Delaware, Washington, D.C. to the south, and New York City and New England towards the north. Two turnpike interchanges are located within Mercer County: Exit 7A in Robbinsville Township and Exit 8 in East Windsor.

Before 2018, Interstate 95 abruptly ended at the interchange with US 1 in Lawrence Township, and became I-295 south. Signs directed motorists to the continuation of I-95 by using I-295 to I-195 east to the New Jersey Turnpike. This was all due in part to the cancellation of the Somerset Freeway that was supposed to go from Hopewell Township in Mercer County up to Franklin Township in Somerset County.

The section of I-95 west of the US 1 interchange in Lawrence was re-numbered as part of I-295 in March 2018, six months before a direct interchange with Interstate 95 in Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Turnpike opened. This planned interchange indirectly prompted another project: the New Jersey Turnpike Authority extended the 'dual-dual' configuration (inner car lanes and outer truck / bus / car lanes) to Interchange 6 in Mansfield Township, Burlington County from its former end at Interchange 8A in Monroe Township, Middlesex County. This widening was completed in early November 2014.

The county roads that traverse through are County Route 518 (only in the Hopewells), County Route 524, County Route 526, County Route 533, County Route 535, County Route 539, County Route 546, County Route 569, County Route 571, and County Route 583.

Public transportation

Mercer hosts several NJ Transit stations, including Trenton, Hamilton and Princeton Junction on the Northeast Corridor Line, as well as Princeton on the Princeton Branch. SEPTA provides rail service to Center City Philadelphia from Trenton and West Trenton. Long-distance transportation is provided by Amtrak train service along the Northeast Corridor through the Trenton Transit Center.

NJ Transit's River Line connects Trenton to Camden, with three stations in the county, all within Trenton city limits, at Cass Street, Hamilton Avenue and at the Trenton Transit Center.

Mercer County's only commercial airport, and one of three in the state, is Trenton–Mercer Airport in Ewing Township, which is served by Frontier Airlines, offering nonstop service to and from points nationwide.

Municipalities

thumb|upright=1.1|Index map of Mercer County municipalities (click to see index)

The 12 municipalities in Mercer County (with 2010 Census data for population, housing units and area) are:

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Municipality<br />(with map key)

!Map key

! Municipal<br />type

! Population

! Housing<br />Units

! Total<br />Area (sq. mi.)

! Water<br />Area (sq. mi.)

! Land<br />Area (sq. mi.)

! Pop.<br />Density (pop./sq. mi.)

! Housing<br />Density (houses/sq. mi.)

!School district

! Communities

|-

|East Windsor

|6|| township || 30,045 || 10,851 || 15.74 || 0.10 || 15.65 || 1,737.6 || 693.4

|East Windsor||

Allens Station, Eiler Corner, Etra, Hickory Corner, Locust Corner, Millstone, Twin Rivers CDP (7,787)

|-

|Ewing Township

|11|| township || 37,264 || 13,926 || 15.60 || 0.35 || 15.25 || 2,346.9 || 913.2

|Ewing|| Altura, Braeburn Heights, Briarcrest, Briarwood, The College of New Jersey CDP (3,701) Churchill Green, Ewing, Ewing Park, Ewingville, Fernwood, Ferry Road Manor, Fleetwood Village, Glendale, Green Curve Heights, Hampton Hills, Heath Manor, Hickory Hill Estates, Hillwood Lakes, Hillwood Manor, Mountainview, Parkway Village, Prospect Heights, Prospect Park, Scudders Falls, Shabakunk Hills, Sherbrooke Manor, Somerset, Spring Meadows, Village on the Green, Weber Park, West Trenton, Wilburtha, Wynnewood Manor

|-

|Hamilton Township

|8|| township || 92,297 || 36,170 || 40.39 || 0.90 || 39.49 || 2,240.2 || 915.9

|Hamilton Township|| Briar Manor, Broad Street Park, Chewalla Park, Creston, Deutzville, Duck Island, East Trenton Heights, Edgebrook, Extonville, Golden Crest, Groveville CDP (3,106), Haines Corner, Hamilton Square CDP (12,679), Hutchinson Mills, Lakeside Park, Maple Shade, Mercerville CDP (9,791), North Crosswicks, Nottingham, Pond Run, Quaker Bridge, Quaker Gardens, Rosemont, The Orchards, Trenton Gardens, Warner Village, White Horse CDP (9,494), Yardville CDP (7,186), Yardville Heights CDP (6,965)

|-

|Hightstown

|5|| borough || 5,900 || 2,108 || 1.24 || 0.03 || 1.21 || 4,536.0 || 1,740.4

|East Windsor||

|-

|Hopewell Borough

|1|| borough || 1,918 || 817 || 0.70 || 0.00 || 0.70 || 2,735.2 || 1,162.7

|Hopewell Valley||

|-

|Hopewell Township

|12|| township || 17,491 || 6,551 || 58.91 || 0.88 || 58.03 || 298.2 || 112.9

|Hopewell Valley|| Akers Corner, Baldwins Corner, Bear Tavern, Centerville, Coopers Corner, Glenmoore, Harbourton, Harts Corner, Marshalls Corner, Moore, Mount Rose, Pleasant Valley, Stoutsburg, Titusville CDP (633), Washington Crossing CDP (371), Woodsville

|-

|Lawrence Township

|10|| township || 33,077 || 13,239 || 22.06 || 0.25 || 21.81 || 1,534.8 || 607.1

|Lawrence Township|| Bakersville, Clarksville, Colonial Lakelands, Coxs Corner, Eldridge Park, Franklin Corner, Harneys Corner, Lawrence Station, Lawrenceville CDP (3,751), Lewisville, Port Mercer, Princessville, Quaker Bridge, Rosedale, Slackwood, Sturwood Hamlet

|-

|Pennington

|2|| borough || 2,802 || 1,083 || 0.96 || 0.00 || 0.96 || 2,703.9 || 1,132.8

|Hopewell Valley||

|-

|Princeton

|3|| borough || 30,681 || 10,302 || 18.36 || 0.43 || 17.93 || 1,593.53 || 574.6

|Princeton|| Cedar Grove, Port Mercer, Princeton North

|-

|Robbinsville Township

|7|| township || 15,476 || 5,277 || 20.49 || 0.18 || 20.32 || 671.5 || 259.7

|Robbinsville|| Known as Washington Township until November 2007<br />Allens Station, Carsons Mills, Hillside Terrace, Meadows Terrace, New Canton, New Sharon, Pages Corners, Robbinsville Center CDP (3,164), Windsor CDP (330)

|-

|Trenton

|4|| city || 90,871 || 33,035 || 8.16 || 0.51 || 7.65 || 11,101.9 || 4,319.2

|Trenton|| Battle Monument, Berkeley Square, Cadwalader Heights, Central West, Chambersburg, Chestnut Park, Coalport/North Clinton, Downtown Trenton, Duck Island, East Trenton, Ewing/Carroll, Fisher/Richey/Perdicaris, Franklin Park, Glen Afton, Greenwood/Hamilton, Hanover/Academy, Hillcrest, Hiltonia, Lamberton, North 25, North Trenton, Parkside, Pennington/Prospect, South Trenton, Stuyvesant/Prospect, The Island, Top Road, Villa Park, West End, Wilbur

|-

|West Windsor

|9|| township || 29,518 || 9,810 || 26.27 || 0.71 || 25.56 || 1,062.6 || 383.7

|West Windsor-Plainsboro||

Berrien City, Clarksville, Dutch Neck, Edinburg, Edinburg Park, Golf View Manor, Grover's Mill, Old Mill Farms, Penns Neck, Port Mercer, Post Corner, Princeton Colonial Park, Princeton Estates, Princeton Ivy East, Princeton Junction CDP (2,475), Sherbrook Estates

|-

|Mercer County

| || county || 387,340 || 143,169 || 228.89 || 4.33 || 224.56 || 1,632.2 || 637.6

| ||

|-

|}

Historical Municipalities

  • Nottingham Township (1688–1856)
  • Princeton Township (1838–2013)
  • Borough of Princeton (1813–2013)
  • Washington Township (renamed Robbinsville Township in 2008)

Sports

Mercer County has a number of large parks. The largest, Mercer County Park is the home for the US Olympic Rowing Team's training center.

Mercer County is also the home of the Trenton Thunder baseball team, playing in the MLB Draft League, and the Jersey Flight of the National Arena League. The Thunder were formerly the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees playing in the Eastern League before the 2021 Minor League reorganization. The minor league hockey team, the Trenton Titans, established in 1999 and operating as the ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers and the AHL's Adirondack Phantoms, disbanded before the start of the 2013–14 season.

Collegiate athletics

Mercer County is also home to several college athletic programs, including two NCAA DI schools. Rider University competes as the Rider Broncs in the MAAC. In wrestling, Rider is a member of the Eastern Wrestling League. The Princeton Tigers compete in the Ivy League.

The College of New Jersey Lions compete in the NCAA DIII as a member of the New Jersey Athletic Conference and the Eastern College Athletic Conference.

Mercer County Community College competes as the Mercer Vikings as a member of the Garden State Athletic Conference and the National Junior College Athletic Association.

Education

School districts in the county include:

;K-12

  • East Windsor Regional School District
  • Ewing Public Schools
  • Hamilton Township School District
  • Hopewell Valley Regional School District
  • Lawrence Township Public Schools
  • Mercer County Special Services School District
  • Princeton Public Schools
  • Robbinsville Public School District
  • Trenton Public Schools
  • West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District

;9-12

  • Mercer County Technical Schools

;Special

There is a state-operated school, Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf.

Higher education

Mercer County is home to Princeton University, Princeton Theological Seminary, the Institute for Advanced Study, Rider University, Westminster Choir College, The College of New Jersey, and Thomas Edison State University. Mercer County Community College is a county-run community college located in West Windsor.

Points of interest

thumb|[[Swaminarayan Akshardham (New Jersey)|Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville is the third-largest Hindu temple in the world and the largest in the Western Hemisphere.]]

thumb|The eastern half of the [[Lower Trenton Bridge lies within Mercer County and harks to Trenton's longstanding role as a diverse manufacturing hub.]]

  • Drumthwacket, The official residence of the Governor of New Jersey located in Princeton
  • New Jersey State House, The capitol complex of New Jersey and the meeting point of the state legislature, located at the state capital in Trenton
  • Mercer County Park, in West Windsor
  • Hamilton Veterans Park
  • Mercer County Park September 11 Memorial
  • Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville, the largest Hindu temple outside Asia
  • Assunpink Creek (part)
  • Mercer Lake at Mercer County Park
  • Griggstown Native Grassland Preserve (part)
  • Princeton Battlefield
  • Mercer Oaks Golf Course
  • Washington Crossing State Park, in Hopewell Township
  • Colonial Memorial Park in Trenton
  • Lower Trenton Bridge
  • Trenton War Memorial
  • Trenton Thunder Ballpark
  • Grounds for Sculpture, in Hamilton Township

Wineries

  • Hopewell Valley Vineyards
  • Working Dog Winery, in East Windsor Township

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Mercer County, New Jersey

Notes

References

  • Official County Website
  • Mercer County Library System