Princeton is a municipality with a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of which are now defunct. Centrally located within the Raritan Valley region, Princeton is a regional commercial hub for the

Central New Jersey Central Jersey is the central region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The designation of Central New Jersey is a distinct administrative toponym. Geographic area and descriptions While the State of New Jersey is often divided into North and ...

region and a

commuter town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

in the

New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...

.New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

. Accessed December 5, 2020. As of the

2010 United States census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, the municipality's population was 28,572, reflecting the former township's population of 16,265, along with the 12,307 in the former borough.DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 for Princeton township, Mercer County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed August 20, 2012.Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2010 for Princeton township
,

New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The New Jersey Civil Service Commission is an independent body within the New Jersey state government under the auspices of the ...

. Accessed August 20, 2012.DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 for Princeton borough, Mercer County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed November 20, 2012.Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2010 for Princeton borough
,

. Accessed November 20, 2012. Princeton was founded before the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. It is the home of

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

, which bears its name and moved to the community in 1756 from its previous location in

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

. Although its association with the university is primarily what makes Princeton a

college town A college town or university town is a community (often a separate town or city, but in some cases a town/city neighborhood or a district) that is dominated by its university population. The university may be large, or there may be several sma ...

, other important institutions in the area include the

Institute for Advanced Study The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), located in Princeton, New Jersey, in the United States, is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent scholar ...

, Westminster Choir College, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton Theological Seminary,

Opinion Research Corporation Opinion Research Corporation is a demographic, health, and market research company based in Princeton, New Jersey, US. It was founded in 1938 by Claude Robinson and George Gallup, although Gallup left the firm in 1939. Opinion Research Corp was ...

, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Siemens Corporate Research, SRI International, FMC Corporation, The

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is an American philanthropic organization. It is the largest one focused solely on health. Based in Princeton, New Jersey, the foundation focuses on access to health care, public health, health equity, ...

, Amrep,

Church and Dwight Church & Dwight is an American consumer goods company focusing on personal care, household products, and specialty products. The company was founded in 1846 and is headquartered in Ewing, New Jersey. It is the parent company of well-known brands ...

Berlitz International Berlitz Corporation is a language education and leadership training company which is based in Princeton, New Jersey. The company was founded in 1878 by Maximilian Berlitz in Providence, Rhode Island in the United States. Berlitz Corporation is ow ...

, and

Dow Jones & Company Dow Jones & Company, Inc. is an American publishing firm owned by News Corp and led by CEO Almar Latour. The company publishes ''The Wall Street Journal'', ''Barron's'', ''MarketWatch'', ''Mansion Global'', ''Financial News'' and ''Private Equ ...

. Princeton is roughly equidistant from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. It is close to many major highways that serve both cities (e.g.,

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...

and U.S. Route 1), and receives major television and radio broadcasts from each. It is also close to Trenton, New Jersey's capital city,

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

and

Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These invention ...

. The New Jersey governor's official residence has been in Princeton since 1945, when

Morven Morven, or Mhoirbheinn, is a given name and may also refer to: Places Australia * Morven, Queensland, a town and locality in the Shire of Murweh * Morven, New South Wales * Electoral district of Morven, Tasmania Canada * Morven, community in Loyal ...

in what was then Princeton Borough became the first Governor's mansion. In 1982, it was replaced by the larger

Drumthwacket Drumthwacket ( ) is the official residence of the governor of New Jersey. The mansion sits at 354 Stockton Street in Princeton, near the state capital of Trenton. It is one of only four official governor's residences in the country not located ...

, a colonial mansion located in the former Township, but not all have actually lived in these houses. Morven became a museum property of the New Jersey Historical Society. Princeton was ranked 15th of the top 100 towns in the United States to Live In by ''

Money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are as ...

'' magazine in 2005. Throughout much of its history, the community was composed of two separate municipalities: a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

and a

. The central borough was completely surrounded by the township. The borough seceded from the township in 1894 in a dispute over school taxes; the two municipalities later formed the

Princeton Public Schools Princeton Public Schools (PPS) is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Princeton, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States.Nassau Street, the main commercial street, most of the university campus, and incorporated most of the urban area until the postwar suburbanization. The borough and township had roughly equal populations.

History

Early history

Map of the Battle of Princeton, NJ January 2-3, 1777

The

Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...

Native Americans were the earliest identifiable inhabitants of the Princeton area. Europeans settled into the area in the late part of the 17th century, arriving from Delaware to settle

West Jersey West Jersey and East Jersey were two distinct parts of the Province of New Jersey. The political division existed for 28 years, between 1674 and 1702. Determination of an exact location for a border between West Jersey and East Jersey was often ...

, and from New York to settle East Jersey, with the site destined to become Princeton being amid the wilderness between these two boroughs. The first European to find his home in the boundaries of the future municipality was Henry Greenland. He built his house in 1683 along with a tavern, where representatives of West and East Jersey met to set the boundaries between the two provinces.A Brief History of Princeton
, Princeton, New Jersey. Accessed November 29, 2019. "In 1683 a New Englander named Henry Greenland built a house on the highway which is believed to be the first by a European within the present municipal boundaries. He opened it as a 'house of accommodation' or tavern.... East Jersey and West Jersey representatives met in 1683 at Greenland's tavern to establish their common boundary." Greenland's son-in-law Daniel Brimson inhabited the area by 1690, and left property in a will dated 1696. Then, Princeton was known only as part of nearby Stony Brook. Nathaniel Fitz Randolph, a native of the town, attested in his private journal on December 28, 1758, that Princeton was named in 1724 upon the making/construction of the first house in the area by James Leonard, who first referred to the community as ''Princetown'' when describing the location of his large estate in his diary.''History of Burlington and Mercer counties. New Jersey with Biographical Sketches of their Pioneers and Prominent Men''
Everts & Peck, Philadelphia, 1883. The community was later known by a variety of names, including: ''Princetown'', ''Prince's Town'' and finally ''Princeton''.Hageman, John Frelinghuysen

/ref> The name Princeton was first used in 1724 and became common within the subsequent decade. Although there is no official documentary backing, the municipality is said to be named after King William III, Prince William of Orange of the House of Nassau. Another theory suggests that the name came from a large land-owner named Henry Prince, the son-in-law of a well-known English merchant, but no evidence backs this contention. A royal prince seems a more likely eponym for the settlement, as three nearby towns had names for royalty:

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, Queenstown (in the vicinity of the intersection of Nassau and Harrison Streets) and Princessville (Lawrence Township). Princeton was described by William Edward Schenck in 1850 as having attained "no very considerable size" until the establishment of the College of New Jersey in the town. When Richard Stockton, one of the founders of the township, died in 1709 he left his estate to his sons, who helped to expand property and the population. Based on the

1880 United States Census The United States census of 1880 conducted by the Census Bureau during June 1880 was the tenth United States census. Local population has expanded from the nineteenth century. According to the 2010 Census, Princeton Borough had 12,307 inhabitants, while Princeton Township had 16,265. The numbers have become stagnant; since the arrival of the College of New Jersey, now Princeton University, in 1756, the town's population spikes every year during the fall and winter and drops significantly over the course of the summer.

Revolution

In the pivotal

Battle of Princeton The Battle of Princeton was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, fought near Princeton, New Jersey on January 3, 1777, and ending in a small victory for the Colonials. General Lord Cornwallis had left 1,400 British troops under the comman ...

in January 1777,

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

forced the British to evacuate southern New Jersey. After the victory, Princeton hosted the first Legislature under the State Constitution to decide the State's seal, Governor and organization of its government. In addition, two of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence— Richard Stockton and John Witherspoon lived in Princeton. Princetonians honored their citizens' legacy by naming two streets in the downtown area after them. On January 10, 1938, Henry Ewing Hale called for a group of citizens to establish a "Historical Society of Princeton." Later the Bainbridge House, constructed in 1766 by Job Stockton, would be dedicated for this purpose. Previously the house was used once for a meeting of

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

in 1783, a general office, and as the Princeton Public Library. The House is owned by Princeton University and is leased to the Princeton Historical Society for one dollar per year. The house has kept its original staircase, flooring and paneled walls. Around 70% of the house has been unaltered. Aside from safety features such as wheelchair access and electrical work, the house has been restored to its original look.

Government history

During the most stirring events in its history, Princeton was a wide spot in the road; the boundary between Somerset County and Middlesex County ran right through Princeton, along the high road between New York and Philadelphia, now Nassau Street. When Mercer County was formed in 1838, part of West Windsor Township was added to the portion of Montgomery Township which was included in the new county, and made into Princeton Township; the area between the southern boundary of the former Borough and the Delaware and Raritan Canal was added to Princeton Township in 1853. Princeton Borough became a separate municipality in 1894. In the early nineteenth century, New Jersey boroughs had been quasi-independent subdivisions chartered within existing townships that did not have full autonomy. Princeton Borough received such a charter in 1813, as part of Montgomery and West Windsor Townships; it continued to be part of Princeton Township until the Borough Act of 1894, which required that each township to form a single school district; rather than do so, Princeton Borough petitioned to be separated. (The two Princetons combined their public school systems in the decades before municipal consolidation.) Two minor boundary changes united the then site of the Princeton Hospital and of the Princeton Regional High School inside the Borough, in 1928 and 1951 respectively.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. See p. 23 and 164, which cites the Acts of the NJ Legislature 1843, p. 67; 1853, p. 361, for the changes of those years.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, Princeton had a total area of 18.41 square miles (47.69 km²), including 17.95 square miles (46.48 km²) of land and 0.47 square miles (1.21 km²) of water (2.53%). Cedar Grove, Port Mercer, Princeton Basin, and Jugtown are unincorporated communities that have been absorbed into Greater Princeton over the years, but still maintain their own community identity. Princeton borders the municipalities of Hopewell Township,

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

and West Windsor Townships in Mercer County; Plainsboro Township and South Brunswick Township in Middlesex County; and Franklin Township and Montgomery Township in Somerset County. United States Postal ZIP codes for Princeton include 08540, 08541 ( Educational Testing Service), 08542 (largely the old Borough), 08543 ( PO boxes), and 08544 (the

University A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

Climate

Under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

, Princeton falls within either a hot-summer humid continental climate (''Dfa'') if the isotherm is used or a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(''Cfa'') if the isotherm is used. During the summer months, episodes of extreme heat and humidity can occur with

heat index The heat index (HI) is an index that combines air temperature and relative humidity, in shaded areas, to posit a human-perceived equivalent temperature, as how hot it would feel if the humidity were some other value in the shade. The result is als ...

values ≥ 100 °F (≥ 38 °C). On average, the wettest month of the year is July which corresponds with the annual peak in

thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are someti ...

activity. During the winter months, episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with

wind chill Wind chill or windchill (popularly wind chill factor) is the lowering of body temperature due to the passing-flow of lower-temperature air. Wind chill numbers are always lower than the air temperature for values where the formula is valid. When ...

values < 0 °F (< −18 °C). The plant hardiness zone at the Princeton Municipal Court is 6b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of −0.9 °F (−18.3 °C).USDA Interactive Plant Hardiness Map
,

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, ...

. Accessed November 26, 2019. The average seasonal (November–April) snowfall total is and the average snowiest month is February which corresponds with the annual peak in

nor'easter A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below), or an East Coast low is a synoptic-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. The original use o ...

activity.

Ecology

According to the

A. W. Kuchler August William Kuchler (born ''August Wilhelm Küchler''; 1907–1999) was a German-born American geographer and naturalist who is noted for developing a plant association system in widespread use in the United States. Some of this database has beco ...

U.S.

potential natural vegetation In ecology, potential natural vegetation (PNV), also known as Kuchler potential vegetation, is the vegetation that would be expected given environmental constraints (climate, geomorphology, geology) without human intervention or a hazard event ...

types, Princeton, New Jersey, would have an Appalachian

Oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

(''104'') vegetation type with an Eastern

Hardwood Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...

Forest (''25'') vegetation form.U.S. Potential Natural Vegetation, Original Kuchler Types, v2.0 (Spatially Adjusted to Correct Geometric Distortions)
Data Basin. Accessed November 26, 2019.

Demographics

As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, the borough and township had a combined population of 28,572. According to the website Data USA, Princeton has a population of 30,168 people, of which 85% are US citizens. The ethnic composition of the population is 20,393 White residents (67.6%), 4,636 Asian residents (15.4%), 2,533 Hispanic residents (8.4%), 1,819 Black residents (6.03%), and 618 Two+ residents (2.05%). The most common foreign languages are Chinese (1,800 speakers), Spanish (1,429 speakers), and French (618 speakers), but compared to other places, Princeton has a relatively high number of speakers of Scandinavian languages (425 speakers), Italian (465 speakers), and German (1,000 speakers).

Government and politics

Local government

Princeton is governed under the

Borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey. The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the Borough Council, with all positions elected

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. The Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council is comprised of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle. The Borough form of government used by Princeton is a "

weak mayor Weak may refer to: Songs * "Weak" (AJR song), 2016 * "Weak" (Melanie C song), 2011 * "Weak" (SWV song), 1993 * "Weak" (Skunk Anansie song), 1995 * "Weak", a song by Seether from '' Seether: 2002-2013'' Television episodes * "Weak" (''Fear t ...

/ strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can

veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...

ordinances subject to an

override Override may refer to: * Dr. Gregory Herd, a Marvel Comics character formerly named Override * Manual override, a function where an automated system is placed under manual control * Method overriding, a subclassing feature in Object Oriented progr ...

by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.Governing Body
, Princeton, New Jersey. Accessed January 1, 2013. The Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office, serves as Princeton's chief executive officer and nominates appointees to various boards and commissions subject to approval of the council. The Mayor presides at Council meetings and votes in the case of a tie or a few other specific cases. The Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle. The council has administrative powers and is the policy-making body for Princeton. The Council approves appointments made by the Mayor. Council Members serve on various boards and committees and act as liaisons to certain Departments, Committees or Boards. , the mayor of Princeton is

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Mark Freda, who is serving a four-year term expiring on December 31, 2023.Mayor Mark Freda
Princeton, New Jersey. Accessed April 28, 2022. Members of the Princeton Council are Council President Leticia Fraga (D, 2023), David F. Cohen (D, 2023), Eve Niedergang (D, 2024), Michelle Pirone Lambros (D, 2022), Leighton Newlin (D, 2024) and Mia Sacks (D, 2022).Council
Municipality of Princeton. Accessed April 28, 2022.Mercer County Elected Officials

Mercer County, New Jersey Mercer County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its county seat is Trenton, also the state capital, but also directly borders the Philadelphia metropolitan area and is included within the Federal Communications Commission's ...

, as of January 6, 2021. Accessed April 28, 2022.General Election November 2, 2021 Official Results

, updated November 20, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.General Election November 3, 2020 Official Results

, updated November 20, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.General Election November 2019 Official Results (Amended November 25, 2019)

, updated December 9, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020. In 2018, Princeton had an average property tax bill of $19,388, the highest in the county, compared to an average bill of $8,767 statewide.

Merger of borough and township

The first attempt to consolidate borough and township was made in the 1950's (and failed). Two subsequent attempts were voted down by borough residents, in large part due to different zoning needs of the densely populated borough versus the more suburban township (surrounding the borough). The ability to win a vote for consolidation in the township required, finally, the participation of numerous Princeton University students, who did not have the same concerns about zoning that property-owning residents of the borough had. After four previous efforts at consolidation had failed, the residents of both the Borough of Princeton and the Township of Princeton voted on November 8, 2011, to merge the two municipalities into one. Student voters were active throughout the campaign and likely contributed strongly to the measure passing. In Princeton Borough 1,385 voted for and 902 voted against, while in Princeton Township 3,542 voted for and 604 voted against. Proponents of the merger asserted that when the merger is completed the new municipality of Princeton would save $3.2 million as a result of some scaled down services including layoffs of 15 government workers including 9 police officers (however the measure itself does not mandate such layoffs). Opponents of the measure challenged the findings of a report citing a cost savings as unsubstantiated, expressed concerns about differing zoning needs between borough and township, and noted that voter representation would be reduced in a smaller government structure. The merger was the first in the state since 1997, when Pahaquarry Township voted to consolidate with Hardwick Township The consolidation took effect on January 1, 2013.

Federal, state and county representation

Princeton is located in the 12th Congressional DistrictPlan Components Report

New Jersey Redistricting Commission The New Jersey Redistricting Commission is a constitutional body of the government of New Jersey tasked with redrawing the state's Congressional election districts after each decade's census. Like Arizona, Idaho, Hawaii, Montana, and Washington; t ...

, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020. and is part of New Jersey's 16th state legislative district.Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District

New Jersey Department of State The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing artistic, cultural, and historical programs within the U.S. state of New Jersey, as we ...

. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

. Accessed October 30, 2019. Prior to the 2011 reapportionment following the 2010 Census, the former Princeton Borough and Princeton Township had both been in the 15th state legislative district.''2011 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
, p. 63, New Jersey

. Accessed January 9, 2013.

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 18,049 registered voters in Princeton (a sum of the former borough and township's voters), of which 9,184 (50.9%) were registered as Democrats, 2,140 (11.9%) were registered as

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

and 6,703 (37.1%) were registered as unaffiliated. There were 22 voters registered as

Libertarians Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and Minarchism, minimize the ...

Greens Greens may refer to: *Leaf vegetables such as collard greens, mustard greens, spring greens, winter greens, spinach, etc. Politics Supranational * Green politics * Green party, political parties adhering to Green politics * Global Greens * Europ ...

. In both the

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

and

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

presidential elections, the Democratic nommiee received over 80% of the vote. In the

2012 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: E ...

, Democrat

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

received 75.4% of the vote (9,461 cast), ahead of Republican

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...

with 23.0% (2,882 votes), and other candidates with 1.6% (205 votes), among the 14,752 ballots cast by the municipality's 20,328 registered voters (2,204 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 72.6%. In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Democrat

Barbara Buono Barbara A. Buono (born July 28, 1953) is an American politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2014, where she represented the 18th Legislative District. She served from 2010 to 2012 as the Majority Leader in the Senate, succ ...

received 58.8% of the vote (4,172 cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 39.2% (2,780 votes), and other candidates with 2.0% (145 votes), among the 7,279 ballots cast by the municipality's 18,374 registered voters (182 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 39.6%.

Education

Colleges and universities

, one of the world's most prominent

research Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...

universities, is a dominant feature of the community. Established in 1746 as the College of New Jersey and relocated to Princeton ten years later, Princeton University's main campus has its historic center on Nassau Street and stretches south from there. Its James Forrestal satellite campus is located in Plainsboro Township, and some playing fields lie within adjacent West Windsor Township. Princeton University is often featured at or near the top of various national and global university rankings, topping the 2019 list of '' U.S. News & World Report''."National University Rankings"
'' U.S. News & World Report''. Accessed November 29, 2019. Westminster Choir College, a school of music presently owned by Rider University, was established in Princeton in 1932. Before relocating to Princeton, the school resided in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

and then briefly in

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named a ...

. Princeton Theological Seminary, the first and oldest seminary in America of the Presbyterian Church (USA), has its main academic campus in Princeton, with residential housing located just outside of Princeton in West Windsor Township. The

maintains extensive land holdings (the "Institute Woods") there covering . Mercer County Community College in West Windsor is a two-year public college serving Princeton residents and all those from Mercer County.

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

The

Princeton Public Schools Princeton Public Schools (PPS) is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Princeton, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States.pre-kindergarten Pre-kindergarten (also called Pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool ...

through

twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

.District Policy 9110 - Number of Members and Term of Office
Princeton Public Schools. Accessed September 3, 2020. "The Princeton Public Schools District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the Municipality of Princeton and receives high school students from the Cranbury Public School District.... The Princeton Board of Education shall consist of ten members, nine of which are elected for three year terms and one from the Cranbury Board of Education." Students from Cranbury Township attend the district's high school as part of a

sending/receiving relationship A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts hav ...

. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of six schools, had an enrollment of 3,740 students and 341.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...

of 11.0:1.District information for Princeton Public Schools

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...

. Accessed February 15, 2022. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the

) are Community Park School with 332 students in grades K-5, Johnson Park School with 329 students in grades PreK-5, Littlebrook School with 342 students in grades K-5, Riverside School with 289 students in grades PreK-5, Princeton Middle School with 803 students in grades 6-8 and

Princeton High School Princeton High School may refer to: *Princeton High School (Illinois), Princeton, Illinois *Princeton Community High School, Princeton, Indiana *Princeton High School (Minnesota), Princeton, Minnesota *Princeton Junior-Senior High School, Princeton ...

with 1,555 students in grades 9-12.''2021-2022 Mercer County Charter and Public Schools Directory''

. Accessed December 17, 2022. ''

New Jersey Monthly ''New Jersey Monthly'' is an American monthly magazine featuring issues of possible interest to residents of New Jersey. The magazine was started in 1976. It is based in Morristown. In addition to articles of general interest, the publication fe ...

'' magazine ranked

as the 20th best high school in New Jersey in its 2018 rankings of the "Top Public High Schools" in New Jersey. The school was also ranked as the 10th best school in New Jersey by '' U.S. News & World Report.''

Niche Niche may refer to: Science *Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development *Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species *Niche differentiation, in ecology, the ...

ranked

as the 47th best public high school in America in its "2021 Best Public High Schools in America" rankings. In the early 1990s, redistricting occurred between the Community Park and Johnson Park School districts, as the population within both districts had increased due to residential development. Concerns were also raised about the largely white, wealthy student population attending Johnson Park (JP) and the more racially and economically diverse population at Community Park (CP). As a result of the redistricting, portions of the affluent Western Section neighborhood were redistricted to CP, and portions of the racially and economically diverse John Witherspoon neighborhood were redistricted to JP. The Princeton Charter School (grades K–8) operates under a

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...

granted by the Commissioner of the

New Jersey Department of Education The New Jersey Department of Education (NJ DOE) administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered ...

. The school is a public school that operates independently of the Princeton Regional Schools, and is funded on a per student basis by locally raised tax revenues. 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 Mercer County Technical Schools (MCTS), also known as the Area Vocational Technical Schools of Mercer County, is a countywide vocational education, vocational state school, public school district based in Trenton, New Jersey, Trenton, serving the ...

, 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.

Private schools

Private schools located in Princeton include

The Lewis School of Princeton The Lewis School of Princeton, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, serves students who have learning difficulties ( dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, delayed auditory and visual processing, and nonverbal learning issues). The schoo ...

Princeton Day School Princeton Day School is a private coeducational day school located in Princeton, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The largest division is the Upper School (grades 9–12), ...

, Princeton Friends School,

Hun School of Princeton The Hun School of Princeton is a private, coeducational, secondary boarding school located in Princeton in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. The school serves students from sixth through twelfth grades. Currently, the head of school is ...

, and

Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science The Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science (PRISMS) is a coeducational, independent boarding and day school located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. It provides STEM education to high school students in ninth through ...

(PRISMS). St. Paul's Catholic School (pre-school to 8th grade) founded in 1878, is the oldest and only coeducational Catholic school, joining

Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart is an independent school for boys in Kindergarten through Grade 8. Located in Princeton, New Jersey the school is part of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools. The school is divided into two sections: a Low ...

(K–8, all male) and Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart (coed for Pre-K, and all-female K–12), which operate under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton. Schools that are outside of Princeton but have Princeton addresses include the

Wilberforce School , motto_translation = Grace and Truth , address = 75 Mapleton Road, Building Two , city = Princeton , county = Mercer County , state = New Jersey , zipcode = 08540 , country ...

Chapin School Chapin School is an all-girls independent day school in New York City's Upper East Side neighborhood in Manhattan. History Maria Bowen Chapin opened "Miss Chapin's School for Girls and Kindergarten for Boys and Girls" in 1901. The school origin ...

in Lawrence Township, Princeton Junior School in Lawrence Township, the French-American School of Princeton, the Laurel School of Princeton, the Waldorf School of Princeton, YingHua International School, Princeton Latin Academy in Hopewell, Princeton Montessori School in Montgomery Township, Eden Institute in West Windsor Township, and the now-defunct

American Boychoir School The American Boychoir School was a boarding/day middle school located in Princeton, New Jersey, and the home of the American Boychoir. The school originated as the Columbus Boychoir in Columbus, Ohio. In 1950, the school relocated after receiving ...

in Plainsboro Township.

Public libraries

The

Princeton Public Library The Princeton Public Library serves the town of Princeton, New Jersey. It is the most visited municipal public library in New Jersey with over 860,000 annual visitors who borrow 550,000 items, ask more than 83,000 reference questions, log onto li ...

's current facility on Witherspoon Street was opened in April 2004 as part of the ongoing downtown redevelopment project and replaced a building dating from 1966. The library itself was founded in 1909.

Miscellaneous education

The

Princeton Community Japanese Language School The Princeton Community Japanese Language School (PCJLS; プリンストン日本語学校 ''Purinsuton Nihongo Gakkō'') is a Japanese weekend school in the Princeton, New Jersey area. It holds weekend Japanese classes for Japanese citizen chil ...

teaches weekend Japanese classes for Japanese citizen children abroad to the standard of the

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology The , also known as MEXT or Monka-shō, is one of the eleven Ministries of Japan that composes part of the executive branch of the Government of Japan. Its goal is to improve the development of Japan in relation with the international community ...

(MEXT), and it also has classes for people with Japanese as a second language. The main office of the school is in Princeton although the office used on Sundays is in Memorial Hall at Rider University in Lawrence Township in Mercer County.Home

Archive
. Princeton Community Japanese Language School. Accessed May 9, 2014. "PCJLS Office 14 Moore Street, Princeton, NJ 08542" and "Sunday Office Rider University, Memorial Hall, Rm301" Courses are taught at Memorial Hall at Rider University. The Princeton Learning Cooperative provides support for student-directed learning as "a hybrid of homeschooling and school" for teens.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the borough had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Mercer County, and by the

New Jersey Department of Transportation The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transportat ...

US 206 U.S. Route 206 (US 206) is a north–south United States highway in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, United States. Only about a half a mile (800 m) of its length is in Pennsylvania; the Milford–Montague Toll Bridge carries it over the Delaw ...

and Route 27 pass through Princeton, along with County Routes

583 __NOTOC__ Year 583 ( DLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 583 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar ...

526 __NOTOC__ Year 526 ( DXXVI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Olybrius without colleague (or, less frequently, year ...

571 __NOTOC__ Year 571 ( DLXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 571 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar er ...

(commonly known as Washington Road) and

533 __NOTOC__ Year 533 ( DXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Iustinianus without colleague (or, less frequently, ye ...

. Other major roads that are accessible outside the municipality include

US 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making i ...

(in Lawrence, West Windsor & South Brunswick),

I-287 Interstate 287 (I-287) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US states of New Jersey and New York. It is a partial beltway around New York City, serving the northern half of New Jersey and the counties of Rockland and Westchester in N ...

(in Franklin), I-295 (in Lawrence), and the

New Jersey Turnpike The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highways in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although maintained by NJTA, is not consi ...

/ I-95 (in South Brunswick). The closest Turnpike exits are Interchange 8A in Monroe Township, Interchange 8 in East Windsor Township, and Interchange 7A in Robbinsville Township. A number of proposed highways around Princeton have been canceled. The

Somerset Freeway Interstate 95 (I-95) is a major Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway that traverses nearly the full extent of the East Coast of the United States, East Coast of the United States, from Florida to Maine. In the state of New Jersey, it r ...

(I-95) was to pass just outside the municipality before ending in Hopewell (to the south) and Franklin (to the north). This project was canceled in 1980. Route 92 was supposed to remedy the lack of limited-access highways to the greater Princeton area. The road would have started at Route 1 near Ridge Road in South Brunswick and ended at Exit 8A of the Turnpike. However, that project was cancelled in 2006.

Public transportation

Princeton is roughly equidistant from

and

. Since the 19th century, it has been connected by rail to both of these cities by the

Princeton Branch The Princeton Branch is a commuter rail line and service owned and operated by New Jersey Transit (NJT) in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The line is a short branch of the Northeast Corridor Line, running from Princeton Junction northwest to Prin ...

rail line to the nearby

Princeton Junction Station Princeton Junction station (signed as Princeton Junction at West Windsor) is a railroad station in Princeton Junction, New Jersey, located in West Windsor Township. It serves NJ Transit (NJT) and Amtrak on the Northeast Corridor (NEC), and NJ ...

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston through Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, a ...

.''Princeton Companion'', by Alexander Leitch: "Harper, George MacLean" The Princeton train station was moved from under Blair Hall to a more southerly location on University Place in 1918, and was moved further southeast in 2013. Commuting to New York from Princeton became commonplace after the Second World War. While the Amtrak ride time is similar to New York and to Philadelphia, the commuter-train ride to New York—via NJ Transit's

Northeast Corridor Line The Northeast Corridor Line is a commuter rail service operated by NJ Transit between the Trenton Transit Center and New York Penn Station on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor in the United States. The service is the successor to Pennsylvania Railroad ...

—is generally much faster than the equivalent train ride to Philadelphia, which involves a transfer to

SEPTA The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five coun ...

trains in Trenton. NJ Transit provides shuttle service between the Princeton and Princeton Junction stations; the train is locally called the "Dinky",Train Travel
,

. Accessed August 29, 2014. and has also been known as the "PJ&B" (for "Princeton Junction and Back"). Two train cars, or sometimes just one, are used. NJ Transit provides bus service to Trenton on the

606 __NOTOC__ Year 606 ( DCVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 606 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar er ...

route and local service on route

605 Year 605 ( DCV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 605 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the pr ...

. Coach USA Suburban Transit operates frequent daily service to midtown NYC on the 100 route, and weekday rush-hour service to downtown NYC on the 600 route. Princeton and Princeton University provide the FreeB and Tiger Transit local bus services.

Air

Princeton Airport is a public airport located north of Downtown Princeton in Montgomery Township. The private Forrestal Airport was located on Princeton University property, east of the main campus, from the early 1950s through the early 1990s. The closest commercial airport is Trenton-Mercer Airport in Ewing Township, about from the center of Princeton, which is served by

Frontier Airlines Frontier Airlines is a major ultra-low-cost U.S. airline headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It operates flights to over 100 destinations throughout the United States and 31 international destinations, and employs more than 3,000 staff. The ca ...

nonstop to and from 17 cities. Other nearby major airports are

Newark Liberty International Airport Newark Liberty International Airport , originally Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport straddling the boundary between the cities of Newark in Essex County and Elizabeth in Union Count ...

and

Philadelphia International Airport Philadelphia International Airport is the primary airport serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The airport served 19.6 million passengers annually in 2021, making it the 21st busiest airport in the United States. The airport is located from t ...

, located and away, respectively.

Sister cities

Colmar Colmar (, ; Alsatian: ' ; German during 1871–1918 and 1940–1945: ') is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Grand Est region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it is ...

, France *

Pettoranello del Molise Pettoranello del Molise is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Isernia in the Italian region Molise, located about west of Campobasso and about southeast of Isernia. Pettoranello del Molise borders the following municipalities: Carpi ...

, Italy

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Princeton include: ''Note: this list does not include people whose only time in Princeton was as a student. Only selected faculty are shown, whose notability extends beyond their field into popular culture. See Faculty and Alumni lists above.'' *

Matthew Abelson Matthew Abelson is an American hammered dulcimer player. Originally from Princeton, New Jersey, he lives in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Abelson performs in a variety of styles from classic Celtic tunes to Folk-Rock. His audiences have included Pr ...

hammered dulcimer The hammered dulcimer (also called the hammer dulcimer) is a percussion-stringed instrument which consists of strings typically stretched over a trapezoidal resonant sound board. The hammered dulcimer is set before the musician, who in more trad ...

player * Robert Adrain (1775–1843), Irish-born mathematician known for his formulation of the method of least squares *

George Akerlof George Arthur Akerlof (born June 17, 1940) is an American economist and a university professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University and Koshland Professor of Economics Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. ...

(born 1940), economist who shared the 2001

Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, officially the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel ( sv, Sveriges riksbanks pris i ekonomisk vetenskap till Alfred Nobels minne), is an economics award administered ...

Archibald Alexander Archibald Alexander (April 17, 1772 – October 22, 1851) was an American Presbyterian theologian and professor at the Princeton Theological Seminary. He served for 9 years as the President of Hampden–Sydney College in Virginia and for 39 year ...

(1772–1851), Presbyterian theologian and first professor at the Princeton Theological Seminary *

James Waddel Alexander James Waddel Alexander (March 13, 1804 – July 31, 1859) was an American Presbyterian minister and theologian who followed in the footsteps of his father, Rev. Archibald Alexander. Early life Alexander was born in 1804 in Louisa County, Vir ...

(1804–1859), Presbyterian minister and theologian *

Joseph Addison Alexander Joseph Addison Alexander (April 24, 1809 – January 28, 1860) was an American clergyman and biblical scholar. Early life He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 24, 1809, the third son of Archibald Alexander and Janetta Waddel Alexa ...

(1809–1860), biblical scholar *

William Cowper Alexander William Cowper Alexander (May 20, 1806 – August 23, 1874) was an American lawyer, politician, and insurance executive. He served as President of the New Jersey State Senate and as President of the Equitable Life Assurance Society. Early li ...

(1806–1874), lawyer, politician and insurance executive, who served as President of the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...

and as President of the Equitable Life Assurance Society *

Svetlana Alliluyeva Svetlana Iosifovna Alliluyeva, born Stalina (); ka, სვეტლანა იოსების ასული ალილუევა () (28 February 1926 – 22 November 2011), later known as Lana Peters, was the youngest child and only ...

(1926–2011), daughter of

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

, defected to United States and lived in Princeton * Lylah M. Alphonse (born 1972), journalist *

Saul Amarel Saul Amarel (1928 – December 18, 2002) was a professor of computer science at Rutgers University, and best known for his pioneering work in artificial intelligence (AI). He also had a career as a scientist, engineer, and teacher. He was a contribu ...

(1928–2002), professor of computer science at

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

, best known for his pioneering work in

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...

* Trey Anastasio (born 1964), of the band

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...

, lived in Princeton with his family and attended

William H. Angoff William H. Angoff (September 14, 1919 – January 5, 1993) was an American research scientist. He worked for the Educational Testing Service (ETS), where he helped improve the SAT and authored books about testing. Early life Angoff was born on Se ...

(–1993), research scientist who worked for the Educational Testing Service, where he helped improve the

SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schola ...

James Isbell Armstrong James Isbell Armstrong (April 20, 1919 – December 16, 2013) was an American academic who was President of Middlebury College. He was born in 1919 in Princeton. Armstrong was appointed as Middlebury's 12th president in 1963 and served until ...

(1919–2013), academic who was President of

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...

from 1963 to 1975 *

Milton Babbitt Milton Byron Babbitt (May 10, 1916 – January 29, 2011) was an American composer, music theorist, mathematician, and teacher. He is particularly noted for his Serialism, serial and electronic music. Biography Babbitt was born in Philadelphia t ...

(1916–2011), composer and Princeton University professor * William Bainbridge (1774–1833), Commodore in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

Molly Bang Molly Garrett Bang (born December 29, 1943) is an American illustrator. For her illustration of children's books she has been a runner-up for the American Caldecott Medal three times and for the British Greenaway Medal once. Announced June 2015, ...

(born 1943), children's book illustrator *

George Barna George Barna (born 1954) is the founder of The Barna Group, a market research firm specializing in studying the religious beliefs and behavior of Americans, and the intersection of faith and culture. From 2013 - 2018 he served as the executive ...

(born 1954), founder of The Barna Group, a market research firm specializing in studying the religious beliefs and behavior of Americans *

Chris Barron Chris Barron (born Christopher Gross; born February 5, 1968) is an American singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer of Spin Doctors. Biography Christopher Gross was born February 5, 1968, in Honolulu, where his father was statio ...

(born 1968), lead singer of the

Spin Doctors Spin Doctors are an American alternative rock band from New York City, best known for their early 1990s hits "Two Princes" and "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong", which peaked on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart at No. 7 and N ...

Charles Clinton Beatty Charles Clinton Beatty was a Presbyterian minister, seminary founder, and academic philanthropist. He was born on January 4, 1800 Princeton, New Jersey. His grandfather, Charles Beatty, was a Presbyterian minister, and his father, Erkuries Beatt ...

(1800–1880), Presbyterian minister, seminary founder and academic philanthropist * Saul Bellow (1915–2005), author and Princeton University professor Schmitt, Eric
"Upton Sinclair's Princeton Hideway"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', July 21, 1985. Accessed August 22, 2013. "They now know that Upton Sinclair, the muckraking author of ''The Jungle'' and other novels, built the cabin and lived there more than 80 years ago.... Ultimately, Mrs. Bowers would like to restore the cabin and have either Princeton Township or Princeton University maintain it, an idea suggested by John McPhee, the author, who lives in Princeton.... Alfred Bush, a curator in the rare books department of the Princeton University Library, said: 'Thomas Mann, T. S. Eliot and Saul Bellow all lived and wrote here.'" *

Paul Benacerraf Paul Joseph Salomon Benacerraf (; born 26 March 1931) is a French-born American philosopher working in the field of the philosophy of mathematics who taught at Princeton University his entire career, from 1960 until his retirement in 2007. He wa ...

(born 1931), philosopher and Princeton University professor *

Peter Benchley Peter Bradford Benchley (May 8, 1940 – February 11, 2006) was an American author, screenwriter, and ocean activist. He is known for his bestselling novel ''Jaws'' and co-wrote its film adaptation with Carl Gottlieb. Several more of his works w ...

(1940–2006), author and screenwriter, ''

Jaws Jaws or Jaw may refer to: Anatomy * Jaw, an opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth ** Mandible, the lower jaw Arts, entertainment, and media * Jaws (James Bond), a character in ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' and ''Moonraker'' * ...

'', ''

The Island The Island(s) may refer to: Places * Any of various islands around the world, see the list of islands * The Island (Cache County, Utah), an island on the Bear River, Utah * The Island, Chennai, a river island in India * The Island, Chicago, a n ...

'', lived and died in Princeton *

Wendy Benchley Winifred "Wendy" Benchley ( Wesson; born February 4, 1941) is a marine and environmental conservation advocate and former councilwoman from New Jersey. She is known for co-founding various environmental organizations and for being the wife of aut ...

(born 1941), marine and environmental conservation advocate and former Princeton Borough councilwoman who was the wife of author

Ed Berger Edward Morris Berger (March 5, 1949 – January 22, 2017) was an American librarian, discographer, author, editor, historian, photographer, educator, jazz producer, and record label owner. For more than forty years, Berger was affiliated w ...

(1949–2017), librarian, discographer, author, editor, historian, photographer, educator, jazz producer and record label owner *

Stanley S. Bergen Jr. Stanley Silvers Bergen Jr. (May 2, 1929 – April 24, 2019) was an American physician, university president, and professor. He was president of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey from 1971 to 1998. Bergen served as senior vi ...

(1929–2019),

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

university president A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...

, and professor, who was President of the

University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) was a state-run health sciences institution of New Jersey, United States. It was founded as the Seton Hall College of Medicine and Dentistry in 1954, and by the 1980s was both a major ...

from 1971 to 1998 *

Laurie Berkner Laurissa Ann "Laurie" Berkner (born March 15, 1969) is a French-born American musician and singer best known for her work as a children's musical artist. She plays guitar and sings lead vocals in The Laurie Berkner Band, along with pianist Susie ...

(born 1969), musician best known for her work as a

children's music Children's music or kids' music is music composed and performed for children. In European-influenced contexts this means music, usually songs, written specifically for a juvenile audience. The composers are usually adults. Children's music has hi ...

al artist * Geoffrey Berman (born 1959), lawyer currently serving as the Interim

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York is the chief federal law enforcement officer in eight New York counties: New York (Manhattan), Bronx, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange, Dutchess and Sullivan. Establishe ...

* Garrett Birkhoff (1911–1996),

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

best known for his work in lattice theory * Cyril Edwin Black (1915–1989), professor of history and international affairs, specializing in the modern history of Eastern Europe and, in particular, Russian history since 1700 * Michael Bradley (born 1987), soccer player * Avery Brooks (born 1948), actor, singer and educator * George Harold Brown (1908–1987), research engineer at RCA, lived in Princeton *

Aaron Burr Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805. Burr's legacy is defined by his famous personal conflict with Alexand ...

(1756–1836), third Vice President of the United States (under

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

); killed

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...

in a duel, grew up in Princeton and is buried there *

Aaron Burr Sr. Aaron Burr Sr. (January 4, 1716 – September 24, 1757) was a notable Presbyterian minister and college educator in colonial America. He was a founder of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) and the father of Aaron Burr ( ...

(1715–1757), co-founder of

and its second president * Lesley Bush (born 1947), diver who represented the United States at the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this ho ...

in Tokyo, where she received a gold medal in the 10 meter platform * Sim Cain (born 1963), drummer for

Rollins Band Rollins Band was an American rock band formed in Van Nuys, California. The band was active from 1987 to 2006 and was led by former Black Flag vocalist Henry Rollins. They are best known for the songs "Low Self Opinion" and " Liar", which both e ...

, grew up in Princeton *

Marsha Campbell Marsha Campbell (born February 13, 1946) is a former American Democrat politician who served in the Missouri House of Representatives. Born in Princeton, New Jersey, she graduated from the University of Missouri with a bachelor's degree in busines ...

(born 1946), politician who served in the Missouri House of Representatives *

Melisa Can __NOTOC__ Michelle Marie Campbell (born May 12, 1984, in Iowa), aka Melisa Can, is retired female basketball player who played power forward. Can grew up in Princeton, New Jersey and graduated from Notre Dame High School. She joined Rutgers in t ...

(born 1984 as Michelle Marie Campbell), professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player at the power forward position who plays for Adana ASKİ * Mary Chapin Carpenter (born 1958), country/folk singer, born and grew up in Princeton *

William Ashburner Cattell William Ashburner Cattell (June 16, 1863 – October 10, 1920) was a U.S. civil engineer. He served as President of the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railroad. Early years Cattell was born on June 16, 1863, at Princeton, New Jersey, the son of A ...

(1863–1920), civil engineer and railroad company president; born in Princeton *

Damien Chazelle Damien Sayre Chazelle (; born January 19, 1985) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He is known for his films ''Whiplash'' (2014), ''La La Land'' (2016), and '' First Man'' (2018). For ''Whiplash'', he was nominated for the ...

(born 1985), film director, producer, and writer. Youngest winner of the

Academy Award for Best Director The Academy Award for Best Director (officially known as the Academy Award of Merit for Directing) is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibi ...

* Blair Clark (1917–2000), journalist and political activist who was general manager / vice president of

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 48 H ...

and Senator

Eugene McCarthy Eugene Joseph McCarthy (March 29, 1916December 10, 2005) was an American politician, writer, and academic from Minnesota. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1949 to 1959 and the United States Senate from 1959 to 1971. ...

's national campaign manager for the 1968 presidential nomination * Patrick Clark (1955–1998), chef *

Frances Folsom Cleveland Frances Clara Cleveland Preston ( née Folsom born as Frank Clara; July 21, 1864 – October 29, 1947) was an American socialite, education activist, and the first lady of the United States from 1886 to 1889, and again from 1893 to 1897 as ...

(1864–1947),

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

, died in and is buried in Princeton *

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

(1837–1908), 22nd and 24th President of the United States, retired to, died in, and buried in Princeton * Ruth Cleveland (1891–1904), daughter of Grover and Frances Cleveland born between Cleveland's two terms in office, died at age 12 and is buried at

Princeton Cemetery Princeton Cemetery is located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by the Nassau Presbyterian Church. John F. Hageman in his 1878 history of Princeton, New Jersey refers to the cemetery as "The Westminster Abbey of the United State ...

* Chris Conley (born 1980), lead singer of Saves the Day, born and grew up in Princeton *

Archibald Crossley Archibald Maddock Crossley (December 7, 1896 – May 1, 1985) was an American pollster, statistician, and pioneer in public opinion research. Along with friends-cum-rivals Elmo Roper and George Gallup, Crossley has been described as one of the fa ...

(1896–1985), pollster, statistician and pioneer in public opinion research *

John Crowley John Crowley may refer to: *John Crowley (Irish revolutionary) (1891-1942), Irish revolutionary and hunger striker *John Crowley (author) (born 1942), American author *John Crowley (baseball) (1862–1896), American Major League catcher *John Crowl ...

(born 1967), biotechnology executive and entrepreneur and the chairman and CEO of

Amicus Therapeutics Amicus Therapeutics is a public American biopharmaceutical company based in Philadelphia, PA. The company went public in 2007 under the NASDAQ trading symbol FOLD. This followed a 2006 planned offering and subsequent withdrawal, which would have ...

Whitney Darrow Jr. Whitney Darrow Jr. (August 22, 1909 – August 10, 1999) was a prominent American cartoonist, who worked most of his career for ''The New Yorker'', with some 1,500 of his cartoons printed in his nearly 50-year-long career with the magazine. Gussow, ...

(1909–1999), cartoonist at ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' *

Jon Drezner Jon Drezner is an American architect and designer. He worked with Frank Gehry and Gehry Partners in the 1990s on projects including the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Gehry House. He founded his own architecture firm, Drezner Architecture, i ...

, architect and designer *

Howard Duffield George Howard Duffield (April 9, 1854 — January 5, 1941) was a prominent American minister in New York City. Early life Duffield was born on April 8, 1854, in Princeton, New Jersey. He was the son of Dr. John Thomas Duffield (1823—1901), a ...

(1854–1941),

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister * Freeman Dyson (born 1923), theoretical physicist and fellow at the

Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards may refer to: Musicians *Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, pseudonym of bandleader Paul Weston and his wife, singer Jo Stafford *Jonathan Edwards (musician) (born 1946), American musician ** ''Jonathan Edwards'' (album), debut album ...

(1703–1758),

Congregationalist Church Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

theologian, Princeton University's third president *

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...

(1879–1955), physicist, fellow at the

Maria (Maja) Einstein Maja Einstein (born Maria Einstein, married name Maja Winteler-Einstein) (18 November 1881 - 25 June 1951) was a German Romanist and the younger sister of the physicist Albert Einstein. Early life and education Einstein was born in Munich. Her ...

(1881–1951), German Romanist and the younger sister of Albert Einstein *

T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biogr ...

(1888–1965), author *

Elmer William Engstrom Elmer William Engstrom (August 25, 1901 – October 30, 1984) was an American electrical engineer and corporate executive prominent for his role in the development of television. Biography Youth and early career Engstrom was born in Minne ...

(1901–1984), President and CEO of RCA *

Daniel Errico Daniel J. Errico is an American children's book author and children's media content creator. He is the creator and executive producer of Hulu's kids TV series ''The Bravest Knight''. He has also published several children's books, including ''the ...

, children's book author and children's media content creator who is the creator and executive producer of Hulu's kids TV series ''

The Bravest Knight ''The Bravest Knight'' is a 2D animated series, produced by Big Bad Boo Studios and a Hulu original which became the first kids original on the streaming service. The first episodes were added to the streaming service on June 21, 2019 and the o ...

'' *

Katherine Ettl Katherine Rhymes Speed Ettl (April 7, 1911 – January 10, 1993) was an American sculptor. She designed many bronze statues, including the one of President Andrew Jackson outside the Jackson City Hall. Life Ettl was born on April 7, 1911, in Mo ...

(–1993), sculptor best known for her monumental bronzes * Charles Evered (born 1964), playwright, screenwriter and director, resident of Princeton *

Henry B. Eyring Henry Bennion Eyring (born May 31, 1933) is an American educational administrator, author, and religious leader. Eyring has been the Second Counselor to Russell M. Nelson in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ...

(born 1933), Second Counselor in the First Presidency of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

and president of

Ricks College Ricks may refer to: People * Andre Ricks (born 1996), American basketball player * Bob Ricks (21st century), American police chief * Christopher Ricks (born 1933), British literary critic and scholar * Doug Ricks, American politician and member o ...

, born in Princeton *

Robert Fagles Robert Fagles (; September 11, 1933 – March 26, 2008) was an American professor, poet, and academic, best known for his many translations of ancient Greek and Roman classics, especially his acclaimed translations of the epic poems of Homer. ...

(1933–2008), professor, poet, and academic, best known for his many translations of ancient Greek and Roman classics, especially his translations of the epic poems of Homer * Mervin Field (1921–2015), public opinion pollster whose career in polling began with a poll of Princeton High School students in a class election *

Abner S. Flagg Abner S. Flagg (December 13, 1851 – September 18, 1923) was an American politician and businessman. Born in Princeton, New Jersey, Flagg moved with his parents to Lancaster, Wisconsin in 1854. From 1874 to 1879, Flagg lived in Yankton, Da ...

(1851–1923), businessman and politicians, served in the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

and as Mayor of

Edgerton, Wisconsin Edgerton is a city in Rock County and partly in Dane County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 5,945 at the 2020 census. Of this, 5,799 were in Rock County, and 146 were in Dane County. Known locally as "Tobacco City U.S.A.," beca ...

* Richard Ford (born 1944), writer, taught at Princeton University, wrote several books set in a fictionalized Haddam, New Jersey, based in part on PrincetonMcGrath, Charles
"A New Jersey State of Mind"
''

'', October 25, 2006. Accessed August 29, 2014. "Mr. Ford, who was born and reared in Mississippi, discovered the Jersey Shore in the late 1970s, when he and his wife were living in Princeton, where he had a teaching job.... "In ''Independence Day,'' which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1996, Frank sold real estate — made a bundle, in fact — in the prosperous, leafy town of Haddam, N.J., a fictional composite of Princeton, Hopewell and Pennington." *

Colette Fu Colette Fu is a photographer, book artist and paper engineer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who makes pop-up books from her photographs. She teaches pop-up courses and community workshops with marginalized populations at various art cent ...

, photographer, book artist and paper engineer * N. Howell Furman (1892–1965), professor of analytical chemistry who helped develop the electrochemical

uranium Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...

separation process as part of the

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...

* George Gallup (1901–1984), statistician and creator of the Gallup poll, lived and is buried in Princeton *

George Gallup Jr. George Horace Gallup Jr. (April 9, 1930 – November 21, 2011) was an American pollster, writer and executive at The Gallup Organization, which had been founded by his father, George Gallup. Gallup expanded the scope of the Gallup Poll to e ...

(1930–2011), pollster and author *

Kurt Gödel Kurt Friedrich Gödel ( , ; April 28, 1906 – January 14, 1978) was a logician, mathematician, and philosopher. Considered along with Aristotle and Gottlob Frege to be one of the most significant logicians in history, Gödel had an imme ...

(1906–1978), Austrian-American logician, mathematician and philosopher, fellow at the

* Caroline Gordon (1895–1981), novelist, lived in Princeton from 1956 to 1975 * Michael Graves (1934–2015), architect, lived and worked in Princeton * Fred Greenstein (1930–2018), political scientist *

Ariela Gross Ariela Julie Gross (born 1965) is an American historian. She is the John B. and Alice R. Sharp Professor of Law and History at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law (USC). Early life and education Gross was born in 1965 and r ...

(born 1965), historian who is the John B. and Alice R. Sharp Professor of Law and History at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law *

Hallett Johnson Hallett C. Johnson, also known as Francis Hallett Johnson (November 26, 1888 – August 11, 1968) was an American career diplomat and ambassador to Costa Rica. He served in the United States Foreign Service for 36 years. Early life Johnson wa ...

(1888–1968), career diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Costa Rica *

Chris Harford Chris Harford is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and painter. Career ''The New Yorker'' described him as "...A singer, guitarist, and songwriter who rose through the local club scene in the nineteen-eighties, Harford operates in the free ...

, self-taught singer, songwriter, guitarist and painter * Ethan Hawke (born 1970), actor *

Sarah Hay Sarah Hay (born September 16, 1987) is an American actress and ballerina. She is best known for her role as Claire Robbins in the Starz mini-series ''Flesh and Bone'', she was nominated for a Golden Globe, a Satellite Award and a Critics' Choi ...

(born 1987), actress and ballet dancer with the

Semperoper The Semperoper () is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the concert hall of the Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper Ballett. The building is located on the ...

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

Joseph Hewes Joseph Hewes (July 9, 1730– November 10, 1779) was an American Founding Father, a signer of the Continental Association and U.S. Declaration of Independence, and a native of Princeton, New Jersey, where he was born in 1730. Hewes's parents were ...

(1730–1779), signer of the

United States Declaration of Independence The United States Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America, is the pronouncement and founding document adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Pennsylvania State House ...

, born in Princeton *

Charles Hodge Charles Hodge (December 27, 1797 – June 19, 1878) was a Reformed Presbyterian theologian and principal of Princeton Theological Seminary between 1851 and 1878. He was a leading exponent of the Princeton Theology, an orthodox Calvinist theol ...

(1797–1878), theologian and Principal of Princeton Theological Seminary * Herbert Huffman (1905–1968), musician and choir director, founder of the

Harold L. Humes Harold Louis Humes, Jr. (May 11, 1926 – September 10, 1992) was known as HL Humes in his books, and usually as "Doc" Humes in life. He was the originator of ''The Paris Review'' literary magazine, author of two novels in the late 1950s, and a ...

(1926–1992), novelist who was the originator of ''

The Paris Review ''The Paris Review'' is a quarterly English-language literary magazine established in Paris in 1953 by Harold L. Humes, Peter Matthiessen, and George Plimpton. In its first five years, ''The Paris Review'' published works by Jack Kerouac, Philip ...

'' literary magazine *

Guy Hutchinson Guy Hutchinson (February 7, 1884 – December 9, 1941) was an American businessman and college football player. Hutchinson was born in New York City, and later moved to New Jersey. He was a graduate of Yale University in 1906. While attending th ...

(born 1974), author, broadcaster, theme park historian and comedian *

Micky James Michael James Muccigrossi better known by his stage name Micky James, is an American singer, songwriter and musician. Life and career Early life Micky James was born Michael James Muccigrossi in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Jame ...

(born 1993), singer, songwriter and musician *

Barbara Piasecka Johnson Barbara "Basia" Piasecka Johnson (born Barbara Piasecka; February 25, 1937 – April 1, 2013) was a Polish humanitarian, philanthropist, art connoisseur and collector. Early life Piasecka Johnson was born in Staniewicze near Grodno, Poland (n ...

(1937–2013), Polish-born American humanitarian, philanthropist, art connoisseur and collector *

Robert Wood Johnson II Robert Wood "General" Johnson II (April 4, 1893 – January 30, 1968) was an American businessman. He was one of the sons of Robert Wood Johnson I, the co-founder of Johnson & Johnson. He turned the family business into one of the world's l ...

(1893–1968), Chairman of

Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational corporation founded in 1886 that develops medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company i ...

, and his wife Margaret, lived in

* John Katzenbach (born 1950), author of popular fiction *

George F. Kennan George Frost Kennan (February 16, 1904 – March 17, 2005) was an American diplomat and historian. He was best known as an advocate of a policy of containment of Soviet expansion during the Cold War. He lectured widely and wrote scholarly histo ...

(1904–2005), diplomat, historian, fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study *

Gina Kolata Gina Bari Kolata (born February 25, 1948) is an American science journalist, writing for ''The New York Times''. Life and career Kolata was born Gina Bari in Baltimore, Maryland. Her mother, mathematician Ruth Aaronson Bari (1917–2005), was o ...

(born 1948), reporter for ''

'' *

Paul Krugman Paul Robin Krugman ( ; born February 28, 1953) is an American economist, who is Distinguished Professor of Economics at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and a columnist for ''The New York Times''. In 2008, Krugman was th ...

(born 1953), Nobel Prize winner, economist, professor of economics and international affairs at Princeton University * Matt Lalli (born 1986), professional lacrosse player for the

Boston Cannons The Cannons Lacrosse Club are a professional men's field lacrosse team in the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) . Formerly based in Boston, Massachusetts, they played in Major League Lacrosse (MLL) as the Boston Cannons from their inaugural 2001 sea ...

Major League Lacrosse Major League Lacrosse (MLL) was a men's field lacrosse league in the United States. The league's inaugural season was in 2001. Teams played anywhere from ten to 16 games in a summertime regular season. This was followed by a four-team playoff f ...

* Chang-Rae Lee (born 1965), writer, Princeton University professor *

Arthur Lithgow Arthur Washington Lithgow III (September 9, 1915 – March 24, 2004) was an American actor and director. He helped pioneer the regional theater movement in the United States and founded two Shakespeare festivals. Early life Lithgow was born in ...

(1915–2004), actor, director, educator, and managing director of Princeton's

McCarter Theatre McCarter Theatre Center is a not-for-profit, professional company on the campus of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. The institution is currently led by Artistic Director Sarah Rasmussen and Managing Director Michael S. Rosenberg. ...

John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. Lithgow studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his work on the stage and screen. He has been the recipient of numerous ...

(born 1945), actor, lived in Princeton in his late teens * Emily Mann (born 1952), artistic director of Princeton's

Barbara Majeski Barbara Majeski (born April 22, 1973) is an American TV personality and lifestyle expert based in Princeton, New Jersey.Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novella ...

(1875–1955), author * Henry Martin (born 1925), cartoonist at ''

'', lived and worked in Princeton *

Alpheus T. Mason __NOTOC__ Alpheus Thomas Mason (September 18, 1899October 31, 1989) was an American legal scholar and biographer. He wrote several biographies of justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, including Louis Brandeis, Harlan F. Stone, ...

(1899–1989), legal scholar and biographer *

John McPhee John Angus McPhee (born March 8, 1931) is an American writer. He is considered one of the pioneers of creative nonfiction. He is a four-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in the category General Nonfiction, and he won that award on the fourth ...

(born 1931), writer, lives in Princeton *

Rachel Lambert Mellon Rachel Lambert Mellon (August 9, 1910 – March 17, 2014), often known as Bunny Mellon, was an American horticulturalist, gardener, philanthropist, and art collector. She designed and planted a number of significant gardens, including the Whi ...

(1910–2014), horticulturalist, gardener, philanthropist and art collector * Lyle and Erik Menendez (born 1968 and born 1970), two brothers convicted of murdering their parents in 1989 * Steve "Buddy" Miller (born 1952), Nashville session musician, grew up in Princeton and attended Princeton High School *

E. Spencer Miller Elihu Spencer Miller (September 3, 1817 – March 6, 1879) was a Dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Biography Miller was born in Princeton, New Jersey. He attended the College of New Jersey (since renamed as Princeton University) ...

(1817–1879), Dean of the

University of Pennsylvania Law School The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Law or Penn Carey Law) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is among the most selective and olde ...

Jeannette Mirsky Jeannette Mirsky Ginsburg (September 3, 1903 – March 10, 1987) was an American writer who was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1947 for her biographical writings on the history of exploration. Early life and education Jeannette R. Mirsk ...

(1903–1987), author who was awarded a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

in 1947 for her biographical writings on the history of exploration *

Toni Morrison Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford; February 18, 1931 – August 5, 2019), known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist. Her first novel, ''The Bluest Eye'', was published in 1970. The critically acclaimed '' So ...

(1931–2019), author, Nobel Laureate, Princeton University professor * Paul Muldoon (born 1951), Irish poet *

Jeanette Mundt Jeanette Mundt (born 1982) is an American painter, best known for her works in the 2019 Whitney Biennial. Early life Mundt was born in Princeton, New Jersey, but grew up in Zurich, Switzerland. Personal life Mundt currently resides in the ...

(born 1982), painter, best known for her works in the 2019

Whitney Biennial The Whitney Biennial is a biennial exhibition of contemporary American art, typically by young and lesser known artists, on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, United States. The event began as an annual exhibition in ...

John Forbes Nash Jr. John Forbes Nash Jr. (June 13, 1928 – May 23, 2015) was an American mathematician who made fundamental contributions to game theory, real algebraic geometry, differential geometry, and partial differential equations. Nash and fellow ga ...

(1928–2015), mathematician, Nobel Prize winner, subject of '' A Beautiful Mind,'' Princeton University professor *

Charles Neider Charles Neider (January 18, 1915 in Odessa, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire - July 4, 2001, in Princeton, New Jersey) was an American writer, known for editing the ''Autobiography of Mark Twain'' and authoring literary impressions of Antarctica ...

(1915–2001), author, Twain scholar; resided on Southern Way *

John von Neumann John von Neumann (; hu, Neumann János Lajos, ; December 28, 1903 – February 8, 1957) was a Hungarian-American mathematician, physicist, computer scientist, engineer and polymath. He was regarded as having perhaps the widest cove ...

(1903−1957), Hungarian-American mathematician at

and

Bebe Neuwirth Beatrice "Bebe" Jane Neuwirth ( ; born December 31, 1958) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. On television, she played Dr. Lilith Sternin, Frasier Crane's wife, on both the TV sitcom ''Cheers'' (in a starring role) and its spin-off ''F ...

(born 1958), actress, grew up in Princeton *

Joyce Carol Oates Joyce Carol Oates (born June 16, 1938) is an American writer. Oates published her first book in 1963, and has since published 58 novels, a number of plays and novellas, and many volumes of short stories, poetry, and non-fiction. Her novels '' Bla ...

(born 1938), writer, Princeton University professor *

John O'Hara John Henry O'Hara (January 31, 1905 – April 11, 1970) was one of America's most prolific writers of short stories, credited with helping to invent ''The New Yorker'' magazine short story style.John O'Hara: Stories, Charles McGrath, ed., The L ...

(1905–1970), author, lived in and is buried in Princeton * Charles Smith Olden (1799–1876), Governor of New Jersey during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

A. Dayton Oliphant Alfred Dayton Oliphant (October 28, 1887 – June 25, 1963) was a Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1945 to 1946, and again from 1948 to 1957. Biography Oliphant was born in Trenton, New Jersey on October 28, 1887, the son of Civil W ...

(1887–1963), Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1945 to 1946, and from 1948 to 1957 *

Gregory Olsen Gregory Hammond Olsen (born April 20, 1945) is an American entrepreneur, engineer and scientist who, in October 2005, became the third private citizen to make a self-funded trip to the International Space Station with the company Space Adventure ...

(born 1945), entrepreneur, engineer and scientist who, in October 2005, became the third private citizen to make a self-funded trip to the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...

* J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904–1967), theoretical physicist, director of the Institute for Advanced Study * Alicia Ostriker (born 1937), poet and scholar who writes Jewish

feminist poetry Feminist poetry is inspired by, promotes, or elaborates on feminist principles and ideas. It might be written with the conscious aim of expressing feminist principles, although sometimes it is identified as feminist by critics in a later era. Some w ...

Jeremiah P. Ostriker Jeremiah Paul "Jerry" Ostriker (born April 13, 1937) is an American astrophysicist and a professor of astronomy at Columbia University and is the Charles A. Young Professor ''Emeritus'' at Princeton where he also continues as a senior research s ...

(born 1937), astronomer *

Unity Phelan Unity Sickles Phelan (born February 1995) is an American ballet dancer. She joined the New York City Ballet in 2013 and was promoted to principal dancer in 2021. Outside of the company, she had also danced in films '' John Wick: Chapter 3 – Par ...

(born 1994 or 1995), ballet dancer who joined the

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...

in 2013 and was promoted to soloist in 2017 * John Popper (born 1967), lead singer of the band

Blues Traveler Blues Traveler (formerly known as "The Establishment" or "The Black Cat Jam" or "The Establishment Blues Band") is an American rock band that formed in Princeton, New Jersey in 1987. They are known for extensive use of segues in live performance ...

* Andy Potts (born 1976), triathlete who represented the United States in

triathlon at the 2004 Summer Olympics At the 2004 Summer Olympics, the triathlon events were held at the Vouliagmeni Olympic Centre. Fifty triathletes contested the female event on August 25, and the same number contested the male event on August 26, making up a total of 100 compe ...

Pete Raymond Peter Harlow Raymond (born January 21, 1947) is a beekeeper, and an American former rower who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics and in the 1972 Summer Olympics. He was born in Princeton, New Jersey and attended South Kent School and Princeton ...

(born 1947), former rower who competed in the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...

and in the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

* Christopher Reeve (1952–2004), actor, grew up in Princeton, attended

* Paul Robeson (1898–1976), singer, actor, athlete, civil rights activist, born and raised in Princeton *

Arnold Roth :''This is an article about Arnold Roth, the cartoonist. See also Arnie Roth, the musician.'' Arnold Roth (born February 25, 1929) is an American cartoonist and illustrator for advertisements, album covers, books, magazines, and newspapers. Noveli ...

(born 1929), cartoonist, longtime Princeton resident *

William E. Schluter William Everett Schluter (November 5, 1927 – August 6, 2018) was an American Republican Party politician from New Jersey, who served in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature in two separate instances. Early life and career Schluter was bo ...

(1927–2018), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly and the

Ralph Schoenstein Ralph Schoenstein (1933 – August 24, 2006) was an American writer and humorist. He was a frequent commentator to NPR's ''All Things Considered''. Schoenstein grew up in Manhattan, and graduated from Columbia University in 1953. He began writing ...

(1933–2006), writer, lived in Princeton up to his death * John Schneider (born 1980),

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

for the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

* Bill Schroeder (born 1958),

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player for the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

and

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

, Brewers commentator for

Fox Sports Wisconsin Bally Sports Wisconsin (BSWI) is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, and operates as an affiliate of Bally Sports. Operating as the "Wisconsin" sub-feed of Fox Sports North until 2007, the channel was known as Fox S ...

* Roger Sessions (1896–1985), composer, Princeton University professor *

Tsutomu Shimomura is a Japanese-born American physicist and computer security expert. He is known for helping the FBI track and arrest hacker Kevin Mitnick. ''Takedown'', his 1996 book on the subject with journalist John Markoff, was later adapted for the scre ...

(born 1964), Japanese-American scientist and computer security expert *

Andrew Shue Andrew Eppley Shue (born February 20, 1967) is an American actor, known for his role as Billy Campbell on the television series ''Melrose Place'' (1992–1999). Shue played soccer professionally for several years. He co-founded and served on the ...

(born 1967), actor and professional soccer player, grew up in northern New Jersey with sister, actress Elisabeth Shue, lives in Princeton * Michael Showalter (born 1970), comedian, actor, writer, and director, born in Princeton, attended Princeton High School *

Barbara Boggs Sigmund Barbara Boggs Sigmund (May 27, 1939 – October 10, 1990) was an American writer, Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician, and civic leader. She served as a Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County Freeholder and mayor of the Boro ...

(1939–1990), mayor of Princeton *

Peter Singer Peter Albert David Singer (born 6 July 1946) is an Australian moral philosopher, currently the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. He specialises in applied ethics and approaches ethical issues from a secular, ...

(born 1946), moral philosopher, bioethicist and Princeton University professor * Shelley Smith (born 1952), actress *

Tom Snow Thomas Righter Snow (born 1947 in Princeton, New Jersey) is an American songwriter. Biography Snow has written songs for Gayle McCormick "( Even a Fool Would Let Go" with Kerry Chater – a song covered by a number of artists including Kenny ...

(born 1947), musician *

Gennady Spirin Gennady Spirin (born 25 December 1948) is a Russian painter and children's book illustrator. A graduate of the Surikov School of Fine Art in Moscow and the Moscow Stroganov Institute of Art, he is noted for his unique style of watercolor illust ...

(born 1948), artist *

Betsey Stockton Betsey Stockton (c. 1798–1865), sometimes spelled Betsy Stockton, was an American educator and missionary in Hawaii. Life Betsey was born into slavery in Princeton, New Jersey, about the year 1798. While she was a child, her owner Robert Stockt ...

(–1865), educator and missionary, manumitted from slavery and later retired to and died in Princeton *

John P. Stockton John Potter Stockton (August 2, 1826January 22, 1900) was a New Jersey politician who served in the United States Senate as a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat. He was New Jersey Attorney General for twenty years (1877 to 1897), and ser ...

(1826–1900), U.S. senator from New Jersey, lived in Princeton * Richard Stockton (1730–1781), signer of the

, lived in and is buried in Princeton * Richard Stockton (1764–1828), U.S. senator from New Jersey, lived in Princeton *

Robert F. Stockton Robert Field Stockton (August 20, 1795 – October 7, 1866) was a United States Navy commodore, notable in the capture of California during the Mexican–American War. He was a naval innovator and an early advocate for a propeller-driven, steam-p ...

(1795–1866),

commodore, U.S. Military

Governor of California The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard. Established in the Constitution of California, the g ...

, lived in Princeton *

Janet Sorg Stoltzfus Janet Lucille Sorg Stoltzfus (May 24, 1931 – March 5, 2004) was an American educator. As a teacher married to an American diplomat, she established the Ta'iz Cooperative School, the first foreign school in Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen, Nort ...

, (1931–2004), educator, who established the Ta'iz Cooperative School, the first non-religious school in north Yemen. * Robert Stone (born 1958, class of 1976), director and

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

maker * Jon Tenney (born 1961), actor, born and raised in Princeton *

Paul Tulane Paul Tulane (May 10, 1801 – March 27, 1887) was an American philanthropist and donor. Born in Sherry Valley, near Princeton, New Jersey to a prominent French merchant family, Tulane made his fortune from a retail and dry goods company. Late ...

(1801–1887), benefactor and namesake of

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

* Immanuel Velikovsky (1895–1979), controversial theorist and acquaintance of Albert Einstein * Brandon Wagner (baseball), Brandon Wagner (born 1995), professional baseball player * Susie Ione Brown Waxwood (1902–2006), clubwoman and YWCA official in Princeton * Andrew Wiles (born 1953), mathematician who proved Fermat's Last Theorem, Princeton University professor * Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924), 28th President of the United States, 13th president of Princeton University, Governor of New Jersey * John Witherspoon (1723–1794), signer of the

, president of Princeton University * Edward Witten (born 1951), mathematician and physicist, fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study * Richard L. Wright (born 1943), political leader who held a number of positions at both the state and national level * Sarah Zelenka (born 1987), rower at the 2012 Summer Olympics * Vladimir K. Zworykin (1888–1982), Russian-American engineer, inventor and television pioneer

Princeton in popular culture

Film

Princeton was the setting of the Academy Awards, Academy Award-winning ''A Beautiful Mind (film), A Beautiful Mind'' about the schizophrenic mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. (mathematician), John Nash. It was largely filmed in central New Jersey, including some Princeton locations. However, many scenes of "Princeton" were actually filmed at Fordham University's Rose Hill campus in the Bronx. The 1994 film ''I.Q. (film), I.Q.'', featuring Meg Ryan, Tim Robbins, and Walter Matthau as

, was also set in Princeton and was filmed in the area. It includes some geographic stretches, including Matthau looking through a telescope from the roof of "Princeton Hospital" to see Ryan and Robbins' characters kissing on the Princeton Battlefield. Historical films which used Princeton as a setting but were not filmed there include ''Wilson (1944 film), Wilson'', a 1944 biographical film about Woodrow Wilson. In his 1989 independent feature film ''Stage Fright (1989), Stage Fright,'' independent filmmaker Brad Mays shot a drama class scene in the Princeton High School auditorium, using PHS students as extras. On October 18, 2013, Mays' feature documentary ''I Grew Up in Princeton'' had its premiere showing at Princeton High School. The film, described in one Princeton newspaper as a "deeply personal 'coming-of-age story' that yields perspective on the role of perception in a town that was split racially, economically and sociologically", is a portrayal of life in the venerable university town during the tumultuous period of the late sixties through the early seventies. Scenes from the beginning of ''Across the Universe (film), Across the Universe'' (2007) were filmed on the Princeton University campus. Parts of ''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' were filmed in Princeton. Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf were filming on Princeton University campus for two days during the summer of 2008. Scenes from the 2008 movie ''The Happening (2008 film), The Happening'' were filmed in Princeton.

TV and radio

The 1938 Orson Welles radio broadcast of ''The War of the Worlds (radio), The War of the Worlds'', is set partly in nearby Grover's Mill, New Jersey, Grover's Mill, and includes a fictional professor from Princeton University as a main character, but the action never moves directly into Princeton. The TV show ''House (TV series), House'' was set in Princeton, at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, and establishing shots for the hospital display the Frist Campus Center of

. The actual University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro opened on May 22, 2012, exactly one day after the finale of ''House'' aired. The 1980 television miniseries ''Oppenheimer (TV miniseries), Oppenheimer'' is partly set in Princeton.

Literature

F. Scott Fitzgerald's literary debut, ''This Side of Paradise'', is a loosely autobiographical story of his years at Princeton University. Princeton University's Creative Writing program includes several nationally and internationally prominent writers, making the community a hub of contemporary literature. Many of Richard Ford's novels are set in Haddam, New Jersey, a fictionalized Princeton.

' 2004 novel ''Take Me, Take Me With You'' (written pseudonymously as Lauren Kelly) is set in Princeton. New Jersey author Judy Blume set her novel ''Superfudge'' in Princeton.

Music

All of the members of

, as well as

, lead singer of the

, are from Princeton and were high school friends.

Points of interest

Churches

* Nassau Christian Center * Nassau Presbyterian Church * Princeton United Methodist Church * Princeton University Chapel * St Paul's Roman Catholic Church * Stone Hill Church of Princeton * Stony Brook Meeting House and Cemetery * Trinity Church, Princeton * Princeton Seventh-Day Adventist Church

Educational institutions

and Institute Woods * Princeton Theological Seminary *

* Westminster Choir College

Museums

* Princeton University Art Museum

Historic sites

* Albert Einstein House, located at 112 Mercer Street, was the home of Albert Einstein from 1936 until his death in 1955. *

, the official residence of the governor of New Jersey, is one of only four official governor's residences in the country that is not located within its state capital. * Jasna Polana * Jugtown Historic District is a cluster of historic buildings around the intersection of Harrison and Nassau Street that dates to colonial times. * King's Highway Historic District (New Jersey), King's Highway Historic District * Kingston Mill Historic District * Maybury Hill is the boyhood home of

, who later moved to North Carolina and was a signer of the

for that state. * Mountain Avenue Historic District * Nassau Club * Nassau Hall * Nassau Inn * Princeton Battlefield State Park * Princeton Battle Monument *

* Princeton Historic District (Princeton, New Jersey), Princeton Historic District * Princeton Ice Company * Tusculum (Princeton, New Jersey), Tusculum * Updike Farmstead * The Washington Oak * Westland Mansion * Witherspoon Street School for Colored Children

Parks

* The Delaware and Raritan Canal, D&R Canal State Park including Turning Basin Park * Herrontown Woods Arboretum * Lake Carnegie (New Jersey), Lake Carnegie * Marquand Park * Princeton Ice Company, Mountain Lakes Preserve * Palmer Square * Princeton Battlefield State Park

Restaurants

* Elements (restaurant), Elements * Peacock Inn (Princeton, New Jersey), Peacock Inn

Local media

* ''Princeton Packet'' * ''Town Topics (newspaper), Princeton Town Topics'' * ''Planet Princeton''

References

Sources

* Clark, Ronald W. (1971). ''Einstein: The Life and Times''. . * Gambee, Robert (1987). ''Princeton''. .

External links

*
Princeton Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau

Princeton Township Municipal Web Site (Government)

The Princeton Packet (Local Newspaper)

Princeton Online (Local Online Community)

Princeton Public Schools
*
School Data for the Princeton Regional Schools

PrincetonKIDS
* {{Authority control Princeton, New Jersey, 2013 establishments in New Jersey Borough form of New Jersey government Boroughs in Mercer County, New Jersey Former capitals of the United States Former state capitals in the United States, New Jersey Populated places established in 2013 Mergers of administrative divisions in the United States