Princeton Junction, New Jersey

Princeton Junction, New Jersey
—  CDP  —
Map of Princeton Junction CDP in Mercer County
Coordinates: 40°19′1″N 74°37′29″W / 40.31694°N 74.62472°W / 40.31694; -74.62472Coordinates: 40°19′1″N 74°37′29″W / 40.31694°N 74.62472°W / 40.31694; -74.62472
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Mercer
Area
– Total	1.9 sq mi (4.8 km2)
– Land	1.9 sq mi (4.8 km2)
– Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	75 ft (23 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	2,382
– Density	1,276.9/sq mi (493.0/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	08550
Area code(s)	609
FIPS code	34-60960[1]
GNIS feature ID	0879494[2]

Princeton Junction is also a New Jersey Transit and Amtrak station on the Northeast Corridor line.

Princeton Junction is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within West Windsor Township, in Mercer County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the CDP population was 2,382.

Geography

Princeton Junction is located at 40°19′01″N 74°37′29″W / 40.316840°N 74.624622°W / 40.316840; -74.624622 (40.316840, -74.624622).^[3]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 4.8 km² (1.9 mi²), all land.

Princeton Junction's name comes from the train station of the same name, now on the Amtrak and New Jersey Transit Northeast Corridor. The station is the junction between this main line and a spur line (served by the "Dinky" train run by New Jersey Transit) to Princeton itself.

Demographics

There were 842 households out of which 41.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.0% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.1% were non-families. 15.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.14.

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 2,382 people, 842 households, and 681 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 491.8/km² (1,276.9/mi²). There were 858 housing units at an average density of 177.2/km² (460.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 86.99% White, 2.02% African American, 0.13% Native American, 8.86% Asian, 0.76% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.06% of the population.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1990	2,362		—
2000	2,382		0.8%
source:[4]

In the CDP the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.4 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $116,668, and the median income for a family was $127,617. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $58,750 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $44,113. None of the families and 1.5% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 5.3% of those over 64.

West Windsor is ranked 30th among the highest-income places with a population of at least 10,000 in the United States.^{[citation needed]}

Forbes recently named West Windsor as the 15th most affluent neighborhood in the U.S., with a median household income of $134,353.[9]

AOL and NeighborhoodScout recently named West Windsor as the best neighborhood to raise kids for its school district (top 7% in New Jersey, top 3% nationwide), prevailing family type (families with school-aged children), and neighborhood safety (safer than 97% of neighborhoods).^[5]

references: [9] Twenty Most Affluent US Neighborhoods, Forbes. Accessed December 29, 2008.

Local Businesses

At the turn of the century two of Princeton Junction's landmark retailers closed. One was Lick-It ice cream, a tiny kiosk-like yellow building that served ice cream to walk-in and drive-through customers, always including a trademark nonpareil in the ice cream. Also, the family-owned Lucar Hardware store shut down due to competition with superstores like Home Depot and Lowe's Hardware. Competition was not the only factor, however. The owners sought to retire, and the land had become more valuable. The site is now occupied by PNC Bank.

In 2008-2009 Princeton Junction saw the further closure of a number of businesses that had been longtime fixtures. Among the most significant is the closure of an Acme Supermarket, which has been an anchor tenant in the Windsor Plaza Shopping Center for 50 years. Other closures (of Chicken Holiday fast food shop, a paint store and an Asian restaurant) were prompted to make way for the construction of a new Rite Aid store, but with the recession of 2008-2009 those plans were put on hold and the stores now stand empty.

Some observers blame the 'deterioration' of the central Princeton Junction area on a lack of political consensus.^[6]

Noted residents

• Kevin Barry - baseball player
• Doug Forrester - former gubernatorial candidate
• Ethan Hawke - actor
• Ben H. Love, the eighth Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America serving from 1985 to 1993.^[7]
• Christopher McQuarrie - screenwriter
• James Murphy - DJ, electronic musician (as LCD Soundsystem)
• John Nash - mathematician
• Bryan Singer - film director, writer, producer and uncredited actor.^[8]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
4. ^ "Population Finder: Princeton Junction CDP, New Jersey". U.S. Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=Search&geo_id=16000US3460990&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US34%7C16000US3460990&_street=&_county=Princeton+Junction&_cityTown=Princeton+Junction&_state=04000US34&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=. Retrieved 2007-03-18. 
5. ^ Family-Friendly Neighborhoods, AOL, NeighborhoodScout.
6. ^ http://wwpinfo.com/index.php?option=com_us1more&Itemid=6&key=10-23-2009+crawford&more=1&action=comment
7. ^ "Jersey Man to Head Scouts". The New York Times. 1984-10-21. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9502E1DA1439F932A15753C1A962948260&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fOrganizations%2fB%2fBoy%20Scouts. Retrieved 2 August 2007. 
8. ^ Weinraub, Bernard. "FILM; An Unusual Choice for the Role of Studio Superhero", The New York Times, July 9, 2000. Accessed November 27, 2007. "As a child, Mr. Singer grew up in Princeton Junction, N.J."