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East Windsor, New Jersey
Township
Etra Lake Park in the eastern portion of the township
Etra Lake Park in the eastern portion of the township
Official seal of East Windsor, New Jersey
Seal
Location of East Windsor in Mercer County highlighted in red (right). Inset map: Location of Mercer County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (left).  <mapframe text="Interactive map of East Windsor, New Jersey" zoom="8" width="250" height="250"> {   "type": "ExternalData",   "service": "geoshape",   "ids": "Q3016087" } </mapframe>
Location of East Windsor in Mercer County highlighted in red (right). Inset map: Location of Mercer County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (left).

<mapframe text="Interactive map of East Windsor, New Jersey" zoom="8" width="250" height="250"> { "type": "ExternalData", "service": "geoshape", "ids": "Q3016087" }

</mapframe>
Census Bureau map of East Windsor Township, New Jersey
Census Bureau map of East Windsor Township, New Jersey
East Windsor, New Jersey is located in Mercer County, New Jersey
East Windsor, New Jersey
East Windsor, New Jersey
Location in Mercer County, New Jersey
East Windsor, New Jersey is located in New Jersey
East Windsor, New Jersey
East Windsor, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
East Windsor, New Jersey is located in the United States
East Windsor, New Jersey
East Windsor, New Jersey
Location in the United States
Country  United States
State  New Jersey
County Mercer
Formed February 9, 1797
Incorporated February 21, 1798
Named for Windsor, England / Windsor Township
Government
 • Type Faulkner Act (council–manager)
 • Body Township Council
Area
 • Total 15.66 sq mi (40.55 km2)
 • Land 15.57 sq mi (40.32 km2)
 • Water 0.09 sq mi (0.23 km2)  0.57%
Area rank 172nd of 565 in state
7th of 12 in county
Elevation
102 ft (31 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 30,045
 • Estimate 
(2023)
29,758
 • Rank 80th of 565 in state
6th of 12 in county
 • Density 1,930.0/sq mi (745.2/km2)
 • Density rank 299th of 565 in state
7th of 12 in county
Time zone UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code
08512 & 08520
Area code(s) 609
FIPS code 3402119780
GNIS feature ID 0882123
Website

East Windsor is a township in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located at the cross-roads between the Delaware Valley region to the southwest and the Raritan Valley region to the northeast, the township is an outer-ring suburb of New York City in the New York Metropolitan area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, but directly borders the Philadelphia metropolitan area and is part of the Federal Communications Commission's Philadelphia Designated Market Area. Since East Windsor is situated at the confluence of several major highways that serve both the major cities of New York City and Philadelphia, and even the local commercial hubs of nearby Freehold, Princeton, and the state capital of Trenton, the community has been a longtime residential, commercial, and industrial hub in the heart of Central New Jersey.

As of the 2020 United States census, East Windsor's population was 30,045, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 2,855 (+10.5%) from the 27,190 recorded at the 2010 census, which in turn reflected an increase of 2,271 (+9.1%) from the 24,919 counted in the 2000 census.

Both East Windsor and West Windsor were formed when Windsor Township was split on February 9, 1797, while the area was still part of Middlesex County. It was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships. Portions of the township were taken to form Hightstown borough (March 5, 1853, within East Windsor; became independent c. 1894) and Washington Township (March 11, 1860, and known as Robbinsville Township since 2007). The township was named for Windsor Township, which was named for Windsor, England.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 15.66 square miles (40.55 km2), including 15.57 square miles (40.32 km2) of land and 0.09 square miles (0.23 km2) of water (0.57%).

East Windsor
Rolling fields in East Windsor

Twin Rivers (2010 Census population of 7,443) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within East Windsor Township. According to "New Jersey: A Guide to the State" by Barbara Westergaard, Twin Rivers was "New Jersey's first planned unit development" and "has attracted the scrutiny of countless researchers, from sociologists and anthropologists to specialists in energy conservation." Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located completely or partially within East Windsor include Allens Station, Eilers Corner, Etra, Hickory Corner, Locust Corner, Millstone and Washington Oak.

The township borders Robbinsville Township and West Windsor Township in Mercer County; Cranbury Township, Monroe Township and Plainsboro Township in Middlesex County; and both Millstone Township and Upper Freehold Township in Monmouth County. East Windsor completely surrounds the independent borough of Hightstown, making it part one of 21 pairs of "doughnut towns" in the state, where one municipality entirely surrounds another.

The Meadow Lakes continuing care retirement community occupies a 100-acre (40 ha) site that straddles the East Windsor-Hightstown boundary line.

Demographics

Twin Rivers, NJ (1)
The Twin Rivers neighborhood in East Windsor
Historical population
Census Pop.
1810 1,747
1820 1,710 −2.1%
1830 1,903 11.3%
1840 1,989 4.5%
1850 2,596 30.5%
1860 943 * −63.7%
1870 1,036 9.9%
1880 916 −11.6%
1890 881 −3.8%
1900 894 1.5%
1910 941 5.3%
1920 733 −22.1%
1930 922 25.8%
1940 845 −8.4%
1950 1,284 52.0%
1960 2,298 79.0%
1970 11,736 410.7%
1980 21,041 79.3%
1990 22,353 6.2%
2000 24,919 11.5%
2010 27,190 9.1%
2020 30,045 10.5%
2023 (est.) 29,758 9.4%
Population sources:
1810–1920 1840 1850–1870
1850 1870 1880–1890
1890–1910 1910–1930
1940–2000 2000
2010 2020

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 27,190 people, 10,224 households, and 7,167 families in the township. The population density was 1,737.6 per square mile (670.9/km2). There were 10,851 housing units at an average density of 693.4 per square mile (267.7/km2). The racial makeup was 62.08% (16,880) White, 8.62% (2,343) Black or African American, 0.53% (145) Native American, 17.66% (4,802) Asian, 0.06% (16) Pacific Islander, 8.31% (2,260) from other races, and 2.74% (744) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.64% (5,340) of the population.

Of the 10,224 households, 34.7% had children under the age of 18; 56.3% were married couples living together; 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present and 29.9% were non-families. Of all households, 25.0% were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.18.

24.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 95.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 92.1 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $84,503 (with a margin of error of +/− $4,345) and the median family income was $100,411 (+/− $4,485). Males had a median income of $70,057 (+/− $6,291) versus $44,089 (+/− $2,948) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $37,876 (+/− $1,490). About 3.0% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Pharmaceutical firms located in East Windsor include Hovione, CoreTech, Aprecia, Sabinsa, Novotec, Aurobindo and Windsor Labs.

For shopping, numerous businesses are dotted along U.S. Route 130 in the township. Neighboring Hightstown's Downtown has restaurants, boutiques, art galleries and historical sites. Downtown Hightstown, Inc., established in 2008, is an organization of businesses owners and stakeholders in the community of Hightstown, dedicated to promoting the "unique ability to be a town big enough to provide a diverse offering of business services while being small enough to offer excellent personal service to residents, visitors and customers."

Area shopping malls include Freehold Raceway Mall in Freehold Township, Quaker Bridge Mall in Lawrence Township, and Princeton Market Fair in Princeton, are a short distance away.

Education

Students in public school for pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade attend the East Windsor Regional School District, which serves students from East Windsor and Hightstown. As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of six schools, had an enrollment of 5,138 students and 450.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.4:1. Public school students in seventh through twelfth grades from Roosevelt Borough (a community in Monmouth County) are sent to the district's schools as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Roosevelt Public School District. The seats on the nine-member board of education are allocated based on the population of the constituent municipalities, with seven seats assigned to East Windsor.

Schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Walter C. Black Elementary School with 480 students in grades K-2, Ethel McKnight Elementary School with 589 students in grades K-2, Perry L. Drew Elementary School with 579 students in grades 3-5, Grace N. Rogers Elementary School with 611 students in grades PreK / 3-5, Melvin H. Kreps Middle School with 1,176 students in grades 6-8 and Hightstown High School with 1,644 students in grades 9-12.

Eighth grade students from all of Mercer County are eligible to apply to attend the high school programs offered by the Mercer County Technical Schools, a county-wide vocational school district that offers full-time career and technical education at its Health Sciences Academy, STEM Academy and Academy of Culinary Arts, with no tuition charged to students for attendance.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Roads and highways

2021-05-23 16 14 13 View north along Interstate 95 (New Jersey Turnpike) from the overpass for Windsor-Perrineville Road in East Windsor Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
The New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95) is the busiest highway in East Windsor.

As of May 2010, the township had a total of 93.45 miles (150.39 km) of roadways, of which 68.99 miles (111.03 km) were maintained by the municipality, 10.71 miles (17.24 km) by Mercer County, 9.80 miles (15.77 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 3.95 miles (6.36 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

2020-11-03 13 19 05 View east along Mercer County Route 571 (Princeton-Hightstown Road) at New Jersey State Route 133 (Hightstown Bypass) and Windsor Center Drive in East Windsor Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
The junction of Route 133 and County Route 571 in East Windsor Township

Several major highways serve East Windsor. The most prominent among them is the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95). One exit, Exit 8, is located within East Windsor, connecting the turnpike to Route 33 and Route 133 ("Hightstown Bypass"). Route 33 runs east to west across the southern and eastern portions of the township while Route 133 forms a bypass of Hightstown, connecting Route 33 on the east side of East Windsor to County Route 571 on the west side. U.S. Route 130 crosses the western portions of East Windsor with a north–south orientation parallel to the turnpike, forming a concurrency with Route 33 in the southern portion of the township. The township is also served by County Route 535 and County Route 539.

Public transportation

Suburban Transit offers commuter service to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 300 Route and to and from Wall Street in Downtown Manhattan on the 600 Route.

The nearest NJ Transit rail service is available at the Princeton Junction station. Shuttle bus service to the Princeton Junction station is available during rush hour.

Mercer County offers a shuttle service providing access to major businesses and transportation hubs in the area along Route 130 as well as a local shuttle within the area.

Healthcare

East Windsor is served by CentraState Healthcare System, which is a 287-bed regional hospital affiliated with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, located in nearby Freehold Township. CentraState Healthcare system also provides healthcare through its various family practices in communities across central New Jersey. One of those six family practices has an office located in East Windsor on U.S. Route 130. The next closest hospitals to the township include the Hamilton Division of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Hamilton Township and Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center in Plainsboro Township.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, East Windsor Township has a Hot-summer Humid continental climate (Dfa).

Climate data for East Windsor Twp (40.2590, -74.5303), Elevation 115 ft (35 m), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2022
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 71.8
(22.1)
77.6
(25.3)
87.8
(31.0)
94.7
(34.8)
95.2
(35.1)
97.5
(36.4)
102.2
(39.0)
101.3
(38.5)
97.5
(36.4)
93.6
(34.2)
80.7
(27.1)
75.6
(24.2)
102.2
(39.0)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 40.5
(4.7)
43.0
(6.1)
50.6
(10.3)
62.8
(17.1)
72.4
(22.4)
81.6
(27.6)
86.3
(30.2)
84.5
(29.2)
78.1
(25.6)
66.2
(19.0)
55.5
(13.1)
45.5
(7.5)
64.0
(17.8)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 23.3
(−4.8)
24.8
(−4.0)
31.7
(−0.2)
41.5
(5.3)
51.1
(10.6)
60.3
(15.7)
65.6
(18.7)
63.8
(17.7)
56.8
(13.8)
45.0
(7.2)
35.4
(1.9)
28.5
(−1.9)
44.1
(6.7)
Record low °F (°C) −11.1
(−23.9)
−5.3
(−20.7)
3.9
(−15.6)
17.9
(−7.8)
31.5
(−0.3)
40.2
(4.6)
46.5
(8.1)
41.3
(5.2)
35.1
(1.7)
24.2
(−4.3)
9.9
(−12.3)
0.1
(−17.7)
−11.1
(−23.9)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.50
(89)
2.69
(68)
4.25
(108)
3.70
(94)
4.02
(102)
4.53
(115)
4.87
(124)
4.40
(112)
4.11
(104)
3.87
(98)
3.28
(83)
4.28
(109)
47.51
(1,207)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 8.3
(21)
9.2
(23)
4.5
(11)
0.2
(0.51)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.2
(0.51)
0.7
(1.8)
4.1
(10)
27.1
(69)
Average dew point °F (°C) 21.6
(−5.8)
22.4
(−5.3)
27.8
(−2.3)
37.3
(2.9)
49.1
(9.5)
59.5
(15.3)
64.4
(18.0)
63.7
(17.6)
57.8
(14.3)
46.2
(7.9)
35.0
(1.7)
27.5
(−2.5)
42.8
(6.0)
Source 1: PRISM
Source 2: NOHRSC (Snow, 2008/2009 - 2022/2023 normals)

Ecology

According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, most of East Windsor Township would have a dominant vegetation type of Appalachian Oak (104) with a dominant vegetation form of Eastern Hardwood Forest (25). On the east and northeast side of Hightstown, a Northeastern Oak/Pine ("110") vegetation type and Southern Mixed Forest ("26") vegetation form would prevail.

Notable people

See also (related category): People from East Windsor, New Jersey

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with East Windsor Township include:

  • Clara Barton (1821–1912), founder of the American Red Cross, taught at the Cedarville Road School in East Windsor 1851–1852
  • Rich Gunnell (born 1987), college football coach
  • Guy Hutchinson (born 1974), author, broadcaster, theme park historian and comedian
  • Lisa P. Jackson (born 1962), Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  • Marlon LeBlanc (born 1976), head coach for the West Virginia Mountaineers men's soccer team
  • Loretta Long (born 1938), actress, voice artist, singer, media personality and educator who played the character of Susan Robinson on Sesame Street, from its debut in 1969 until 2015
  • Zubin Mehenti, sportscaster and radio host who joined ESPN in 2011 and has served as the anchor for several variations of the channel's flagship program, SportsCenter
  • Tony Paige (born 1953), radio talk show host on WFAN
  • Randal Pinkett (born 1971), business consultant who was the winner of The Apprentice season 4
  • Al Rosenberg, comedy writer for Imus in the Morning and The Howard Stern Show, who has served as a councilman since 2002
  • Carl Emil Schorske (1915–2015), cultural historian who won the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1981
  • Anton Strout (born 1970), urban fantasy novelist
  • Jimmy Takter (born 1960), harness racing horse trainer who was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2012
  • Nick Williams (born 1990), wide receiver who has played in the NFL for the Washington Commanders and Atlanta Falcons
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