CRANBURY TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY

'Cranbury Township' is a Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 3,227.
Cranbury CDP is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Cranbury Township. The population was 2,008 at the 2000 census. Despite the similarity in the name of the Township and the CDP, the two are not one and the same, as is the case for most paired Township / CDP combinations (i.e., a CDP with the same as the Township).

Contents

History

Geography

Demographics

Government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Education

Colleges and universities

Primary and secondary education

Public schools

Public libraries

Transportation

Notable residents

References

External links

History

Cranbury Township was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 7, 1872, from portions of both Monroe Township and South Brunswick Township. Portions of the township were taken on April 1, 1919, to form Plainsboro Township."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 169-170. This is all true, but many other things happen in Cranbury.
George Washington's headquarters were located in Cranbury while planning for the Battle of Monmouth, a major turning point during the American Revolutionary War.^[1]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 34.8 km² (13.4 mi²). 34.7 km² (13.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.30%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 3,227 people, 1,091 households, and 877 families residing in the township. The population density was 92.9/km² (240.6/mi²). There were 1,121 housing units at an average density of 32.3/km² (83.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 88.78% White, 2.26% African American, 7.41% Asian, 0.22% from other races, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.70% of the population.
There were 1,091 households out of which 46.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.6% were married couples living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.6% were non-families. 16.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.31.
In the township the population was spread out with 30.4% under the age of 18, 3.4% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $111,680, and the median income for a family was $128,410. Males had a median income of $94,683 versus $44,167 for females. The per capita income for the township was $50,698. About 0.7% of families and 1.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 0.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

The Township Committee is the governing body established by State law for the Township form of government. The membership of the Cranbury Township Committee was expanded from three to five in January 1990. The terms of the members are for three years staggered so that at least one member is up for election every year. The membership annually chooses one of the members as Mayor. The Mayor presides at the meetings and votes as a member of the Committee. All formal legislative and executive powers are exercised by the Committee as a whole.
The Township Committee has allocated coordination of administrative and departmental functions among its members. Every Township board and department has at least one member of Committee as a liaison.
The Township form of government does not specify a chief administrative officer. Cranbury Township Committee established the position of Township Administrator by ordinance.
Members of the Cranbury Township Committee are Mayor David Stout, whose term of office ends December 31, 2007, Thomas F. Panconi Jr. (2009), Richard Stannard (2007), Pari Stave (2009) and Wayne K. Wittman (2008).^[2]

Federal, state and county representation

Cranbury Township is in the Twelfth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 14th Legislative District.^[3]

Education

Colleges and universities

Cranbury is served by the Middlesex County College in Edison.
Cranbury is in close proximity to Princeton University.

Primary and secondary education

Public schools

Main articles: Cranbury School

Children in public school for grades Kindergarten through eighth grade attend the Cranbury School, which as of 2006 has an enrollment of 592 students. For grades 9 to 12, Cranbury students attend Princeton High School, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Princeton Regional Schools which also gives Cranbury one non-voting seat on the Princeton Regional Schools Board of Education.

Public libraries

The Cranbury Public Library serves Cranbury residents.

Transportation

Cranbury hosts US 130 and a four-mile section of Interstate 95/New Jersey Turnpike. While Cranbury doesn't have a Turnpike interchange (handled by 8 in East Windsor or 8A in Monroe Twp), it does handle a service area, the ''Molly Pitcher Service Area'' at mile marker 71.87 on the southbound side.
The NJTPA is planning to widen the Turnpike (with the "dual-dual" setup) between Exit 6 (in Mansfield Township) and Exit 8A (in Monroe Township). This widening would probably require the condemnation of part of the ''Molly Pitcher Service Area.'' New entrance & exit ramps would be constructed as well to access the service area.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Cranbury include:

★ Tod A., stage name of singer, songwriter and bass guitarist Tod Ashley

★ Todd Beamer, passenger aboard United Airlines Flight 93, who uttered the words, heard by a phone operator, to fellow passengers with whom he was planning an assault on the terrorists in the cockpit -- "Let's roll".^[4]

★ Jan Morris, Welsh travel writer and historian, lived in Cranbury for several months in the 1950s. Her impressions of the town are recorded in the book ''Coast to Coast: A Journey Across 1950s America''

References

1. Historic, Sparsely Settled -- and Loving It, ''The New York Times'', March 16, 1997.
2. Cranbury Township Committee, Cranbury Township. Accessed March 18, 2007.
3. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 56. Accessed August 30, 2006.
4. 13-minute call bonds her forever with hero, ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', September 22, 2001. "Beamer, 32, of Cranbury, N.J., was the only passenger who dialed zero for the Airfone operator."

External links

★ Cranbury Township Official Website

★ Cranbury Township School

★

★ National Center for Education Statistics data for Cranbury School

★ Princeton High School

★ Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society