Mercer County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its county seat is Trenton, also the state capital,New Jersey County Map
,

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 July 10, 2017. prompting its nickname The Capital County. Mercer County alone constitutes the Trenton–Princeton metropolitan statistical area and is considered part of the New York metropolitan area by 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 ...

,(Note: Mercer County, NJ is NOT part of the Philadelphia CSA according to this original source.
"Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas", OMB Bulletin no. 18-04, The White House, Office of Management and Budget, September 4, 2018
/ref> but also directly borders the

Philadelphia metropolitan area 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. Since 1 ...

and is included within the Federal Communications Commission's Philadelphia designated media market.- Philadelphia Market Area Coverage Maps
, Federal Communications Commission. Accessed December 28, 2014. As of the 2020 census, Mercer County's population was 387,340, making it the state's 12th-most populous county, an increase of 20,827 (5.7%) from the 2010 census when its population was 366,513.DP-1 - Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000; Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Mercer County, New Jersey
United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 21, 2013.NJ Labor Market Views
, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, March 15, 2011. Accessed October 6, 2013. The county was formed by an act of the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the ...

on February 22, 1838, from portions of

Burlington County Burlington County is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The county is the largest by area in New Jersey. Its county seat is Mount Holly.

( Nottingham Township, now Hamilton Township),

Hunterdon County Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 128,947, making it the state's 18th-most populous county,Ewing Township, Lawrence Township, Trenton, and portions of Hopewell Township), and Middlesex County, ( West Windsor Township and portions of East Windsor Township).Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 161. Accessed October 1, 2013. The former Keith Line bisects the county and is the boundary between municipalities that previously had been separated into West Jersey and East Jersey.

Trenton–Mercer Airport Trenton–Mercer Airport is a county-owned, joint civil–military, public airport located four miles northwest of Trenton in the West Trenton section of Ewing Township, Mercer County, New Jersey. Formerly known as Mercer County Airport, t ...

in Ewing Township is a commercial and corporate aviation airport serving Mercer County and its surrounding vicinity. The official residence of the governor of New Jersey, known as Drumthwacket, is located in Princeton, and is listed on both the

U.S. National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

and the New Jersey Register of Historic Places. Mercer County contains 12 municipalities, the fewest of any county in New Jersey, and equal to Hudson County. The county is located in the

Central Jersey Central Jersey is the central region of 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, ...

region.

History

Etymology

The county was named for

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

General Hugh Mercer, who died as a result of wounds received at the

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 ...

on January 3, 1777. Continental Army Brigadier General Hugh Mercer served in the Continental Army during the Battles of Trenton and Princeton in 1777. A Scotsman that fled to British North America after the failed

Jacobite Rebellion , war = , image = Prince James Francis Edward Stuart by Louis Gabriel Blanchet.jpg , image_size = 150px , caption = James Francis Edward Stuart, Jacobite claimant between 1701 and 1766 , active ...

, he worked closely with George Washington in the American Revolution. On January 3, 1777, Washington's army was en route to Princeton, New Jersey. While leading a vanguard of 350 soldiers, Mercer's brigade encountered two British regiments and a mounted unit. A fight broke out at an orchard grove and Mercer's horse was shot from under him. Getting to his feet, he was quickly surrounded by British troops who mistook him for George Washington and ordered him to surrender. Outnumbered, he drew his saber and began an unequal contest. He was finally beaten to the ground, bayoneted repeatedly (seven times), and left for dead. Legend has it that a beaten Mercer, with a bayonet still impaled in him, did not want to leave his men and the battle and was given a place to rest on a white oak tree's trunk, and those who remained with him stood their ground. The Mercer Oak, against which the dying general rested as his men continued to fight, appears on the county seal and stood for 250 years until it collapsed in 2000.

History

Founded February 22, 1838, from portions of surrounding counties, Mercer County has a historical impact that reaches back to the pivotal battles of the American Revolutionary War. On the night of December 25–26, 1776, General

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 ...

led American forces across the Delaware River to attack the

Hessian A Hessian is an inhabitant of the German state of Hesse. Hessian may also refer to: Named from the toponym *Hessian (soldier), eighteenth-century German regiments in service with the British Empire **Hessian (boot), a style of boot **Hessian f ...

forces in the

Battle of Trenton The Battle of Trenton was a small but pivotal American Revolutionary War battle on the morning of December 26, 1776, in Trenton, New Jersey. After General George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American m ...

on the morning of December 26, also known as the First Battle of Trenton. Following the battle, Washington crossed back to Pennsylvania. He crossed a third time in a surprise attack on the forces of General Charles Cornwallis at the Battle of the Assunpink Creek, on January 2, 1777, also known as the Second Battle of Trenton, and at the

on January 3. The successful attacks built morale among the pro-independence colonists. Ewing Church Cemetery in Ewing is one of the oldest cemeteries in the area, having served the Ewing community for 300 years. It is home to the burial places of hundreds of veterans from The Revolutionary War to the Vietnam War. Since 1790, Trenton has served as the state's capital, earning the county the name "the Capitial County." After the Legislature relocated to Trenton from Perth Amboy in 1790, it purchased land for £250 and 5 shillings and constructed a new state house, designed by Philadelphia-based architect Jonathan Doane, beginning in 1792. The Doane building was covered in stucco, measured 150 by 50 feet (46 m × 15 m), and housed the Senate and Assembly chambers in opposite wings. To meet the demands of the growing state, the structure was expanded several times during the 19th century. New Jersey, along with Nevada, is the only state to have its capital be located at the border with another state, as Trenton across the Delaware River from Pennsylvania. The county experienced rapid urbanization and population growth during the first half of the 20th century due to the growth of industrialization in places such as the city of Trenton. Mercer County has the distinction of being the famed landing spot for a fictional Martian invasion of the United States. In 1938, in what has become one of the most famous American radio plays of all time, Orson Welles acted out his '' The War of the Worlds'' invasion. His imaginary aliens first "landed" at what is now West Windsor Township. A commemorative monument is erected at Grover's Mill park. There were 27 Mercer County residents killed during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in Lower Manhattan. A long steel beam weighing one ton was given to the county by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in March 2011 and is now displayed at Mercer County Park.

Geography and climate

According to the 2010 Census, Mercer County had a total area of , including of land (98.1%) and of water (1.9%).Census 2010 U.S. Gazetteer Files: New Jersey Counties
United States Census Bureau, Backed up by the Internet Archive as of June 11, 2012. Accessed October 6, 2013. The county is generally flat and low-lying on the inner coastal plain with a few hills closer to the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

. Baldpate Mountain, near Pennington, is the highest hill, at above sea level. The lowest point is at sea level along the Delaware River.

Climate

Most of Mercer has a hot-summer humid continental climate (''Dfa'') except for the southern portion of the county near and including Trenton where 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'') exists. The

hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...

s are 6b and 7a.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, Mercer County has a population of 387,340, making it the 12th most populous county in the state. The racial makeup of the county is quite diverse with 62.3% of the population identifying as white (and 46.7% as non-Hispanic whites), 21.6% of the population being black/African American, and 12.6% of the county's population identifying as Asian. 19.4% of Mercer County is Hispanic/Latino, 0.9% of the population is American Native/Alaskan Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and 2.6% identify as two or more races. 5.4% of Mercer County is under the age of 5, while 21.2% are under the age of 18, and 16.0% are over the age of 65. The female population of the county stands at 50.8%, which is in line with the state as a whole. There are 150,657 housing units in Mercer County, with 63.5% of them being owned by the occupiers. There are 131,440 households with an average of 2.67 persons per household.

2010 census

Economy

Based on data from the

Bureau of Economic Analysis The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) of the United States Department of Commerce is a U.S. government agency that provides official economy of the United States, macroeconomic and industry statistics, most notably reports about the gross domestic ...

, Mercer County had a gross domestic product (GDP) of $28.5 billion in 2018, which was ranked 9th in the state and represented an increase of 2.3% from the previous year. In 2015, the county had a per capita personal income of $63,720, the sixth-highest in New Jersey, and ranked 121st of 3,113 counties in the United States. Mercer County stands among the highest-income counties in the United States, with the

having ranked the county as having the 78th-highest per capita income of all 3,113 counties in the United States (and the sixth-highest in New Jersey) as of 2009. Trenton's role as New Jersey's state capital contributes significantly to Mercer County's economic standing. 9.5% of the population is considered at or below the poverty line. The median household income in Mercer County is $83,306. 89.6% of the population has a high school diploma, and 43.5% of the county's population has a Bachelor's degree or higher, one of the highest rates in the state, as of the 2020 census.

Government

County government

Mercer County has a county executive form of government, in which the

Mercer County Executive The County Executive of Mercer County, New Jersey, United States is the chief officer of the county's executive branch. The executive oversees the administration of county government and works in conjunction with Board of County Commissioners, ...

performs executive functions, administering the operation of the county, and a Board of County Commissioners acts in a legislative capacity. The county executive is directly elected to a four-year term of office. The seven-member

Board of County Commissioners A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States; such commissions usually comprise ...

, previously known as the Board of Chosen Freeholders, is elected at-large to serve three-year staggered terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats up for election each year. The Board is led by a Commissioner Chair and Vice-Chair, selected from among its members at an annual reorganization meeting held in January. The Commissioner Board establishes policy and provides a check on the powers of the County Executive. The Board approves all county contracts and gives advice and consent to the County Executive's appointments of department heads, and appointments to boards and commissions. The Commissioner Board votes to approve the budget prepared by the Executive after review and modifications are made. In 2016, freeholders were paid $29,763 and the freeholder director was paid an annual salary of $31,763. That year, the county executive was paid $164,090 per year. , the County Executive is Brian M. Hughes ( D, Princeton, term of office ends December 31, 2023). Mercer County's Commissioners are Commissioner Chair Nina D. Melker (D, Hamilton Township, 2022), Vice Chair Lucylle R. S. Walter (D, Ewing Township, 2023), John A. Cimino (D, Hamilton Township, 2023), Samuel T. Frisby Sr. (D, Trenton, 2024), Andrew Koontz (D, Princeton, 2022), Kristin L McLaughlin (D, Hopewell Township, 2024) and Terrance Stokes (D, Ewing Township, 2024). Pursuant to Article VII Section II of the

New Jersey State Constitution The Constitution of the State of New Jersey is the basic governing document of the State of New Jersey. In addition to three British Royal Charters issued for East Jersey, West Jersey and united New Jersey while they were still colonies, the sta ...

, each county in New Jersey is required to have three elected administrative officials known as "constitutional officers." These officers are the

County Clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

and County Surrogate (both elected for five-year terms of office) and the County Sheriff (elected for a three-year term). Mercer County's constitutional officers are County Clerk Paula Sollami-Covello (D, Lawrence Township, 2025), Sheriff John A. Kemler (D, 2023) and Surrogate Diane Gerofsky (D, 2026).Elected Officials for Mercer County
Mercer County, updated January 6, 2021. Accessed May 1, 2022. Law enforcement on the county level is provided by the Mercer County Sheriff's Office and the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office. The Mercer County Prosecutor is Angelo J. Onofri of Hamilton Township, who took office in December 2016 after being nominated by Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie and being confirmed by 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, ...

. Mercer County constitutes Vicinage 7 of the

Superior Court of New Jersey The Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with statewide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The New Jersey Constitution of 1947 establishes the power of the New Jersey courts.Jeffrey S. Mandel, New Jersey Appellate Pra ...

.Mercer Vicinage
, New Jersey Courts. Accessed October 21, 2017. The vicinage is seated at the Mercer County Criminal Courthouse, located at 400 South Warren Street in Trenton. The vicinage has additional facilities for the Civil, Special Civil, General Equity, and Family Parts at the Mercer County Civil Courthouse, located at 175 South Broad Street, also in Trenton. The Assignment Judge for Mercer County is Mary C. Jacobson.

Federal representatives

Portions of the

3rd Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (d ...

and

12th 12 (twelve) is the natural number following 11 and preceding 13. Twelve is a superior highly composite number, divisible by 2, 3, 4, and 6. It is the number of years required for an orbital period of Jupiter. It is central to many systems ...

Congressional Districts Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts and legislative districts, electorates, or wards in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional bod ...

cover the county.

State representatives

Politics

Mercer County is a reliably Democratic county; it has gone for Republicans only three times (

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

) since

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

. In each presidential election of the 21st century, the Democratic candidate earned at least 60% of the vote. Since the 2008 election, every municipality has voted for the Democratic candidate. As of October 1, 2021, there were a total of 265,703 registered voters in Mercer County, of whom 121,653 (45.8%) were registered as Democrats, 41,701 (15.7%) were registered as

Republicans 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 98,343 (37.0%) were registered as unaffiliated. There were 4,006 voters (1.5%) registered to other parties. In

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, the county voted for Barack Obama by a 35.4% margin over

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

, with Obama winning New Jersey by 14.4% over McCain. He won by a similar margin in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

and Hillary Clinton did so in

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 ...

. Joe Biden won the county by 40.0% in

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- ...

, the widest margin for anyone since

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

by winning with 69.1% of the vote (122,532 votes) to Trump's 29.1% (51,641 votes). In the

2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election The 2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 2009. Incumbent Democratic Governor Jon Corzine ran for a second term against Republican Chris Christie, Independent Christopher Daggett and nine others, in addition to severa ...

, Republican Chris Christie lost the county with 39.27% of the vote (39,769 votes) to incumbent Democratic governor Jon Corzine's 54.51% (55,199 votes), while Independent candidate

Chris Daggett Christopher Jarvis Daggett (born March 7, 1950) is an American businessman who is the president and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, one of the largest foundations in New Jersey. A former regional administrator of the United States En ...

won 5.36% of the vote. (5,424 votes). In the

2013 New Jersey gubernatorial election The 2013 New Jersey gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 2013, to elect the governor of New Jersey. Incumbent Republican Governor Chris Christie ran for reelection to a second term in office. He faced Democratic nominee Barbara Buon ...

, Republican governor Chris Christie became the only Republican to win the county since 1993 with 51.9% of the vote (48,530 votes) to 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 ...

's 46.3% (43,282 votes). In the

2017 New Jersey gubernatorial election Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japanese ...

, Democrat Phil Murphy won the county 64.9% to (59,992 votes) 33.1% (30,645 votes). In the 2021 gubernatorial election, Republican Jack Ciattarelli received 34.1% of the vote (34,617 ballots cast) to Democrat Phil Murphy's 65.1% (66,151 votes).

Transportation

Roads and highways

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

New Jersey Turnpike Authority The New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) is a state agency responsible for maintaining the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, which are two toll roads in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The agency is headquartered in Woodbridge Towns ...

. The county roads that traverse through are NJ County Route 518 (only in the Hopewells), NJ County Route 524, County Route 526, NJ County Route 533, NJ County Route 535, NJ County Route 539, NJ County Route 546, NJ County Route 569, NJ County Route 571, and NJ County Route 583. The state routes that pass through Mercer are NJ Route 27 (only in Princeton), NJ Route 29, NJ Route 31, NJ Route 33, NJ Route 129, and NJ Route 133 (only in East Windsor). There are three U.S. Routes that pass through Mercer County: U.S. Route 1, which bisects the county,

U.S. Route 130 U.S. Route 130 (US 130) is a U.S. Highway that is a spur route of U.S. Route 30, located completely within the state of New Jersey. It is signed with north and south cardinal directions, following a general northeast–southwest diagonal path, wi ...

, and

U.S. Route 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 Delawa ...

. Mercer County houses a few limited access roads, such as Interstate 295, Interstate 195, 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 ...

(

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 ...

). (Mercer is the only county in the state that hosts I-95 and both its auxiliary routes.) I-295 functions as a partial ring-road around the Trenton area, while I-195 serves as an east-west expressway from Trenton to the

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May Po ...

. The Turnpike (I-95) passes through the southeastern section of the County, and serves as a major corridor to Delaware, Washington, D.C. to the south, and New York City and New England towards the north. Two turnpike interchanges are located within Mercer County: Exit 7A in Robbinsville Township and Exit 8 in East Windsor Township. Before 2018, Interstate 95 abruptly ended at the interchange with US 1 in Lawrence Township, and became I-295 south. Signs directed motorists to the continuation of I-95 by using I-295 to I-195 east to the New Jersey Turnpike. This was all due in part to the cancellation of the

Somerset Freeway 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 ...

that was supposed to go from Hopewell Township in Mercer County up to Franklin Township in Somerset County. The section of I-95 west of the US 1 interchange in Lawrence was re-numbered as part of I-295 in March 2018, six months before a direct interchange with Interstate 95 in Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Turnpike opened. This planned interchange indirectly prompted another project: the New Jersey Turnpike Authority extended the 'dual-dual' configuration (inner car lanes and outer truck / bus / car lanes) to Interchange 6 in Mansfield Township,

Burlington County Burlington County is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The county is the largest by area in New Jersey. Its county seat is Mount Holly.

from its former end at Interchange 8A in Monroe Township, Middlesex County. This widening was completed in early November 2014.

Public transportation

Mercer hosts several NJ Transit stations, including Trenton,

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

and Princeton Junction on the

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 ...

, as well as Princeton on 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 ...

. SEPTA provides rail service to Center City Philadelphia from Trenton and West Trenton. Long-distance transportation is provided by Amtrak train service along the

Northeast Corridor 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 ...

through the Trenton Transit Center. NJ Transit's River Line connects Trenton to

Camden Camden may refer to: People * Camden (surname), a surname of English origin * Camden Joy (born 1964), American writer * Camden Toy (born 1957), American actor Places Australia * Camden, New South Wales * Camden, Rosehill, a heritage res ...

, with three stations in the county, all within Trenton city limits, at Cass Street, Hamilton Avenue and at the Trenton Transit Center. Mercer County's only

commercial airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

, and one of three in the state, is

in Ewing Township, 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 ...

, offering nonstop service to and from points nationwide.

Municipalities

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

Historical Municipalities

* Nottingham Township (1688-1856) * Princeton Township (1838-2013) * Borough of Princeton (1813-2013) *Washington Township (renamed Robbinsville Township in 2005)

Sports

Mercer County has a number of large parks. The largest, Mercer County Park is the home for the US Olympic Rowing Team's training center. Mercer County is also the home of the Trenton Thunder baseball team, playing in the

MLB Draft League The MLB Draft League is a collegiate summer baseball league that began play in 2021. Created by Major League Baseball (MLB) and ''Prep Baseball Report'', the league serves as a showcase for top draft-eligible prospects leading up to each summer' ...

, and the

Jersey Flight The Jersey Flight were a professional indoor football team based in Trenton, New Jersey. The team played its first two seasons in the American Arena League (AAL) and then as a member of the National Arena League (NAL) from 2020 to 2021. They were ...

of the National Arena League. The Thunder were formerly the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees playing in the Eastern League before the 2021 Minor League reorganization. The minor league hockey team, the Trenton Titans, established in 1999 and operating as the ECHL affiliate of the

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

's Philadelphia Flyers and the AHL's Adirondack Phantoms, disbanded before the start of the 2013–14 season.

Collegiate athletics

Mercer County is also home to several college athletic programs, including two NCAA DI schools. Rider University competes as the Rider Broncs in the MAAC. In wrestling, Rider is a member of the

Eastern Wrestling League The Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) was an NCAA Division I wrestling-only conference. It was made up mostly of schools from the northeastern United States whose primary conferences did not sponsor wrestling as an NCAA-qualifying event. The teams ha ...

. The Princeton Tigers compete in the Ivy League. The College of New Jersey Lions compete in the NCAA DIII as a member of the New Jersey Athletic Conference and the Eastern College Athletic Conference. Mercer County Community College competes as the Mercer Vikings as a member of the

Garden State Athletic Conference The Garden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) is a junior college conference in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) for many technical and community colleges in New Jersey. And it is one conference in the Region 19 of the NJC ...

and the National Junior College Athletic Association.

Education

School districts in the county include:New Jersey School Directory for Mercer County

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 ...

. Accessed August 1, 2022. ;K-12 * East Windsor Regional School District *

Ewing Public Schools The Ewing Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Ewing Township, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020–21 school year, the ...

Hamilton Township School District The Hamilton Township School District is a comprehensive community public school district, serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Hamilton Township, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. The district consists of ...

* Hopewell Valley Regional School District * Lawrence Township School District *

Mercer County Special Services School District The Mercer County Special Services School District (MCSSSD) is a special education public school district headquartered in Hamilton Township, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, whose schools offer educational and therapeutic services fo ...

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.Robbinsville Public School District *

Trenton Public Schools The Trenton Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district, serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Trenton, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. The district is one of 31 former Abbott dist ...

West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District The West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District is a comprehensive high achieving regional public school district in New Jersey, United States, serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from West Windsor Township (in Mer ...

;9-12 *

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 ...

;Special There is a state-operated school,

Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf (MKSD), also known as the New Jersey School for the Deaf and Blind, initially the New Jersey State Institution for the Deaf , is a K-12 statewide school in West Trenton, Ewing Township, New Jersey. Its age r ...

Higher Education

Mercer County is home to Princeton University, Princeton Theological Seminary, the Institute for Advanced Study, Rider University, Westminster Choir College, The College of New Jersey, and Thomas Edison State University. Mercer County Community College is a county-run community college located in West Windsor.About Mercer County
, Mercer County. Accessed January 11, 2015.

Points of interest

* Drumthwacket, The official residence of the Governor of New Jersey located in Princeton * New Jersey State House, The capitol complex of New Jersey and the meeting point of the state legislature, located at the state capital in Trenton * Mercer County Park, in West Windsor * Hamilton Veterans Park * Mercer County Park September 11 Memorial * Assunpink Creek (part) *

Mercer Lake Mercer Lake, also known as Lake Mercer, is a man-made lake within Mercer County Park in West Windsor, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. History The lake came into being with the 1975 construction of a dam to control flooding on the Assu ...

at Mercer County Park * Griggstown Native Grassland Preserve (part) *

Princeton Battlefield The Princeton Battlefield in Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, is where American and British troops fought each other on January 3, 1777 in the Battle of Princeton during the American Revolutionary War. The battle ended when ...

* Mercer Oaks Golf Course *

Washington Crossing State Park Washington Crossing State Park is a New Jersey state park that is part of Washington's Crossing, a U.S. National Historic Landmark area. It is located in the Washington Crossing and Titusville sections of Hopewell Township in Mercer County, ...

, in Hopewell Township * Colonial Memorial Park in Trenton *

Lower Trenton Bridge The Lower Trenton Toll Supported Bridge, commonly called the Lower Free Bridge, Warren Street Bridge or Trenton Makes Bridge, is a two-lane Pennsylvania (Petit) through truss bridge over the Delaware River between Trenton, New Jersey and Mor ...

Trenton War Memorial Trenton and Mercer County War Memorial-Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Building, known as the Trenton War Memorial, is located in Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. The building was built in 1930 and was added to the National Reg ...

* Trenton Thunder Ballpark

Wineries

* Hopewell Valley Vineyards * Working Dog Winery, in Robbinsville Township

Notes

References

External links

Official County Website

Mercer County Library System
{{authority control 1838 establishments in New Jersey Central Jersey Counties in the New York metropolitan area Populated places established in 1838

History

Etymology

History

Geography and climate

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

Economy

Government

County government

Federal representatives

State representatives

Politics

Transportation

Roads and highways

Public transportation

Municipalities

Historical Municipalities

Sports

Collegiate athletics

Education

Higher Education

Points of interest

Wineries

See also

Notes

References

External links