Kingston is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

(CDP) along the border of South Brunswick Township in Middlesex County and Franklin Township in Somerset County, and also located relatively near

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

in Mercer County in

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 ...

, United States.GCT-PH1 - Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County -- County Subdivision and Place from the 2010 Census Summary File 1 for Somerset County, New Jersey

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 t ...

. Accessed February 11, 2013.New Jersey: 2010 - Population and Housing Unit Counts - 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32)

, August 2012. Accessed February 11, 2013. The historic settlement is in the Raritan Valley region, located along the course of the

Millstone River The Millstone River is a tributary of the Raritan River in central New Jersey in the United States.Gertler, Edward. ''Garden State Canoeing'', Seneca Press, 2002. The Millstone River begins in western Monmouth County and flows westward throu ...

. 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 servi ...

, the CDP's population was 1,493, of which 1,222 were in South Brunswick Township and 271 in Franklin Township.DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Kingston CDP, New Jersey

. Accessed November 29, 2012. The New Jersey State Planning Commission created the Kingston Village Advisory Committee in 2001 to address issues related to this distinct area. Both South Brunswick and Franklin appoint members to the committee, which holds an annual meeting to discuss issues pertinent to the Kingston area. Kingston is (so far) unique as the only village center that has been officially designated by the New Jersey State Planning Commission. Kingston is located in five historic districts and is part of the

Millstone River Valley Scenic Byway The New Jersey Scenic Byways system consists of roads in the U.S. state of New Jersey that have been recognized for their historical or natural qualities. List of byways There are currently eight scenic byways in the state of New Jersey: Bayshor ...

. The

Delaware and Raritan Canal The Delaware and Raritan Canal (D&R Canal) is a canal in central New Jersey, built in the 1830s, that served to connect the Delaware River to the Raritan River. It was an efficient and reliable means of transportation of freight between Philadelp ...

and Rockingham State Historic Site are a short distance away.

History

Jediah Higgins purchased from the Native Americans in the early 18th century and the town of Kingston was established. Kingston's location on the Lenape

Assunpink Trail The Assunpink Trail was a Native American trail in what later became Middlesex, Somerset, and Mercer counties in the central and western part of New Jersey. Like Assunpink Creek, the trail takes its name from the Algonquian language ''Ahsën'pi ...

where it crossed the

and later becoming part of the King's Highway was the prime factor in its early prominence. Kingston was by far the most active and important village, being situated on both the heavily traveled King's Road and Millstone River, combining commercial activities of both mills and taverns.

Geography

According to the

, the CDP had a total area of 2.326 square miles (6.025 km²), of which, 2.238 square miles (5.796 km²) of it was land and 0.088 square miles (0.229 km²) of it (3.80%) was water.

Demographics

Census 2010

Middlesex County portion

Somerset County portion

Census 2000

As of the

2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...

there were 1,292 people, 561 households, and 315 families living in the CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 554.3/km² (1,440.9/mi²). There were 576 housing units at an average density of 247.1/km² (642.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 74.07%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 8.05%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.62% Native American, 10.06% Asian, 4.33% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.86% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race were 11.69% of the population.DP-1 - Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 from the Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Kingston CDP, New Jersey

. Accessed November 29, 2012. There were 561 households, out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.7% were non-families. 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 3.08. In the CDP the population was spread out, with 20.3% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 36.4% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $65,962, and the median income for a family was $80,242. Males had a median income of $56,371 versus $46,250 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for Kingston was $34,457. None of the families and 1.0% of the population were living below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

Religion

Kingston Presbyterian Church

The Kingston Presbyterian Church was organized in 1723 and was initially located in a log building adjacent to the

. The old tombstones surround the site where the church once stood in the Kingston Cemetery. The Reverend Eleazer Wales was the first recorded minister of the church. The original church building in the cemetery burned down in 1791, and new building was erected in 1792 on the original foundation. The congregation used this building until 1852, when the larger building on Main Street in Kingston was constructed on land purchased from Elijah Stout. In 1853, the church building in the cemetery was sold and was later dismantled. Two additions were constructed on the 1852 site. Sunday school rooms were added to the back of the structure in the late 1940s. In the late 1980s another addition was added which added a new kitchen facility, additional space in the assembly room, pastors study and office. The church suffered through some difficult times during the remainder of the 1700s. During this period, Princeton University was built and the village of Princeton expanded, while the population of Kingston declined. (At that time, Kingston extended as far as Snowden Lane.) Consequently, the church lost many members to the "new" Presbyterian Church down the road in Princeton. It was also during this time that the Revolutionary War was fought in the area, and British officers were quartered in local homes. Gen. Washington became a recognizable figure in the Kingston area at the time. Not only did he lead his troops past the church to escape Cornwallis, but he also had his headquarters hardly a mile from the church while the Continental Congress sat in Nassau Hall. In 1800, the Kingston Presbyterian Church began a period of prosperity and growth, which continues to this day. The church sent its first foreign missionaries to China in the early 1800s.

Kingston United Methodist Church

During the month of February 1878, the people of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Rocky Hill brought an evangelist, Miss Lizzie Sharp, to conduct revival meetings in their church. There were some twenty or more of Kingston people who attended these meetings, and who decided to form a Methodist church in Kingston. A site was purchased for $250 on what is now Church Street, across from the Kingston Cemetery. Building began September 20, 1878, and was completed and dedicated on January 30, 1879. A nursery was later added.

National Register of Historic Places

The following sites and districts in Kingston are listed on the

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 ...

: * Rockingham Historic Site, George Washington's last war-time headquarters in 1783, added in 1970 it is #70000394. * Delaware and Raritan Canal Historic District was added in 1973, it is district #73001105. * Kingston Mill Historic District was added in 1986, it is district #86000707. * Kingston Village Historic District was added in 1990, it is district #89002163. * King's Highway Historic District was added in 2000, it is district #00001493. * Princeton Nurseries Historic District, was added in August 2018, it is district #08000899.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Kingston include: * Cynthia Gooding (1924–1988),

folk singer Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

. *

Andrew Zwicker Andrew P. Zwicker (born May 17, 1964) is an American physicist and politician who has served in the New Jersey Senate from the 16th Legislative District since 2022. He previously served in the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 16th ...

(born 1964), physicist and member of the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

.O"Dea, Colleen
"Profile: Pursuing Physics And Politics -- With A Little Surfing Thrown In"
NJ Spotlight, December 16, 2015. Accessed November 10, 2018. "Home: Kingston"

References

External links

* Kingston Greenways Association: http://kingstongreenways.org/ * Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands: http://fpnl.org/ * Kingston Historical Society: http://www.khsnj.org/
No 92

Preservation New Jersey: Vanishing Villages

Kingston Women's Chorus
* * {{Authority control Census-designated places in Middlesex County, New Jersey Census-designated places in Somerset County, New Jersey Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey South Brunswick, New Jersey