Mercer County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its county seat is Trenton[1]. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Mercer County is also its own Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is formally named the Trenton-Ewing MSA.
The county is named for Continental Army General Hugh Mercer, who died at the Battle of Princeton in 1777. As of the United States 2000 Census, the population was 350,761, estimated to have risen to 367,605 as of 2006 Mercer County ranks 79th among the highest-income counties in the United States. It also is ranked 57th in the United States by personal per-capita income.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 229 square miles (593 km²), of which, 226 square miles (585 km²) of it is land and 3 square miles (8 km²) of it is water. The total area is 1.27% water.
The county is generally flat and low-lying on the inner coastal plain with a few hills closer to the Delaware River. Baldpate Mountain near Pennington, is the highest hill, at 480 feet (146.3 m) above sea level. The lowest point is at sea level along the Delaware.
Adjacent counties
Demographics
| Historical populations |
| Census |
Pop. |
|
%± |
| 1840 |
21,502 |
|
— |
| 1850 |
27,992 |
|
30.2% |
| 1860 |
37,419 |
|
33.7% |
| 1870 |
46,386 |
|
24.0% |
| 1880 |
58,061 |
|
25.2% |
| 1890 |
79,978 |
|
37.7% |
| 1900 |
95,365 |
|
19.2% |
| 1910 |
125,657 |
|
31.8% |
| 1920 |
159,881 |
|
27.2% |
| 1930 |
187,143 |
|
17.1% |
| 1940 |
197,318 |
|
5.4% |
| 1950 |
229,781 |
|
16.5% |
| 1960 |
266,392 |
|
15.9% |
| 1970 |
304,116 |
|
14.2% |
| 1980 |
307,863 |
|
1.2% |
| 1990 |
325,824 |
|
5.8% |
| 2000 |
350,761 |
|
7.7% |
| Est. 2006 |
367,605 |
|
4.8% |
| historical census data source: |
An outdoor scene of Mercer County.
As of the census of 2000, there were 350,761 people, 125,807 households, and 86,303 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,552 people per square mile (599/km²). There were 133,280 housing units at an average density of 590 per square mile (228/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.48% White, 19.81% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 4.94% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 4.29% from other races, and 2.17% from two or more races. 9.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 15.5% were of Italian, 9.7% Irish, 8.2% German, 6.7% Polish and 5.7% English ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 125,807 households out of which 32.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.60% were married couples living together, 13.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.40% were non-families. 25.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 10.20% from 18 to 24, 30.60% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $56,613, and the median income for a family was $68,494. Males had a median income of $47,444 versus $34,788 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,914. About 5.90% of families and 8.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.60% of those under age 18 and 8.40% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Mercer County has a County Executive form of government, in which the County Executive performs executive functions and a Board of Chosen Freeholders acts in a legislative capacity. The County Executive as of 2008 is Brian M. Hughes. Members of the seven-person Board of Chosen Freeholders are elected at-large to serve three-year staggered terms. The Board is led by a Freeholder Chair and Vice-Chair, selected on an annual basis from among its members.
The Freeholder Board acts as a formulator of policy and provides a check on the powers of the County Executive. The Board also approves all county contracts and gives advice and consent to the County Executive’s appointments of department heads, and appointments to boards and commissions. After receiving the proposed county budget from the County Executive in January of each year, it is the duty of the Freeholder Board to thoroughly review, make appropriate changes, and then vote on the budget.
Mercer County is one of the New Jersey Democratic Party's strongholds in terms of statewide elections.
As of 2008, Mercer County's Freeholders are:
Transportation
Mercer County has state routes, U.S. Routes and Interstates. Mercer also boasts its NJTransit's stations, including Trenton, Hamilton, and Princeton Junction. The state routes that pass through Mercer are Route 33, Route 29, Route 31, Route 27, and Route 129. There are three US Routes that pass through Mercer, which are: U.S. Route 1, U.S. Route 130 and U.S. Route 206.
Municipalities
Index map of Mercer County municipalities (click to see index)
The following municipalities are located in Mercer County. The municipality type is listed in parentheses after the name, except where the type is included as part of the name. Census-designated places and other unincorporated areas are listed under their municipalities.
Hightstown (borough)
Hopewell Borough
Hopewell Township
Lawrence Township
Pennington (borough)
Princeton Township
Princeton Borough
Robbinsville Township (known as Washington Township until November 2007)
Trenton (city)
West Windsor Township
History
Officially founded in 1838 and carved out of other 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, 1776, General George Washington led the American forces across the Delaware River to attack Hessian forces in Trenton, New Jersey, who did not anticipate an attack near Christmas. Washington followed up the assault with a surprise attack on General Charles Cornwallis' forces in the Battle of Princeton on the eve of January 2, 1777, eventually retaking the colony. The successful attacks built morale among the pro-independence colonists.
Mercer County also has the dubious 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 radio plays of all time, Orson Welles acted out his The War of the Worlds invasion. Wells landed his imaginary aliens on Mercer County soil, using what is now West Windsor Township as the point of first contact. A monument commemorating the "landing" is erected at Grover's Mill.
Media
External Links
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