History of Princeton

Mr. James Leonard first referred to the town as Prince-town, when describing the location of his large estate in his diary. The town bore a variety of names subsequently, including: Princetown, Prince's Town and finally Princeton. Although there is no official documentary backing, the town is considered to be named after King William III, Prince William of Orange of the House of Nassau. Another theory suggests that the name came from a large land-owner named Henry Prince, but there is no evidence that this was the case. It is more likely for the settlement to be named after a prince, as three nearby towns had similar names: Kingston, Queenstown (in the vicinity of the intersection of Nassau and Harrison Streets) and Princessville (Lawrence Township).

When Richard Stockton, one of the founders of the township, died in 1709 he left his estate to his sons, who helped to expand property and population. Based on the 1880 United States Census, the population of the town was only 3,209 (not including students). Local population has expanded from the nineteenth century. According to the 2000 Census, Princeton Borough has 14,203 inhabitants, while Princeton Township has 16,207. The numbers have become stagnant; since the founding of Princeton University, the town’s population spikes every year during the fall and winter and drops significantly over the course of the summer.

Revolution

Aside from housing the University of the same name, the settlement suffered the revolutionary Battle of Princeton on its soil. After the victory in 1777, the town hosted the first Legislature under the State Constitution of New Jersey to decide the State’s seal, Governor and organization of its government. In