East Windsor, New Jersey
East Windsor is a township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. Located within the Raritan Valley region, the township is an outer-ring suburb of New York City in the New York Metropolitan area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, but directly borders the Philadelphia metropolitan area and is part of the Federal Communications Commission's Philadelphia Designated Market Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 27,190, reflecting an increase of 2,271 (+9.1%) from the 24,919 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by  2,566 (+11.5%) from the 22,353 counted in the 1990 Census. Both East Windsor and West Windsor were formed when Windsor Township was split on February 9, 1797, while the area was still part of Middlesex County. It was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships. Portions of the township were taken to form Hightstown borough (March 5, 1853, within East Windsor; became independent c. 1894) and Washington Township (March 11, 1860, and known as Robbinsville Township since 2007). The township was named for  Windsor Township, which was named for Windsor, England. Geography. According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 15.66 square miles (40.55 km), including 15.57 square miles (40.32 km) of land and 0.09 square miles (0.23 km) of water (0.57%). Twin Rivers (2010 Census population of 7,443) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within East Windsor Township. According to "New Jersey: A Guide to the State" by Barbara Westergaard, Twin Rivers was "New Jersey's first planned unit development" and "has attracted the scrutiny of countless researchers, from sociologists and anthropologists  to specialists in energy conservation." Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located completely or partially within East Windsor include Allens Station, Eilers Corner, Etra, Hickory Corner, Locust Corner, Millstone and Washington Oak. The township borders Robbinsville Township and West Windsor Township in Mercer County; Cranbury Township, Monroe Township and Plainsboro Township in Middlesex County; and both Millstone Township and Upper Freehold Township in Monmouth County. East Windsor completely surrounds the independent borough of Hightstown, making it part one of 21 pairs of "doughnut towns" in the state, where one municipality entirely surrounds another. The Meadow Lakes continuing care retirement  community occupies a site that straddles the East Windsor-Hightstown boundary line. Ecology. According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, East Windsor, New Jersey would have an Appalachian Oak ("104") vegetation type with an Eastern Hardwood Forest ("25") vegetation form. Climate. According to the Köppen climate classification system, East Windsor, New Jersey has a hot-summer, wet all year, humid continental climate ("Dfa"). Dfa climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤ 32.0 °F (≤ 0.0 °C), at least four months with an average mean temperature ≥ 50.0  °F (≥ 10.0 °C), at least one month with an average mean temperature ≥ 71.6 °F (≥ 22.0 °C), and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. During the summer months, episodes of extreme heat and humidity can occur with heat index values ≥ 100 °F (≥ 38 °C). On average, the wettest month of the year is July which corresponds with the annual peak in thunderstorm activity. During the winter months, episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values < 0 °F (< -18 °C). The plant hardiness  zone at the East Windsor Municipal Court is 7a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 0.0 °F (-17.8 °C). The average seasonal (November–April) snowfall total is , and the average snowiest month is February which corresponds with the annual peak in nor'easter activity. Demographics. Census 2010. The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $84,503 (with a margin of error of +/- $4,345) and the median family income was $100,411 (+/- $4,485). Males had a median income of $ 70,057 (+/- $6,291) versus $44,089 (+/- $2,948) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $37,876 (+/- $1,490). About 3.0% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over. Census 2000. As of the 2000 United States Census there were 24,919 people, 9,448 households, and 6,556 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,592.8 people per square mile (614.8/km). There were 9,880 housing units at an average density of 631.5 per square  mile (243.8/km). The racial makeup of the township was 74.42% White, 8.90% African American, 0.20% Native American, 9.55% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 4.61% from other races, and 2.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.28% of the population. There were 9,448 households, out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was  65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.12. The population of the township was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 35.2% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males. The median income for a household in the township was $63,616, and the median  income for a family was $73,461. Males had a median income of $50,875 versus $35,260 for females. The per capita income for the township was $28,695. About 2.8% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over. Economy. Pharmaceutical firms located in East Windsor include Hovione, CoreTech, Aprecia, Sabinsa, Novotec and Windsor Labs. Working Dog Winery is a vineyard and winery that dates back to a group established in 2001 that began with of land planted with Cabernet  Franc and Chardonnay grapes. Government. Local government. East Windsor has been governed since 1970 within the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the Council-Manager form of government. The township is one of 42 municipalities (of the 565) statewide that use this form of government. The Council is comprised of seven members elected at-large for four-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either three or four seats up for vote in odd-numbered years as part of the November general election. In a reorganization meeting held each January, the council selects  a mayor and a deputy mayor from among its members for a one-year term. , members of the East Windsor Council are Mayor Janice S. Mironov (D, term on council ends December 31, 2023; term as mayor ends 2020), Deputy Mayor Marc Lippman (D, term on council ends 2023; term as deputy mayor ends 2020), Denise Daniels (D, 2021), Alan Rosenberg (D, 2021), Perry M. Shapiro (D, 2021), Peter V. Yeager (D, 2023) and John Zoller (D, 2023). In December 2015, the Township Council appointed Denise Daniels to fill the seat expiring in December 2017 that became vacant following the  death of Hector Duke earlier that month. Designed during the 1970s energy crisis and constructed in 1982, the township's municipal building was erected within a landscaped man-made hill, with only its south side exposed. The design allows the building to maintain a comfortable climate inside for most of the year, with greatly reduced energy needs. The passive solar design allows the building to reduce energy consumption by 60% compared to conventional office buildings of the same size. Emergency services. East Windsor is served by East Windsor Rescue Squad District I (Squad 142) and Rescue Squad District II (Squad  146). Fire protection is provided by East Windsor Volunteer Fire Department 1 (Station 42) and Volunteer Fire Department 2 (Station 46). The Township is split for faster response times, with Rescue Squad District II and Fire Department 2 serving Twin Rivers and the eastern portion of the Township. The East Windsor Police Department, located on One Mile Road, is led by Chief James A. Geary, and employs 30 uniformed patrol and Traffic Enforcement Officers, 5 Detectives, 7 Dispatchers and Communications Officers and two Animal Control Officers, for a total of 43 sworn officers. Federal, state and county representation. East Windsor  is located in the 12th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 14th state legislative district. Prior to the 2011 reapportionment following the 2010 Census, East Windsor had been in the 12th state legislative district. Prior to the 2010 Census, East Windsor had been part of the , a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections. Politics. As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 14,729 registered voters in East Windsor, of which 5,194 (35.3%) were registered as Democrats, 2,120  (14.4%) were registered as Republicans and 7,396 (50.2%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 19 voters registered to other parties. In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 66.0% of the vote (7,156 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 32.7% (3,548 votes) and other candidates with 1.3% (143 votes), among the 11,821 ballots cast by the township's 15,852 registered voters (974 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 74.6%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 66.5% of the vote (7,659 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 31.4% (3,624 votes) and other candidates with  1.2% (136 votes), among the 11,524 ballots cast by the township's 15,401 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.8%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 59.5% of the vote (6,180 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 37.7% (3,923 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (93 votes), among the 10,394 ballots cast by the township's 14,028 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 74.1. In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 58.4% of the vote (3,736 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 39.7% (2,537 votes) and other candidates with 1.9% (119  votes), among the 6,536 ballots cast by the township's 15,663 registered voters (144 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 41.7%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 47.2% of the vote (3,439 ballots cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 45.5% (3,319 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 5.6% (411 votes) and other candidates with 1.1% (79 votes), among the 7,288 ballots cast by the township's 14,999 registered voters, yielding a 48.6% turnout. Education. Students in public school for pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade attend the East Windsor Regional School District, which serves students from East  Windsor and Hightstown. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of six schools, had an enrollment of 5,123 students and 466.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.0:1. Public school students in seventh through twelfth grades from Roosevelt Borough (a community in Monmouth County are sent to the district's schools as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Roosevelt Public School District. The seats on the nine-member board of education are allocated based on the population of the constituent municipalities, with seven seats assigned to East Windsor. Schools in  the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Walter C. Black Elementary School with 491 students in grades K-2, Ethel McKnight Elementary School with 539 students in grades K-2, Perry L. Drew Elementary School with 567 students in grades 3-5, Grace N. Rogers Elementary School with 561 students in grades PreK / 3-5, Melvin H. Kreps Middle School with 1,237 students in grades 6-8 and Hightstown High School with 1,658 students in grades 9-12. Eighth grade students from all of Mercer County are eligible to apply to attend the high school  programs offered by the Mercer County Technical Schools, a county-wide vocational school district that offers full-time career and technical education at its Health Sciences Academy, STEM Academy and Academy of Culinary Arts, with no tuition charged to students for attendance. Infrastructure. Transportation. Roads and highways. , the township had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Mercer County, by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. Several major highways serve East Windsor. The most prominent among them is the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95). One exit, Exit  8, is located within East Windsor, connecting the turnpike to Route 33 and Route 133 ("Hightstown Bypass"). Route 33 runs east to west across the southern and eastern portions of the township while Route 133 forms a bypass of Hightstown, connecting Route 33 on the east side of East Windsor to County Route 571 on the west side. U.S. Route 130 crosses the western portions of East Windsor with a north–south orientation parallel to the turnpike, forming a concurrency with Route 33 in the southern portion of the township. The township is also served by County Route 535 and  County Route 539. Public transportation. Suburban Transit offeres commuter service to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 300 Route and to and from Wall Street in Downtown Manhattan on the 600 Route. The nearest NJ Transit rail service is available at the Princeton Junction station. Shuttle bus service to the Princeton Junction station is available during rush hour. Mercer County offers a shuttle service providing access to major businesses and transportation hubs in the area along Route 130 as well as a local shuttle within the area. Healthcare. East Windsor is served by CentraState  Healthcare System, which is affiliated with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, located in nearby Freehold Township. The regional hospital is a 287-bed medical facility. CentraState Healthcare system also provides healthcare through its various family practices in communities across central New Jersey. One of those six family practices has an office located in East Windsor on U.S. Route 130. The next closest hospitals to the township include the Hamilton Division of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in nearby Hamilton and Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center in nearby Plainsboro. Notable people. People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise  closely associated with East Windsor Township include: