Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
Lawrence Township is a township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. Located at the cross-roads between the Delaware Valley region to the south and the Raritan Valley region to the north, 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, while also directly bordering the Philadelphia metropolitan area and is part of the Federal Communications Commission's Philadelphia Designated Market Area. The township is a regional commercial hub for central New Jersey. As of the 2010  United States Census, the township's population was 33,472, reflecting an increase of 4,313 (+14.8%) from the 29,159 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 3,372 (+13.1%) from the 25,787 counted in the 1990 Census. History. What is now Lawrence Township was originally formed as Maidenhead Township on February 20, 1697, while the area was still part of Burlington County in West Jersey. The township was named by the early Quaker settlers after Maidenhead, a Thames River village west of London. It became part of the newly created Hunterdon County on March 11, 1714. Maidenhead Township  was incorporated as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. On January 24, 1816, the municipality was renamed Lawrence Township, in honor of Captain James Lawrence — commander of the frigate , one of the naval heroes of the War of 1812, and a native of relatively nearby Burlington, New Jersey— best known for his dying command of "Don't give up the ship". Lawrence Township became part of Mercer County at its creation on February 22, 1838. Portions of the township were taken to form Millham  Township on February 10, 1882, which was annexed six years later by Trenton. On September 23, 2003, at approximately 8:25am, an F1 tornado ripped through Lawrence Township. The tornado followed a path along Princeton Pike and caused widespread damage to homes. There were no fatalities. Violent crime in Lawrence Township is notably rare. A fatal shooting at an Applebee's restaurant on November 14, 2017, was the first murder in the township in 16 years. Geography. According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 21.98 square miles (56.94 km), including 21.73 square miles (56.27  km) of land and 0.26 square miles (0.67 km) of water (1.17%). Lawrenceville (with a 2010 Census population of 3,887) is a census-designated place and unincorporated community located within Lawrence Township. Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include: Bakersville, Clarksville, Colonial Lakelands, Coxs Corner, Eldridge Park, Franklin Corner, Harneys Corner, Lawrence Station, Lewisville, Louisville, Port Mercer, Princessville, Quaker Bridge, Rosedale, Slackwood and Sturwood Hamlet. Many area residents often refer to all of Lawrence Township as Lawrenceville, as a significant majority of township residents use a Lawrenceville mailing address as specified by  the United States Postal Service, while other residents have mailing addresses in either Princeton or Trenton. The township was notified by the Postal Service in 2007 that the preferred designation for the ZIP code 08648 would be changed to "Lawrence Township". The township borders the Mercer County municipalities of Ewing Township, Hamilton Township, Hopewell Township, Princeton, Trenton and West Windsor Township. Climate. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Lawrence Township, New Jersey has a humid subtropical climate ("Cfa"). Cfa climates are characterized by all months 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 Lawrence Township Municipal Court is 7a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 0.3 °F (-17.6 °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. Ecology. According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Lawrence Township, New Jersey would have an Appalachian Oak ("104") vegetation type with an Eastern Hardwood Forest ("25") vegetation form. Demographics. Census 2010. The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community  Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $88,693 (with a margin of error of +/- $5,442) and the median family income was $108,743 (+/- $4,377). Males had a median income of $68,305 (+/- $6,890) versus $50,103 (+/- $5,345) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $43,136 (+/- $3,030). About 4.4% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over. Census 2000. As of the  2000 United States Census there were 29,159 people, 10,797 households, and 7,233 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,317.0 people per square mile (508.5/km). There were 11,180 housing units at an average density of 504.9 per square mile (195.0/km). The racial makeup of the township was 79.22% White, 9.28% African American, 0.08% Native American, 7.91% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 1.79% from other races, and 1.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.61% of the population. There were 10,797 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of  18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.05. In the township the population was spread out, with 21.7% under the age of 18, 12.4% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older . The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males. The median income for a household in the township was $67,959, and the median income for a family was $82,704. Males had a median income of $56,681 versus $38,468 for females. The per capita income for the township was $33,120. About 2.6% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over . Economy. Lawrence Township is home to the headquarters of: Quaker Bridge Mall is a two-level, indoor shopping center located in Lawrenceville on U.S. 1, near Interstate 295. The mall opened in 1975, and has over 100 retail establishments. The mall's anchor stores include J.C. Penney, Lord & Taylor, Macy's, Sears and Old Navy. The mall has a gross leasable area of . Quaker Bridge Mall also had a renovation in 2011–2012, and was finished around August 2012. Lawrenceville has a small business district near the Lawrenceville School. The Lawrence Shopping Center and other businesses along U.S. Route 1 provide  additional commercial clusters in the township. The transmitter for WKXW-FM, better known as New Jersey 101.5, is located near the Quaker Bridge Mall. Government. Local government. Lawrence Township operates within the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the Council-Manager form of municipal government, which was implemented in 1970. The township is one of 42 municipalities (of the 565) statewide that use this form of government. The governing body is comprised of five Council Members who are elected at-large in partisan elections to serve four-year terms on a staggered basis, with either  two or three seats coming up for election in odd-numbered years as part of the November general election. A Mayor is selected by the Council from among its members at an annual reorganization meeting to serve a term of one year. , members of the Lawrence Township Council are Mayor James S. Kownacki (D, term on committee ends December 31, 2021; term as mayor ends 2020), Chris Bobbitt (D, 2021), Cathleen M. Lewis (D, 2023), Michael S. Powers (D, 2023) and John Ryan (D, 2023). In August 2015, the Township Council appointed Ian J. Dember on an interim basis to  fill the seat expiring in December 2017 that had been held by Stephen Brame until his death the previous month. In the November 2015 general election, Democrat Chris Bobbitt was elected to serve the balance of the term. Federal, state and county representation. Lawrence Township is located in the 12th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 15th state legislative district. New Jersey Lottery is headquartered in the One Lawrence Park Complex in Lawrence Township. Politics. As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 19,237 registered voters in Lawrence Township, of which 7,718 (40.1%) were registered  as Democrats, 3,152 (16.4%) were registered as Republicans and 8,342 (43.4%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 25 voters registered to other parties. In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 66.7% of the vote (9,798 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 31.9% (4,688 votes), and other candidates with 1.4% (201 votes), among the 16,398 ballots cast by the township's 20,890 registered voters (1,711 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 78.5%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 66.3% of the vote (10,025 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 31.6% (4,771 votes) and  other candidates with 1.2% (177 votes), among the 15,115 ballots cast by the township's 19,981 registered voters, for a turnout of 75.6%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 60.1% of the vote (8,658 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 36.3% (5,228 votes) and other candidates with 0.8% (151 votes), among the 14,412 ballots cast by the township's 18,440 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 78.2. In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 51.4% of the vote (4,634 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 46.6% (4,205 votes), and other candidates  with 2.0% (178 votes), among the 9,276 ballots cast by the township's 20,298 registered voters (259 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 45.7%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 54.7% of the vote (5,528 ballots cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 38.1% (3,858 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 5.3% (537 votes) and other candidates with 0.9% (86 votes), among the 10,113 ballots cast by the township's 19,495 registered voters, yielding a 51.9% turnout. Education. Public schools. The Lawrence Township Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2017–18  school year, the district, comprised of seven schools, had an enrollment of 3,907 students and 325.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.0:1. Schools in the district (with 2017-18 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Eldridge Park Elementary School (239 students; in grades K-3), Ben Franklin Elementary School (391; PreK-3), Lawrenceville Elementary School (307; PreK-3), Slackwood Elementary School (267; K-3), Lawrence Intermediate School (899; 4-6), Lawrence Middle School (596; 7-8) and Lawrence High School (1,157; 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. Private schools. Lawrence Township is home to two parochial schools operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton: Notre Dame High School is a coeducational, Roman Catholic, college preparatory school for students in grades 9-12 and Saint Ann School, which serves 341 students in pre-3 through eighth grade. Lawrenceville is  home to the Lawrenceville School, a coeducational, independent boarding school for ninth through twelfth grades, founded in 1810. Princeton Junior School is a private, co-educational school for students in grades K-6, now located on a site at 3270 Lawrenceville Road in Lawrence Township. The school was founded in 1983 in a church basement in Princeton. Colleges and universities. Founded in 1865 and granted university status in 1992, Rider University is a private university with its main campus just south of Lawrenceville that serves nearly 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Miscellaneous education. Founded in 1947, Lawrence Township has been the  headquarters location for the Educational Testing Service since 1964. The Princeton Community Japanese Language School teaches weekend Japanese classes for Japanese citizen children abroad to the standard of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), and it also has classes for people with Japanese as a second language. Courses are taught at Memorial Hall at Rider University. The main office of the school is in Princeton although the office used on Sundays is in Memorial Hall. Yinghua Chinese School: In May 2002, the residents including Asian/Chinese as well as non-Asian/Chinese population established a Chinese  language school where students of all cultural and ethnic backgrounds could learn the Chinese language on Sunday afternoons. From September 2002 to June 2005, Lawrence Middle School was the host to YingHua Language School, which teaches Simplified Chinese to over 200 students. Between September 2005 to 2017, YingHua was residing in Rider University. Since 2018 Yinghua has been residing in Chapin School and offer classes on Sunday afternoons. During COVID19, Yinghua Chinese School has continued its teaching virtually. Since 2001, HindiUSA has been offering classes in the Lawrence Middle School where all students can learn Hindi on Friday evenings. Starting  2012 the class was moved to Notre Dame High School. Transportation. Roads and highways. , the township had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Mercer County and by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Several major transportation routes traverse the Township. Interstate 295 runs through as a semicircle while U.S. Route 1, the other major highway, bisects the municipality. U.S. 1 is in effect three different roads: the original route from Trenton to New Brunswick in the southern half of the Township, the limited access Trenton Freeway, and the combined road in the northern  half that serves as a regional arterial linking the Interstates with New Brunswick and Route 18. U.S. Route 206 (Lawrence Road) is the main artery within the township itself, running from Trenton to Princeton roughly north-to-south. It is a segment of the historic Lincoln Highway, and before that, it was part of the main New York-Philadelphia Post road. Major county routes that pass through include County Route 533, County Route 546 and County Route 569. Lawrence Township had been the site of what was called the "abrupt ending" of Interstate 95. This was a result from politics  in Somerset County that eliminated a planned connection of the Somerset Freeway to Interstate 287. Originally, when drivers travelled along I-95 north while approaching the interchange for U.S. Route 1, the 95 designation abruptly ended and the highway turned southward and became Interstate 295. Drivers wishing to continue north were required to use an alternate route, either by taking US 1 north, or continue along Interstate 295 south to Interstate 195 east and to the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95) at Exit 7A in Robbinsville Township. This portion of interstate (between the Hopewell Township border and U.S. 1) was renumbered  from I-95 to I-295 in May 2018. Public transportation. The busy Northeast Corridor rail line, carrying Amtrak and NJ Transit trains, runs along the eastern edge of the township. The nearest stations are in Hamilton, Trenton, Princeton and Princeton Junction. NJ Transit provides bus service to Trenton on the 600, 603, 605, 606, 609 and 613 routes, and local service on route 612. A rail spur used to run to Lawrenceville from Trenton, but was discontinued in the 1970s and is now a bicycle trail. From Lawrenceville, a trolley line to Princeton existed from 1900 to 1941, but was dismantled  before World War II, and the right-of-way largely has reverted to neighboring landowners. The nearest commercial airport is Trenton-Mercer Airport, formerly known as the Mercer County Airport, in Ewing Township with nonstop service to 10 major cities in the eastern half of the United States. Lawrence Township is roughly equidistant to the other two nearby commercial airports, Philadelphia International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport. Points of interest. The Port Mercer Canal House is located at 4378 Quakerbridge Road, along the Delaware and Raritan Canal near the border of West Windsor Township and Princeton. The house was  built in the 1830s as housing for the bridge tender and his family. The bridge tender was needed to open the swing bridge when canal boats came through, then close it to allow traffic to cross over the canal. The Delaware and Raritan Canal has an intact walking towpath for most of its length. Additional walking trail areas in the township include Shipetaukin Woods, Carson Road Woods, and part of Rosedale Park. Lawrence Township is part of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail, currently under development. Jasna Polana was the home of John Seward Johnson I of Johnson & Johnson. His widow converted  it into Tournament Players Club at Jasna Polana golf course. Terhune Orchards is a winery and produce farm. Colonial Lake, a man-made lake covering , is the centerpiece of the township's Colonial Lake Park. The Brearley Oak, the largest Black Oak tree in New Jersey, is located along the Princeton Pike. Notable people. People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Lawrence Township include: