Princeton, borough and township, Mercer County, west central New Jersey, near Trenton. The borough (incorporated 1813) is surrounded by the township (incorporated 1838); each has a separate municipal government. They are residential and educational centers, being the site of Princeton University (1756; originally founded as the College of New Jersey, 1746), Princeton Theological Seminary (1812), Westminister Choir College (1926), and the Institute for Advanced Study (1930). In the township are many research industries, corporate headquarters, and arboreal nurseries.
The site of Princeton was settled in 1696 by Quakers. Originally called Stony Brook, the community was renamed about 1724 for William III of England, also prince of Orange. A battle of the American Revolution (1777) took place in the area, in which Americans under General George Washington surprised and defeated a superior British force. The first New Jersey state legislature convened (mid-1777) here, and the Continental Congress met from June to November 1783 in Princeton's Nassau Hall (1756). Also of note is Morven (1701), until 1982 the official residence of New Jersey's governor, and Drumthwacket, the present official residence. Borough population 12,035 (1980), 12,016 (1990), 14,203 (2000); township population 13,683 (1980), 13,198 (1990).
