Cranbury, New Jersey
Cranbury is a township in southern Middlesex County, within the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 3,842,[9] a decrease of 15 (−0.4%) from the 2010 census count of 3,857,[18][19] which in turn reflected an increase of 630 (+19.5%) from the 3,227 counted in the 2000 census.[20]
Cranbury, New Jersey
March 7, 1872
Township Committee
Denise Marabello[5]
Debra A. Rubin[6]
13.43 sq mi (34.79 km2)
13.28 sq mi (34.40 km2)
0.15 sq mi (0.39 km2) 1.12%
181st of 565 in state
9th of 25 in county[1]
82 ft (25 m)
3,842
3,921
418th of 565 in state
24th of 25 in county[11]
289.2/sq mi (111.7/km2)
479th of 565 in state
25th of 25 in county[11]
Located within the Raritan Valley region, Cranbury is roughly equidistant between New York City and Philadelphia, contributing to it being a regional historical, cultural, and commercial hub of Central New Jersey (the township is known for its logistics industry) and as an outer-ring commuter suburb of New York City within the New York metropolitan area.[21][22][23] The municipal taxes generated by the industrial properties have helped to keep residential property taxes steady over time.
History[edit]
A deed for a sale of land and improvements dated March 1, 1698, is the earliest evidence of buildings constructed in present-day Cranbury. A home in Cranbury was used by Alexander Hamilton and the Marquis de Lafayette as a headquarters during the American Revolutionary War, and they were visited by General George Washington on June 26, 1778. It was during this visit, when George Washington hedged out plans to intercept the British's retreat from Philadelphia to New York City, during the tail end of Britain's Philadelphia campaign.[24] This continued pursuit led to the fated events of the Battle of Monmouth (which took place nearby in modern-day Freehold Township and Manalapan Township, preserved currently as Monmouth Battlefield State Park), a major turning point for the Revolutionary War.[25][26] As part of orders issued during the presidency of George Washington, maps of Cranbury were made showing the presence of a church, a mill and 25 other buildings. Fleeing after he killed Alexander Hamilton in their 1804 duel, Aaron Burr stopped in Cranbury to exchange horses and eat a local inn.[27]
During its earliest years, the location was usually spelled as "Cranberry". Rev. Joseph G. Symmes argued in 1857 that the name was spelled improperly and that the suffix "bury" was more appropriate, leading the name of the community and brook to be changed to "Cranbury" in 1869.[28] The name has been attributed to wild cranberries that grew in the area.[29] The so-called Hightstown rail accident occurred in or near Cranbury, in 1833. According to John Quincy Adams, who was aboard the train and who wrote in his diary about it, the train was 3 miles (4.8 km) from Hightstown when the disaster struck, putting the accident near what is now Cranbury Station.[30][31] Among the passengers aboard were Tyrone Power and Cornelius Vanderbilt.
Cranbury was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 7, 1872, from portions of both Monroe Township and South Brunswick Township. Portions of the township were taken on April 1, 1919, to form Plainsboro Township.[32] The township celebrated its tricentennial in 1998. Updike Parsonage Barn, originally constructed c. 1759, was disassembled, relocated and reconstructed in 2010 at its current location in Barn Park.[33]
In 2017, Cranbury, along with the municipalities of Bellmawr, Egg Harbor Township, Montclair, and Woodbridge Township, were the original five municipalities that had authorized dispensaries for the sale of medical cannabis in their municipality, years before the legal sale of recreational cannabis began in 2022.[34] However, in July 2021 the township reversed the previous ordinance and unanimously passed a new ordinance that banned all types of cannabis businesses from operating within the municipality.[35]
In 2019, the Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society saved the 1713 East Jersey Cottage from demolition and had the building relocated across Old Trenton Road, onto its original 1693 Fullerton tract, the 1752 Philipse property and the 1760 Bodine farm. The building retained its intact hand-hewn post and beam structure with pegged mortise and tenon joints and rubble nogging.[36]
Economy[edit]
Cranbury is host to many warehouses along Route 130 and the roads leading to the NJ Turnpike. A company making the Boy Scout Pinewood Derby cars is also here. Cranbury was noted for a used Rolls-Royce dealership located in the center of township, but it has gone out of business. The alternative energy business Brilliant Light Power, which occupies a building formerly occupied by Creative Playthings, is in fact located in East Windsor, in an area served by the Cranbury Post Office.
The Associated University Presses is an academic publishing company supplying textbooks to colleges and universities.[52]
The John S. Silvers Mansion, built in 1886
The Cranbury Inn
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Cranbury include:
In popular culture[edit]
Cranbury is referenced in the 2014 movie Edge of Tomorrow, as the hometown of Major William Cage (played by Tom Cruise). When asked if people of Cranbury plant cranberries, Cage answered: "Tomatoes, best I've ever had."[147]