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Trenton, New Jersey

Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 until December 24, 1784.[24][25] Trenton and Princeton are the two principal cities of the Trenton–Princeton metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses those cities and all of Mercer County for statistical purposes and constitutes part of the New York combined statistical area by the U.S. Census Bureau.[26] However, Trenton directly borders the Philadelphia metropolitan area to its west, and the city was part of the Philadelphia combined statistical area from 1990 until 2000.[27]

Trenton, New Jersey

June 3, 1719

November 13, 1792

City Council

Reed Gusciora (term ends December 31, 2026)[4][5]

Adam E. Cruz[6]

Brandon Garcia[7]

8.20 sq mi (21.25 km2)

7.61 sq mi (19.70 km2)

0.60 sq mi (1.55 km2)  7.62%

229th of 565 in state
9th of 12 in county[2]

59 ft (18 m)

90,871

89,661

382nd in country (as of 2022)[16]
10th of 565 in state
2nd of 12 in county[17]

11,989.8/sq mi (4,629.3/km2)

25th of 565 in state
1st of 12 in county[17]

370,422 (US: 112th)[11]

2,782.4/sq mi (1,074.3/km2)

387,340 (US: 143rd)[10]

08608–08611, 08618–08620, 08625, 08628, 08629, 08638[18][19]

0885421[2][23]

In the 2020 United States census, Trenton was the state's 10th-most-populous municipality,[28] with a population of 90,871,[13][14] an increase of 5,958 (+7.0%) from the 2010 census count of 84,913,[29][30] which in turn had reflected a decline of 490 (−0.6%) from the 85,403 counted in the 2000 census.[31] The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 89,661 in 2022,[13] ranking the city the 382nd-most-populous in the country.[16] Trenton is the only city in New Jersey that serves three separate commuter rail transit systems (Amtrak, NJ Transit, and SEPTA), and the city has encouraged a spate of transit-oriented development since 2010.[32]


Trenton dates back at least to June 3, 1719, when mention was made of a constable being appointed for Trenton while the area was still part of Hunterdon County. Boundaries were recorded for Trenton Township as of March 2, 1720.[33] A courthouse and jail were constructed in Trenton around 1720, and the Freeholders of Hunterdon County met annually in Trenton.[34]


Abraham Hunt was appointed in 1764 as Trenton's first Postmaster.[35][36] On November 25, 1790, Trenton became New Jersey's capital, and by November 13, 1792, the City of Trenton was formed within Trenton Township. Trenton 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 February 22, 1834, portions of Trenton Township were taken to form Ewing Township. The remaining portion of Trenton Township was absorbed by the city on April 10, 1837. A series of annexations took place over a 50-year period with the city absorbing South Trenton (April 14, 1851), portions of Nottingham Township (April 14, 1856), Chambersburg Township and Millham Township (both on March 30, 1888), and Wilbur (February 28, 1898). Portions of Ewing Township and Hamilton Township were annexed to Trenton on March 23, 1900.[33][37]

– Combines a collection of archaeology and ethnography, fine art, cultural history and natural history.[114]

New Jersey State Museum

was originally constructed by Jonathan Doane in 1792, with major additions made in 1845, 1865 and 1871.[115]

New Jersey State House

serves as a central resource for libraries across the state as well as serving the state legislature and government.[116]

New Jersey State Library

– Housed in the Italianate-style 1848 Ellarslie Mansion since 1978, the museum features artworks and other materials related to the city's history.[117]

Trenton City Museum

– Completed in 1932 as a memorial to the war dead from Mercer County during World War I and owned and operated by the State of New Jersey, the building is home to a theater with 1,800 seats that reopened in 1999 after an extensive, five-year-long renovation project.[118]

Trenton War Memorial

– Dating back to 1758 and the French and Indian War, the Barracks were constructed as a place to house British troops in lieu of housing the soldiers in the homes of area residents. The site was used by both the Continental Army and British forces during the Revolutionary War and stands as the last remaining colonial barracks in the state.[119]

Old Barracks

– Located in the heart of the Five Points neighborhood, the monument was built to commemorate the Continental Army's victory in the December 26, 1776, Battle of Trenton.[72] The monument was designed by John H. Duncan and features a statue of George Washington atop a pedestal that stands on a granite column 148 feet (45 m) in height.[120]

Trenton Battle Monument

– The building was constructed based on a 1907 design by architect Spencer Roberts and opened to the public in 1910. The council chambers stand two stories high and features a mural by Everett Shinn that highlights Trenton's industrial history.[121]

Trenton City Hall

– Constructed in 1719 by William Trent, who the following year laid out what would become the city of Trenton, the house was owned by Governor Lewis Morris, who used the house as his official residence in the 1740s. Governor Philemon Dickerson used the home as his official residence in the 1830s, as did Rodman M. Price in the 1850s.[122]

William Trent House

(added January 31, 1980, as #80002498) is a focal point for West End neighborhood, and is remembered for its soda fountain and corner druggist.[123]

Adams and Sickles Building

adjacent to the Trenton Friends Meeting House, is the burial site of several national and state political figures prominent in the city's early history.[124]

Friends Burying Ground

(added April 30, 2008, as #08000362), dating back to 1739, it was occupied by the British Dragoons in 1776 and by the Continental Army later in the Revolutionary War.[125]

Trenton Friends Meeting House

– formerly the Sunlight Elks Lodge, it was named after George Washington Carver, African-American agricultural scientist and inventor. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in ethnic heritage - Black, from 1922 to 1975.[126]

Carver Center

- 1793 historic building put on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing property to the State House Historic District.

Old Masonic Temple

– Trenton's largest city park covering 109.5 acres (44.3 ha), it was designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who is most famous for designing New York City's Central Park.[135]

Cadwalader Park

Fire department[edit]

The city of Trenton is protected on a full-time basis by the city of Trenton Fire and Emergency Services Department (TFD), which has been a paid department since 1892 after having been originally established in 1747 as a volunteer fire department.[199] The TFD operates out of seven fire stations and operates a fire apparatus fleet of 7 engine companies, 3 ladder companies and one rescue company, along with one HAZMAT unit, an air cascade unit, a mobile command unit, a foam unit, one fireboat, and numerous special, support and reserve units, under the command of two battalion chiefs and a deputy chief/tour commander each shift.[200][201]

Education[edit]

Colleges and universities[edit]

Trenton is the home of two post-secondary institutions: Thomas Edison State University, serving adult students around the nation and worldwide[202] and Mercer County Community College's James Kerney Campus.[203]


The College of New Jersey, formerly named Trenton State College, was founded in Trenton in 1855 and is now located in nearby Ewing Township. Rider University was founded in Trenton in 1865 as The Trenton Business College. In 1959, Rider moved to its current location in nearby Lawrence Township.[204]

Public schools[edit]

The Trenton Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.[205] The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts statewide that were established pursuant to the decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Abbott v. Burke[206] which are now referred to as "SDA Districts" based on the requirement for the state to cover all costs for school building and renovation projects in these districts under the supervision of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority.[207][208] The district's board of education, composed of seven members, sets policy and oversees the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its superintendent administration. As a Type I school district, the board's trustees are appointed by the mayor to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats up for re-appointment each year. The board appoints a superintendent to oversee the district's day-to-day operations and a business administrator to supervise the business functions of the district.[209][210] The school district has undergone a 'construction' renaissance throughout the district.


As of 2022, the school district comprised a Pre-K and 25 schools, with the latter having a total enrollment of 14,852 students and 966.4 classroom teachers employed on an FTE basis, giving the district a student–teacher ratio of 15.37:1.[211] The 25 schools comprise 13 elementary schools,[212] 6 intermediate schools,[213] three middle schools,[214] and three high schools.[215] They are as follows:

Relocation of the United States Government to Trenton

4 ships

USS Trenton

Schuyler, Hamilton (1929). . Princeton : Princeton University Press: The Trenton Historical Society.

A history of Trenton, 1679–1929

(January 10, 1764). "Post Office Commissions to Abraham Hunt, 10 January 1764 (and 13 October 1775)". Letter to "To All to whom these Presents shall come". National Archives: Founders Online. Retrieved April 4, 2022.

Franklin, Benjamin

City of Trenton website

Trenton Historical Society

U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Trenton, New Jersey

US Census Data for Trenton, NJ