Cranbury, New Jersey | |
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Township | |
Township of Cranbury | |
Central business district of Cranbury
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Map of Cranbury Township in Middlesex County. Inset: Location of Middlesex County highlighted in the State of New Jersey. |
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Census Bureau map of Cranbury Township, New Jersey |
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Coordinates: 40°18′48″N 74°31′13″W / 40.313448°N 74.520224°WCoordinates: 40°18′48″N 74°31′13″W / 40.313448°N 74.520224°W | |
Country | United States |
State | New Jersey |
County | Middlesex |
Incorporated | March 7, 1872 |
Government | |
• Type | Township |
• Body | Township Committee |
• Mayor | Daniel P Mulligan (term ends December 31, 2016) |
• Administrator | Denise Marabello |
• Clerk | Kathleen R. Cunningham |
Area | |
• Total | 13.397 sq mi (34.697 km2) |
• Land | 13.247 sq mi (34.309 km2) |
• Water | 0.150 sq mi (0.389 km2) 1.12% |
Area rank | 181st of 566 in state 9th of 25 in county |
Elevation | 82 ft (25 m) |
Population (2010 Census) | |
• Total | 3,857 |
• Estimate (2015) | 3,958 |
• Rank | 417th of 566 in state 24th of 25 in county |
• Density | 291.2/sq mi (112.4/km2) |
• Density rank | 481st of 566 in state 25th of 25 in county |
Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
• Summer (DST) | Eastern (EDT) (UTC-4) |
ZIP codes | 08512 |
Area code(s) | 609 and 732 |
FIPS code | 3402315550 |
GNIS feature ID | 0882160 |
Website | www |
Cranbury is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 3,857.
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. 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. 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. The name has been attributed to wild cranberries that grew in the area.
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. 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.