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 byAlexander Hamilton and theMarquis de Lafayette as a headquarters during theAmerican Revolutionary War, and they were visited by GeneralGeorge Washington on June 26, 1778. It was during this visit, when George Washington hedged out plans to intercept the British's retreat fromPhiladelphia toNew York City, during the tail end of Britain'sPhiladelphia campaign.[23] This continued pursuit led to the fated events of theBattle of Monmouth (which took place nearby in modern-dayFreehold Township andManalapan Township, preserved currently asMonmouth Battlefield State Park), a major turning point for the Revolutionary War.[24][25] 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 killedAlexander Hamilton intheir 1804 duel,Aaron Burr stopped in Cranbury to exchange horses and eat a local inn.[26]
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.[27] The name has been attributed to wild cranberries that grew in the area.[28] The so-calledHightstown rail accident occurred in or near Cranbury, in 1833. According toJohn 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.[29][30] Among the passengers aboard wereTyrone Power andCornelius Vanderbilt.
Cranbury, along with the municipalities ofBellmawr,Egg Harbor Township,Montclair, andWoodbridge Township, were the original five municipalities that had authorized dispensaries for the sale ofmedical cannabis in their municipality in 2017, years before thelegal sale of recreational cannabis began in 2022.[33] In July 2021 the township unanimously passed a new ordinance that banned all types of recreational cannabis licenses within the municipality.[34]
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 in 2019. The building retained its intact hand-hewn post and beam structure with peggedmortise and tenon joints and rubble nogging.[35]
The Town Committee voted unanimously on May 12, 2025 to useeminent domain to seize a 175-year-oldfamily farm in order to allow the construction ofaffordable housing. TheMount Laurel doctrine established by theSupreme Court of New Jersey in 1975 requires municipalities in New Jersey to change theirzoning laws to enable the construction of low and middle income housing. The family is fighting the decision and the legal battle is ongoing.[36][37] The town has been working with the state of New Jersey to alleviate the affordable housing restrictions that led to this property being necessary for affordable housing, and on October 23, 2025, Governor Murphy announced that an agreement was reached.[38]
Brainerd Lake in the center of the townshipU.S. Route 130 is a major commercial andlight-industrial highway in Cranbury.[22]Cranbury Township highlighted in Middlesex County
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 13.43 square miles (34.79 km2), including 13.28 square miles (34.40 km2) of land and 0.15 square miles (0.39 km2) of water (1.12%).[1][2]
Cranbury CDP (2020 Census population of 2,200) is anunincorporated community andcensus-designated place (CDP) located within Cranbury Township.[39][40][41] Despite the match between the name of the Township and the CDP, the two are not one and the same, as was the case for most paired Township / CDP combinations (i.e., a CDP with the same as its parent township) before the 2010 Census, when most such paired CDPs were coextensive with a township of the same name.[39]
Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Brain Grove Lake,Cranbury Station, Wescott, andWyckoffs Mills.[42]
Of the 1,320 households, 41.4% had children under the age of 18; 71.3% were married couples living together; 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 19.7% were non-families. Of all households, 17.5% were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.21.[17]
27.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 15.1% from 25 to 44, 35.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 94.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 88.2 males.[17]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010American Community Survey showed that (in 2010inflation-adjusted dollars)median household income was $131,667 (with a margin of error of +/− $21,076) and the median family income was $146,250 (+/− $24,045). Males had a median income of $122,566 (+/− $25,917) versus $60,781 (+/− $22,066) for females. Theper capita income for the borough was $55,236 (+/− $5,718). About 3.1% of families and 4.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.[53]
As of the2000 United States census[14] there were 3,227 people, 1,091 households, and 877 families residing in the township. The population density was 240.6 inhabitants per square mile (92.9/km2). There were 1,121 housing units at an average density of 83.6 per square mile (32.3/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 88.78%White, 2.26%African American, 7.41%Asian, 0.22% fromother races, and 1.33% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino people of any race were 1.70% of the population.[51][52]
There were 1,091 households, out of which 46.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.6% weremarried couples living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.6% were non-families. 16.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.31.[51][52]
In the township the population was spread out, with 30.4% under the age of 18, 3.4% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.[51][52]
The median income for a household in the township was $111,680, and the median income for a family was $128,410. Males had a median income of $94,683 versus $44,167 for females. Theper capita income for the township was $50,698. About 0.7% of families and 1.6% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 0.9% of those age 65 or over.[51][52]
Cranbury is host to many warehouses along Route 130 and the roads leading to the NJ Turnpike. A company making theBoy Scout Pinewood Derby cars is also here. Cranbury was noted for a usedRolls-Royce dealership located in the center of township, but it has gone out of business. The alternative energy businessBrilliant 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.
Cranbury Township is governed under thetownship form of government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide governed under this form.[55] The Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the votersat-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle; all terms of office end on December 31.[6][56] At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as mayor. In 1990, the Cranbury Township Committee was expanded from three to five members and the position of Township Administrator was established by ordinance.[3]
As of 2025[update], members of the Cranbury Township Committee are Mayor Lisa Knierim (D, term on committee and as mayor ends December 31, 2025), Deputy Mayor Eman El-Badawi (D, term on committee ends 2027; term as deputy mayor ends 2025), Robert Christopher (D, 2027), Barbara F. Rogers (D, 2025) and Matthew A. Scott (D, 2026).[3][57][58][59][60]
In 2023, the township had the lowest effective property tax rate in Middlesex County at 1.621%.[61] In 2018, the township had an average property tax bill of $11,960, the highest in the county, compared to an average bill of $8,767 statewide.[62]
Middlesex County is governed by aBoard of County Commissioners, whose seven members are electedat-large on a partisan basis to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election. At an annual reorganization meeting held in January, the board selects from among its members a commissioner director and deputy director.[71] As of 2025[update], Middlesex County's Commissioners (with party affiliation, term-end year, and residence listed in parentheses) are:
As of March 2011, there were a total of 2,768 registered voters in Cranbury Township, of which 836 (30.2%) were registered asDemocrats, 684 (24.7%) were registered asRepublicans and 1,246 (45.0%) were registered asUnaffiliated. There were 2 voters registered as eitherLibertarians orGreens.[87]
United States presidential election results for Cranbury[88][89]
In the2012 presidential election, DemocratBarack Obama received 52.0% of the vote (1,076 cast), ahead of RepublicanMitt Romney with 46.9% (971 votes), and other candidates with 1.1% (22 votes), among the 2,082 ballots cast by the township's 2,839 registered voters (13 ballots werespoiled), for a turnout of 73.3%.[90][91] In the2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 53.0% of the vote (1,153 cast), ahead of RepublicanJohn McCain with 45.3% (986 votes) and other candidates with 1.3% (29 votes), among the 2,176 ballots cast by the township's 2,777 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.4%.[92] In the2004 presidential election, RepublicanGeorge W. Bush received 50.8% of the vote (1,044 ballots cast), outpolling DemocratJohn Kerry with 48.0% (987 votes) and other candidates with 0.9% (23 votes), among the 2,055 ballots cast by the township's 2,510 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 81.9.[93]
United States Gubernatorial election results for Cranbury[94]
In the2013 gubernatorial election, RepublicanChris Christie received 67.1% of the vote (941 cast), ahead of DemocratBarbara Buono with 31.3% (439 votes), and other candidates with 1.6% (22 votes), among the 1,421 ballots cast by the township's 2,850 registered voters (19 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 49.9%.[95][96] In the2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 54.6% of the vote (901 ballots cast), ahead of DemocratJon Corzine with 35.5% (585 votes), IndependentChris Daggett with 8.7% (144 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (11 votes), among the 1,649 ballots cast by the township's 2,711 registered voters, yielding a 60.8% turnout.[97]
United States Senate election results for Cranbury1[98]
TheCranbury School District serves children in public school forpre-kindergarten througheighth grade at Cranbury School.[100][101][102] As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 453 students and 59.1 classroom teachers (on anFTE basis), for astudent–teacher ratio of 7.7:1.[103] For the 2016–17 school year, Cranbury School was formally designated as aNational Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor that an American public school can achieve. This was also earned during the 1996–97 and 2009-10 school years.[104][105][106]
The Cranbury Public Library serves Cranbury residents and opened in a brand-new building in November 2022 at 30 Park Place West. Prior to the free-standing building, the library shared a facility with the Cranbury School from 1968 until summer 2020 when the school evicted the library to provide additional learning space during the COVID-19 pandemic. From early 2021 to November 2022, the library operated out of a pocket library on North Main Street. The free-standing library was built with funds donated through a capital campaign by the Cranbury Public Library Foundation from 2010 through 2022, as well as funds from surplus operating revenue saved from prior to 2008 when the Cranbury School started charging rent. In 2020, the library applied for and was awarded a $2.39 million grant from the New Jersey Library Construction Bond Act.[115][24][116]
The Cranbury Historic District is a 175-acre (71 ha)historic district encompassing the village of Cranbury along Main and Prospect streets; Maplewood and Scott avenues; Bunker Hill Road; Symmes Court; Westminster, Park and Wesley places. It was added to theNational Register of Historic Places on September 18, 1980, for its significance in architecture and commerce. The district includes 177contributing buildings, including theOld Cranbury School, which was added individually to the NRHP in 1971.[119] Many buildings on Cranbury's Main Street and in the surrounding area date to the 18th or 19th century.
The nomination form describes how "Cranbury is the best preserved 19th century village in Middlesex County" and states that "While there are many small mill towns in New Jersey, few are in such an undisturbed environment as that of Cranbury."[27][119] The John S. Silvers Mansion, built 1886, featuresQueen Anne style architecture.[119] The Elizabeth M. Wagner History Center of the Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society is located in a former gristmiller's house and has a display on Cranberry Mills.[120] Cranberry Mills is an exemplary historic showcase of Cranbury's importance as a bustlingmill town during the 18th/19th centuries. It was located alongCranbury Brook, a tributary of theMillstone River (which in turn is a major tributary of theRaritan River).
As of May 2010[update], the township had a total of 51.25 miles (82.48 km) of roadways, of which 31.08 miles (50.02 km) were maintained by the municipality, 12.85 miles (20.68 km) by Middlesex County and 3.16 miles (5.09 km) by theNew Jersey Department of Transportation and 4.16 miles (6.69 km) by theNew Jersey Turnpike Authority.[121]
Several major roads and highways pass through the township[122] Cranbury hosts a 4-mile (6.4 km) section ofInterstate 95 (theNew Jersey Turnpike).[123] While there are no exits in Cranbury, the township is accessible by the Turnpike in neighboringEast Windsor Township (Exit 8) andMonroe Township (Exit 8A). The Molly Pitcher Service Area is located at mile marker 71.7 on the southbound side.[124]
Charles McKnight (1750–1791), physician during and after the American Revolutionary War[142]
Jan Morris (1926–2020), Welsh travel writer and historian, lived in Cranbury for several months in the 1950s whose impressions of the town are recorded in the bookCoast to Coast: A Journey Across 1950s America[143]
Henry Perrine (1797–1840), physician, horticulturist and enthusiast for introducing tropical plants into cultivation in the US[144]
Cranbury is referenced in the 2014 movieEdge of Tomorrow, as the hometown of Major William Cage (played byTom Cruise). When asked if people of Cranbury plant cranberries, Cage answered: "Tomatoes, best I've ever had."[145]
^abcTownship Committee, Cranbury Township. Accessed January 5, 2025. "The Township Committee is the governing body established by State law for the Township form of government. The membership of the Cranbury Township Committee was expanded from three to five in January 1990. The terms of the members are for three years, staggered, so that at least one member is up for election every year. The membership annually chooses one of the members as Mayor."
^Administration, Cranbury Township. Accessed January 5, 2025.
^abRizzo, Olivia; and D'Elia, Gianluca."These towns have some of the steadiest tax rates in the state. What’s their secret?", NJ Advance Media forNJ.com, March 9, 2019. Accessed June 27, 2025. "The average homeowner’s municipal tax payment in Cranbury Township is set to reach a historic low in 2019 with a reduction of about $650 on average, and the rate could stay flat for the next two years, according to Mayor Jay Taylor. The municipal tax rate already stayed flat in 2017 and 2018.... Cranbury’s low municipal tax rate is partially the result of the township establishing a robust warehouse district that, in the past decade, welcomed Wayfair, Amazon and Home Depot. Both Route 130 and the New Jersey Turnpike run through the small Middlesex County township, making it an ideal location."
^abcCheslow, Jerry."Historic, Sparsely Settled -- and Loving It",The New York Times, March 16, 1997. Accessed July 14, 2011. "The Middlesex County community is celebrating the 300th anniversary of the first documented European settlement in the area.... Cranbury pays tuition to send 106 high school students to nearby Princeton High School. According to Cranbury's Chief School Administrator, Robert J. Bartoletti, 87 percent of the town's youngsters go on to higher education.... As part of the addition, the 28,000-volume Cranbury Public Library, which shares space with the school library, is also being expanded to 6,000 square feet from 4,000 and the school's computers are to be enhanced through the networking of all of the classrooms into the library."
^Cheslow, Jerry."If You're Thinking of Living in: Cranbury",The New York Times, December 29, 1991. Accessed February 20, 2024. "Aaron Burr, fleeing to Philadelphia after killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel in Weehawken in 1804, stopped at what is now the Cranbury Inn at the southern end of Main Street to eat and change horses."
^abHistory, Cranbury Township. Accessed December 3, 2019. "The marshy land near the mill site might have grown cranberries, hence the name. On 18th Century maps, the name appears as Cranberry and Cranberry Town. In 1857, Reverend Joseph G. Symmes felt the name was incorrectly spelled and suggested it be changed to Cranbury. In Old English 'bury' (connoting 'burgh') could be spelled bury, bery, or berry. In 1869, the town and the brook were renamed Cranbury."
^Barn Park, Cranbury Township. Accessed December 3, 2019. "The Parsonage barn originally belonged to the Parsonage Plantation, c. 1759, of the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury. It was dismantled in 2004 and stored for five years. In 2010, a foundation was laid and the repaired timbers were re-erected with funding from the Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society, Cranbury Landmarks, Inc., and the Township of Cranbury."
^Guion, Payton."Marijuana legalization would force tough choice for N.J. towns", NJ Advance Media forNJ.com, November 15, 2017. Accessed November 15, 2017. "NJ Advance Media reached out to mayors in all five towns that have medical dispensaries: Bellmawr, Cranbury, Egg Harbor, Montclair and Woodbridge."
^"1713 East Jersey Cottage - A Rediscovered Connection to 18th Century Cranbury", Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society, August 31, 2022. Accessed May 10, 2023. "The Cranbury Museum is once again open, and features an exhibit telling the story of the 1713 East Jersey Cottage. Rediscovered and saved by the Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society, the 1700s House was relocated to Millstone Park in late 2019."
^Marcus, Samantha."These are the towns with the highest property taxes in each of N.J.’s 21 counties", NJ Advance Media forNJ.com, April 22, 2019. Accessed November 5, 2019. "The average property tax bill in New Jersey was $8,767 last year. But there can be big swings from town to town and county to county.... The average property tax bill in Cranbury Township was $11,960 in 2018, the highest in Middlesex County."
^Biography, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman. Accessed January 3, 2019. "Watson Coleman and her husband William reside in Ewing Township and are blessed to have three sons; William, Troy, and Jared and three grandchildren; William, Kamryn and Ashanee."
^Board of County Commissioners,Middlesex County, New Jersey. Accessed May 1, 2022. "The residents of Middlesex County's 25 municipalities elect seven persons to serve as members of the Board of County Commissioners. The Commissioners are elected at large to staggered three-year terms in the November general election. In January of each year, the Board reorganizes, selecting one Commissioner to be County Commissioner Director and another to be County Commissioner Deputy Director."
^"Governor - Middlesex County"(PDF). New Jersey Department of Elections. January 29, 2014. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on September 10, 2015. RetrievedDecember 24, 2014.
^Cranbury Township Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Cranbury School District. Accessed September 23, 2024. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades K through 8 in the Cranbury School District. Composition: The Cranbury School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Cranbury Township."
^Princeton Public Schools 2015 Report Card Narrative,New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 1, 2016. "As we strive to serve the more than 3500 students from the Princeton and Cranbury communities, we do so knowing that our work with them in the classroom, on the athletic field, and on the stage matters deeply to each one and to the larger society into which they will graduate."
^Capuzzo, Jill P."Cranbury, N.J.: One Town, Many Personalities",The New York Times, February 25, 2014. Accessed November 2, 2014. "About 545 students in prekindergarten through Grade 8 attend Cranbury School, which has twice been recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. For grades 9 to 12, they move on to Princeton High School, where there are 1,445 students."
^Kilby, David."Cranbury: HHS alumni recalls how school used to be", CentralJersey.com, June 24, 2011. Accessed October 3, 2017. "Cranbury stopped sending its students to HHS in 1965, then it began sending its students to Hightstown-East Windsor High School. Cranbury students soon would go to Lawrence High School, then to Princeton High School, which is where they go today."
^Heyboer, Kelly."How to get your kid a seat in one of N.J.'s hardest-to-get-into high schools", NJ Advance Media forNJ.com, February 23, 2019. Accessed February 8, 2025. "Middlesex County has two stand-alone career academies for high-achieving students: the Academy for Science, Math and Engineering Technology, located on the campus of Middlesex County College in Edison, and the Academy for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences in Woodbridge. How to apply: Students must attend a mandatory information session and submit an application by November of their 8th grade year."
^About Our Schools,Middlesex County Magnet Schools. Accessed February 8, 2025. "These high schools are free public schools that offer hands-on, integrated learning opportunities for students in grades 9-12 interested in all types of careers as well as higher education. Any student who resides anywhere in Middlesex County's 25 municipalities student may apply to the school district. If accepted, the home school district will permit the student to attend and will organize daily transportation at no cost to the student's family."
^Konick, Emery Jr."Women's sports at center court",Home News Tribune, August 17, 2004. Accessed July 14, 2011. "Melanie Balcomb of Cranbury is the head women's basketball coach at Vanderbilt and one of the most successful young women's coaches in the nation."
^Chang, Kenneth."Ronald C. Davidson, Pioneer of Fusion Power, Dies at 74",The New York Times, May 29, 2016. Accessed May 30, 2016. "Ronald C. Davidson, who oversaw one of the biggest advances in fusion energy research, attempting to replicate the power of the sun, died on May 19 at his home in Cranbury, N.J. He was 74."
^About, Wendy Gooditis. Accessed February 19, 2020. "Wendy was raised to work hard and serve others. She grew up in Cranbury, New Jersey with two older brothers."
^Rubin, Debra."Day school and punk rock collide in teen novel",New Jersey Jewish News, December 6, 2010. Accessed February 19, 2020. "The South Orange native author spoke to NJJN by phone from her Manhattan home, where she lives with her Emmy Award-winning filmmaker husband Noah Harlan, a Cranbury native who grew up attending Congregation Beth Chaim in Princeton Junction."
^Raynor, Vivien."Art Review; A Painter's Evolution, Visual and Political",The New York Times, November 12, 1995. Accessed July 5, 2012. "Hughie Lee-Smith was born in Florida and schooled in Ohio and Michigan, notably at the Cleveland Institute of Art and Wayne State University in Detroit. He is nonetheless a New Jersey artist, and not just because of the many years he has lived in Cranbury."
^Morris, Jan."Once upon a time in America"[permanent dead link],Financial Times, May 9, 2008. Accessed August 27, 2008. "When I was resident in Cranbury more than half a century ago, it was a rustic haven in flat farmland country, with the remains of slave shacks, an 18th century inn, proud memories of the revolutionary war and a firehouse where firemen chewed the cud on kitchen chairs on the sidewalk outside, exchanging bucolic prejudices."
^Wilkinson, Jerry."Dr. Henry Perrine of Indian Key", Florida Keys History Museum. Accessed November 13, 2016. "Henry Edward Perrine was a descendant of a French Huguenot family who settled in New Jersey around 1665. He was born April 5, 1797 at Cranbury, New Jersey and taught school in Rockyhill, N.J. as a youth."
United States
New Jersey
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