Ewing Township, New Jersey
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Ewing Township is a Township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 35,707. The Census Bureau's 2005 population estimate for Ewing Township is 37,237.[1]
Ewing Township was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 22, 1834, from portions of Trenton Township, while the area was still part of Hunterdon County. It became part of the newly-created Mercer County on February 22, 1838.[2]
Although Ewing Township was officially established in 1834, the history of the region ranges back thousands of years. The earliest inhabitants of the land area today known as Ewing Township were the Lenni Lenape Native Americans. These migratory people ranged throughout New Jersey along the banks of the Delaware River, and the Township's many creeks provided rich natural resources for hunting, fishing, pottery-making, and simple farming.
When the region was first settled by European colonists around 1699, it was part of Hopewell Township, and continued under that name until the City of Trenton was established in 1719. From 1719 until 1834, the area was named Trenton Township. On February 22, 1834, the name was changed from Trenton Township to Ewing Township in honor of Charles Ewing, who was posthumously honored for his work as Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1824-1832.
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[edit] Geography
Ewing is located at (40.259958, -74.788842)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 40.4 km² (15.6 mi²). 39.7 km² (15.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.7 km² (0.3 mi²) of it is water, mostly consisting of the Delaware River. The total area is 1.73% water.
The highest elevation in Ewing Township is 220 feet within the Mountain View Golf Club and the lowest point is 40 feet near the Delaware River.[3]
Ewing Township shares land borders with Hopewell Township, Lawrence Township, and the City of Trenton, all in New Jersey; the Delaware River separates Ewing from Lower Makefield Township and Yardley Borough, both in Pennsylvania.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 6,942 |
|
|
| 1940 | 10,146 | 46.2% | |
| 1950 | 16,840 | 66.0% | |
| 1960 | 26,628 | 58.1% | |
| 1970 | 32,831 | 23.3% | |
| 1980 | 34,842 | 6.1% | |
| 1990 | 34,185 | -1.9% | |
| 2000 | 35,707 | 4.5% | |
| Est. 2005 | 37,237 | [1] | 4.3% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[4] | |||
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 35,707 people, 12,551 households, and 8,208 families residing in the township. The population density was 899.3/km² (2,328.6/mi²). There were 12,924 housing units at an average density of 325.5/km² (842.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 69.02% White, 24.82% African American, 0.15% Native American, 2.27% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.83% from other races, and 1.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.44% of the population.
There were 12,551 households out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the township the population was spread out with 18.0% under the age of 18, 17.3% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $57,274, and the median income for a family was $67,618. Males had a median income of $44,531 versus $35,844 for females. The per capita income for the township was $24,268. About 3.3% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Township Layout
Ewing Township was originally farmland punctuated by hamlets, including Ewingville, West Trenton, and Wilburtha. Since the beginning of the 20th Century, the township has developed as a suburb of Trenton. The sections near the city border are distinctly urban, but most of the township is suburban residential development. The main commercial district extends along North Olden Avenue Extension (County Route 622), originally constructed to connect north Trenton residences with the now-closed General Motors plant. Ewing Township is also the location of the The College of New Jersey, New Jersey State Police headquarters, the Jones Farm State Correction Institute, the New Jersey Department of Transportation headquarters, Katzenbach School for the Deaf, and Trenton-Mercer Airport (KTTN), the location of Trenton, New Jersey's weather observations.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
Ewing Township is governed under a Mayor-Council form of New jersey municipal government, under the Faulkner Act. The Governing Body of the township consists of five Council members and a Mayor, all of whom are elected by the residents of the community. The Mayor is elected to a four-year term. Members of the Council are elected to staggered four-year terms.[5]
The Mayor of Ewing Township is Jack Ball (term ends December 31, 2010). Members of the Ewing Township Council are Council President Les Summiel (2008), Council Vice President Bert Steinmann (2008), Kathy Wollert (2010), Joe Murphy (2008), and Don Cox (2010).[6][7]
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Ewing Township is in the Twelfth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 15th Legislative District.[8]
New Jersey's Twelfth Congressional District, covering all of Hunterdon County and portions of Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Morris County, and Somerset County, is represented by Rush D. Holt Jr. (D). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
The 15th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Shirley Turner (D, Ewing) and in the Assembly by Reed Gusciora (D, Trenton) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D, Trenton). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).
Mercer County's County Executive is Brian M. Hughes. The executive, along with the Board of Chosen Freeholders administer all county business. Mercer County's Freeholders are Freeholder Chair Keith V. Hamilton, Freeholder Vice Chair Pasquale "Pat" Colavita, Jr., Ann M. Cannon, Anthony P. Carabelli, Tony Mack, Elizabeth Maher Muoio and Lucylle R. S. Walter.
[edit] Education
The Ewing Township Board of Education oversees the Ewing Public Schools. At present, the district includes three elementary schools with kindergarten and grades 1 through 5 (Lore, Antheil, and Parkway), one middle school with grades 6 through 8 (Fisher), and one high school with grades 9 through 12 (Ewing High School). An adult school is also administered.
The College of New Jersey (formerly Trenton State College) is located within the Ewingville section of the township.
[edit] Transportation
Ewing Township is traversed by multiple main roadways, as well as by a passenger rail line and is the location of an airport.
Route 29 (Daniel Bray Highway and River Road) extends north-south along the western edge of the township, along the Delaware River. The southern section, Daniel Bray Highway, is a 55 mph (90 km/h), divided 4-lane facility with at-grade intersections and traffic lights, and was constructed in the 1950s. The northern section, River Road, is a 45 mph (70 km/h), undivided 2-lane facility whose construction as a state highway dates from the 1930s. NJ 29 connects southwards to Trenton, and northwards to Lambertville and Frenchtown.
Route 31 (Pennington Road) extends north-south towards the eastern side of the township. It is a 35-45 mph (60-70 km/h), undivided 4-lane facility whose construction as a state highway also dates to the 1930s. It once also carried a trolley line, but it has long since been removed. It was once proposed to be bypassed by a freeway, but this plan has since been cancelled. NJ 31 also connects south to Trenton, and connects north to Pennington, Flemington, and Clinton.
U.S. Route 206 (Princeton Avenue) skirts the southeastern section of the township. It is a 25 mph (40 km/h), undivided 4-lane[9] facility. Although part of US 206, it was not constructed and is not maintained by the state. US 206 also connects south to Trenton, and connects north to Princeton and Somerville.
Interstate 95 (the Scudder Falls Freeway and Bridge) crosses the northwestern section of the township. It is a 55-65 mph (90-100 km/h), 4-6 lane divided freeway facility. It was constructed as a 4-lane facility in the 1960s, and widened to 6 lanes in the 1990s, with the exception of the Scudder Falls Bridge over the Delaware River. It connects south with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and connects north to U.S. 1, where this branch of Interstate 95 ends. It becomes Interstate 295 and turns south, forcing travellers to utilize either U.S. 1 or Interstate 195 and the New Jersey Turnpike to reach the next major destination northwards, New York City. The Ewing portion of Interstate 95 will eventually be redesignated as "Interstate 195 Extension" when a direct interchange between Interstate 95 in Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Turnpike is completed, re-routing Interstate 95 onto the New Jersey Turnpike at Exit 6 (in Mansfield Township).
Ewing Township also boasts a commuter rail facility, West Trenton Station, at the terminus of SEPTA's R3 Regional Rail line. This facility mainly serves commuter traffic to and from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Ewing Township is also the site of the Trenton-Mercer Airport (TTN). This facility is the site of limited commercial flights to various east coast locations, as well as a substantial public recreational airport.
Ewing Township is also traversed by the Delaware and Raritan Canal near the Delaware River. Originally important to commerce and trade, the advent of railroads caused the canal's commercial demise. The strip of land along the canal is currently part of the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park, which comprises a section of the East Coast Greenway, an "urban" Appalachian Trail, aiming to connect all the major cities of the East Coast along a 3,000 mile continuous off-road path from Calais, Maine to Key West, Florida.
[edit] Points of Interest
- Delaware and Raritan Canal - Runs along the eastern bank of the Delaware River in western Ewing Township.
- Washington Victory Trail - Documents the trail taken by George Washington's army during the American Revolution on Christmas Day, 1776. This led to a successful surprise attack on the Hessian troops occupying Harrisburg, New Jersey. Victory trail begins in nearby Washington Crossing State Park, enters Ewing Township at Jacobs Creek Road and continues along Bear Tavern Road. General Sullivan's route follows Grand Avenue and Sullivan Way to Trenton. General Greene's route follows Parkway Avenue to Trenton. [10][11]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Census data for Ewing township, United States Census Bureau, accessed March 1, 2007
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 161.
- ^ Environmental Resource Inventory for Ewing Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, Delware Valley Regional Planning Commission, Publication No: 05008, March, 2005
- ^ Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, accessed March 1, 2007
- ^ Ewing Township Demographics, accessed October 20, 2006
- ^ Candidates Wanted Ewing Observer, February 2006
- ^ Government Representatives, accessed January 5, 2007 contains incorrect data that has not been updated to reflect the current composition of the Council
- ^ League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 57, accessed August 30, 2006
- ^ Google Map of Route 206 in Ewing, accessed November 1, 2006
- ^ Old Barracks Museum
- ^ Ten Crucial Days
[edit] External links
- Township of Ewing official website
- Ewing Township Public Schools
- Ewing Public Schools's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Ewing Public Schools
- Ewing Observer (Twice-monthly Community News Service and news blog)
- Route 95 & Scotch Road Traffic Camera
- Popular Local Forum (Run by Star-Ledger)
- Local Weather Forecast (NOAA)
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
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(County seat: Trenton) |
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| Boroughs | Hightstown | Hopewell | Pennington | Princeton |  |
| City | Trenton | |
| Townships | East Windsor | Ewing | Hamilton | Hopewell | Lawrence | Princeton | Washington | West Windsor | |
| CDPs and communities |
Grover's Mill | Lawrenceville | Mercerville-Hamilton Square | Princeton Junction | Princeton North | Robbinsville | Titusville | Twin Rivers | White Horse | Windsor | Yardville-Groveville | |
