Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 until December 24, 1784.New Jersey County Map , New Jersey Department of State. Accessed July 10, 2017. 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.New Jersey: 2020 Core Based Statistical Areas and Counties , United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 22, 2022. 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."Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas." , Office of Management and Budget Bulletin 13-01, February 28, 2013. Accessed April 22, 2019.
In the 2020 United States census, Trenton was the fifth largest city in Central Jersey and the 10th-most-populous municipality statewide,Table1. New Jersey Counties and Most Populous Cities and Townships: 2020 and 2010 Censuses , New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed December 1, 2022. with a population of 90,871, an increase of 5,958 (+7.0%) from the 2010 census count of 84,913, which in turn had reflected a decline of 490 (−0.6%) from the 85,403 counted in the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010 , New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 91,506 in 2025, ranking the city the 383rd-most-populous in the country. Trenton is the only city in New Jersey that is served by three commuter rail transit systems (Amtrak, NJ Transit, and SEPTA), and the city has encouraged a spate of transit-oriented development.
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.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. pp. 164–165. Accessed May 30, 2024. A courthouse and jail were constructed in Trenton around 1720, and the Freeholders of Hunterdon County met annually in Trenton.County History , Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Accessed April 18, 2011.
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.
The city historically had a major manufacturing industry, with factories producing iron, steel, rubber, pottery, and other products that served the nation. Today Trenton's economy is dominated by the Government of New Jersey.
History
The earliest known inhabitants of the area that is today Trenton were the Lenape Native Americans,"Before There Was Trenton: A 350th Anniversary Look at the 17th Century Display of Early New Netherland Colonial Artifacts June 22 – October 19, 2014" , Trenton City Museum, October 12, 2014. Accessed December 1, 2019. specifically the Axion band who were the largest tribe on the Delaware River in the mid-17th century.
The first European settlement in what would become Trenton was established by Quakers in 1679, in the region then called the Falls of the Delaware, led by Mahlon Stacy from Handsworth, Sheffield, England. Quakers were being persecuted in England at this time, and North America provided an opportunity to exercise their religious freedom.Hunter, Richard. "Chapter 4: Land Use History" , from Abbott Farm National Historic Landmark Interpretive Plan, Mercer County, New Jersey. Accessed May 5, 2016.
By 1719, the town adopted the name "Trent-towne", after William Trent, one of its leading landholders who purchased much of the surrounding land from Stacy's family. This name was later shortened to "Trenton".Krystal, Becky. "Trenton, N.J.: One for the history buffs" , The Washington Post, February 10, 2011. Accessed January 10, 2012. "Back in the early 18th century, at least, the area was remote enough for Trent, a wealthy Philadelphia merchant, to build his summer home there near the banks of the Delaware River. And though it's dwarfed by its modern-day neighbors, at the time the home reflected its owner's 'ostentatious nature,' Nedoresow said. Further stroking his ego, he named the settlement he laid out 'Trent-towne,' which eventually evolved into the current moniker."Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names , New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed October 12, 2015.Gannett, Henry. The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, p. 304. United States Government Printing Office, 1905. Accessed October 12, 2015.
The first municipal boundaries were recorded on March 2, 1720, and a courthouse and jail were constructed around the same time.
In 1758, the Old Barracks were built to house British soldiers during the French and Indian War. On January 19, 1764, Benjamin Franklin, Postmaster General of the colonies, appointed Abraham Hunt, a Lieutenant Colonel in the New Jersey Hunterdon County militia and prominent merchant in Trenton, as the city's first postmaster. Hunt was again appointed Trenton's postmaster on October 13, 1775, shortly after the American Revolutionary War broke out.National Archives: Post Office Commissions to Abraham Hunt, 10 January 1764Schuyler, 1929, p. 132
During the American Revolutionary War, Trenton was the site of the Battle of Trenton. On December 25–26, 1776, George Washington and his army crossed the icy Delaware River to Trenton, where they defeated Hessian troops garrisoned there."This Day in History – Dec 26, 1776: Washington wins first major U.S. victory at Trenton" , History, November 13, 2009, updated July 27, 2019. Accessed December 1, 2019. The second battle of Trenton, Battle of the Assunpink Creek, was fought here on January 2, 1777. After the war, the Congress of the Confederation met for two months at the French Arms Tavern from November 1, 1784, to December 24, 1784.Parker, L.A. "City celebrating role as U.S. capital in 1784" , The Trentonian, November 6, 2009. Accessed January 10, 2012. "City and state leaders kicked off a two-month celebration yesterday with a news conference highlighting Trenton's brief role as the capital of the United States in 1784." While the city was preferred by New England and other northern states as a permanent capital for the new country, the southern states ultimately prevailed in their choice of a location south of the Mason–Dixon line.Messler, Mary J. "Chapter IV: Some Notable Events of Post-Revolutionary Times" from A History of Trenton: 1679–1929, Trenton Historical Society. Accessed May 5, 2016. "The question now resolved itself into a quarrel between the North and the South. New England favored Trenton, whereas the Southern States felt that in the selection of any site north of Mason and Dixon's line their claims for recognition were being slighted, and their interests sacrificed to New England's commercialism." On April 21, 1789, the city hosted a reception for George Washington on his journey to New York City for his first inauguration. The Trenton Battle Monument, a granite column topped with a statue of George Washington, was built in 1893 to commemorate the battle.Trenton New Jersey, United States , Encyclopædia Britannica. Accessed November 19, 2023.
Trenton became the state capital in 1790, but prior to that year the New Jersey Legislature often met in the city.A Short History of New Jersey , New Jersey. Accessed January 10, 2012. The city was incorporated on November 13, 1792. In 1792, the New Jersey State House was built, making it the third-oldest state house in the country. In 1799, the federal government relocated its offices to Trenton for a period of several months, following an outbreak of yellow fever in the then-capital of Philadelphia.
During the War of 1812, the United States Army's primary hospital was at a site on Broad Street.Some of Trenton's History , City of Trenton. Accessed October 12, 2015. "During the 1812 War, the primary hospital facility for the U.S. Army was at a temporary location on Broad Street."
Trenton had maintained an iron industry since the 1730s and a pottery industry since at least 1723. The completion of both the Delaware and Raritan Canal and the Camden and Amboy Railroad in the 1830s spurred industrial development in Trenton. In 1845, industrialist Peter Cooper opened a rolling mill. In 1848, engineer John Roebling moved his wire rope mill to the city, where suspension cables for bridges were manufactured, including the Brooklyn Bridge. Throughout the 19th century, Trenton grew steadily, as European immigrants came to work in its pottery and wire rope mills. Trenton became known as an industrial hub for railroads, trucking, rubber, plastics, metalworking, electrical, automobile parts, glass, and textiles industries.
The city's largest and most long-standing industry was ceramics. From the 1850s to the 1950s, scores of pottery companies called the city home and Trenton became known as the "Staffordshire of America." In the late 19th century, Walter Scott Lenox founded the Ceramic Art Company, which eventually became Lenox, Inc., a nationally known producer of fine china. Lenox designed and manufactured White House china for multiple Presidents of the United States.
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. In 1837, with the population now too large for government by council, a new mayoral government was adopted, with by-laws that remain in operation to this day.Richman, Steven M. Reconsidering Trenton: The Small City in the Post-Industrial Age , p. 49. McFarland & Company, 2010. . Accessed November 15, 2015. During the latter half of the century, Trenton annexed multiple municipalities: South Trenton Borough on April 14, 1851, portions of Nottingham Township on April 14, 1856, Chambersburg and Millham Township on March 30, 1888, and Wilbur borough on February 28, 1898. Portions of Ewing Township and Hamilton Township were annexed to Trenton on March 23, 1900.Honeyman, Abraham Van Doren. Index-analysis of the Statutes of New Jersey, 1896–1909: Together with References to All Acts, and Parts of Acts, in the 'General Statutes' and Pamphlet Laws Expressly Repealed: and the Statutory Crimes of New Jersey During the Same Period , p. 302. New Jersey Law Journal Publishing Company, 1910. Accessed October 12, 2015.
In 1855, the College of New Jersey was founded in Trenton. In 1865, Rider University was also founded in Trenton. Mercer Community College began in Trenton in 1966.