Plainsboro Township is a township situated in southern Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Centrally located in the Raritan Valley region, the township is an outer-ring suburb of New York City in the New York metropolitan area, even though it is slightly geographically closer to Center City, Philadelphia than to Midtown Manhattan.New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area, United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 2, 2023.Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living In/Plainsboro, N.J.; The Woes and Benefits of Growth", The New York Times, January 11, 1998. Accessed July 2, 2023. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 24,084, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 1,085 (+4.7%) from the 22,999 recorded at the 2010 census, which in turn reflected an increase of 2,784 (+13.8%) from the 20,215 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.
Plainsboro was incorporated as a township on May 6, 1919, from lands north of Plainsboro Road and Dey Road that had been part of South Brunswick and lands south of Plainsboro Road and Dey Road that had been part of Cranbury.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 172. Accessed May 30, 2024. The main impetus towards the creation of the township was the lack of schools serving the area; a new school was constructed after the township was established, which still exists as J.V.B. Wicoff School, named for one of the individuals who led the effort to create Plainsboro.History, Township of Plainsboro. Accessed March 23, 2017. "Inadequate school facilities became the catalyst for creating the Township. Residents John V.B. Wicoff, a prominent Trenton lawyer and businessman, and Henry W. Jeffers Sr. led the move to have the New Jersey legislature form the Township of Plainsboro. A new school was built shortly after incorporation. That school, renamed the JVB Wicoff School on October 9, 1975, still serves as the school to many of Plainsboro's elementary students."
History The original residents of Plainsboro were the Unami people, a subtribe of the Lenape Native Americans. In the 17th century, the Dutch settled the area for its agricultural properties.History, Township of Plainsboro. Accessed December 23, 2019. "The Unami, a subtribe of the Lenni Lenape Native Americans, were the first inhabitants of the Plainsboro area. The Lenape were a part of the larger Delaware tribe. The Plainsboro area offered fertile soil and ample water to suit this tribe’s agricultural interests."
The oldest developed section of Plainsboro is at the intersection of Dey and Plainsboro Roads. It is thought that the road was named after a Dutch-built tavern that sat at the intersection, called "The Planes Tavern", in the early 18th century or earlier. The building still stands and was featured on HGTV's If These Walls Could Talk along with the historic Plainsboro Inn building (circa 1790) that was built adjacent to "Planes Tavern" at Plainsboro Road and Dey Road.
In 1897, the Walker-Gordon Dairy Farm opened up, which, among many other things, contributed Elsie the Cow and The Walker Gordon Diner, which has since been closed.Garbarine, Rachelle. "In the Region/New Jersey; In Plainsboro, Clustering for Conservation", The New York Times, June 27, 1999. Accessed December 31, 2011. "A 255-acre former dairy farm in the west central portion of Plainsboro that was once the home of Elsie, the Borden cow, is being transformed into a single-family home community designed so half the site will be developed and the other half devoted to recreation and open space. Called Walker-Gordon Farm, after the dairy that dominated the site off Plainsboro Road through 1971, the project will have 355 detached houses, each with 2,100 to 3,400 square feet of space on lots averaging 6,000 to 12,000 square feet. A total of 183 homes have been sold." The site of the farm has been turned into a community of 350 single-family homes named Walker-Gordon Farm.History, Walker Gordon Farm. Accessed October 22, 2013.
Other family farms arrived during the first three quarters of the 20th century, notably the Parker, Simonson, Stults, and Groendyke farms. The Parker Farm was eventually integrated into the Groendyke farm, and both became part of Walker-Gordon's Dairy Farm, which is now a housing development. The Simonson and Stults Farms still stand and operate in Plainsboro.
Plainsboro was officially founded on May 6, 1919, and was formed from sections of Cranbury and South Brunswick townships. Plainsboro Township was created in response to Cranbury and South Brunswick refusing to build a new fireproof and larger school in Plainsboro Village.Malwitz, Rick. , Home News Tribune, June 6, 2004. Accessed December 31, 2011. "Until 1919, Plainsboro was located in the townships of South Brunswick and Cranbury. Plainsboro wanted a grammar school, but the government of Cranbury was reluctant to spend money for a school. The citizens of the Plainsboro petitioned the state legislature for recognition, and succeeded, led by powerful Trenton attorney John V.B. Wicoff..." Every year, the date is celebrated with a parade, festival, and a concert.
In 1971, Princeton University (which owned most of the township) and Lincoln Properties, Inc., together started to develop the area into what it is now, a large suburban township still holding on to its rural past. By the 1980s, Princeton University had acquired nearly of Plainsboro Township, a holding far larger than the size of the original university campus.Princeton University - A Land Developer, Princeton Landing. Accessed December 23, 2019. "Following the Second World War, Princeton University purchased large land parcels in Plainsboro and the surrounding communities with the objective of developing the properties. This acquisition activity peaked in the 1980's when, the University owned almost 5,000 acres in the Princeton area (up from its original 4.5 acre campus)." In response to the development, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South was opened in nearby Princeton Junction, then just called WWP High. To accommodate the additional growth, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North was opened in Plainsboro in September 2000, beginning a north–south rivalry between the Pirates and the Knights.
The latest addition to Plainsboro is the Village Center, which is adjacent to the historic village area. Located at the intersection of Schalks Crossing and Scudder Mills Roads, Plainsboro Village Center currently features eight buildings totaling almost of retail, commercial and office space, as well as 11 single-family homes and 12 townhomes.Kershner, Randy. "Plainsboro Village Center breaks ground on two new buildings", MyCentralJersey.com, August 16, 2010, updated February 4, 2011. Accessed December 23, 2019. "Located at the intersection of Schalks Crossing and Scudder Mills Roads, Plainsboro Village Center currently features eight buildings totaling almost 75,000 square feet of retail, commercial and office space, as well as 11 single-family homes and 12 townhomes." The Village Center contains wide landscaped sidewalks and outdoor, cafe'-style seating. The Village center's downtown atmosphere is the location of many shopping and dining destinations. The Village Center features a large village green with a tranquil fountain and walking paths in a park-like setting. The Village Center also houses a new $12.4 million Plainsboro Library, which opened on April 10, 2010.Shaffer, Anita. "State of Plainsboro partly depends on state", The Times, February 23, 2010. Accessed December 31, 2011. The township broke ground on July 27, for two new buildings that will host medical offices, additional retail space and eight residential condominium units.
A new hospital facility was under development in Plainsboro, that would be renamed University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro. The new hospital and medical campus was designed to include a medical office building attached to the hospital, an education center, a health and fitness center, a nursing facility, a pediatric services facility and a public park. Officials at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) announced they will be opening a facility in Plainsboro on of the new hospital campus.Latham, Cara. "Children's Hospital Looks At Plainsboro Location", West Windsor & Plainboro News, January 7, 2011. Accessed May 24, 2016. "Officials at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have confirmed they are interested in opening a facility in Plainsboro on 13 acres on the new hospital campus off Route 1." Constructed at a cost of $523 million, the new hospital opened in May 2012, with patients relocated from the former facility in Princeton that had been in use for 93 years.Brill, Emily. "University Medical Center of Princeton officially opens its $523M facility", The Times, May 23, 2012, updated March 30, 2019. Accessed December 23, 2019. "Nicole Williams had two surprises this week: on Monday her son Atticus Howarth was born four days early, and yesterday the two of them were the first patients wheeled through the doors of the new University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro. Atticus’ key role in the inauguration of the $523 million new hospital was also a surprise to the delighted hospital staff.... The new hospital represents a massive upgrade for Princeton HealthCare System as it leaves behind its 93-year-old former hospital." The hospital was acquired in January 2018 by University of Pennsylvania Health System and renamed as Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center.Saska, Jim. "Amid regulatory uncertainty, Penn Medicine acquires Princeton HealthCare", WHYY-FM, January 12, 2018. Accessed December 23, 2019. "Penn Medicine has finalized the acquisition of Princeton HealthCare System following a yearlong regulatory approval process. The University Medical Center of Princeton — which, despite the name, is located in Plainsboro, New Jersey, and is not affiliated with the Ivy League university — will become the sixth hospital in the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which has also added hospital networks in Lancaster and Chester counties in recent years."
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 12.11 square miles (31.37 km2), including 11.74 square miles (30.40 km2) of land and 0.37 square miles (0.97 km2) of water (3.09%).
Plainsboro Center (with a 2020 Census population of 2,760) and Princeton Meadows (14,776) are unincorporated communities and census-designated places (CDPs) located within Plainsboro Township.
Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Aqueduct, Schalks and Scotts Corner.Locality Names, State of New Jersey. Accessed April 13, 2015.
The township borders the municipalities of Cranbury and South Brunswick in Middlesex County; and East Windsor, Princeton and West Windsor in Mercer County.Areas touching Plainsboro Township, MapIt. Accessed March 3, 2020.Municipalities, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Accessed December 1, 2019.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
Demographics
2020 Census