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Cranbury, NJ

Cranbury, New Jersey
Township
Township of Cranbury
Central business district of Cranbury
Central business district of Cranbury
Map of Cranbury Township in Middlesex County. Inset: Location of Middlesex County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Map of Cranbury Township in Middlesex County. Inset: Location of Middlesex County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Cranbury Township, New Jersey
Census Bureau map of Cranbury Township, New Jersey
Coordinates: 40°18′48″N 74°31′13″W / 40.313448°N 74.520224°W / 40.313448; -74.520224Coordinates: 40°18′48″N 74°31′13″W / 40.313448°N 74.520224°W / 40.313448; -74.520224
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.cranburytownship.org

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.


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