Location of Robbinsville Township in Mercer County highlighted in red (right). Inset map: Location of Mercer County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (left).
Census Bureau map of Robbinsville Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
Interactive map of Robbinsville Township, New Jersey
What is now Robbinsville Township was originally incorporated as Washington Township (named for George Washington[25]) by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 15, 1859, from portions of East Windsor Township.[26] On November 6, 2007, voters approved by a vote of 1,816 to 693[27] a measure that changed the township's name from Washington Township (the name of five other municipalities in New Jersey) to Robbinsville, named after a settlement within the township. The official changeover took place January 1, 2008, as signs and other items with "Washington" on them began to be changed.[28]
Robbinsville Township is known for reaching the Little League Softball World Series in four of the seven years from 2008 to 2014, the only program in the nation to do so.[29] The team won the championship in 2014 with a 22–0 postseason record and a 4–1 win against Bossier City, Louisiana in the tournament final.[30][31] the team was featured in a story by ESPNw as a perennial softball powerhouse.[29]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 20.58 square miles (53.30 km2), including 20.44 square miles (52.94 km2) of land and 0.14 square miles (0.36 km2) of water (0.68%).[2][3]
Of the 5,087 households, 41.7% had children under the age of 18; 60.0% were married couples living together; 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present and 29.4% were non-families. Of all households, 25.8% were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.26.[22]
28.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 87.8 males.[22]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $92,440 (with a margin of error of +/− $11,773) and the median family income was $124,816 (+/− $10,353). Males had a median income of $96,156 (+/− $4,577) versus $65,327 (+/− $8,597) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $44,149 (+/− $2,813). About 2.7% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.[46]
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census[17] there were 10,275 people, 4,074 households, and 2,815 families residing in the township. The population density was 501.8 inhabitants per square mile (193.7/km2). There were 4,163 housing units at an average density of 203.3 per square mile (78.5/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 91.00% White, 2.89% African American, 0.14% Native American, 4.31% Asian, 0.55% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.72% of the population.[44][45]
There were 4,074 households, out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.09.[44][45]
In the township the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 37.9% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.[44][45]
The median income for a household in the township was $71,377, and the median income for a family was $90,878. Males had a median income of $61,589 versus $44,653 for females. The per capita income for the township was $35,529. About 2.5% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.[44][45]
Government
Local government
Robbinsville Township Municipal Building
In November 2004, township residents voted to change their form of government from a Township Committee to a Mayor-Council form under the Faulkner Act. The new form of government took effect as of July 1, 2005.[8][47][9] The Mayor-Council form of government is used by 71 of the state's 564 municipalities.[48] In this form, the governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the Township Council, each functioning as an independent branch of government, with all members elected at-large to four-year terms of office on a non-partisan basis as part of the November general election. The Mayor is the Chief Executive of the Township and heads its Administration. The Mayor may attend Council meetings but is not obliged to do so.[9] The Council is the legislative branch. Elections are held in odd-numbered years with three council seats up together and the two other seats (and the mayoral seat) up for election two years later. At the annual organizational meeting held during the first week of January of each year, the Council selects a President and Vice President to serve for one-year terms. The Council President chairs the meetings of the governing body.[49] Following an ordinance passed in December 2011, municipal elections were shifted from May to November, with the terms of all township council members then serving extend by six months, to December 31.[50]
As of 2022[update], the Mayor of Robbinsville Township is David Fried, whose term of office ends December 31, 2025.[4] Members of the Township Council are Council President Michael Cipriano (2025), Vice President Deborah Blakely (2025), Christine "Chris" Ciaccio (2023), Michael Todd (2023; elected to serve an unexpired term) and Ronald C. Witt Jr. (2023).[9][51][52][53][54]
In January 2021, Deborah Blakely was appointed to fill the term expiring in December 2023 that had become vacant following the resignation of Dan Schuberth. Blakely served on an interim basis until the November 2021 election.[55] In the November 2021 general election, Michael Todd was elected to serve the balance of Schuberth's term of office, while Deborah Blakely ran for and won a full four-year term.[56]
Federal, state, and county representation
Robbinsville Township is located in the 3rd Congressional District[57] and is part of New Jersey's 14th state legislative district.[58][59][60]
Mercer County is governed by a County Executive who oversees the day-to-day operations of the county and by a seven-member Board of County Commissioners that acts in a legislative capacity, setting policy. All officials are chosen at-large in partisan elections, with the executive serving a four-year term of office while the commissioners serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats up for election each year as part of the November general election.[66] As of 2024[update], the County Executive is Daniel R. Benson (D, Hamilton Township) whose term of office ends December 31, 2027.[67] Mercer County's Commissioners are:
Mercer County's constitutional officers are:
Clerk Paula Sollami-Covello (D, Lawrence Township, 2025),[77][78]
Sheriff John A. Kemler (D, Hamilton Township, 2026)[79][80] and
Surrogate Diane Gerofsky (D, Lawrence Township, 2026).[81][82][83]
Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 8,361 registered voters in Robbinsville Township, of which 2,186 (26.1%) were registered as Democrats, 2,068 (24.7%) were registered as Republicans and 4,101 (49.0%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 6 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.[84]
In the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden won the town 58.0% to 40.8%, a margin that was to the left of the state as a whole. In the 2016 election, Hillary won the town 51.6% to 43.9%. In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 49.6% of the vote (3,332 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 49.1% (3,297 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (88 votes), among the 7,310 ballots cast by the township's 9,099 registered voters (593 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 80.3%.[87][90] In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 51.3% of the vote here (3,406 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 46.7% (3,099 votes) and other candidates with 1.1% (76 votes), among the 6,643 ballots cast by the township's 8,413 registered voters, for a turnout of 79.0%.[88] In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 52.9% of the vote here (3,215 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 44.7% (2,718 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (43 votes), among the 6,075 ballots cast by the township's 7,447 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 81.6.[89] This remains the last Republican presidential victory in the township.
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 60.6% of the vote (2,102 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 35.4% (1,228 votes), and other candidates with 3.9% (136 votes), among the 4,433 ballots cast by the township's 9,076 registered voters (967 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 48.8%.[96][97] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 57.9% of the vote here (2,508 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 34.7% (1,503 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 6.0% (262 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (28 votes), among the 4,331 ballots cast by the township's 8,379 registered voters, yielding a 51.7% turnout.[94]
Eighth grade students from all of Mercer County are eligible to apply to attend the high school programs offered by the Mercer County Technical Schools, a county-wide vocational school district that offers full-time career and technical education at its Health Sciences Academy, STEM Academy and Academy of Culinary Arts, with no tuition charged to students for attendance.[107][108]
Development
Robbinsville Town Center, near the intersection of U.S. Route 130 and Route 33, is a mix of about 1,000 housing units, including loft-style condominiums, townhouses, duplexes, single-family homes, and real estate space.[109]
Plans are underway to redevelop the portion of the township which lies to the south of Route 33, between the Hamilton Township border and U.S. Route 130.[110] In December 2010, the state approved designating this property as an area in need of development, which allows the township to draft a plan and appoint a redeveloper to revive stalled construction projects there.[111]
Robbinsville is home to a large warehouse colony, located on West Manor Way, just adjacent to the entrances and exit ramps to exits 7 and 8 off of Interstate 195. It is home to a variety of companies' distribution centers, including Scholastic Books, JDSU, Sleepy's, and Grainger Products. The Robbinsville Field House is a large membership gym located at the entrance to the warehouse colony near Route 526. An Amazon.com Fulfillment Center warehouse opened in the Matrix Business Park off of CR 539 in July 2014.[112]
As of May 2010[update], the township had a total of 100 miles (160 km) of roadways, of which 78.26 miles (125.95 km) were maintained by the municipality, 8.16 miles (13.13 km) by Mercer County, 8.37 miles (13.47 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 5.20 miles (8.37 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.[113]
Interstate 195 (the Central Jersey Expressway) is the largest highway providing access to local roads in Robbinsville
Interstate 195 is a major east-west artery that connects New Jersey's state capital of Trenton eastward to Robbinsville (at the New Jersey Turnpike's exit 7A) and then onward to the Garden State Parkway at Wall Township, thereby providing Robbinsville with direct access to the Jersey Shore region. Interchange 7A (for the Turnpike) is located within the township, with a 13-lane toll gate. Interstate 195 also provides access to Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township.
Robbinsville Township is home to Trenton-Robbinsville Airport (identifier N87), an uncontrolled general aviation airport, with a 4,275-foot (1,303 m) long runway. The airport averages 30,000 aircraft operations per year.[123]
Robert "Bobby" Smith (born 1951), retired U.S. soccer defender and National Soccer Hall of Fame member, owner of Bob Smith Soccer Academy in Robbinsville Township[135]
References
^ abKuperinsky, Amy. "'The Jewel of the Meadowlands'?: N.J.'s best, worst and weirdest town slogans"Archived November 20, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 22, 2015. Accessed July 12, 2016. "Robbinsville, another Mercer County township, beckons visitors to 'Be at the Center of it All.' This refers to the community's literal centrality within the state. To drive the point home, the town logo plants the dot on the 'I' in 'Robbinsville' smack dab in the middle of a mini New Jersey."
^ abBenner, Scott. "Robbinsville becomes softball capital"Archived March 18, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, espnW, August 12, 2004. Accessed June 23, 2017. "Over the past seven years, Robbinsville has sprung up as arguably the biggest hotbed of girls' softball players in the country. It's the only town in the U.S. to have reached the Little League Softball World Series four times in that time frame, and this year's squad just might be the best yet."
^Reynolds, Amy. "Robbinsville to celebrate Little League Softball World Series champs with hero's welcome tonight"Archived July 19, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, The Times, August 14, 2014. Accessed June 23, 2017. "The township tonight will welcome home the 2014 Little League Softball World Series champion Robbinsville team, who defeated Bossier City, La., 4–1 Wednesday night for the title.... This year's trip was Robbinsville's fourth appearance at the series. The team finished third in 2013, fifth in 2010 and second in 2008."
^Form of GovernmentArchived September 22, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, Robbinsville Township. Accessed November 30, 2019. "The Mayor-Council Plan also is known as the 'strong mayor' form. It provides for the direct election of the mayor, who serves a four-year term. This form is designed for a mayor to be independent of council, in charge of the administration of the municipality."
^Township Code § 2-6 Membership; term of office.Archived July 1, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Robbinsville Township. Accessed June 30, 2015. "The Township Council shall consist of five members, elected at-large by the voters of the Township at the regular nonpartisan municipal election to be held at the time of the November general election. The terms of the members of the Council shall be four years, beginning on January 1 following such election. Accordingly, the terms of the Council members holding office at the time of the adoption of this ordinance[1] shall be extended until December 31 beyond the expiration of their present term of office.[1]:Editor's Note: "This ordinance" refers to Ord. No. 2011-26, adopted 12-22-2011."
^"Township Council Selects Deborah Blakely to Fill Unexpired Council Seat"Archived September 12, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, MidJersey.News, January 7, 2021. Accessed September 12, 2021. "Robbinsville Township Council members selected Deborah Blakely to fill the unexpired seat vacated by Dan Schuberth at their annual reorganization meeting Thursday.... This appointment will be for approximately 11 months, until the election results in November, 2021 are certified by the Mercer County Clerk."
^Sansevrino, Bill. "Incumbents win re-election in Robbinsville"Archived December 1, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, Community News, November 4, 2021. Accessed June 22, 2022. "Todd was running unopposed for the two-year unexpired seat vacated by Councilman Dan Schuberth, who resigned last year to take a new job in Washington, D.C. Todd is expected to be sworn-in to fill the remainder Schuberth's term at the council meeting on Nov. 18. Since Blakely was appointed to replace Schuberth in January 2021, she will cede that council position to Todd before being officially being sworn-in at the township's annual reorganization meeting in January. Schuberth's seat was required to be on this year's ballot. Blakely opted to run for one of the four-year terms rather than the two-year unexpired term."
^Biography of Bob Menendez, United States Senate, January 26, 2015. "Menendez, who started his political career in Union City, moved in September from Paramus to one of Harrison's new apartment buildings near the town's PATH station.."
^Government, Mercer County. Accessed March 1, 2023. "Mercer County is governed by an elected County Executive and a seven-member Freeholder Board."
^Meet the County Executive, Mercer County. Accessed March 1, 2023. "Brian M. Hughes continues to build upon a family legacy of public service as the fourth person to serve as Mercer County Executive. The voters have reaffirmed their support for Brian's leadership by re-electing him three times since they first placed him in office in November 2003."
^"Governor - Mercer County"(PDF). New Jersey Department of Elections. January 29, 2014. Archived(PDF) from the original on January 1, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
^"Governor - Mercer County"(PDF). New Jersey Department of Elections. January 31, 2014. Archived(PDF) from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
^Robbinsville Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Robbinsville Public School District. Accessed February 15, 2024. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Kindergarten through twelve in the Robbinsville School District. Composition: The Robbinsville School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Robbinsville Township."
^Kahn, Lea. "Lawrence: School district earns $1 million from solar panels"[permanent dead link], The Lawrence Ledger, March 30, 2011. Accessed April 18, 2011. "School district officials began exploring the possibility of installing solar panels on each of the seven school buildings in 2004, Mr. Meara said. The goal was to address the loss of revenue as a result of Robbinsville Township's decision to build its own high school, ending the sending-receiving relationship between the Lawrence and Robbinsville school districts."
^Heyboer, Kelly. "How to get your kid a seat in one of N.J.'s hardest-to-get-into high schools"Archived May 18, 2022, at the Wayback Machine, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 2017. Accessed November 18, 2019. "Mercer County has a stand-alone specialized high school for top students: a Health Sciences Academy at the district's Assunpink Center campus. The district also offers a STEM Academy at Mercer County Community College. How to apply: Students can apply online in the fall of their 8th grade year."
^Yellin, Deena. "Grand and contentious, the world's largest Hindu temple is opening in NJ", The Record, October 19, 2023. Accessed November 16, 2023. "The BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham campus occupies roughly 180 acres in the township just east of Trenton, a property large enough to swallow MetLife Stadium almost four times. The gleaming edifice of marble and stone is graced with decorative arches, intricate carvings depicting stories from Hindu scripture and some 10,000 statues. Its spire reaches 191 feet into the sky."
^Venkatraman, Sakshi. "Largest Hindu temple outside Asia opens in New Jersey, built by 12,500 volunteers", NBC News, October 8, 2023. Accessed November 16, 2023. "The largest Hindu temple in the U.S. opens its doors Sunday in New Jersey. Built in the small township of Robbinsville, the 183-acre BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham, named for its founding Hindu spiritual organization, rivals major Hindu temples on the subcontinent."
^"PRISM". Archived from the original on July 25, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
^"NOHRSC". Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
^Alperin, Michele. "A Novelist Unveils India's Dirty Little Secret"Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, PrincetonInfo.com, August 20, 2008. Accessed November 25, 2017. "Cosmopolitanism and religious commitment coexisted in the childhood home of Shobhan Bantwal, a Robbinsville resident and author of her second novel, The Forbidden Daughter.""
^Fisher, Rich. "Robbinsville celebrates Ross Colton Day"Archived June 23, 2022, at the Wayback Machine, Community News, August 1, 2021. Accessed June 22, 2022. "And for one day, Robbinsville became Rossinsville. July 16 was proclaimed 'Ross Colton Day' in the township as its prodigal son brought the Stanley Cup home for a visit. It was hardware he helped earn, as Colton scored the game’s lone goal in Tampa Bay’s 1-0, Cup-clinching win over Montreal July 7."
^Pollack, Laura. "Learn the way of the Jedi this summer at the Fencing Club of Mercer County"Archived July 19, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, Community News, June 26, 2017. Accessed February 9, 2018. "Robbinsville resident John Friedberg, founder and head coach of the Fencing Club of Mercer County, had considered hosting a lightsaber class in the past, but he wasn't sure how to go about putting it together."
^Goudsward, Andrew. "Samantha Josephson murder: NJ hometown mourns 'quirky, kindhearted' girl", Asbury Park Press, April 2, 2019. Accessed November 30, 2019. "Many young people hope to leave their hometown behind when they go away to college, but not Samantha 'Sammy' Josephson. Josephson, 21, a senior at the University of South Carolina, told her boyfriend Greg Corbishley nearly every weekend they spent together on campus how much she missed her family, her friends and her home in New Jersey. On Tuesday, days after she was murdered near her university, her hometown of Robbinsville said farewell."
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