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New Jersey State...
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New Jersey Counties
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New Jersey Counties
New Jersey has 21 counties. New Jersey was governed by two separate groups of proprietors
as two distinct provinces, East Jersey and West Jersey, for the 28 years between 1674 and 1702. New Jersey's
first counties were created as administrative districts within each province, with East Jersey split in 1675
into Bergen, Essex, Middlesex and Monmouth counties, while West Jersey's initial counties of Burlington and
Salem date to 1681. The most recent county created in New Jersey was Union County, created in 1857 and named
after the union of the United States |
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Mercer County, New Jersey
Mercer County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Trenton
Year Organized: 1838
Square Miles: 226 |
Court House: 640 South Broad Street
McDade Administration Building
Trenton, NJ 08611-1822
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
Mercer is named for Hugh Mercer, an American Revolutionary War general.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
In 1786, after General Washington ensured that Trenton would not be the national capital, and before Washington D. C.
was created, a petition was circulated around among the leaders of Burlington and Hunterdon Townships. The petition
called for the creation of the City of Trenton. Unlike its original hamlet configuration, the City of Trenton would not
be allowed to act as its cousins of the time, creating the necessary government and community atmospheres of the cities
of the 18th century.
This petition failed, but a compromise struck in the political manner of the day did create the Borough of South
Trenton. This new borough cut between Hunterdon and Burlington and made for interesting political discontent. Unhappy
with the 50 year old system of the 13 original New Jersey counties, the state legislature saw the new Borough as the
starting point of a new county - one that would balance the power of the more northern Hudson county, while still
enabling the southern counties a powerful voice in the state legislature.
In 1838, twenty three years before the Civil War, the New Jersey state legislature decided to redraw its county lines.
Increasing the colonial 13 counties to a more modern 15 counties balanced the political powers of the day. Unhappy with
the odd number of representatives in the county system, the state legislature created Mercer County.
The new county, which encompassed Princeton and Trenton, was carved out of parts of Hunterdon, Burlington, Middlesex,
and Somerset counties. This was the birth of modern day Mercer County.
The name of Mercer was given to land in honor of General Hugh Mercer, a Revolutionary General who fell at the Battle of
Princeton.
Trenton once again became a seat of power; this time as the county seat. The prosperity that the region was about to
enjoy could never have been imagined at this time, but the work that was done in 1838 led to the creation of one of the
most powerful and economically important cities in 19th and early 20th century America. Mercer County, it seems, has
always been the place where history is made, and adventure takes place.
Neighboring Counties:
Cities and Towns:
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- East Windsor |
township |
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- Ewing |
township |
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- Hamilton |
township |
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- Hightstown |
borough |
Incorporated Area |
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- Hopewell |
borough |
Incorporated Area |
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- Lawrence |
township |
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- Pennington |
borough |
Incorporated Area |
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- Princeton |
borough |
Incorporated Area |
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- Trenton
(County Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- West Windsor |
township |
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally,
act locally." |
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