Trenton, New Jersey
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Template:US City infobox Trenton is the capital of New Jersey, a state of the United States of America. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 85,403. Trenton is located in almost the exact center of the north-south axis of the state. Due to this, it is sometimes included as part of North Jersey and as the southernmost city of the New York metropolitan area. Others consider it part of South Jersey and as the northernmost city of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area. Locals consider it to be a part of Central Jersey, and thus part of neither region, though in truth the city has more communication and transportation links with the Delaware Valley than it does with New York It is the county seat of Mercer County. The City of Trenton is governed under the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) system of municipal government.
Trenton is the home of the Trenton Thunder minor league baseball team, which is affiliated with the New York Yankees, and the Trenton Titans, an affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers. The New Jersey State Prison, which has two maximum security units and houses the state's most dangerous criminals, is also located in Trenton.
This city is an anchor city for the Delaware Valley metropolitan area. Trenton and its immediate suburbs are often lumped together and referred to as "Greater Trenton" by locals.
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History
The first settlement which 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, UK. Quakers were being persecuted in England at this time and North America provided the perfect opportunity to exercise their religious freedom.
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 later was shortened to "Trenton".
During the American Revolution, the city was the site of George Washington's first military victory. On December 26, 1776, Washington and his army, after crossing the icy Delaware River to Trenton, defeated the Hessian troops garrisoned there (see Battle of Trenton). After the war, Trenton was briefly the national capital of the United States in November and December of 1784. The city was considered as a permanent capital for the new country, but the southern states favored a location south of the Mason-Dixon Line.
Trenton became the state capital in 1790, but prior to that year the Legislature often met here. The town was incorporated in 1792.
In 1896 the first professional basketball game was played in Trenton between the Trenton Basketball Team and the Brooklyn YMCA.
A famous relic of Trenton's past as major manufacturing center is the slogan "Trenton Makes, the World Takes" displayed on the Lower Free Bridge just north of the US 1 toll bridge (the "Trenton Makes" Bridge). The city adopted the slogan in the 1920s to represent Trenton's leading role at the time as a major manufacturing center for steel, rubber, wire, rope, linoleum and ceramics.
Some well-known Americans born in Trenton include comedian Ernie Kovacs, football Pro Bowlers Troy Vincent and Gary Stills, basketball star Dennis Rodman, Notre Dame football coach Charlie Weis, former New York City mayor David Dinkins, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, General Norman Schwarzkopf and former Mobil Oil executive William Granville.
City life
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The chief employer in the city is the State of New Jersey and a number of state and federal government buildings are located downtown. The presence of these workers has proven crucial to the survival of many of Trenton's restaurants primarily located in an area of South Trenton known as Chambersburg.
The Trenton Public School system has consistently attempted to make strides to improve the quality of education for Trenton's students. Trenton Central High School (TCHS) or "Trenton High" for short, the city?s lone secondary school, is the most diverse high school in Mercer County, offering a wide-array of educational programs to enhance students' knowledge. Trenton High is noted in "Great Schools.net" as having a five-star rating in the area of student activities. Despite their less than stellar public secondary education, Trenton High students have still managed to succeed and attend top universities such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and the University of Pennsylvania. Trenton High offers more student activities and has more courses to choose from than its surrounding, more affluent suburbs. Recently, talk of demolishing Trenton High due to the high cost of a vast ongoing renovation project has caused backlash from city residents and officials seeing as how Trenton High is one of the most beloved and historic edifices in the city at 74 years-old.
Although there has been an increase in the Bloods and Crip gang presence in Trenton; there has been a huge effort to tackle the city's gang issues. These problems are also impacting some of Trenton's suburbs such as Ewing, Hamilton, and Lawrenceville as well as Trenton's northern neighbor of Princeton. As a result, many suburban kids have tried to imitate Trenton's youth by brining gang violence to their suburban communities. In addition, local newspapers have brought much attention to the gangs in Trenton. The Trenton Police Deparment has been effective in protecting the non-gang affiliated Trenton community.
On a positive note, there has been significant improvement in a number of the city's neighborhoods, including the Mill Hill section of the city, which has become a trendy and desirable place to live full of brownstones similar to those found in New York City's Brooklyn borough or Harlem neighborhood. The area around the State House West Trenton has also seen positive growth as has the area between Greenwood Avenue and Hamilton Avenue of Trenton's East Ward. The mayor's residence in an area of Trenton bordering Ewing Township known as Hiltonia is also an example of more upscale housing within Trenton. City government, the police, and many concerned community members have been working diligently to improve the quality of life in the city. Image:NewJersey_state_map.jpg|thumb|250px|Image provided by Classroom Clipart (http://classroomclipart.com)]] There are more than 60 distinct ethnicities living in Trenton. There are many Eastern Europeans (primarily Polish) who generally live in the northeast part of the city, along Olden Avenue. There are also Latinos and Hispanics from all over the world especially Puerto Rico, Guatemala, and Ecuador, as well as many African-Americans from Haiti, Liberia, and Nigeria. One can also find a significant Irish population in Trenton. Perhaps best known, however, is Trenton's Italian community chiefly centered around Chambersburg which is Trenton's restaurant district and is home to many Italian restaurants, bakeries, and delicatessens. However, overall Trenton is still predominately African-American.
The new Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton hosts the Trenton Titans semi-professional hockeyteam as well as numerous concerts, expositions, and other events. Pollstar, a leading industry publication has ranked the Sovereign Bank Arena 17th in the world for gross ticket sales.
Geography
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Trenton is located at 40°13'18" North, 74°45'22" West (40.221741, -74.756138)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.1 km² (8.1 mi²). 19.8 km² (7.7 mi²) of it is land and 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 6.01% water.
Trenton borders Ewing Township, Lawrence Township, Hamilton Township, and the Delaware River. Several bridges across the Delaware River connect Trenton to Morrisville, Pennsylvania.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 85,403 people, 29,437 households, and 18,692 families residing in the city. The population density is 4,304.7/km² (11,153.6/mi²). There are 33,843 housing units at an average density of 1,705.9/km² (4,419.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 32.55% White, 52.06% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.84% Asian, 0.23% Pacific Islander, 10.76% from other races, and 3.20% from two or more races. 21.53% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 29,437 households out of which 32.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.0% are married couples living together, 27.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% are non-families. 29.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.75 and the average family size is 3.38.
In the city the population is spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 96.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $31,074, and the median income for a family is $36,681. Males have a median income of $29,721 versus $26,943 for females. The per capita income for the city is $14,621. 21.1% of the population and 17.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 26.8% of those under the age of 18 and 19.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
External links
- City of Trenton website (http://www.ci.trenton.nj.us/)
- Trenton Downtown Association (http://trenton-downtown.com/index.asp)
- Trenton Historical Society (http://trentonhistory.org/)