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West Windsor

West Windsor, NJ

What We Love About West Windsor

  • Excellent environmental stewardship and plenty of open space, parks, and recreation
  • Wonderful school system
  • Diverse community
  • 10 minutes from the lively destination town of Princeton
  • More affordable homes than in other nearby towns
  • Mercer County TMA dedicated to accessible and sustainable public transportation
  • Easy access to trains from Princeton Junction to New York Penn Station and Philadelphia

West Windsor is located in Mercer County, New Jersey.

West Windsor is located in the Delaware River Region, which is between a one and two hour commute to NYC, but at the same time is only an hour or so from Philadelphia. This region is home to the scenic Delaware River, centuries old canals, rolling hills, cute towns and farms, but also Princeton University, Many world-class companies and award winning wineries, such as Coda Rossa Winery in Franklinville.

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Quick Facts

West Windsor is located in Mercer County, New Jersey – Delaware River Region

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Quick facts about West Windsor:

COMMUTE TIME (Hour:Minutes) ⓘ

These times are based on info from New Jersey Transit and Google Maps. Shortest times are given. Use our map above to calculate more accurate commute times to any address.
1:10+

Car ride to NYC.

1:00+

Train service to NYC.

n/a

Bus service to NYC.

SIZE ⓘ

People per square mile gives you an idea of how much breathing room a town has. NYC has around 27,000 while a well equipped walkable town might have around 5,000. Smaller towns with more single family homes and large yards usually have under 1,000. Click on more info below to see where we get our data. 
27,895

Population estimate, July 1, 2019

25.56

Square miles

1,063

People per square mile

HOUSING ⓘ

Median cost to rent or own is basically the average cost of renting or owning per month in any given town. It’s not exact. Median values include the most expensive dwellings and the cheapest dwellings all averaged together, but with some weight added to higher concentrations in the data set. Just gives you some basic basis of comparison between towns. Click on more info below to see where we get our data.

$2,090

Median gross rent, 2014-2018

$3,801

Median selected monthly owner costs – with a mortgage, 2014-2018

$620,600

Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2014-2018

PROPERTY TAX ⓘ

Approximate tax on $100K of home value. Ex: If you pay $500K for a house, multiply the number in the left column by 5 to get an idea of what you will have to pay each year in property taxes.

$2,804

Property taxes per $100,000 in home value.

EDUCATION ⓘ

Gives you the ability to quickly see how much of a town has graduated from high school or higher ed. Click on more info below to see where we get our data.
98.50%

High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2014-2018

82.70%

Bachelor’s degree or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2014-2018

INCOME ⓘ

Gives you an idea of how much people make in this town compared to other towns you look at. Click on more info below to see where we get our data.

$169,312

Median household income (in 2018 dollars), 2014-2018

AGE DISTRIBUTION ⓘ

Gives you an idea of how old your neighbors might be. Click on more info below to see where we get our data.
25.70%

Persons under 18 years

13.10%

Persons 65 years and over

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE STATS & INFO ON RACE, INCOME AND HOUSING

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School Scores – click on schools please

Walking and Biking Score – any score over 50 is good​

The Full Story of West Windsor, NJ

What is it like living in West Windsor, NJ?

Affluent, diverse West Windsor is a charming town in Mercer County composed of a number of hamlets—with no actual downtown of its own, so a car is important—yet just a ten-minute drive from the vibrant, picturesque town of Princeton. You can find cheaper houses in West Windsor, while still taking advantage of the arts, culture, shopping, and dining in bustling Princeton. West Windsor is so closely intertwined with Princeton, in fact, that 400 acres of Princeton University’s campus are actually in West Windsor, and one of West Windsor’s unincorporated communities is Princeton Junction, home to Princeton Junction Station, which serves NJ Transit and Amtrak on the Northeast Corridor Line, going to New Brunswick, Newark, and ultimately New York Penn Station in New York City. AvalonBay (a major national developer) will soon break ground on a major residential and retail development adjacent to Princeton Junction Station that may finally give West Windsor its own downtown area.

That’s West Windsor in a nutshell!

Click to read more

West Windsor is a great town for nature-lovers—with plenty of open space, parks, and hiking and walking opportunities—and a solid pick for people who want easy access to the New York metropolitan area (there’s public transportation to nearby towns or to NYC). West Windsor is also known for its diversity, which is reflected in its multicultural restaurants. It is also a great place for young families: In 2009, AOL/Neighborhood Scout ranked it the best town to raise children because of its school district (top 3% nationwide), its prevailing family type (young families with school-aged children), and its safety record (safer than 97% of neighborhoods).

There’s an Asian market, an Indian grocery store, and McCaffrey’s Market, and the Square at West Windsor has a Trader Joe’s.

 

Schools

West Windsor and Plainsboro are part of a combined school district (West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District) that serves students from pre-K through 12th grade in both communities.

The public elementary schools are Dutch Neck Elementary School (in West Windsor, 687 students, grades K-3), Maurice Hawk Elementary School (West Windsor, 749 students, K-3), Town Center Elementary School (Plainsboro, 522 students, PreK-2), J.V.B. Wicoff Elementary School (Plainsboro, 449, K-3), Millstone River Upper Elementary School (Plainsboro, 1088 students, grades 3-5), and Village Upper Elementary School (West Windsor, 726 students, grades 4-5). The public middle schools are West Windsor-Plainsboro Community Middle School (Plainsboro, 1,172 students, grades 6-8) and Thomas R. Grover Middle School (West Windsor, 1,264 students, grades 6-8). The public high schools are West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North (Plainsboro, 1,448 students in grades 9-12) and West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South (West Windsor, 1601 students, grades 9-12), both recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools (along with Maurice Hawk Elementary School).

All Mercer County 8th-graders can apply for the Health Science Academy, STEM Academy, and Academy of Culinary Arts high school programs at Mercer County Technical Schools, which are also tuition-free.

In or near West Windsor are notable private schools Princeton Day School, Stuart Country Day School, The Lawrenceville School, The Hun School of Princeton, Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart, and the K-12 Christian Wilberforce School in Plainsboro.

Nearby Universities include Princeton University, The College of New Jersey, Rutgers University, Rider University, Westminster Choir College, and the West Windsor campus of Mercer County Community College.

 

Parks and Recreation

The main park in West Windsor is West Windsor Community Park, its 123 acres containing a playground, walking/jogging paths, a skate park, two tennis courts, two dog parks, and two basketball courts, as well as baseball, softball, football, lacrosse, and soccer fields, and the West Windsor WaterWorks Family Aquatic Center.

West Windsor has several other parks, including Conover Field, Dey Forest Park, and the large Duck Pond Park, with about 60 acres of nature reserve and 60 acres of active recreation areas. Duck Pond Park includes three lighted soccer fields, two tennis courts, two basketball courts, a sand volleyball court, walking paths, and picnic areas. The Millstone River Preserve and Rogers Preserve have walking/hiking trails and areas suited for picnicking or birding, and Hendrickson Drive Tennis Complex, home to the West Windsor Tennis Program.

The West Windsor historic bike trail has three trail options (the longest one being 15 miles)  taking you past more than 100 notable town sites throughout Dutch Neck, Grovers Mill, and Princeton Junction. 

The Ron Rogers Arboretum is dedicated to preserving the many species of Quercus (oak) trees, with 12 acres of open fields, 13 acres of mature woodland, and a September 11 memorial consisting of twin reflecting pools and steel from the World Trade Center.

 

Dining and Nightlife

West Windsor’s diverse population is well represented in its restaurants, which include Asian, American, Mexican, Indian, and Italian options. Bagel Hole and Bagel Nosh and Deli are popular breakfast spots. Windsor Plaza has a great variety of eateries, including Terakawa Ramen, Zac’s Burger, P.J.’s Pancake House, and Aljon’s Pizza and Restaurant. A top bar and American pub in West Windsor is Seasons 52. Princeton Junction has Capuano Italian Ristorante and Café, Carlucci’s, and great Asian food at Asian Bistro, Shanghai Bun and Mizu Japanese Restaurant. The Bog Restaurant, on the grounds of the Cranbury Golf Club, is a casual American restaurant and bar. 

For more options, head over to Princeton, where plenty of restaurants line Nassau Street and Palmer Square, ranging from a quick and inexpensive grab-and-go to a lavish multiple-course dine-in. In Plainsboro, there’s Romeo’s Restaurant and Pizza for more authentic Italian, and Jhopri and Crown of India for Indian food. 

For nightlife, check out nearby Princeton’s Triumph Brewery or Ivy Inn—two great bars—with live bands at the former and a weekly karaoke night at the latter. Finally, try Conte’s down Witherspoon Street if you are in the mood for a beer and a slice.

 

Arts and Culture

The West Windsor Arts Center offers quite a selection of performances, live music, youth and adult classes, workshops, and other events, including glassworks courses. The WWAC also rents its space for parties and other events. Other popular arts and crafting spots are That Pottery Place for pottery and art crafting, and AR Workshop West Windsor for wood crafting. AR Workshop also hosts arts and crafts summer camps for youth. The West Windsor branch of the Mercer County library system offers lots of educational programming.

Mercer County Community College operates Mercer County Television Channel 26 (MCTV 26), an educational-access television station transmitted through Xfinity and Optimum to 90,000 households throughout Mercer County. MCCC is also home to the Kelsey Theater, which hosts such groups as the Mercer Dance Ensemble and plays such as Mamma Mia! and Evita.

The Mercer County Italian American Festival has been held annually in West Windsor since 2000. 

West Windsor benefits tremendously from its proximity (ten minutes) to Princeton. Always free and open to the public, on the University campus, Princeton University Art Museum hosts an impressive range of exhibitions, including Ancient, Byzantine, and Islamic art, European art, Modern and Contemporary art, and Photography collections. Also on campus is the McCarter Theatre Center, a wonderful nonprofit theater mounting drama, dance, and musical performances and offering educational programs. The small nonprofit arthouse Princeton Garden Theatre often shows foreign and independent films. Showings in past years have included Academy Award winners like director Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite and director Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water. The AMC MarketFair 10 shows all the mainstream movies.

 

Housing Stock

Keep in mind that West Windsor has two zip codes: 08540 (Princeton) and 08550 (Princeton Junction). Addresses within West Windsor township are Princeton or Princeton Junction addresses.

Large upscale homes (primarily suitable for families, with 3-5 bedrooms and 2-3 baths) are currently for sale on Princeton Hightstown Road in Princeton Junction, on Windsor-Edinburg Road, and on Exeter Court. More modest homes are available on Honeyflower Lane and Village Road in Princeton Junction, as well as Rabbit Hill Road and Old Trenton Road. Two affordable housing communities in West Windsor are Freedom Village at West Windsor and Hamlet at Bear Creek.

AvalonBay is poised to begin construction on an ambitious mixed-use redevelopment project adjacent to Princeton Junction Station, with 550 apartments, 150 townhomes, 100 senior housing units, 37,000 square feet of retail space, a public promenade, and parking.

 

The Commute

NJ Transit’s Northeast Corridor line runs from Princeton Junction Station to Trenton, New York City, Newark, and New Brunswick. The trip to NY Penn ($16 one-way; $451 monthly pass) takes anywhere from as little as 52 minutes to as long as one hour and 25 minutes. For train service on both weekdays and weekends direct to Penn Station NYC, Amtrak takes about 50 minutes (rates vary, so try to book in advance). 

For Amtrak travel to Philadelphia direct from Princeton Junction, expect the trip to take about 45 minutes. NJ Transit is less expensive to Philly ($5 one way; $145 monthly pass) but it is more complicated and time-consuming (you have to take one train from Princeton Junction to Trenton Transit Center and then transfer to a second SEPTA train into Philly). Sometimes the timing is so tight that you miss the transfer to the second train and have to wait for another one in Trenton, so make sure you leave extra travel time.

The Route 130 connection bus offers service between the Trenton Rail Station and South Brunswick Warehouse Area, with stops in Hamilton and along the Route 130 Corridor. Major stops along the route include Hamilton Rail Station, Mercer County Community College–West Windsor, Hamilton Plaza, Hamilton Marketplace, downtown Hightstown, East Windsor Town Center Plaza, Princeton Hightstown Road, and East Windsor Village. Fare is $1 each way. Mercer TRADE provides non-emergency transportation to residents of Mercer County who are 60 years of age and older and people with disabilities.Princeton freeB bus (operated by Greater Mercer TMA) travels throughout Princeton. Tiger Transit (Princeton University’s transit system around the campus and other parts of town) is both free and open to the public to ride.

Neighborhoods

Neighborhoods in West Windsor include the unincorporated communities of Berrien Village (or simply Berrien), with mostly detached, single family homes, and Dutch Neck (featuring Duck Neck Estates and its 3- to-5-bedroom homes). West Windsor’s Grover’s Mill was made famous when it was depicted as the landing site of a martian invasion in Orson Welle’s War of the Worlds, and along with it, Grover’s Mill Estates with its 4- to 5-bedroom homes. Other unincorporated communities include Princeton Junction, Edinburg, Millstone, Port Mercer, and Penns Neck.

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The information provided on this site is for promotional purposes. Not all statements are verified before publishing. It is strongly suggested that always contact the school district and the local municipality directly to verify important information before deciding to move or buy in that location. LovableTowns does not discriminate against any state or federally protected class as it relates to Fair Housing Act and The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD).
Photos by: Casey Kittel, Google Street View, etc.