Trenton, New Jersey
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. It is the county seat of Mercer County.Trenton is the home of the Trenton Thunder minor league baseball team, and the Trenton Titans the AA 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.
Geography
Trenton is located at 40°13'18" North, 74°45'22" West (40.221741, -74.756138)1.
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.
Demographics
As of the census 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 people living in poverty, 26.8% are under the age of 18 and 19.5% are 65 or older.
History
The first settlement in what would become Trenton was established by Quakers in 1679, in the region then called the Falls of the Delaware. By 1719, the town adopted the name "Trent-towne", after one of its leading landholders, William Trent. 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 proposed as a possible capital for the United States, but the southern states favored a location south of the Mason-Dixon Line.
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 Delaware River 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, basketball star Dennis Rodman, former New York City mayor David Dinkins, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and General Norman Schwarzkopf.