Town guide · Burlington County
Living in Bordentown, NJ
Bordentown sits where Crosswicks Creek meets the Delaware River. The small city holds one of the oldest town grids in Burlington County, settled in 1682, and the township wraps around it with neighborhoods, highways and riverfront marsh.
- County
- Burlington
- Population
- About 4,000 in the city and 11,800 in the township (2020 census)
- Size
- About 1 square mile (city) and 9 square miles (township)
- Setting
- A historic small city on the Delaware River, surrounded on three sides by a suburban township
- Main roads
- New Jersey Turnpike (Exit 7), Interstate 295 (Exits 56 and 57), U.S. Route 130 and U.S. Route 206
First things first
Two Bordentowns, two governments
Bordentown City and Bordentown Township are separate municipalities with separate governments, separate budgets and separate property tax rates. The city was incorporated as a borough in 1825, became a city in 1867 and fully separated from the surrounding township area in 1877. The township was incorporated in 1852.
Both share the Bordentown 08505 ZIP code, so a mailing address does not tell you which one a home is in. The small borough of Fieldsboro, next door, is a third separate town. We check which municipality a home is in before anything else, because that sets the tax bill and the town services.
Neighborhoods
A river city and the township around it
The city was first settled in 1682 and later named Borden's Town for Joseph Borden. Much of it falls inside the Bordentown Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and its downtown runs along Farnsworth Avenue.
The township borders the city on three sides and runs out to the Turnpike, Route 130 and Route 206, with frontage on the Delaware River and Crosswicks Creek.
- Downtown Bordentown City: The historic core along Farnsworth Avenue, with the River Line station on Park Street.
- Point Breeze: Joseph Bonaparte's former estate on a point above Crosswicks Creek and the Delaware, now Bordentown City's municipal complex and preserved open space.
- Bossert Estates and Dunns Mill: Named localities within Bordentown Township.
- Newbold Island: An island in the Delaware River that is part of Bordentown Township.
Homes
What you will find
- Older homes in the city on a compact street grid inside the Bordentown Historic District, close to the downtown and the River Line.
- Township neighborhoods spread across about 9 square miles between the city, the Turnpike and the Delaware River.
- Homes near the water along the Delaware River, Crosswicks Creek and Blacks Creek, where the low ground meets tidal marsh.
Worth knowing: Bordentown is where three waterways meet: the Delaware River, Crosswicks Creek and Blacks Creek. Homes on low ground near the creeks and the river can fall in a mapped flood zone, which affects flood insurance and the lender's requirements. In the city, many homes sit inside the Bordentown Historic District, so before a buyer plans exterior work we look into any local review that applies.
Property taxes
What taxes look like in Bordentown
- 2.543%Bordentown City: 2025 effective tax rate, as a share of market value
- $8,018Bordentown City: 2025 average residential tax bill
- 2.022%Bordentown Township: 2025 effective tax rate, as a share of market value
- $8,463Bordentown Township: 2025 average residential tax bill
A home worth $300,000 on today's market would pay roughly $7,629 a year at Bordentown City's 2025 effective rate. A home worth $400,000 on today's market would pay roughly $8,088 a year at Bordentown Township's 2025 effective rate. Your actual bill depends on your assessment, so we pull the real tax record for any home you are considering.
Source: New Jersey Division of Taxation, 2025 general and effective tax rates. Rates are set each year.
Getting around
Roads and commuting
The New Jersey Turnpike crosses Bordentown Township, with Exit 7 at U.S. Route 206. Interstate 295 runs parallel on the northwest side, with Exits 56 and 57 serving Bordentown, and U.S. Route 130 and Route 206 meet in the city. NJ Transit's River Line light rail stops at the Bordentown station on Park Street, with trains north to Trenton and south to Camden. The NJ Transit 409 bus runs between Trenton and Philadelphia.
Places worth knowing
Parks, landmarks and open space
- Point Breeze: About 60 acres of Joseph Bonaparte's former estate, bought by the city and its partners in 2020 and kept as open space beside the municipal complex.
- Clara Barton Schoolhouse: A recreation of the school at Crosswicks and Burlington streets where Clara Barton started New Jersey's first free public school in 1852.
- Delaware River Heritage Trail: A planned 60 mile loop trail. Burlington County opened a 5.5 mile section in 2021, running from Route 130 in Fieldsboro through Crystal Lake Park and the village of Hedding in Mansfield to Roebling Park and the Roebling Museum in Florence Township. It connects to the county's first 2.75 mile section, finished in 2013, through Fieldsboro, Bordentown Township and Bordentown City.
- Crosswicks Creek marsh: The tidal marsh where Crosswicks Creek meets the Delaware River, home to the Abbott Farm archaeological site on the National Register.
Common questions
Questions people ask us about Bordentown
What are property taxes in Bordentown, NJ?
Bordentown City's 2025 effective tax rate is 2.543 percent of market value, and the average residential tax bill is $8,018; Bordentown Township's 2025 effective tax rate is 2.022 percent of market value, and the average residential tax bill is $8,463, according to the New Jersey Division of Taxation. Actual bills depend on each home's assessment.
Is Bordentown City the same as Bordentown Township?
No. They are two separate municipalities with their own governments and property tax rates. The city covers about 1 square mile and the township, which borders it on three sides, covers about 9. Both use the Bordentown 08505 ZIP code.
Is there a train station in Bordentown?
Yes. NJ Transit's River Line light rail stops at the Bordentown station on Park Street in the city. Trains run north to the Trenton Transit Center and south to the Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden.
Which Turnpike exit is Bordentown?
Exit 7. The New Jersey Turnpike crosses Bordentown Township, and Exit 7 connects to U.S. Route 206. Interstate 295 also serves Bordentown at Exits 56 and 57.
Did Joseph Bonaparte live in Bordentown?
Yes. Napoleon's older brother Joseph Bonaparte lived at his Point Breeze estate in Bordentown from 1816 to 1839. The remaining 60 acres were preserved in 2020 and now hold the city's municipal complex and open space.
Nearby towns
Towns that border Bordentown
Buying or selling in Bordentown?
City or township, we know the difference
A Bordentown address can mean the city or the township, two tax rates and very different homes. We sort out which one you are in first, then check the flood map and the history of the house.
Call or text either of us directly.