Town guide · Mercer County
Living in West Windsor, NJ
West Windsor is a township of about 26 square miles, home to the Princeton Junction train station and most of Mercer County Park. It grew from farm country and small hamlets, and farming is still part of the landscape.
- County
- Mercer
- Population
- About 29,500 (2020 census)
- Size
- About 26 square miles
- Setting
- Suburban neighborhoods with parkland and remaining farmland
- Main roads
- U.S. Route 1 and County Routes 526, 533, 535 and 571
First things first
Princeton Junction is in West Windsor
Princeton Junction is a community inside West Windsor Township, not part of Princeton. Its train station, Princeton Junction station, is in West Windsor too. Homes in West Windsor pay West Windsor taxes, whatever the mailing address says.
We check the block and lot on every West Windsor property before we compare prices or taxes, because the municipality decides the tax rate and town services.
Neighborhoods
A township of hamlets
West Windsor was incorporated in 1798. For most of its history it was farmland, known for wheat, tomatoes, rye and potatoes, with small hamlets at its crossroads. Several of those names are still in everyday use.
- Princeton Junction: The largest named community, counted by the Census Bureau as its own place, around the train station.
- Grovers Mill: Centered on Clarksville Road and Cranbury Road beside the old mill pond, and famous as the landing site in the 1938 War of the Worlds radio broadcast.
- Dutch Neck: A historic hamlet whose name is still used for a section of the township.
- Penns Neck and Edinburg: Old crossroads names still used for sections of town.
- Other named areas: Berrien City and Millstone are other older place names inside the township.
Homes
What you will find
- Suburban single family homes: Most of the township's homes are single family houses in subdivisions.
- Townhouses and condominiums: Attached homes in associations, with rules and fees that vary by community.
- Older hamlet and farm properties: A smaller number of older homes near the historic crossroads and remaining farms.
Worth knowing: The Princeton Junction name, and sometimes a Princeton mailing address, is used across West Windsor, so the address alone will not tell you the town. Location inside the township matters too: a home near the station, Route 1 or the remaining farms each sells differently. For townhouses and condominiums, read the association documents before you commit.
Property taxes
What taxes look like in West Windsor
- 2.080%2025 effective tax rate, as a share of market value
- $16,6042025 average residential tax bill
A home worth $800,000 on today's market would pay roughly $16,640 a year at West Windsor'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
Princeton Junction station is on NJ Transit's Northeast Corridor Line, with trains to Newark, Secaucus Junction and New York Penn Station. Amtrak's Northeast Regional, Keystone Service and Carolinian trains stop here, and the Dinky shuttle runs 2.7 miles to Princeton. U.S. Route 1, the township's busiest highway, crosses its northwestern sections. County Route 571 runs east to Hightstown, County Route 535 runs through the south past Mercer County Community College, and County Route 533 follows the Lawrence line. The New Jersey Turnpike is a short drive away at Exit 7A in Robbinsville and Exit 8 in East Windsor.
Places worth knowing
Parks, landmarks and open space
- Mercer County Park: More than 2,500 acres, mostly in West Windsor, with Mercer Lake and its rowing center, golf, trails, tennis, an ice skating center and dog parks.
- Grovers Mill: The old mill and its mill pond on Bear Brook, made famous by the 1938 War of the Worlds broadcast. West Windsor dedicated a bronze monument for the 50th anniversary in 1988.
- West Windsor Community Park: A 123 acre township park.
- Lake Carnegie: A lake on the Princeton line used for rowing, fishing and skating, with the Delaware and Raritan Canal towpath along its eastern shore.
Common questions
Questions people ask us about West Windsor
What are property taxes in West Windsor, NJ?
West Windsor Township's 2025 effective tax rate is 2.080 percent of market value, and the average residential tax bill is $16,604, according to the New Jersey Division of Taxation. Actual bills depend on each home's assessment.
Is Princeton Junction part of Princeton?
No. Princeton Junction is a community in West Windsor Township, and so is Princeton Junction station. Homes there pay West Windsor property taxes, not Princeton's.
Which trains stop at Princeton Junction?
NJ Transit Northeast Corridor Line trains to Newark, Secaucus Junction and New York Penn Station stop there, along with Amtrak's Northeast Regional, Keystone Service and Carolinian. The Dinky shuttle runs 2.7 miles to Princeton.
Is Grovers Mill the War of the Worlds town?
Yes. Orson Welles chose Grovers Mill in West Windsor as the site of the Martian landing in his 1938 radio broadcast. The township marked the 50th anniversary in 1988 with a bronze monument.
Is Mercer County Park in West Windsor?
Mostly. The park covers more than 2,500 acres, mainly in West Windsor, with smaller sections in Hamilton and Lawrence. Its official name is the Richard J. Coffee Mercer County Park.
Nearby towns
Towns that border West Windsor
Buying or selling in West Windsor?
Close to the train, close to the details
From a short drive to Princeton Junction station to the farm roads near Grovers Mill, where a West Windsor home sits shapes how it sells. We start there and give you an honest read on value and your options.
Call or text either of us directly.