Trenton: Economy

Major Industries and Commercial Activity

Government (state, county, and municipal) forms the single largest sector in Trenton. Other significant economic areas include manufacturing, trade, and services. Trenton's set of unique circumstances contributes to its continued growth: the city benefits from the spill-over of high-technology industries and research centers locating along the Route 1 corridor; land costs, rents, and taxes in Trenton are a fraction of those in New York City, yet Trenton remains an acceptable commute for much of the Northeast Corridor; and commitment by state and local government is high.

Items and goods produced: refrigerated showcases, light bulbs, rubber goods, purses, automobile body hardware, pottery and porcelain products, chemicals, fabricated metal products, lumber and wood products, textiles, food products, electronic goods

Incentive Programs—New and Existing Companies

Local programs

The Capital City Redevelopment Corporation has all of the information a new or expanding business needs to locate or expand into the Capital District and to take advantage of all the public programs that are available. The Mercer County Community College Small Business Development Center provides entrepreneurs and small businesses in Mercer and other counties with high quality, one-to-one management consulting, training, and the information businesses need to maximize growth in a global economy. The Mercer County One-Stop Small Business Center provides technical and finance procurement assistance and the Science & Technology Incubator helps high-tech firms get established. Trenton has a partnership with the Trenton Business Assistance Corporation, which offers merchant and micro business loan programs. In addition, Trenton is the recipient of a $2,300,000 Economic Development Administration grant made available to help in the development of the Hill Complex in the Trenton enterprise zone.

State programs

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) offers a wide range of financial, real estate development, and technical services to encourage business development and growth in the state. The majority of its assistance is to small and mid-sized businesses. The EDA issues bonds to provide financing at favorable interest rates for business ventures, and makes low-interest loans and guarantees loans made by private investors and lenders. It also offers a full range of real estate development services to stimulate both private and public development projects. In addition, the EDA administers a business incentive program that provides grants to expanding or relocating businesses that will create new jobs in New Jersey. Loans and grants also are available to municipalities and private property owners to encourage the clean-up and redevelopment of hazardous sites around the state. The New Jersey Urban Development Corporation provides low-interest loans to developers and businesses seeking to construct facilities in urban areas, including small business incubators.

Job training programs

Mercer County Community College offers programs and services for businesses that include a business incubator, a center for training and development, international trade programs, the Network for Occupational Training & Education (NOTE), a small business development center, and New Jersey-sponsored employee training.

Development Projects

One of the primary focuses of the city's economic development strategy currently lies in the area of affordable housing, as well as plans for Trenton's first development of luxury, single-family homes in decades. The $46 million Trenton Train Station renovation is expected to attract downtown and regional development, including new office buildings and commercial projects. Plans are underway to build a new criminal courthouse and parking garage in downtown Trenton; the facility should be completed by 2008. A parking garage and office on Front Street by the Economic Development Corporation of Trenton was in the works in mid-2005. Trenton's school district is in the midst of a several-year, $300 million project that involves construction of several new school buildings, as well as renovation of many already in existence. The recently completed Waterfront Park and the Sovereign Bank Arena have increased entertainment and trade show options in Trenton. Opened in April 2002, the $54 million Lafayette Yard Marriott Conference Hall includes a 197 room upscale hotel, a conference center with more than 16,000 square feet of meeting space, a grand ballroom, a 120-seat restaurant and lounge, and a 650-stall parking garage. The hotel is connected to the War Memorial, a historic 1,900 seat amphitheater that recently underwent a $38 million renovation, and serves as a local cultural center for the Greater Trenton Symphony, special events, and large group meetings.

Economic Development Information: New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), PO Box 990, Trenton, NJ 08625-0990; telephone (609)292-1800; email njeda@njeda.com. Mercer County One-Stop Career Center, 650 South Broad Street, Trenton, NJ 08650; telephone (609)989-6523

Commercial Shipping

Mercer County Airport, just minutes from Trenton in Ewing Township, offers passenger, charter, cargo, and helicopter service. The Philadelphia and New York City airports, as well as Newark International Airport, are located an hour's drive away from Trenton and offer comprehensive domestic and international flight service. Rail freight service is by Conrail. Several dozen motor freight carriers service the city, taking advantage of Trenton's location along U.S. Route 1 and of the short-haul trucking to and from two of the nation's largest cities: New York and Philadelphia.

Labor Force and Employment Outlook

Mercer County's county executive, Brian M. Hughes, called 2004 "a year of extraordinary growth for our local economy," citing 7,700 new jobs added within Mercer County during that year as well as decreasing unemployment numbers. Hughes also cited partnerships with local colleges and universities as vital to the area's economic growth and future prosperity.

The following is a summary of data regarding the Trenton metropolitan area labor force, 2004 annual averages.

Size of nonagricultural labor force: 231,100

Number of workers employed in . . .

construction and mining: 5,800

manufacturing: 8,800

trade, transportation, and utilities: 32,600

information: 6,200

financial activities: 15,900

professional business services: 34,600

educational and health services: 42,800

leisure and hospitality: 14,400

other services: 7,700

government: 62,400

Average hourly earnings of production workers employed in manufacturing: $15.67 (New Jersey; 2004 annual average)

Unemployment rate: 3.3% (April 2005)

Cost of Living

The median home price in Trenton was reported as $230,080 in 2004. Several affordable housing projects are currently underway in the area, as well as the development of luxury, single-family homes, the city's first such project in decades.

The following is a summary of data regarding several key cost of living factors in the Trenton area.

2004 ACCRA Average Home Price: Not reported

2004 ACCRA Cost of Living Index: Not reported

State income tax rate: ranges from 1.4% to 8.97%

State sales tax rate: 6%

Local income tax rate: None

Local sales tax rate: None; qualified retailers in Trenton's Urban Enterprise Zone charge 3%

Property tax rate: $3.98 per $100. Equalization rate: 96.4% (2004)

Economic Information: Mercer County Chamber of Commerce, 214 West State Street, PO Box 2708, Trenton, NJ 18607-2708; telephone (609)393-4143. City of Trenton, 318 East State Street, Trenton, NJ 08608; telephone (609)989-3030

Trenton: Recreation

Sightseeing

Much of Trenton's sightseeing centers around colonial and Revolutionary War sites. The State Historic District features homes built from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries; the Mill Hill neighborhood includes the city's first grist mill. Trenton's oldest landmark is the 1719 home of founder William Trent. During the winter of 1776 to 1777, the city played an important role in the Revolutionary War when General George Washington retook Trenton from the British. The site of Washington's crossing of the Delaware River is marked by the Washington Crossing State Park, which is also the site of the Open Air Theatre and an arboretum. The Battle of Trenton is marked with a 122-foot shaft topped by a statue of Washington. The monument, dedicated in 1893, rises from the spot where Washington's troops first fired on the British. After retaking the city, Washington held a council of war in the Douglass House, now on public view. The churchyard at the Friends' Meeting House contains the graves of many Revolutionary War heroes. The Old Masonic Lodge, built in 1793 in the Georgian colonial style, is one of the nation's oldest lodges and displays a gavel once used by George Washington. Drumthwacket, once the executive dwelling of New Jersey governors, is open to the public, as is the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building where the state's gubernatorial inaugurations are held. Trenton's gold-domed statehouse, erected in 1792, houses a collection of battle flags. The State House, in continuous use since 1792, is open for tours. Cadwalader Park contains a small zoo, a herd of deer, a lake and a stream, and a branch of the historic Delaware & Raritan Canal.

Arts and Culture

Trenton performance groups utilize a number of facilities. The Greater Trenton Symphonic Orchestra presents classical concerts at the War Memorial Building and at Trenton's Trinity Cathedral. Other musical groups include the Boheme Opera Company, which performs opera and musicals from September through May, and the Greater Trenton Choral Society. Dramatic productions are scheduled at Mill Hill Playhouse. Artworks Art Center of Trenton provides gallery space and art classes. Area institutions of higher education also present musical and other performances.

The New Jersey State Cultural Center in downtown Trenton consists of the State Archives, the State Museum, a planetarium, and an auditorium. The museum houses collections of New Jersey flora and fauna, fossils, and Indian relics. The Old Barracks, built in 1758, has been restored and is now a museum commemorating its various occupants: British troops fighting in the French and Indian Wars, Colonial and Continental soldiers, and Tory refugees. The Trenton City Museum at the Olmsted-designed Cadwalader Park is housed in the restored Ellarslie Mansion and exhibits the work of local artists and craftspeople. Restored Victoriana is the focus of the Contemporary Club Victorian Museum. Other collections of note include the Meredith Havens Fire Museum and the Flag Museum and Swan Collection of Revolutionary memorabilia; both of the latter are located at Washington Crossing State Park.

Among Trenton's galleries are the Library Gallery at Mercer County Community College, which yearly features shows of county artists, and the Art Porcelain Studio, which displays porcelain pieces by Boehm and Cybis.

Arts and Culture Information: New Jersey State Council on the Arts, 109 W. State St., CN 306, Trenton, NJ 08625; toll-free (800)THE ARTS

Festivals and Holidays

The festival season runs year-round in Trenton, starting in January with the Martin Luther King, Jr., Celebration, an homage to the music and oration of Dr. King. February is the month-long celebration of Black History month. The St. Patrick's Day Parade is March's highlight, with April bringing the Big Egg Hunt and an Arbor Day celebration. May Day celebrates the opening of the city's parks as well as the coming of spring with pony rides, games, and music at Cadwalader Park. The Mayor's Health Run and Walk is also held in May. Summer brings a wide variety of festivities, including the Wachovia Classic bike race and Trenton Heritage Days in June, the Independence Day Celebration in July, and the Puerto Rican Parade, Jazz Festival, and Annual Fishing Derby in August. Autumn is ushered in by the Gospel Festival and the Mayor's Cup Golf Tournament in September. The Trenton Feasts of Lights, which is a street fair held on Chambersburg, also takes place in September. October brings the Haunted Halloween Party, where children can enjoy haunted entertainment, a haunted trail, and other activities at the West Ward Recreation Center. The Thanksgiving parade launches the holiday season, which culminates in December with the Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony and the Mayor's Children Holidays Party. The Battle of Trenton Reenactment also takes place in December.

Sports for the Spectator

The AA Trenton Thunder baseball team, which is affiliated with the New York Yankees, plays its April through August home games at Trenton's Waterfront Park. The Trenton Titans of the East Coast Hockey League, a developmental league, are affiliated with the National Hockey League's Philadelphia Flyers. They play at the state-of-the-art Sovereign Bank Arena at Mercer County.

Other professional sports franchises play throughout the year in nearby Philadelphia and New York City, both of which support professional teams competing in baseball, football, hockey, and basketball. Fans of high school football look forward to the annual contest between Trenton and Notre Dame. Other high school sporting events are also enthusiastically followed by locals. Horse racing can be enjoyed at Monmouth Park Jockey Club and The Atlantic City Race Course.

Sports for the Participant

Trenton's parks offer a full complement of activities including hiking, jogging, bicycling, horseback riding, and camping. Pleasure boats can be launched from a number of public boat ramps. The city maintains a number of indoor and outdoor tennis facilities. Golf is available at Mercer County's Mountain View Golf Course, Mercer Oaks Golf Course, and other nearby clubs. Skiing, skating, tennis, swimming, and water sports can be found within a short driving distance of Trenton.

Shopping and Dining

Trenton is noted for its pottery, china, and fine porcelain from makers such as Lenox, Boehm, Cybis, and Ispanky, which may be found at outlets and showrooms throughout the area. Trenton's principal downtown shopping district encompasses four blocks on State Street and five blocks on Broad Street.

Trenton's culinary fare reflects the city's eclectic heritage; it is famous for its pizza and hoagies. Other ethnic cuisine includes the dishes of Mexico and Scandinavia. Several Italian eateries in the Chambersburg neighborhood are highly acclaimed five-star gourmet restaurants.

Visitor Information: Trenton Convention and Visitors Bureau, Lafayette and Barrack Street, Trenton NJ 08608; telephone (609)777-1770; fax (609)292-3771; email trentcvb@voicenet.com

TRENTON

TRENTON , capital of the state of New Jersey, U.S., situated between Philadelphia and New York City. Greater Trenton has a population of about 341,000 (2003); the Jewish population of Greater Trenton numbered about 10,000 in 1970, but by the mid-1990s, the Jewish population numbered approximately 6,000 as Jews from the city migrated to surrounding suburban areas. Greater Trenton in 2005 included most of Mercer County and its Jewish population remained at some 6,000 in 2005.

Trenton was founded in 1679. The first Jew connected with Trenton was Simon *Gratz, of Philadelphia, who bought shares in the Trenton Banking Company when it was established in 1805. In 1839, Daniel Levy Maduro *Peixotto, of New York City, became editor, for a few months, of the Emporium and True American, a daily and weekly newspaper. Judge David *Naar, who bought the True American in 1853 and was its editor until 1869, played a prominent role in the political life of New Jersey as well as in local civic and educational affairs. German Jews began to settle in the late 1840s. The first prominent Jew was Simon Kahnweiler, a merchant and manufacturer. The Mt. Sinai Cemetery Association was incorporated in 1857 and the Har Sinai Hebrew Congregation held its first service in 1858 in rented quarters, and held its first formal services in 1860 when the congregation formalized its organization. In 1866 it bought a small Lutheran Church. Chevra Bikkur Cholim, "for the mutual relief of the sick and the burial of the dead," was incorporated in 1877.

The East European immigration, started in the late 1870s, was composed mainly of Lithuanian, Polish, and Hungarian Jews. They organized the synagogues Achenu Bnai Yisroel (1883); Anshey Emes (1891); Ahavath Israel (1909); and Poaley Emes (1920). Until 1903 Jewish education was conducted by private teachers, after which the Brothers of Israel Synagogue founded a Hebrew school. Later, in 1945, it became partly a day school, under the leadership of Rabbi Issachar Levin, who served the community from 1927 to 1969. In 1969 it became a full-fledged day school, the Trenton Hebrew Academy. Renamed in 1981 as the Abrams Hebrew Academy (named for a local foundation that made a significant endowment to the school), it moved from Trenton, New Jersey, to Yardley, Pennsylvania. In 2006, the school had 30 faculty teaching 300 students from nursery school through eighth grade in a secular/religious day school curriculum.

An influx of Jews into Trenton after World War i resulted in a proliferation of social, literary, and recreational societies as well as political groups. Har Sinai joined the Reform movement in 1922. Adath Israel was organized in 1923 as a Conservative congregation. The Workmen's Circle began its activities in 1924. The ymha was organized in 1910, reorganized in 1916, and acquired its first building in 1917 – the forerunner of the Jewish Community Center (1962). Zionist societies started in the early 1900s. The Jewish Federation of Trenton was organized in 1929. The Jewish Family Service (1937) dates back to its predecessor the Hebrew Ladies Aid Society (1900). The Home for the Aged Sons and Daughters of Israel, now called the Greenwood House, was organized in 1939 and had 132 beds in 2006. An assisted living center, Abrams Residence, was added in 2003 using money provided by a local Jewish foundation called the Abrams Foundation. It was created from the fortunes of the last surviving members of the Abrams family, brothers Samuel and David and sister Susan. The family's fortune came from diversified holdings financed originally by a retail furniture operation; they began their diversification by purchasing single shares of General Motors Corporation stock during the Great Depression. The Abrams Foundation also helped finance the activities of the Abrams Day Camp, a Jewish day camp operated by the Jewish Community Center since 1963. An eight-week program, it offers activities for about 400 Jewish children each summer. In 1937 a Jewish census study showed that there were 7,191 Jews, or about 6 percent of the population; 32 organizations including 6 synagogues; and that 59 percent of the Jewish population was in trade, 13.3 percent in mechanical and manufacturing enterprises, and 12.3 percent in professions. The 1949 and the 1961 census showed increases in the professions which in 1970 probably amounted to nearly 30 percent. In 1970 there were 40 organizations, including three Conservative congregations as well as two Orthodox and one Reform. By the beginning of the new millennium, the community within the city limits had diminished to two congregations, one Conservative and the second a Reform congregation.

It was the culmination of a general migration of Jewish families out of the city and into surrounding suburban communities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In 2006, the last two congregations within the city limits, Congregation Brothers of Israel (200 families) and Har Sinai Temple (500 families), were each in various stages of relocating. In 2006, Brothers of Israel was in the process of purchasing land for a new synagogue in Yardley, Pennsylvania, and Har Sinai was building a new facility approximately 15 miles north of Trenton, in Pennington, New Jersey. At that time, Har Sinai announced its intention to remain vested in the city of Trenton by continuing its charitable programs there.

The Jews have been well-integrated in the communal life of the city, participating actively in the United Fund and other charitable and educational institutions. Outstanding leaders in the general and Jewish community include Judge Phillip Forman, United States Circuit Court; Judge Sidney Goldmann, presiding judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New Jersey; Bernard Alexander; Leon Levy; comedian Jon Stewart; and Expressionist painter Max *Weber.

bibliography:

Trenton Historical Society, History of Trenton, 1679 – 1929, 2 (1929); J.S. Merzbacher, Trenton's Foreign Colonies (1908); Kohn, in: ajhsq, 53 (1964), 373–95; S. Robinson, Jewish Population of Trenton, n.j. (1949).

[S. Joshua Kohn /

David Weinstock (2^nd ed.)]

Trenton: History

Delaware River Draws Settlers

The site of modern-day Trenton was once occupied by the Sanhican, a branch of the Delaware tribe who called the area Assunpink. The name meant "stone in the water" and referred to the rocky falls in the nearby portion of the Delaware River. The first permanent European settlers arrived in 1679, when the English Quaker Mahlon Stacy arrived at what he called the "falls of the Delaware." Stacy's son sold the land in 1714 to William Trent, a Philadelphia merchant who recognized the industrial potential of the river. Trent built a stone grist mill near the falls and called the resulting community "Trent's Town," which was quickly shortened to Trenton. The town grew up at the junction of the Delaware River and Assunpink Creek.

The head of navigation on the Delaware River, Trenton became a port for shipping grain and products traveling between Philadelphia and New York City. Trenton was also a primary stopping point on the stagecoach line connecting the two larger cities. A ferry, chartered in 1727, connected Trenton with Philadelphia, completing the transportation circle. In 1750 the city's first chief burgess, Dr. Thomas Cadwalader, inoculated the population against smallpox. He later donated 50 pounds toward the founding of the state's first public library.

By the time of the Revolutionary War, Trenton was a town of about a hundred homes and mixed sentiments about the impending war. The city was captured by the British in November, 1776, and large portions of it were burned. Then, in a surprise move that was called the tactical coup of the war, American General George Washington crossed the ice-choked Delaware River on Christmas night, 1776. He marched his Continental soldiers through the night to launch a dawn attack on the Hessian troops occupying Trenton. After inflicting severe casualties on the British garrison, Washington moved his troops to a high hill near Assunpink Creek and engaged the British in the Second Battle of Trenton. Washington's successful maneuvering instilled courage in his cold and battle-weary army and resulted in the first decisive American victory in the war.

State Capital Becomes Industrial Power

Trenton was selected as New Jersey's state capital in 1790. For a time, the city had hopes of becoming the nation's capital and did in fact serve temporarily in that capacity when a yellow fever epidemic raged in swampy Washington City. Transportation continued to play an important role in Trenton's development. In 1806 a covered bridge was built across the Delaware; the structure later supported the trains of the Camden & Amboy Railroad. The Delaware Falls Company constructed the Delaware & Raritan Canal at about the same time to provide water power to Trenton's burgeoning industry. Among the entrepreneurs setting up in the city was wire manufacturer John A. Roebling, whose cables help suspend the Brooklyn Bridge. Pottery-making blossomed as an industry after 1850 and included names such as Walter Lenox and his American Belleek china. Potters were the first to unionize in Trenton, successfully striking in 1835 to win a 10-hour workday. During the Civil War, Trenton housed the U.S. Congress after the South threatened Washington, D.C. Trenton also contributed iron and rubber to the Union Army effort.

Between 1880 and 1920 Trenton's population swelled with an influx of foreign laborers seeking factory jobs. During this period the adjacent communities of Chambersburg, Wilbur, Millham Township, and parts of Ewing Township were annexed. Handcrafted Mercer motor cars were produced between 1910 and 1925, along with steel made from the open-hearth process and vulcanized rubber goods, including Goodyear tires.

In 1932 the Delaware River channel was dredged to 20 feet, making Trenton a port for sea-going vessels; the city's importance as a port has since been eclipsed by the New England and Philadelphia ports. Following World War II, Trenton's middle class population moved to suburban communities made possible through a new federal highway system and new home construction. Trenton retained its image as a smokestack town, even as some of the city's key industries moved southward. Since the 1970s Trenton has regained its reputation as an industrial leader, thanks in large part to the spate of downtown development spurred by the building of several new state structures. Trenton is also developing a reputation as a tourist attraction, a reputation built on its colonial history and its number of highly regarded restaurants. In 2005, Forbes magazine listed Mercer County as one of the "Best Locations for Business."

Historical Information: Trenton Historical Society, PO Box 1112, Trenton, NJ 08606; telephone (609)394-1965; New Jersey Historical Society Library, 52 Park Place, NJ 07102; telephone (973)596-8500

Trenton: Education and Research

Elementary and Secondary Schools

Trenton's school district is the largest in Mercer County. A nine-member Board of Education is appointed for three-year terms by the mayor. The district is in the midst of a several-year project involving the construction of several new schools as well as renovation of many existing buildings.

The following is a summary of data regarding the Trenton public schools as of the 2003–2004 school year.

Total enrollment: 13,231

Number of facilities

elementary schools: 17

junior high/middle schools: 4

senior high schools: 1

other: 1

Student/teacher ratio: 19:4 (state average)

Teacher salaries

minimum: $34,010

maximum: $67,090

Funding per pupil: $13,803

Several parochial and private elementary and secondary schools supplement the public system in Trenton. A number of prestigious day and boarding schools are found in the nearby Princeton area.

Public Schools Information: Trenton Public Schools, 108 North Clinton Avenue, Trenton, NJ 08609; telephone (609)989-2400

Colleges and Universities

Rider University, a four-year liberal arts college founded in 1865, enrolls more than 5,000 students in four schools: business administration, continuing education, arts and sciences, and education. Thomas A. Edison State College offers adult students associate's and bachelor's degrees partially based upon life experience and equivalency examinations. Mercer County Community College, with two campuses, awards associate's degrees in 70 programs, many of them based on community needs. For instance, a portion of the college's more than 13,000 students study in training programs for business and industry.

Nearby Princeton University, one of the nation's most renowned academic institutions and a member of the Ivy League, is within commuting distance. Princeton is known for its liberal arts, medicine, education, architecture, and theology programs and is a respected research institution. The College of New Jersey, in nearby Ewing Township, serves nearly 6,000 students, offering more than 40 liberal arts and professional programs in five schools: Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Engineering, and Nursing.

Libraries and Research Centers

Trenton's Public Library and its four branches maintain more than 600,000 volumes and special collections ranging from state and local history (the Trentonian Collection) to a large recording and print collection. The library, which houses the Arthur Holland papers on ethics in government, is also a depository for federal and state documents.

The New Jersey State Archives is the official repository for all New Jersey colonial and state government records of enduring historical value. The New Jersey State Library holds more than 750,000 volumes, maintains a Library for the Blind and Handicapped, and has special collections on law, New Jerseyana, New Jersey state government publications, U.S. government documents, and genealogy. Other special libraries in Trenton cover medical, geological, environmental, labor, legal, municipal, and technical topics.

Among Princeton University's areas of research and study are the effect of public policy on urban areas, foreign relations, population trends, and industrial relations. Princeton's Harvey S. Firestone Memorial Library is New Jersey's largest research library. Princeton also maintains the Forrestal Center, a research park employing more than 2,000 people. Drug research being conducted at Princeton Biomedical Research offers hope to sufferers of Alzheimer's disease, anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive behavior, and panic disorder.

Public Library Information: Trenton Public Library, 120 Academy Street, Trenton, NJ 08608; telephone (609)392-7188