Hamilton Square, New Jersey

Hamilton Square is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Hamilton Township, in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, that is the site of a historic colonial village. Until the 2000 census the area was part of the Mercerville-Hamilton Square CDP, which was split into two CDPs as of 2010: Mercerville and Hamilton Square.

Hamilton Square was established in 1692 and was named after Alexander Hamilton in a wave of anti-British feeling at the time of the War of 1812. It previously had been called "Nottingham" after the British town. As of the 2020 census, the CDP's population was 12,679.

Geography
Hamilton Square is in southern Mercer County, 5 mi east of Trenton, the state capital. The CDP is in the eastern part of Hamilton Township and is bordered to the east by Robbinsville Township. The community of Mercerville borders Hamilton Square to the west.

New Jersey Route 33 passes through the center of Hamilton Square, leading west into Trenton and east to U.S. Route 206 and thence Hightstown. U.S. 206 forms the southeast border of the Hamilton Square CDP, while Interstate 195 forms the southern border.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hamilton Square has a total area of 4.367 square miles (11.312 km2), including 4.343 square miles (11.249 km2) of land and 0.024 square miles (0.063 km2) of water (0.56%). The center of the community is on high ground which drains north toward Miry Run and south toward Pond Run, both of which are west-flowing tributaries of Assunpink Creek leading to the Delaware River in Trenton.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 12,784 people, 4,532 households, and 3,703 families in the CDP. The population density was 2943.4 /sqmi. There were 4,618 housing units at an average density of 1063.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 92.76% (11,858) White, 1.74% (223) Black or African American, 0.08% (10) Native American, 3.57% (457) Asian, 0.02% (3) Pacific Islander, 0.64% (82) from other races, and 1.18% (151) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.81% (487) of the population.

Of the 4,532 households, 33.0% had children under the age of 18; 69.7% were married couples living together; 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present and 18.3% were non-families. Of all households, 15.9% were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.13.

22.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 32.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 93.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 89.6 males.

Education
Schools that service the Hamilton Square area are: Morgan Elementary School, Sayen Elementary School, Langtree Elementary School, Alexander Elementary School, Robinson Elementary School, Reynolds Middle School, Crockett Middle School, Nottingham High School, and Steinert High School.

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Hamilton Square include:
 * Conrad Daniels (born 1941), professional darts player who was active in the 1970s and 1980s
 * Dan Donigan (born 1966), retired soccer forward and current head coach of Rutgers University soccer team
 * Janice Harsanyi (1929-2007), soprano singer and college professor
 * Dahntay Jones (born 1980), professional basketball player, currently playing for the Indiana Pacers
 * Karin Miller (born 1977), former professional tennis player
 * John K. Rafferty (1938-2021), mayor of Hamilton Township from 1976 to 1999, and played a crucial role in Ronald Reagan's presidential campaign in New Jersey
 * George R. Robbins (1814-1875), represented New Jersey's 2nd congressional district from 1855 to 1859
 * Robert "Bobby" Smith (born 1951), retired U.S. soccer defender and National Soccer Hall of Fame member
 * John Taylor (1836-1909), creator of pork roll (aka Taylor Ham)