Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey

Lawrence Township, New Jersey
Nickname: 
"Where Nature Smiles for 22 Miles"
Location of Lawrence Township in Mercer County highlighted in red (right). Inset map: Location of Mercer County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (left).
Census Bureau map of Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
Lawrence Township
Location in Mercer County
Lawrence Township
Location in New Jersey
Lawrence Township
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 40°17′45″N 74°43′12″W / 40.295887°N 74.720093°W / 40.295887; -74.720093
Country United States
State New Jersey
County Mercer
FormedFebruary 20, 1697 as Maidenhead Township
IncorporatedFebruary 21, 1798
RenamedJanuary 24, 1816 as Lawrence Township
Named afterCapt. James Lawrence
Government
  TypeFaulkner Act (council–manager)
  BodyTownship Council
  MayorPatricia Hendricks Farmer (D, term ends December 31, 2027)
  AdministratorKevin P. Nerwinski
  Municipal clerkTonya Carter
Area
  Total
21.98 sq mi (56.94 km2)
  Land21.73 sq mi (56.27 km2)
  Water0.26 sq mi (0.67 km2)  1.17%
  Rank126th of 565 in state
4th of 12 in county
Elevation
82 ft (25 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total
33,077
  Estimate 
(2023)
31,771
  Rank70th of 565 in state
4th of 12 in county
  Density1,522.5/sq mi (587.8/km2)
   Rank333rd of 565 in state
9th of 12 in county
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
  Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code
08648
Area code609
FIPS code3402139510
GNIS feature ID0882126
Websitewww.lawrencetwp.com

Lawrence Township is a township in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located at the cross-roads between the Delaware Valley region to the southwest and the Raritan Valley region to the northeast, the township is an outer-ring suburb of New York City in the New York Metropolitan area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, while also directly bordering the Philadelphia metropolitan area and is part of the Federal Communications Commission's Philadelphia Designated Market Area.

The home of the prestigious Lawrenceville School, Rider University, and the site of the Quaker Bridge Mall, the township is a regional commercial and cultural hub of central New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 33,077, a decrease of 395 (−1.2%) from the 2010 census count of 33,472, which in turn reflected an increase of 4,313 (+14.8%) from the 29,159 counted in the 2000 census.