2 Princetons Vote to Merge into 1 Town

Voters in Princeton Township and Princeton Borough have decided to combine their two towns. Borough voters passed it Tuesday by a margin of about 3-to-2. It was even more decisive in the township, where it passed by a margin of more than 5-to-1. The merger takes effect in 2013.

At least three times in the past 60 years, the communities had rejected a merger.

The township surrounds the borough like a doughnut, and Ivy League Princeton University straddles the town line. Studies have shown taxpayers in both communities will save money by consolidating. Opponents have feared losing their local identities.

New Jersey has 566 towns, many of them small.

The last time towns merged was in 1997 when Warren County's Hardwick absorbed Pohaquarry, population seven.