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The Commemorative Quarter for Massachusetts





Welcome to Princeton ...

Princeton is located in Worcester County<1>.

Princeton was settled in 1743 and was incorporated in 1771.

When the people of Princeton refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Princetonian<2>

From the  Census Estimates for 2019, Princeton has a population of 3,483 people<3> (see below for details).

Princeton is 1,140 feet [347 m] above sea level.<4>.

Time Zone: Princeton lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time

Area Codes for Princeton: 978 & 351<5>

The ZIP code for Princeton: 01541<6>

Population Details ...

Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Princeton had an population of 3,483 people. This is an increase of 2.05% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 3.88% since the 2000 Census).

At the time of the 2010 Census, Princeton had a population of 3,413 people. This makes Princeton the county's 50th most populous community.

The population of Princeton represents 0.05% of the total population of Massachusetts (which has 6,547,629 people), making it the state's 267th most populous community.

With a 2010 count of 3,413 people, the population of Princeton increased 1.79% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 3,353 people).

More information can be found on the Census Page for Princeton.

Communities Also Named Princeton ...

Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 43 communities that are also named Princeton - they are located in Alabama, Arkansas (2), British Columbia, California (3), Colorado, Florida, Georgia (2), Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas (2), Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, Newfoundland and Labrador, North Carolina, Ohio, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina (2), Tennessee, Texas (2), Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Princeton.

Websites for Princeton ...

Official Website: www.town.princeton.ma.us/

Communities near Princeton ...

We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Princeton.

  • Worcester
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Leominster
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Fitchburg
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Marlborough
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
  • Shrewsbury
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Gardner
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Hudson
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hudson have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
    • Hudson is located in Middlesex County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,732 people
  • Holden
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Grafton
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Westborough
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)

To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.

We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Princeton. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Princeton.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Princeton. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Princeton.

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Princeton. See our Newspapers Page for Princeton.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Princeton ...

Looking for more information about Princeton? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.

While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Princeton, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Princeton.

Adding Princeton to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of Princeton in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.

From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Princeton was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>

X2X - From that list, the Princeton post office opened in 1812.

We also found Princeton in the book titled U.S. Post Offices (Oct. 1846).

For more details, see References and Mentions for Princeton.

The official website for Princeton: www.town.princeton.ma.us/

The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>If you're interested in how the shape of Massachusetts' counties, including Worcester, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
<2>A demonym is the name for a resident of a community which is usually derived from (or is related to) the name of that community. In other words, it's how the residents of Princeton refer to themselves. It's important to note that there aren't any rules for taking a community's name and turning it into a demonym. A demonym is informal and while the majority of Princeton may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different.
<3>Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Princeton.
<4>The elevation is an estimate for the area around Princeton - it will be higher in some places and lower in others.
<5>When there's a risk of an area code running out of phone numbers, an 'Overlay Area Code' is created that has the same geographic boundaries as the existing area code. In this case, the 978 code has been Overlayed with the 351 area code. New phone numbers in the Princeton area will be assigned with one of these codes: 978 or 351. As a result, placing a call in the Princeton area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number).
<6>ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a community (such as Princeton). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Princeton or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS).
<7>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<8>A copy of their list with background information can be found at:

      https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025