Welcome to Princeton ...
The city of Princeton is located in Mercer County<1> and is the County Seat for Mercer County.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Princeton, you might consider that their post office opened in 1838.
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 5,674 people<3> (see below for details).
Princeton is 2,430 feet [741 m] above sea level.<4> In other words, the altitude of Princeton is about ½ mile above sea level.
Time Zone: Princeton lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Area codes for Princeton: (304) & (681)<5>
The ZIP code for Princeton: 24740<6>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Princeton had an population of 5,674 people. This is a decrease of 11.78% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 10.6% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Princeton had a population of 6,432 people (which is 10.33% of the total population of Mercer County). This makes Princeton the county's 2nd most populous community.
The population of Princeton represents 0.35% of the population of West Virginia (which has 1,852,994 people), making it the state's 21st most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 6,432 people, the population of Princeton increased 1.34% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 6,347 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, Massachusetts, 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 and Wisconsin.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Princeton.
Communities near Princeton ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Princeton.
- Bluefield
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluefield
- Bluefield is located in Mercer County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,505 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bluefield <7>
- Bluefield
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluefield
- Bluefield is located in Tazewell County (VA)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,814 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bluefield <7>
- Narrows
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Narrows have been provided by the GNIS.<8> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Narrows
- Narrows is located in Giles County (VA)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,949 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Narrows <7>
- Athens
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athens
- Athens is located in Mercer County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 890 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Athens <7>
- Rich Creek
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Creek
- Rich Creek is located in Giles County (VA)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 738 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rich Creek <7>
- Peterstown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peterstown
- Peterstown is located in Monroe County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 617 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Peterstown <7>
- Pocahontas
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocahontas
- Pocahontas is located in Tazewell County (VA)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 348 people
- Bramwell
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bramwell
- Bramwell is located in Mercer County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 334 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bramwell <7>
- Northfork
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Northfork have been provided by the GNIS.<8> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northfork
- Northfork is located in McDowell County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 322 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Northfork <7>
- Keystone
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Keystone have been provided by the GNIS.<8> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keystone
- Keystone is located in McDowell County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 213 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Keystone <7>
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. Our list includes 13 papers. 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.
In addition to the Tourism page for Princeton, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on 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.<9>
From that list, the Princeton post office opened in 1838.
We also found Princeton in the book titled List of Post Offices in the United States (1870).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Princeton.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Princeton. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of West Virginia: https://www.wv.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of West Virginia's counties, including Mercer, 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 city'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> | Area code (681) is an overlay for area code (304). |
| <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 city (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> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <8> | 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. |
| <9> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |