A deed for a sale of land and improvements dated March 1, 1698, is the earliest evidence of buildings constructed in present-day Cranbury.

A home in Cranbury was used by Alexander Hamilton and the Marquis de Lafayette as a headquarters during the American Revolutionary War, and they were visited by General George Washington on June 26, 1778.

[23] This continued pursuit led to the fated events of the Battle of Monmouth (which took place nearby in modern-day Freehold Township and Manalapan Township, preserved currently as Monmouth Battlefield State Park), a major turning point for the Revolutionary War.

[24][25] As part of orders issued during the presidency of George Washington, maps of Cranbury were made showing the presence of a church, a mill and 25 other buildings.

Fleeing after he killed Alexander Hamilton in their 1804 duel, Aaron Burr stopped in Cranbury to exchange horses and eat a local inn.

[34] In 2019, the Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society saved the 1713 East Jersey Cottage from demolition and had the building relocated across Old Trenton Road, onto its original 1693 Fullerton tract, the 1752 Philipse property and the 1760 Bodine farm.

The building retained its intact hand-hewn post and beam structure with pegged mortise and tenon joints and rubble nogging.

[37] Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Brain Grove Lake, Cranbury Station, Wescott, and Wyckoffs Mills.

[40][41][42] The 2010 United States census counted 3,857 people, 1,320 households, and 1,060 families in the township.

Cranbury was noted for a used Rolls-Royce dealership located in the center of township, but it has gone out of business.

The alternative energy business Brilliant Light Power, which occupies a building formerly occupied by Creative Playthings, is in fact located in East Windsor, in an area served by the Cranbury Post Office.

[6][53] At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as mayor.

[3][54][55][56][57] In 2023, the township had the lowest effective property tax rate in Middlesex County at 1.621%.

[61][62][63] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 12th congressional district is represented by Bonnie Watson Coleman (D, Ewing Township).

[68] As of 2025[update], Middlesex County's Commissioners (with party affiliation, term-end year, and residence listed in parentheses) are: Director Ronald G. Rios (D, Carteret, 2027),[69] Deputy Director Shanti Narra (D, North Brunswick, 2027),[70] Claribel A.

[24][107][108][109] Cranbury Township is granted a seat on the Princeton Regional Schools Board of Education, with the designated representative only voting on issues pertaining to Princeton High School and district-wide issues.

The free-standing library was built with funds donated through a capital campaign by the Cranbury Public Library Foundation from 2010 through 2022, as well as funds from surplus operating revenue saved from prior to 2008 when the Cranbury School started charging rent.

[115][24][116] The Cranbury Historic District is a 175-acre (71 ha) historic district encompassing the village of Cranbury along Main and Prospect streets; Maplewood and Scott avenues; Bunker Hill Road; Symmes Court; Westminster, Park and Wesley places.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 18, 1980, for its significance in architecture and commerce.

"[27][119] The John S. Silvers Mansion, built 1886, features Queen Anne style architecture.

[119] The Elizabeth M. Wagner History Center of the Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society is located in a former gristmiller's house and has a display on Cranberry Mills.

[121] Several major roads and highways pass through the township[122] Cranbury hosts a 4-mile (6.4 km) section of Interstate 95 (the New Jersey Turnpike).

The Molly Pitcher Service Area is located at mile marker 71.7 on the southbound side.

[129] Middlesex County offers the M6 MCAT shuttle route providing service to Jamesburg and Plainsboro Township.

[131] Other nearby regional hospitals and healthcare networks that are accessible to the township include CentraState Medical Center in Freehold Township, the Old Bridge Township division of Raritan Bay Medical Center, and Saint Peter's University Hospital and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in nearby New Brunswick.