Located at the cross-roads between the Delaware Valley region to the southwest and the Raritan Valley region to the northeast, the township is considered to be an outer-ring suburb of New York City in the New York metropolitan area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau.

[25] A portion of Princeton University, covering 400 acres (160 ha) south of Lake Carnegie, is located in West Windsor.

[30] Prior to individual European land acquisition and settlement around the turn of the 18th century, the primary residents of West Windsor were the Lenape Native Americans.

The Assanhicans (Assunpinks) were the subtribe that inhabited the greater Trenton area; artifacts from their society are still found in West Windsor.

[32] In 1634, and English captain named Thomas Yong explored the Delaware River, up to the general Trenton area.

[33] Following the 1838 formation of Mercer County and further land acquisitions by Princeton in 1843 and 1853, West Windsor's borders were again redefined to reflect the township's current 26.84 square miles (69.5 km2).

Instead, The township contained within it (entirely or partly) several small hamlets whose names and locations are still identifiable and/or in use in contemporary times.

[34] They are as follows: Grover's Mill in West Windsor was the site Orson Welles chose for the Martian invasion in his infamous 1938 radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds.

[34] During the later part of the 20th century the township underwent dramatic changes, driven mainly by a major boom in new housing developments.

For generations, West Windsor had existed mostly as a sparsely populated agricultural community according to a 1999 article in The New York Times, the township "has grown into a sprawl of expensive houses in carefully groomed developments, and home to nearly 20,000 people", since the 1970s.

[25] In April 2002, a memorial was dedicated to the seven residents of West Windsor who died in the September 11 terrorist attacks.

[1][2] Princeton Junction (with a 2010 Census population of 2,465)[44] is an unincorporated community and census-designated place located within West Windsor.

[45][46][47] Other unincorporated communities in the township include Berrien City, Dutch Neck, Edinburg, Grover's Mill, Millstone, Penns Neck, Port Mercer, Post Corner,[citation needed] and Princeton Ivy East[citation needed].

[49][50][51] The Howard Hughes Corporation has proposed redevelopment of a 653-acre (264 ha) tract of land bounded by the Northeast Corridor train line, Route 1, and Quakerbridge Road, which includes land once owned by American Cyanamid and last used up until 2002 as an agricultural research facility by BASF; in of 2017 a plan was proposed to create mixed-use development that would include 2,000 residences along with 1,300,000 square feet (120,000 m2) of retail and commercial space on the site, which is currently zoned for commercial use.

[54] In 2019, Atlantic Realty purchased the property, and in November 2020 they and the township reached an agreement to restrict the tract to non-residential use and convert it to warehouse space.

The West Windsor Planning Board granted approval to build 5.5 million square feet of warehouse space (called "Bridge Point 8") on June 29, 2022.

NRG Energy, a company specializing in electricity generation and retail, has its corporate headquarters located in West Windsor.

[74][75][76] The township benefits from its proximity to New York City and Philadelphia, making it an attractive location for businesses and sectors such as finance, technology, and healthcare.

Several small and medium-sized enterprises operate within the township, ranging from local startups to regional offices of larger corporations.

[77] Retail centers, such as the MarketFair in West Windsor, and the nearby Quaker Bridge Mall in Lawrence Township, also drive commerce and attract customers from surrounding communities.

These farms offer fresh produce and promote agricultural practices that appeal to environmentally-conscious residents.

[79] The township's support for green initiatives and environmentally-friendly policies has also made it an appealing place for businesses and residents focused on sustainability.

The student television station is transmitted to all of Mercer County, New Jersey, via cable TV channel 26 on Xfinity and Optimum, reaching an excess of 90,000 households.

[106][107][108] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 12th congressional district is represented by Bonnie Watson Coleman (D, Ewing Township).

[113] As of 2025[update], the County Executive is Daniel R. Benson (D, Hamilton Township) whose term of office ends December 31, 2027.

[173] U.S. Route 1 is the largest and busiest highway in West Windsor, crossing the northwestern sections of the township, oriented southwest to northeast.

[178] Route 64 is a short, unsigned state highway that runs 0.32 miles (0.51 km) concurrent with CR 526/CR 571 where they cross the Northeast Corridor rail line.

Princeton Junction station, a Northeast Corridor stop on Amtrak and NJ Transit, is located within West Windsor.

Traveling 2.7 miles (4.3 km) each way, it is the shortest regularly scheduled passenger route in the United States.

[188][189] One of those physician practices has a primary and specialty care unit in West Windsor, located on Princeton-Hightstown Road.