… really screwed things up, at least here in New Jersey. I guess you could say that suburban housing development did as well. They were all in it together.
A long time ago, in a state close to home, there were boro(ugh)s, villages, cities and townships. For example, Princeton borough, Village of Toms River, Trenton, and the Township of Windsor were very different types of communities. As houses were built in former farm areas, the Post Office Department (and later the US Postal Service) created ZIP codes. For each ZIP code and post office, the group assigned a name, possibly linked to the name of the surrounding area. While it helped to standardize the spelling of place names, it also changed the way we think about where we live.
I used to live in Cranbury Manor. My house was located in East Windsor Township, but since I was closer to the post office in the Village of Cranbury, my mailing address was Cranbury, NJ. Suddenly Cranbury (which was no longer just a village but also a township adjacent to East Windsor Township, but that is irrelevant to me) was everywhere.
In addition, while I live in Lawrence Township, I am forced to use Lawrenceville in my return address when I send letters. The township and the village used to be called Maidenhead. I think I prefer the current name. When someone asks you where you live, do you tell them your mailing address or where your house is actually located?
NOTE: I know of only one town without a ZIP code.
You could use either one in your mailing address, actually, since your zip code is technically Trenton. 🙂
When I lived in NJ, I technically lived in Scotch Plains, but our mailing address was Westfield. Argh.