The story of Trenton began in 1679, when Yorkshire Quakers Mahlon Stacy built a mill at the falls of the Delaware River. Seeing the area's potential, Philadelphia businessman William Trent bought the mill in 1714, and by 1719 the city adopted the name Trent Towne, which was later shortened to Trenton. On December 25, 1776, George Washington began his famous crossing of the Delaware River from Pennsylvania in preparation for his surprise assault on the Hessians the following day in the First Battle of Trenton. The Second Battle of Trenton came eight days later, on January 2. The Revolutionary War battles fought in and near Trenton are considered pivotal in turning the war in the rebels' favor. Trenton became New Jersey's capital in 1790, and the travels of the first fully operational steamboat on the Delaware River made the city well-known across the globe.

Trenton is the birthplace of comedian Ernie Kovacs, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, basketball star Dennis Rodman and General Norman Schwarzkopf, and it is home to more than 88,000 people.

As suggested above, Trenton is rich in history, and travelers to the city can experience much of it with visits to such attractions as the New Jersey State Museum; the Trent House, which was built in 1719 by William Trent and is said to be the oldest house in the city; Washington Crossing State Park, which honors the historic Revolutionary War episode, and the Old Barracks Museum, the only surviving British colonial barracks in the country.