| Deptford Township, New Jersey | |
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| Coordinates: 39°49′11″N 75°7′22″W / 39.81972°N 75.12278°W | |
| Country | United States |
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| State | New Jersey |
| County | Gloucester |
| Formed | June 1, 1695 as Bethlehem |
| Incorporated | February 21, 1798 |
| Government [1] | |
| - Type | Faulkner Act (Council-Manager) |
| - Mayor | Paul Medany |
| Area | |
| - Total | 17.6 sq mi (45.5 km2) |
| - Land | 17.5 sq mi (45.3 km2) |
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) |
| Elevation | 82 ft (25 m) |
| Population (2007)[2] | |
| - Total | 30,529 |
| - Density | 1,529.7/sq mi (590.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 08096 |
| Area code(s) | 856 |
| FIPS code | 34-17710[3][4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882149[5] |
| Website | http://www.deptford-nj.org/ |
Deptford Township (commonly known as Deptford) is a township in Gloucester County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2006 Census estimate, the population was 30,216.[2]
Deptford was formed as a township dating back to June 1, 1695, at which time it was known as Bethlehem. It was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. Over the centuries, portions of the township were taken to create Washington Township (February 17, 1836), Woodbury Borough (March 27, 1854; now Woodbury City), West Deptford Township (March 1, 1871), Wenonah (March 10, 1883), Westville (April 7, 1914) and Woodbury Heights (April 6, 1915).[6]
Deptford is a suburb of Philadelphia, located on the eastern side of the Walt Whitman Bridge, which joins southern New Jersey with Philadelphia. It is located 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Philadelphia and 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Atlantic City.
Oak Valley is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Deptford Township.
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History
Deptford was the site of the first hot air balloon landing in North America, gathering that distinction when Jean-Pierre Blanchard completed his flight to Deptford from Philadelphia in 1793. During his flight, Blanchard carried a personal letter from George Washington to be delivered to the owner of whatever property Blanchard happened to land on, making the flight the first delivery of air mail in the United States as well.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 17.6 square miles (45.5 km²), of which, 17.5 square miles (45.3 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.46%) is water.
Deptford Township borders Mantua Township, Washington Township, Wenonah, West Deptford Township, Westville, Woodbury and Woodbury Heights. Deptford Township also borders Camden County.
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 4,507 |
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| 1940 | 4,738 | 5.1% | |
| 1950 | 7,304 | 54.2% | |
| 1960 | 17,878 | 144.8% | |
| 1970 | 24,232 | 35.5% | |
| 1980 | 23,473 | −3.1% | |
| 1990 | 24,137 | 2.8% | |
| 2000 | 26,763 | 10.9% | |
| Est. 2007 | 30,529 | [2] | 14.1% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[7] | |||
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 26,763 people, 10,013 households, and 7,079 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,529.7 people per square mile (590.5/km²). There were 10,647 housing units at an average density of 608.6/sq mi (234.9/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 83.44% White, 12.38% African American, 0.21% Native American, 1.53% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.99% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.86% of the population.
There were 10,013 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the township the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $50,147, and the median income for a family was $56,642. Males had a median income of $40,641 versus $28,986 for females. The per capita income for the township was $21,477. 5.9% of the population and 4.3% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 6.2% of those under the age of 18 and 8.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Government
Local government
Deptford Township operates under the Faulkner Act (Council-Manager) form of municipal government and is governed by a seven-member Township Committee. Committee members are elected at large in partisan elections to serve four-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with three or four seats coming up for election every other year.[1]
Members of the Deptford Township Committee are Mayor Paul Medany, Deputy Mayor Jacquelyn Love, Frank DiMarco, Tom Hufnell, Phillip Schocklin Joe Scott and Lin Tenaglia.[8]
Federal, state and county representation
Deptford Township is in the First Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 5th Legislative District.[9]
New Jersey's First Congressional District, covering portions of Burlington County, Camden County and Gloucester County, is represented by Rob Andrews (D, Haddon Heights). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
For the 2008-2009 Legislative Session, the 5th district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Dana Redd (D, Camden) and in the Assembly by Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D, Barrington) and Joseph J. Roberts (D, Camden).[10] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[11]
Gloucester County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, elected to three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two or three seats coming up for election each year. Each year, the Board selects a Freeholder Director and Deputy Director from among its members. As of 2008[update], Gloucester County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Stephen M. Sweeney (D, West Deptford Township, term ends December 31, 2008), Deputy Freeholder Director Robert M. Damminger (D, West Deptford Township, 2009), Joseph A. Brigandi, Jr., (D, Glassboro, 2010), Jean DuBois (D, Mantua Township, 2010), Giuseppe "Joe" Chila (D, Woolwich Township, 2009), Frank J. DiMarco (D, Deptford Township, 2008) and Dr. Warren S. Wallace (D, Washington Township, 2008).[12]
Education
The Deptford Township Schools serve over 4,200 students. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[13]) are Central Early Childhood Center (518 students; PreK-1), Good Intent School (388; 2-6), Lake Tract School (411; 2-6), New Sharon School (33; ungraded), Oak Valley School (377; 2-6), Pine Acres Early Childhood Center (197; PreK-1), Shady Lane School (494; PreK-6), Monongahela Middle School for grades seven and eight (694) and Deptford Township High School for grades 9-12 (1,180).
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Notable residents
- Isaac Hopper (1771-1852), abolitionist, founder of the Underground Railroad.[14]
- Michael Johns (born 1964), health care executive, former White House speechwriter, conservative policy analyst and writer.[15]
- Bob Levy (born 1962), stand-up comic.[16]
- Patti Smith (born 1946), rock musician, songwriter and poet.[17]
Deptford Mall
The Deptford Mall, located in Deptford, is the seventh largest shopping mall in New Jersey and the largest in the South Jersey region of the state, with a Gross leasable area (GLA) of 1,300,000 square feet (121,000 m2).
The Deptford Mall is surrounded by two movie theaters (with a total of fourteen screens between them), twelve strip malls, bars, and numerous restaurants and individual stores.
Restaurants
Some of the various restaurants in Deptford are: Adelphia's, Applebee's, Bonefish Grill, Boston Market, Burger King, Chick-fil-A, Chili's, Chuck E. Cheese's, Don Pablos, Dunkin' Donuts, Fillamino's, Friendly's, Maggie Moo's, McDonald's, Me and You Restaurant, Moe's Southwest Grill, Ninety Nine Restaurant, Olive Garden, Outback Steakhouse, Papa John's Pizza, Pie a la Mode, Pizza Hut, Red Lobster, Ruby Tuesday's, Scoopy's Water Ice, Taco Bell, Wawa, Wendy's and others.
Transportation
Deptford Township is criss-crossed by major transportation routes in and near the township, including Interstate 295, Route 41, Route 42, Route 47, Route 55, as well as County Route 534, County Route 544, County Route 551 and County Route 553.
Deptford in popular media
Deptford is featured briefly in the film Patti Smith: Dream of Life, a 2008 documentary about rock musician Patti Smith.[18]
References
- ^ a b 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 28.
- ^ a b c Census data for Deptford township, United States Census Bureau. Accessed October 29, 2008
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 14, 2008.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 138.
- ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
- ^ Deptford Township Mayor and Council, Deptford Township. Accessed July 15, 2008.
- ^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 56. Accessed August 30, 2006.
- ^ Legislative Roster: 2008-2009 Session, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed June 6, 2008.
- ^ "About the Governor". New Jersey. http://www.nj.gov/governor/about/. Retrieved on 6 June 2008.
- ^ Gloucester County Elected Officials, Gloucester County, New Jersey. Accessed March 27, 2008.
- ^ Data for the Deptford Township Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed July 15, 2008.
- ^ Bulletin Article - September 2005, Historical Society of Haddonfield, accessed April 17, 2007. "In the city, she boarded with the family of Isaac Hopper whose ancestors had lived in what is now Deptford, New Jersey."
- ^ Michael Johns biography at Financial Wire.
- ^ "Reverend Bob Cranks up a riveting comedy venue," Philadelphia Daily News.
- ^ LaGorce, Tammy. "MUSIC; Patti Smith, New Jersey's Truest Rock-Poet", The New York Times, December 11, 2005. Accessed April 25, 2008. "But of all the ways to know Patti Smith, few people, including Ms. Smith, would think to embrace her as Deptford Township's proudest export."
- ^ "Patti Smith: Dream of Life," Electric Sheep, December 2, 2008.
External links
- Deptford Township Official Web Site.
- Deptford Township Schools Official Web Site.
- Deptford Township Schools's 2006-07 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- Data for the Deptford Township Schools, National Center for Education Statistics
- Deptford Mall Official Web Site.
- Deptford forum at NJ.com.
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