Pennsauken

Pennsauken Township, New Jersey
—  Township  —
Pennsauken Township highlighted in Camden County. Inset: Location of Camden County in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Pennsauken Township, New Jersey
Coordinates: 39°57′24″N 75°3′21″W / 39.95667°N 75.05583°W / 39.95667; -75.05583Coordinates: 39°57′24″N 75°3′21″W / 39.95667°N 75.05583°W / 39.95667; -75.05583
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Camden
Incorporated	February 18, 1892
Government [1]
- Type	Township (New Jersey)
- Mayor	Rick Taylor
- Administrator	Bob Cummings
Area
- Total	12.2 sq mi (31.6 km2)
- Land	10.5 sq mi (27.3 km2)
- Water	1.7 sq mi (4.3 km2)
Elevation [2]	79 ft (24 m)
Population (2006)[3]
- Total	35,443
- Density	3,392.4/sq mi (1,309.8/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	08109-08110
Area code(s)	856
FIPS code	34-57660[4][5]
GNIS feature ID	0882157[6]
Website	http://www.twp.pennsauken.nj.us

Pennsauken Township is a township in Camden County, New Jersey, USA, and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 35,737.

Pennsauken Township was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 18, 1892, from portions of the now-defunct Stockton Township.^[7]

Pennsauken is home to a large industrial park that includes a Pepsi plant, Disc Makers, and J & J Snack Foods Corporation. The exact origin of the name Pennsauken is unclear but it is probably from the tongue of the Lenni Lenape people (a Native American group which once occupied the area). The Lenni Lenape term for "tobbaco pouch" is "Pindasenauken".^[8]

Geography

Pennsauken Township is located at 39°57′24″N 75°03′21″W / 39.956562°N 75.055918°W / 39.956562; -75.055918 (39.956562, -75.055918).^[9]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 12.2 square miles (31.6 km²), of which, 10.5 square miles (27.3 km²) of it is land and 1.6 square miles (4.3 km²) of it (13.54%) is water.

The township includes Petty's Island, a 292-acre (1.18 km²) island in the Delaware River although most of the island actually sits across a narrow strait from neighboring Camden. Once an oil storage and distribution facility, the island is now the site of a container cargo shipping operation and nesting bald eagles. Petty's Island is currently the focal point of the township's waterfront redevelopment plan.

Pennsauken borders Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The two municipalities are connected across the Delaware River by the Betsy Ross Bridge which is owned and operated by the Delaware River Port Authority. In New Jersey, Pennsauken borders Camden, Collingswood, Merchantville, Cherry Hill, Palmyra, Maple Shade and Cinnaminson.

Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 35,737 people, 12,389 households, and 9,093 families residing in the township. The population density was 3,392.4 people per square mile (1,310.4/km²). There were 12,945 housing units at an average density of 1,228.8/sq mi (474.7/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 60.10% White, 24.18% African American, 0.35% Native American, 4.58% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 8.27% from other races, and 2.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.34% of the population.

There were 12,389 households out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.34.

In the township the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $47,538, and the median income for a family was $52,760. Males had a median income of $37,652 versus $30,100 for females. The per capita income for the township was $19,004. About 6.1% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.1% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Pennsauken Township is governed under the Township form of government with a five-member Township Committee. The Township Committee is elected directly by the voters in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year.^[1] At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor.

Members of the Pennsauken Township Committee are Mayor Rick Taylor, Deputy Mayor Bill Orth, Jack Killion, John Kneib and Greg Schofield. The Township's Administrator is Bob Cummings.^[11]

Federal, state and county representation

Pennsauken Township is in the First Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 7th Legislative District.^[12]

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 7th district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Diane Allen (R, Edgewater Park Township) and in the Assembly by Herb Conaway (D, Delanco Township) and Jack Conners (D, Pennsauken Township).^[13] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).^[14]

Camden County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, elected at-large for staggered three-year terms by the residents of the county.^[15] As of 2008^[update], Camden County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. (Collingswood, term ends December 31, 2008), Freeholder Deputy Director Edward McDonnell (Pennsauken Township, 2010), Riletta L. Cream (Camden, 2008), Rodney A. Greco (Gloucester Township, 2009), Jeffrey L. Nash (Cherry Hill Township, 2009), Joseph Ripa (Voorhees Township, 2009) and Carmen Rodriguez (Merchantville, 2010).^[16]

Education

The Pennsauken Public Schools serve public school students in prekindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics^[17]) are Baldwin Early Childhood Learning Center for PreK (144 students), seven K-4 elementary schools — Burling, Carson (294), Delair (377), George B. Fine (264), Franklin (388), Longfellow (183), Theodore Roosevelt (230) — Pennsauken Intermediate School (5&6; 843), Howard M. Phifer Middle School (7&8; 954) and Pennsauken High School for grades 9-12 (1,812).

Students from Merchantville attend the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship.^[18]

Also available in the township is the Pennsauken Technical High School, which offers day and evening classes.^[19] n Bishop Eustace Preparatory School is a coeducational, private high school for students in grades 9-12, founded in 1954 by the priests and brothers of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (the Pallottines). St. Cecilia School and St. Stephen's School are elementary schools that operate under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden.^[20]

Transportation

The Pennsauken-Route 73 station on the River Line offers service between Trenton and Camden.

New Jersey Transit bus service to Philadelphia is available on the 317, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 409, 413, 419 routes, with local service available on the 452.^[21]

Notable residents and history

Notable current and former residents of Pennsauken Township include:

• Al Fisher (born 1986), basketball player for Kent State University; was named 2008 MAC PLayer of the Year.
• Bill Gosper (1943-), mathematician and pioneering computer programmer.^[22]
• David Griggs (football player) (1967-1995), former NFL linebacker.^[23]
• Dwight Hicks (1956-), former player for the San Francisco 49ers.
• John Taylor (1962-), wide receiver with the San Francisco 49ers.^[23]
• William Wesley (1964-), NBA basketball player associate.

In addition, Pennsauken was home to America's first drive-in movie theater, created in 1933 with the opening of the Camden Drive-In in Pennsauken.^[24] It featured the comedy Wives Beware, released in the theaters as Two White Arms.

References

External links

• Pennsauken Township website
• Pennsauken Public Schools
• Pennsauken Public Schools's 2007–08 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
• Data for the Pennsauken Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics
• Griffith Morgan House

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