Wenonah is a Borough in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 2,317. It is located approximately 10 miles south of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Wenonah was established as a Borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 10, 1883, from portions of Deptford Township, based on the results of a referendum that was held two days earlier.[6]
History
Wenonah was founded in 1871 by Philadelphia businessmen as a country resort. Its location along the Mantua Creek and on the West Jersey Railroad made it a convenient get-away.[7] Over the next 40 years, numerous dams were installed to create recreational lakes. From 1902 until the Great Depression, Wenonah Military Academy, a private military school, trained cadets there.[citation needed]
Throughout its history, Wenonah has been almost exclusively a residential area. Over 22% of the borough's area is conservation land, which is protected by ordinance from development.[8] Over six miles of hiking trails are threaded around lakes and alongside waterways in these conserved areas.[9]
Wenonah is a close-knit community with holiday events every season. Halloween brings the Wenonah Police Station to set up their "Halloween in the Park" - a display of blow-up Halloween themed lit decorations. Christmas means the Tree Lighting celebration in the park in the center of town. The grade school children sing, there are cookies and hot chocolate, and live music is played until a countdown to the official lighting of the town's tree for the season. Fourth of July means a multitude of activities from a parade to fire truck rides to boat races. The Wenonah parade is famous around the area and has been declared by travel magazines as one of the top ten small town Fourth of July parades.
Geography
Wenonah is located at 39°47′31″N 75°08′58″W / 39.791813°N 75.149495°W / 39.791813; -75.149495 (39.791813, -75.149495).[10]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.5 km2), all of it land.
Wenonah borders Deptford Township and Mantua Township.
Demographics
| Historical populations |
| Census |
Pop. |
|
%± |
| 1930 |
1,245 |
|
—
|
| 1940 |
1,311 |
|
5.3% |
| 1950 |
1,511 |
|
15.3% |
| 1960 |
2,100 |
|
39.0% |
| 1970 |
2,364 |
|
12.6% |
| 1980 |
2,303 |
|
−2.6% |
| 1990 |
2,331 |
|
1.2% |
| 2000 |
2,317 |
|
−0.6% |
| Est. 2006 |
2,333 |
[2] |
0.7% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[11] |
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 2,317 people, 844 households, and 652 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,380.3 people per square mile (922.3/km2). There were 860 housing units at an average density of 883.5/sq mi (342.3/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.546% White, 1.084% African American, 0.093% Native American, 0.65% Asian, and 0.652% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.731% of the population.
There were 844 households out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.4% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.7% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the borough the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 29.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $71,625, and the median income for a family was $82,505. Males had a median income of $57,381 versus $37,500 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $34,116. About 2.0% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.8% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Local government
Wenonah is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.[12]
The Mayor of the Borough of Wenonah is Thomas Capaldi. Members of the Wenonah Borough Council are Thomas Lombardo, John Dominy, Carl D. Hausman Jr., John F. Howard, Philipp Kaeferle, and Jim Navins.[13]
Federal, state and county representation
Wenonah is in the First Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 3rd Legislative District.[14]
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).
The 3rd legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Stephen M. Sweeney (D, West Deptford Township) and in the Assembly by John J. Burzichelli (D, Paulsboro) and Celeste Riley (D, Bridgeton).[15] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[16]
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 2009[update], Gloucester County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Stephen M. Sweeney (D, West Deptford Township, term ends December 31, 2011), 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, 2011) and Dr. Warren S. Wallace (D, Washington Township, 2011).[17]
Education
The Wenonah School District serves public school students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Wenonah Elementary School had an enrollment of 243 students as of the 2005-06 school year.[18]
For seventh through twelfth grade, public school students attend Gateway Regional High School, a regional public high school serving students from the boroughs of National Park, Wenonah, Westville and Woodbury Heights, as part of the Gateway Regional High School District.[19]
Notable residents
References
- ^ USGS GNIS: Borough of Wenonah, Geographic Names Information System, accessed October 18, 2007.
- ^ a b Census data for Wenonah borough, United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 1, 2007.
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 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 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. 141.
- ^ "Historical Overview: 1870 to 1968". http://wenonahenvironmentalcommission.org/history_1870_to_1968.htm. Retrieved January 15, 2009.
- ^ "Wenonah Land Uses". http://wenonahenvironmentalcommission.org/land_uses.htm. Retrieved January 15, 2009.
- ^ "Wenonah Trail System". http://wenonahenvironmentalcommission.org/trail_system.htm. Retrieved January 15, 2009.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
- ^ 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 19.
- ^ The Wenonah Borough Council, Borough of Wenonah. Accessed June 8, 2009.
- ^ 2008 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 65. Accessed September 30, 2009.
- ^ Legislative Roster: 2008-2009 Session, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed June 6, 2008.
- ^ "About the Governor". New Jersey. http://www.nj.gov/governor/about/. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
- ^ Gloucester County Elected Officials, Gloucester County, New Jersey. Accessed October 1, 2009.
- ^ Data for the Wenonah Elementary School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 28, 2008.
- ^ Gateway Regional High School District 2007 School Report Card, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 28, 2008. "Gateway Regional High School District is comprised of one 7th-12th-grade school located in Woodbury Heights, NJ. It serves the secondary students from the municipalities of National Park, Wenonah, Westville, and Woodbury Heights."
- ^ Strauss, Robert. " WORTH NOTING; Good Thing He Got His Licks In", The New York Times, November 4, 2001. Accessed July 9, 2008. "Michael Capuzzo of Wenonah had a tremendous run this summer with his book, Close to Shore: A True Story of Terror in an Age of Innocence, (Broadway, $24.95) a detailed account of shark attacks at the Jersey shore in 1916."
- ^ Riordan, Kevin (2004-01-20). "Mars mission's lead scientist saw stars long ago". The Courier-Post (Cherry Hill, NJ). http://www.courierpostonline.com/columnists/cxri012004a.htm. Retrieved 2006-12-30.
- ^ "Actors information about Tim Squyres". http://www.answers.com/topic/tim-squyres. Retrieved 2006-12-30.
- ^ Bob Steuber, College Football Hall of Fame. Accessed August 14, 2007.
- ^ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE7D91F38F935A15756C0A965958260
External links
