Moorestown Township, New Jersey
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- This article is about the Township of Moorestown in New Jersey. Other places in New Jersey with similar names are Morris Township, New Jersey and Morristown, New Jersey.
Moorestown is a Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 19,017. Moorestown is not to be confused with similarly-named Morristown, a town in the northern part of New Jersey.
Moorestown Township was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 11, 1922, from portions of Chester Township (now Maple Shade Township), based on the results of a referendum held on April 25, 1922.[1]
Moorestown-Lenola is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Moorestown Township. Other place names used within Moorestown include North Bend, Stanwick and West Moorestown[2].
Moorestown was ranked number one in Money magazine's list of the best places to live in America in 2005. [3] The magazine screened over a thousand small towns and created a list of the top 100 for its August 2005 issue. The township earned the top spot because of its true community feeling, in addition to its relatively high income and good schools. Another one of its attributes is its close proximity to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, about a 15-minute commute.
Vernon Hill's 4,260 m² (45,854 ft²) mansion Villa Collina - Italian for "Hill House" - the largest private residence in New Jersey, is located in Moorestown.
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[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 38.7 km² (14.9 mi²). 38.3 km² (14.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (1.07%) is water.
Moorestown Township is located in southwest Burlington County and borders Maple Shade Township to the south, Cinnaminson Township and Delran Township to the west, Willingboro Township on the north and Mount Laurel Township to the east. Moorestown Township is approximately ten miles east of Philadelphia.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 7,247 |
|
|
| 1940 | 7,749 | 6.9% | |
| 1950 | 9,123 | 17.7% | |
| 1960 | 12,497 | 37.0% | |
| 1970 | 15,577 | 24.6% | |
| 1980 | 15,596 | 0.1% | |
| 1990 | 16,116 | 3.3% | |
| 2000 | 19,017 | 18.0% | |
| Est. 2005 | 20,011 | [4] | 5.2% |
| Population 1930 - 1990[5] | |||
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 19,017 people, 6,971 households, and 5,270 families residing in the township. The population density was 497.1/km² (1,287.3/mi²). There were 7,211 housing units at an average density of 188.5/km² (488.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 89.19% White, 5.69% African American, 0.16% Native American, 3.27% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.75% of the population.
There were 6,971 households out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.3% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the township the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $78,826, and the median income for a family was $94,844. Males had a median income of $74,773 versus $39,148 for females. The per capita income for the township was $42,154. About 2.4% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
Moorestown's municipal government operates under a Council-Manager plan under the Faulkner Act. A five-member Council is elected at large on a partisan basis. Each member is elected for a 4-year term, on an overlapping basis.
The Township Manager, a full-time professional administrator, is appointed by the Council. Under the Township's administrative code and the Faulkner Act, the Manager is vested with broad executive and administrative authority and responsibility.
Members of the Moorestown Township Council are Mayor Kevin Aberant, Acting Mayor Ann B. Segal, Seth Broder, Daniel Roccato, and Jonathan Eron.[6]
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Moorestown Township is in the Third Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 8th Legislative District.[7]
New Jersey's Third Congressional District, covering portions of Burlington County, Camden County and Ocean County, is represented by Jim Saxton (R, Mount Holly). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
The 8th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Martha W. Bark (R, Mount Laurel) and in the Assembly by Francis L. Bodine (D, Mount Laurel) and Larry Chatzidakis (R, Mount Laurel). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).
Burlington County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. Burlington County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director James K. Wujcik, Deputy Freeholder Director William S. Haines, Jr., Dawn Marie Addiego, Vincent R. Farias and Aubrey A. Fenton.
[edit] Education
The Moorestown Township Public Schools serve students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district are three K-3 elementary schools — George C. Baker (443 students), Mary E. Roberts (406 students) and South Valley (478 students) — Moorestown Upper Elementary School for grades 4-6 (982 students), William Allen Middle School for grades 7-8 (651 students), and Moorestown High School for grades 9-12 (1,203 students).
Moorestown Friends School is a private Quaker school located at East Main Street and Chester Avenue. The school serves students approximately 700 students from Pre-School through 12th grade.
[edit] History
Moorestown originated as a Quaker town. It is not certain when the first white settlers came here, but it was in 1682 that the road from Burlington to Salem, passing through what is now Moorestown, was laid out. Dr. John Rodman bought 500 acres of land in 1686 in what is now the western section of Moorestown, but was called Rodmantown at that time. What is now the east part of Moorestown was called Chestertown. The name Moorestown didn't come into use until the mid 1800s, named after Moore's Tavern. The first meetinghouse was built out of logs in 1700, but burned down in 1720. Another meetinghouse was built out of stone, but was erected in 1802 for a burial site. Until 1867, the only form of transportation from Moorestown to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was stagecoach, until a railroad was built. Before this, Coles Hotel was a major resting point. The Historical Society of Moorestown was formed in 1969. Moorestown today remains alcohol free.
Today, as one walks along Main Street from the Friends’ School west past the old Town Hall, it is hard to believe that the ridge that the road (formerly The King’s Highway) follows was once occupied with the wigwams of the Lenni Lenape Native Americans. Two fine springs, one to the west (off Main Street before reaching the Perkins Center for the Arts, just by Roberts Elementary School) and one to the east (off North Stanwick Road) were attractive to Native Americans and traders alike.
Although there were property owners as early as 1680 in the present township location, (formerly known as Chester Township), the Village of Moorestown was founded in 1682 when the first owners built homes and actually lived here. Thomas Hooton and son acquired 600 acres in 1682 and a Roberts family also set up their farmstead in the area. In May of 1686, when Philadelphia was about 3 years old, John Rodman bought 500 acres on the west side of Chester Township, and Thomas Rodman bought 533 acres additional in the same area, where the area soon became known as the Village of Rodmantown. The growing area around the eastern spring was known as the Village of Chestertown.
In 1700, the first Society of Friends’ Meeting House, built of logs, was erected on The King’s Highway. Originally known as Meeting House Lane, Chester Avenue was laid out in 1720. The Village at that time probably consisted of a few farmhouses along The King's Highway from Stanwick Road to Locust Street.
Thomas Moore and his wife Elizabeth settled here in 1722 and in 1732, Moore purchased 33 acres of land on the north side of The King's Highway. The land ran from the west side of the Friends' graveyard on the northwest corner of The King’s Highway and Meeting House Lane on the east and west to Locust Street on the western boundary of his property and north to Second Street. Mr. Moore set up a hotel on the northwest corner of The King’s Highway and Union Streets (where a former Shell gas station is, across the street from the Wawa). With so much land eventually being owned by Thomas Moore, the name Moorestown gradually replaced Chester informally in what is now the center of town. Finally, Moorestown formerly split off from Chester and became a Township.
The Coles Hotel, east of the corner of Main and Chester, was the scene of great activity prior to the building of the railroad in 1867. Before this time, the stagecoach was the only public conveyance between Moorestown and Philadelphia, and the hotel was a stagecoach stop.
Another landmark on Main Street, east of Chester Avenue, is now the present home of Verizon. In 1745 John Cox erected a tavern there that was to become famous in the early history of Moorestown. Town Meetings were held in the tavern prior to 1812 when Old Town Hall was then erected.
The home now standing on the northwest corner of Main and Schooley Streets, then the home of Joshua Bispham, was commandeered by Hessian officers during the American Revolutionary War as they retreated from Philadelphia in 1778.
The old homestead on the northeast corner of King's Highway and Lenola Road was constructed in 1742 by John Cowperthwaite. Because of its excellent example of an 18th century home, record of its construction was made in 1937 by the United States Department of the Interior and is now recorded in the Library of Congress.
[edit] Transportation
Moorestown does not have its own train station, as residents have historically been opposed to the concept (the original concept of the PATCO line had a train stopping in Moorestown). Residents can drive to train stations in the nearby communities of Haddonfield and Lindenwold, for access to PATCO Speedline and NJ Transit service.
[edit] Notable residents
- Samuel Leeds Allen, inventor and industrialist.[8]
- Jon Runyan, professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles
- Hank Fraley, professional football player, Cleveland Browns.
- Eldridge R. Johnson, founder of Victor Talking Machine Company (now known as RCA).[8]
- Jevon Kearse, professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles.
- Donovan McNabb, professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles.[8]
- Terrell Owens, professional football player, Dallas Cowboys.[9]
- Alice Paul, women's rights activist.[8]
- Lito Sheppard, professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles.
[edit] References
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 97.
- ^ New Jersey Localities, accessed September 9, 2006
- ^ Best Places to Live 2005, Money magazine, accessed May 17, 2006
- ^ Census data for Moorestown township, United States Census Bureau, accessed March 1, 2007
- ^ Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, accessed March 1, 2007
- ^ Township Council, accessed March 7, 2007
- ^ League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 61, accessed August 30, 2006
- ^ a b c d Wonderful Town, New Jersey Monthly, April 2006
- ^ Reid: T.O. will not play for Eagles this season, ESPN.com, November 8, 2005
[edit] External links
- Moorestown Township website
- Moorestown Township Public Schools
- Moorestown Township Schools's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Moorestown Township Schools
- Moorestown Library
- Moorestown Our Neighbor
- Philadelphia Inquirer Special Report on Moorestown (November 2004)
[edit] Further reading
- Lawrence Smith, Robert (1997). A Quaker Book of Wisdom. ISBN 0-688-15653-3.
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(County seat: Mount Holly Township) |
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| Boroughs | Fieldsboro | Medford Lakes | Palmyra | Pemberton | Riverton | Wrightstown |  |
| Cities | Beverly | Bordentown | Burlington | |
| Townships |
Bass River | Bordentown | Burlington | Chesterfield | Cinnaminson | Delanco | Delran | Eastampton | Edgewater Park | Evesham | Florence | Hainesport | Lumberton | Mansfield | Maple Shade | Medford | Moorestown | Mount Holly | Mount Laurel | New Hanover | North Hanover | Pemberton | Riverside | Shamong | Southampton | Springfield | Tabernacle | Washington | Westampton | Willingboro | Woodland |
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| CDPs and other communities | Browns Mills | Chatsworth | Country Lake Estates | Florence-Roebling | Fort Dix | Leisuretowne | Marlton CDP | McGuire Air Force Base | Moorestown-Lenola | |New Gretna | Pemberton Heights | Presidential Lakes Estates | Ramblewood | |
