Little Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey
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Little Egg Harbor Township is a Township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 15,945.
Little Egg Harbor Township was formed on February 13, 1740, as Egg Harbour Township from portions of Northampton Township (now Mount Holly Township), while the area was still part of Burlington County. It was incorporated as one of New Jersey's original 104 townships by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. While in Burlington County, portions of the township were taken to form Washington Township (November 19, 1802) and Bass River Township (March 30, 1864). Little Egg Harbor Township became part of Ocean County on March 30, 1891, after which further portions of the township were annexed to create Long Beach Township (March 23, 1899) and Tuckerton (February 18, 1901).[1]
Mystic Island (2000 Census population of 8,694) is a census-designated place and unincorporated area in the southern part of the township. The borough of Tuckerton is within the township but is politically independent. Little Egg Harbor and Tuckerton share the same ZIP code.
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[edit] History
Originally part of Burlington County, Little Egg Harbor took its name from the portion of a bay called Egg Harbor by the Dutch sailors because of the eggs found in nearby gull nests. The first known account of the town was made by Captain Cornelius Jacobsen May in 1614.
The first man to settle the township was Hanry Jacobs Falkinburg Sr. He arrived a little before 1698 and would trade with the local Indians, giving him farmland and plots of land known now as Wills Island and Osborn Island. Later, as Falkinburg could speak fluent Lenni Lenape, he acted as an interpreter between the Indians and settlers.
In October 1778, the Little Egg Harbor Massacre took place as Patrick Ferguson was wreaking havoc on Colonial shipping in the Mullica River, Kazimierz Pułaski and his newly raised forces were ordered to oppose his actions. Pulaski's Legion, along with three companies of light infantry, three troops of light horse, and one artillery detachment, came too late to be of great use against Ferguson's operations. But their arrival did stop Ferguson from raiding the iron works at Batsto, and stemmed their attacks on privateers at The Forks of the Mullica River.
They then set up camp on a farm. A deserter, Lt. Gustav Juliet, found Ferguson and told him of Pulaski's encampment; he mentioned that morale was fairly low, and security almost nonexistent, so that a surprise attack would be devastating. Ferguson promptly loaded 250 of his best men onto boats and rowed them, in the dark, some ten miles to Osborne Island. He then marched them a further two miles to the site of the infantry outpost, which comprised fifty men a short distance from the main encampment. At first light, Ferguson ordered the attack; only five of his quarry were taken alive. Pulaski eventually led his mounted troops up, causing Ferguson to retreat to his boats minus a few men that had fallen into the colonists' hands. A memorial on Radio Road commemorates the attack.
One of the first recorded ships of the township was a sloop belonging to Thomas Ridgway Sr. John Mathis Sr. also had a ship which his son, Daniel, sailed the West Indian routes. They made a profit from selling clams and oysters.
The Tuckerton Wireless Tower was built in 1912, when the present-day Mystic Island was called Hickory Island. The tower was used to transmit telegraph messages during World War I. It is also rumored that it was used to send the message to order the attack by a German U-boat on the RMS Lusitania. The 680-foot tower was made of steel, and anchored by giant concrete blocks, which still exist today, one of them in a backyard and one in the middle of a street. The rest of the tower can be seen in scraps at the Giffordtown Museum.
[edit] Little Egg Harbor Today
Little Egg Harbor is growing rapidly, adding 2,500 more residents since the 2000 Census. Kleiner Group and Kara Homes are the main developers of the community, with Kleiner building three separate developments since 2001: Holly Lake, Sunrise Bay, and Cranberry Creek. Sunrise Bay and Cranberry Creek are both adult communities and Holly Lake is single family; and Kara Homes building three developments: Winding Run, Hartley Estates, and Waters Edge. Construction of the three developments were temporarily ceased when Kara Homes filed for bankruptcy in 2006.
Major developments in Little Egg Harbor Township include Tall Timbers (Townhomes, Radio Road and Center Street), Atlantis (Single Family Homes, Radio Road and Great Bay Boulevard, also home to Ocean County Golf Course at Atlantis), Holly Lake (Single Family Homes, Radio Road), Holly Lake Park (Single Family Homes and Condos, Oak Lane), Harbourtown Villas & Estates (Townhomes and Single Family Homes, Radio Road), Tavistock (Townhomes, Radio Road and Mathistown Road), Cross Creek (Single Family Homes, Center Street), and many more.
Cranberry Creek also helped the extension of Otis Bog Road, from U.S. Route 9, to Center Street. Holly Lake and Holly Lake Park are separate communities, Holly Lake Park is the original, and they both share ownership of the same freshwater lake, Holly Lake. The lake contains lots of sunnies and Northern River Otters. The lake drains out to the Little Egg Harbor and Barnegat Bay. Another local river from that network is Willis Creek, running through and providing lagoons for the Atlantis Development.
Mystic Island is a master-planned community built in the 1960's with lagoon-front homes. Most of the homes have either been expanded on or torn down then replaced with larger homes, usually set on pilings. The Tuckerton Wireless tower was located here.
Little Egg Harbor Township was in the headlines after the November 3, 2004, Little Egg Harbor Intermediate School Bombing when a fighter jet on a training mission from the 113th Wing of the District of Columbia Air National Guard, based at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, shot seven bullets into the Intermediate School's roof, and many others into the parking lot. The plane had been on a training mission at the Warren Grove Gunnery Range, a 2,400-acre area about 3½ miles from the school. The coverage was featured on many popular network stations. The school was repaired during the New Jersey Teachers' Convention, and nobody was injured. Only a few custodians were in the school. The base was not affected by this incident.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 189.5 km² (73.2 mi²). 127.2 km² (49.1 mi²) of it is land and 62.3 km² (24.1 mi²) of it (32.90%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 547 |
|
|
| 1940 | 577 | 5.5% | |
| 1950 | 644 | 11.6% | |
| 1960 | 847 | 31.5% | |
| 1970 | 2,972 | 250.9% | |
| 1980 | 8,483 | 185.4% | |
| 1990 | 13,333 | 57.2% | |
| 2000 | 15,945 | 19.6% | |
| Est. 2005 | 17,247 | [2] | 8.2% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[3] | |||
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 15,945 people, 6,179 households, and 4,442 families residing in the township. The population density was 125.4/km² (324.7/mi²). There were 7,931 housing units at an average density of 62.4/km² (161.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 96.22% White, 0.79% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.98% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.26% of the population.
There were 6,179 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 22.5% 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 2.55 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the township the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $45,628, and the median income for a family was $51,580. Males had a median income of $39,668 versus $29,576 for females. The per capita income for the township was $20,619. About 4.1% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.4% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
Little Egg Harbor operates under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government. The Township Committee consists of five members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year. Annually, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor, and another as Deputy mayor, each serving one-year terms.[4]
The members of the Township Committee are Mayor Barbara Jo Crea (term ends December 31, 2007), Deputy Mayor Scott Stites (2009), Ray Gormley (2008), John Kehm, Jr. (2008) and Arthur Midgley (2009).[5]
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Little Egg Harbor Township is in the Third Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 9th Legislative District.[6]
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 9th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Leonard T. Connors (R, Forked River) and in the Assembly by Christopher J. Connors (R, Forked River) and Brian E. Rumpf (R, Forked River). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).
Ocean County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. Ocean County's Freeholders are: John C. Bartlett Jr., John P. Kelly, James F. Lacey, Gerry P. Little and Joseph H. Vicari.
[edit] Education
Students in grades pre-K through 6 attend the schools of the Little Egg Harbor Township School District. George J. Mitchell Elementary School serves 795 students in pre-K through second grade and Little Egg Harbor Township Intermediate School serves 940 students in grades 3 to 6.
Students in grades 7 - 12 attend the schools of the Pinelands Regional School District, which serves students from Bass River Township, Eagleswood Township, Little Egg Harbor Township and Tuckerton Borough. The district is comprised of the Pinelands Regional Junior High School (1,082 students in grades 7-9) and Pinelands Regional High School (888 students in grades 10-12). The current combined enrollment is nearly 2,000 students. The student to teacher ratio is 25:1 in the high school, and 22:1 in the middle school.
[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. 203.
- ^ Census data for Little Egg Harbor township, United States Census Bureau, accessed March 1, 2007
- ^ Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, accessed March 1, 2007
- ^ Little Egg Harbor Township form of Government, accessed July 5, 2006
- ^ Little Egg Harbor Elected Officials as January 1, 2007, accessed March 29, 2007
- ^ League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 55, accessed August 30, 2006
[edit] External links
- Little Egg Harbor Township website
- Little Egg Harbor Township School District
- Little Egg Harbor Township School District's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Little Egg Harbor Township School District
- Pinelands Regional School District
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