Camden County, New Jersey
Camden County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its county seat is Camden. As of the 2019 Census estimate, the county's population was 506,471, making it the state's 8th-largest county, representing a 1.4% decrease from the 513,657 enumerated at the 2010 Census, in turn having increased by 4,725 from the 508,932 counted in the 2000 Census. The most populous place was Camden, with 77,344 residents at the time of the 2010 Census, while Winslow Township covered, the largest total area of any municipality.
The county was formed on March 13, 1844, from portions of Gloucester County. The county was named for Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden, a British judge, civil libertarian, and defender of the American cause.
The county is part of the Camden, NJ Metropolitan Division of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD / Delaware Valley Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
According to the 2010 Census, the county had a total area of, including of land and of water.Located in a coastal / alluvial plain, the county is uniformly flat and low-lying. The highest points are a survey benchmark near the Burlington County line at above sea level. The low point is sea level, along the Delaware River.
Adjacent counties
The county borders the following counties:- Burlington County – northeast
- Atlantic County – southeast
- Gloucester County – southwest
- Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania – northwest
National protected area
- Great Egg Harbor Scenic and Recreational River
Climate and weather
Demographics
While many of its municipalities are working class, Camden County has many contrasts in its demographics. Most of Camden and parts of Lindenwold are considered highly impoverished, while Cherry Hill, Voorhees Township, Haddon Heights and Haddonfield have upper-income enclaves.2010 Census
2000 Census
As of the 2000 United States Census there were 508,932 people, 185,744 households, and 129,835 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,289 people per square mile. There were 199,679 housing units at an average density of 898 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 70.88% White American, 18.09% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 3.72% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 5.09% from other races, and 1.93% from two or more races. 9.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Among those residents listing their ancestry, 20.6% of residents were of Irish, 18.2% Italian, 15.7% German and 8.1% English ancestry.There were 185,744 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% 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 3.23.
In the county, the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $48,097, and the median income for a family was $57,429. Males had a median income of $41,609 versus $30,470 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,354. About 8.1% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Based on data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Camden County had a gross domestic product of $23.8 billion in 2018, which was ranked 11th in the state and represented an increase of 2.5% from the previous year.Government
The county is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders consisting of seven members chosen at-large in partisan elections for three-year terms on a staggered basis by the residents of the county, with either two or three seats up for election each year as part of the November general election. At a reorganization meeting held in January after each election, the newly constituted Freeholder Board selects one of its members to serve as Director and another as Deputy Director. In 2016, freeholders were paid $23,000 and the freeholder director was paid an annual salary of $24,000., Camden County's Freeholders are:
- Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr.
- Freeholder Deputy Director Edward T. McDonnell
- Melinda Kane
- Jeffrey L. Nash
- Carmen G. Rodriguez
- Jonathan L. Young Sr.
- Barbara Holcomb
In March 2019, Melinda Kane was appointed to fill the seat expiring in December 2021 that had been held by Bill Moen, who resigned from office to run for a seat in the New Jersey General Assembly. Kane served on an interim basis until the November 2019 general election, when she was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.
Pursuant to Article VII Section II of the New Jersey State Constitution, each county in New Jersey is required to have three elected administrative officials known as "constitutional officers." These officers are the County Clerk and County Surrogate and the County Sheriff. Camden County's constitutional officers, all elected directly by voters, are:
- County Clerk Joseph Ripa
- Sheriff Gilbert "Whip" Wilson
- Surrogate Michelle Gentek-Mayer
Camden County constitutes Vicinage 4 of the New Jersey Superior Court, which is seated at the Camden County Hall of Justice in Camden, with additional facilities at various locations in Cherry Hill. The Assignment Judge for the vicinage is Deborah Silverman Katz. As with most counties in the state, the court system in Camden County also includes municipal courts for each township, borough and city to handle traffic and other minor items.
Law enforcement at the county level, in addition to a sheriff, includes the Camden County Police Department and the Camden County Prosecutor's Office. The Camden Police Department and the Camden County Park Police were absorbed into the newly formed Camden County Police Department in 2013.
Two federal Congressional Districts cover the county, including portions of the 1st and 2nd Districts.
The county is part of the 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th Districts in the New Jersey Legislature.
Politics
Camden County has long been a Democratic stronghold, and almost all of the county is in the 1st congressional district. The county usually votes overwhelmingly Democratic in national, state, and local elections.As of October 31, 2014, there were a total of 355,107 registered voters in Camden County, of whom 141,869 were registered as Democrats, 44,645 were registered as Republicans and 168,287 were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 306 voters registered to other parties. Among the county's 2010 Census population, 69.1% were registered to vote, including 75.6% of those ages 18 and over.
In the 2004 U.S. presidential election, John Kerry carried the county by a 25.5% margin over George W. Bush, with Kerry carrying the state by 6.7% over Bush. Barack Obama carried the county by 34.8% over John McCain in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, while Obama won New Jersey by 14.7%.
Municipalities
Municipalities in Camden County are:| Municipality | Mun. type | Pop. | Housing units | Total area | Water area | Land Area | Pop. density | Housing density | School district | Communities |
| Audubon | borough | 8,819 | 3,779 | 1.50 | 0.02 | 1.49 | 5,925.7 | 2,539.2 | Audubon | |
| Audubon Park | borough | 1,023 | 499 | 0.16 | 0.01 | 0.15 | 7,046.7 | 3,437.3 | Audubon | |
| Barrington | borough | 6,983 | 3,158 | 1.61 | 0.00 | 1.61 | 4,346.0 | 1,965.4 | Haddon Heights Barrington | |
| Bellmawr | borough | 11,583 | 4,883 | 3.11 | 0.13 | 2.98 | 3,887.7 | 1,638.9 | Black Horse Pike Bellmawr | |
| Berlin | borough | 7,588 | 2,949 | 3.60 | 0.01 | 3.59 | 2,114.9 | 821.9 | E. Camden County Berlin Borough | New Freedom |
| Berlin Township | township | 5,357 | 2,069 | 3.24 | 0.01 | 3.23 | 1,657.5 | 640.2 | Pine Hill Berlin Township | West Berlin |
| Brooklawn | borough | 1,955 | 806 | 0.52 | 0.03 | 0.49 | 3,974.6 | 1,638.6 | Gloucester City Brooklawn | |
| Camden | city | 77,344 | 28,358 | 10.34 | 1.42 | 8.92 | 8,669.6 | 3,178.7 | Camden | |
| Cherry Hill | township | 71,045 | 28,452 | 24.24 | 0.15 | 24.10 | 2,948.3 | 1,180.7 | Cherry Hill | Ashland CDP Barclay CDP Cherry Hill Mall CDP Coffins Corner Ellisburg CDP Golden Triangle CDP Greentree CDP Kingston Estates CDP Springdale CDP Woodcrest |
| Chesilhurst | borough | 1,634 | 621 | 1.72 | 0.00 | 1.72 | 951.2 | 361.5 | Winslow Township | |
| Clementon | borough | 5,000 | 2,235 | 1.97 | 0.06 | 1.91 | 2,612.0 | 1,167.6 | Pine Hill Clementon | |
| Collingswood | borough | 13,926 | 6,822 | 1.92 | 0.10 | 1.82 | 7,639.4 | 3,742.3 | Collingswood | |
| Gibbsboro | borough | 2,274 | 809 | 2.22 | 0.04 | 2.18 | 1,041.9 | 370.7 | E. Camden County Gibbsboro | |
| Gloucester City | city | 11,456 | 4,712 | 2.78 | 0.46 | 2.32 | 4,937.8 | 2,031.0 | Gloucester City | |
| Gloucester Township | township | 64,634 | 24,711 | 23.26 | 0.28 | 22.98 | 2,812.2 | 1,075.2 | Black Horse Pike Gloucester Township | Blackwood CDP Blenheim Chews Landing Erial Glendora CDP Grenloch Lakeland |
| Haddon Township | township | 14,707 | 6,477 | 2.79 | 0.10 | 2.69 | 5,472.6 | 2,410.1 | Haddon Township | |
| Haddonfield | borough | 11,593 | 4,634 | 2.87 | 0.05 | 2.82 | 4,104.9 | 1,640.8 | Haddonfield | |
| Haddon Heights | borough | 7,473 | 3,159 | 1.57 | 0.01 | 1.57 | 4,764.1 | 2,013.9 | Haddon Heights | |
| Hi-Nella | borough | 870 | 420 | 0.23 | 0.00 | 0.23 | 3,773.3 | 1,821.6 | Sterling Stratford | |
| Laurel Springs | borough | 1,908 | 771 | 0.47 | 0.01 | 0.46 | 4,163.7 | 1,682.5 | Sterling Stratford Laurel Springs | |
| Lawnside | borough | 2,945 | 1,174 | 1.41 | 0.00 | 1.41 | 2,091.5 | 833.7 | Haddon Heights Lawnside | |
| Lindenwold | borough | 17,613 | 8,251 | 3.95 | 0.06 | 3.89 | 4,525.1 | 2,119.8 | Lindenwold | |
| Magnolia | borough | 4,341 | 1,850 | 0.97 | 0.00 | 0.97 | 4,485.3 | 1,911.5 | Sterling Magnolia | |
| Merchantville | borough | 3,821 | 1,688 | 0.60 | 0.00 | 0.60 | 6,371.3 | 2,814.6 | Haddon Heights Merchantville | |
| Mount Ephraim | borough | 4,676 | 2,010 | 0.90 | 0.02 | 0.88 | 5,307.9 | 2,281.6 | Audubon Mount Ephraim | |
| Oaklyn | borough | 4,038 | 1,847 | 0.69 | 0.07 | 0.63 | 6,432.9 | 2,942.4 | Collingswood Oaklyn | |
| Pennsauken Township | township | 35,885 | 13,275 | 12.08 | 1.65 | 10.44 | 3,438.9 | 1,272.2 | Pennsauken | |
| Pine Hill | borough | 10,233 | 4,357 | 3.91 | 0.04 | 3.87 | 2,643.4 | 1,125.5 | Pine Hill | |
| Pine Valley | borough | 12 | 22 | 1.00 | 0.02 | 0.98 | 12.2 | 22.4 | Haddonfield | |
| Runnemede | borough | 8,468 | 3,548 | 2.11 | 0.06 | 2.06 | 4,117.2 | 1,725.1 | Black Horse Pike Runnemede | |
| Somerdale | borough | 5,151 | 2,158 | 1.39 | 0.00 | 1.39 | 3,714.0 | 1,556.0 | Sterling Somerdale | |
| Stratford | borough | 7,040 | 2,761 | 1.55 | 0.00 | 1.55 | 4,547.0 | 1,783.3 | Sterling Stratford | |
| Tavistock | borough | 5 | 3 | 0.26 | 0.00 | 0.25 | 19.7 | 11.8 | Haddonfield | |
| Voorhees Township | township | 29,131 | 12,260 | 11.64 | 0.15 | 11.49 | 2,534.9 | 1,066.8 | E. Camden County Voorhees | Echelon CDP Glendale Kirkwood Kresson Osage Woodcrest Acres |
| Waterford Township | township | 10,649 | 3,839 | 36.27 | 0.23 | 36.04 | 295.5 | 106.5 | Hammonton Waterford Township | Atco Jackson Louden |
| Winslow Township | township | 39,499 | 14,560 | 58.19 | 0.85 | 57.34 | 688.8 | 253.9 | Winslow Township | Albion Ancora Blue Anchor Braddock Cedar Brook Elm Ivystone Farms Sicklerville Tansboro Waterford Works West Atco |
| Woodlynne | borough | 2,978 | 1,016 | 0.23 | 0.01 | 0.22 | 13,600.4 | 4,640.0 | Collingswood Woodlynne | |
| Camden County | county | 513,657 | 204,943 | 227.29 | 6.03 | 221.26 | 2,321.5 | 926.2 |
Historical municipalities
Defunct municipalities in the county include:- Centre Township
- Clementon Township
- Delaware Township
- Newton Township
- Stockton Township
- Union Township
Education
Colleges and universities
is located in the downtown/waterfront district of Camden, and dates back to 1926 with the founding of the South Jersey Law School.Rutgers School of Law–Camden is one of two campuses of Rutgers Law School, the other being in Newark.
The Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine is located in Stratford and dates to 1976. It is the state's only osteopathic medical school and was South Jersey's first four-year college of medicine.
The Cooper Medical School of Rowan University is located in the downtown/university district of Camden. Established as a four-year medical school in 1975, the relationship with Rowan University was formed in 2008.
Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences has a campus in Stratford which hosts its dental school and school of public health.
Rowan University at Camden is located on Cooper Street in Camden and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Camden County College is a two-year public community college serving students from Camden County. The school has campuses in Blackwood, Camden and Cherry Hill, and was founded in 1967.
Arts and culture
Fine and performing arts
The Ritz Theater in Haddon Township, constructed in 1927 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, hosts theater performances and film festivals.Symphony in C was established as The Haddonfield Symphony in 1952 and is based on the campus of Rutgers University-Camden.
Perkins Center for the Arts has locations in Moorestown and Collingswood.
The Scottish Rite Auditorium in Collingswood, recognized on the American Institute of Architects's list of "150 Best Buildings and Places" in New Jersey, hosts national music and theater performances.
Literature
Poet Walt Whitman lived in Camden County.Matthew Quick's novel The Silver Linings Playbook is set in Collingswood and Voorhees, although the screen adaptation is set in Pennsylvania.
Film
The Last Broadcast was partially filmed in the Pine Barrens.Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle is partially set in Cherry Hill.
Camden was the setting for several scenes in 12 Monkeys.
Transportation
Roads and highways
Camden County hosts numerous county, state, U.S. and Interstates., the county had a total of of roadways, of which are maintained by the municipality, by Camden County and by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority or the South Jersey Transportation Authority.Major county roads that pass through include County Road 534, County Road 536, County Road 537, County Road 543, County Road 544, County Road 551 and County Road 561.
State routes that pass through are Route 38, Route 41, Route 42, Route 47, Route 70, Route 73, Route 90, Route 143, Route 154 and Route 168.
U.S. Routes that traverse are U.S. Route 30 and U.S. Route 130.
The interstates that pass through are Interstate 76, Interstate 295 and Interstate 676.
Other limited access roads that pass through are the Atlantic City Expressway and the New Jersey Turnpike. There are five ACE interchanges that are within the county borders: Exits 44, 41, 38, 33 and 31. The only turnpike interchange that is in the county is Exit 3 at the border of Runnemede and Bellmawr.
Public transportation
has stations along the Atlantic City Line in Pennsauken, Cherry Hill, Lindenwold and Atco in Waterford Township, connecting Philadelphia to Atlantic City along the former Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines main line.The River Line is a diesel tram-train light-rail system operated for NJ Transit by the Southern New Jersey Rail Group on a former Pennsylvania Railroad line from Trenton. Most stations in the county are in the Camden, including the Walter Rand Transportation Center, except for the 36th Street, Pennsauken Transit Center and Pennsauken/Route 73 located in Pennsauken Township.
The PATCO Speedline, owned by the Delaware River Port Authority, runs a rapid transit line across the Ben Franklin Bridge from Philadelphia through Camden to the PRSL main right-of-way between Haddonfield and its eastern terminus in Lindenwold. Suburban station stops include Woodcrest, Westmont and Collingswood.
NJ Transit provides commuter and long-distance bus service from many locations in the county to Philadelphia, with additional service to Atlantic City. Extensive local service is offered within the county, including routes to Camden and area train and light rail stations.
Wineries, breweries, and distilleries
- Amalthea Cellars
- Devil's Creek Brewery
- Tonewood Brewing
- Flying Fish Brewing
- Sharrott Winery