Mount Laurel Township, New Jersey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mount Laurel, New Jersey | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Burlington |
| Incorporated | March 7, 1872 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Faulkner Act (Council-Manager) |
| - Mayor | John Drinkard |
| - Manager | Debra Fourre[1] |
| Area | |
| - Total | 21.9 sq mi (56.8 km²) |
| - Land | 21.8 sq mi (56.5 km²) |
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²) |
| Elevation [2] | 56 ft (17 m) |
| Population (2006)[3] | |
| - Total | 40,326 |
| - Density | 1,844.3/sq mi (712.1/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 08054 |
| Area code(s) | 856 |
| FIPS code | 34-49020[4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882104[5] |
| Website: http://www.mountlaurel.com | |
Mount Laurel Township is a Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 40,221. It is the home of NFL Films.
Mount Laurel Township was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 7, 1872, from portions of Evesham Township.[6]
Ramblewood is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Mount Laurel Township.
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[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 21.9 square miles (56.8 km²), of which, 21.8 square miles (56.5 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (0.55%) is water.
Mount Laurel Township borders Maple Shade Township, Moorestown Township, Willingboro Township, Westampton Township, Hainesport Township, Lumberton Township, Medford Township, Evesham Township, and Cherry Hill Township.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 1,929 |
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| 1940 | 2,189 | 13.5% | |
| 1950 | 2,817 | 28.7% | |
| 1960 | 5,249 | 86.3% | |
| 1970 | 11,221 | 113.8% | |
| 1980 | 17,614 | 57% | |
| 1990 | 30,270 | 71.9% | |
| 2000 | 40,221 | 32.9% | |
| Est. 2006 | 40,326 | [3] | 0.3% |
| Population 1930 - 1990[7] | |||
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 40,221 people, 16,570 households, and 11,068 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,844.3 people per square mile (712.0/km²). There were 17,163 housing units at an average density of 787.0/sq mi (303.8/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 87.10% White, 6.92% African American, 0.09% Native American, 3.80% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.24% of the population.
There were 16,570 households out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the township the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $63,750, and the median income for a family was $76,288. Males had a median income of $55,597 versus $37,198 for females. The per capita income for the township was $32,245. About 2.5% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
Mount Laurel Township changed its form of government in 1970 from a Township Committee form to a Council-Manager system under the Faulkner Act. In this form of government the Township Manager oversees the daily functions of the Township.
Township government consists of a Township Committee consists of five members elected at large in partisan elections to serve four-year terms on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year.[8]
Members of the Mount Laurel Township Committee are Mayor John Drinkard, Deputy Mayor Mark Sanchirico, Jim Keenan, Peter McCaffrey and Tracy Riley.[9]
In May 2006, Township Manager Patricia Halbe announced her resignation from the post she held for eleven years.[10] While Halbe will remain in the title of Municipal Clerk, a local government consulting firm was retained in June 2006 to conduct a search for Halbe's replacement as Manager.
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Mount Laurel Township is in the Third Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 8th Legislative District.[11]
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).
For the 2008-2009 Legislative Session, the 8th district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Phil Haines (R, Springfield Township) and in the Assembly by Dawn Marie Addiego (D, Evesham Township) and Scott Rudder (R, Medford Township).[12] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[13]
Burlington County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, elected at-large to three-year terms on a staggered basis. As of 2008, Burlington County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director James K. Wujcik (Cinnaminson Township, 2009), Deputy Director Joseph B. Donnelly (Cinnaminson Township, 2010), Dawn Marie Addiego (Evesham Township, 2008), Aubrey A. Fenton (Willingboro Township, 2008) and William S. Haines, Jr. (Medford Township, 2009).[14]
[edit] Landmarks
Laurel Acres Park is known for its Veteran's Memorial, fishing lake, playground, and huge grassy hill used for concerts and sledding in the winter, Laurel Acres Park is right along Church Street at Academy Road.
[edit] Education
For Kindergarten through eighth grade, public school students attend the Mount Laurel Schools. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[15] are six K-4 elementary schools — Countryside (377 students), Fleetwoodl (358), Hillside (428), Larchmont (419), Parkway (375) and Springville (448) — Mount Laurel Hartford School for grades 5 & 6 (1,053 students) and Thomas E. Harrington Middle Schoolfor grades 7 & 8 (1,057).
Parkway Elementary School was one of four schools in New Jersey recognized by the national Blue Ribbon Schools Program, awarded by the United States Department of Education, for the 2005-06 school year.[16]
Public school students in Mount Laurel Township for grades 9-12 attend Lenape High School, located in Medford Township.[17] The high school is one of four schools in the Lenape Regional High School District, which serves students from Evesham Township, Medford Lakes, Medford Township, Mount Laurel Township, Shamong Township, Southampton Township, Tabernacle Township and Woodland Township.[18]
[edit] Transportation
The New Jersey Turnpike passes through Mount Laurel Township. The Turnpike's James Fenimore Cooper rest area is located between Interchanges 4 and 5 northbound at milepost 39.4.[19] Mount Laurel hosts Exit 4 of the Turnpike, with the 4 toll gate consisting of 8 lanes at the gate.
Interstate 295 passes through the township, with three exits (Exit 36: Berlin/Tacony Bridge/Route 73, Exit 40: Moorestown/Mount Holly/Route 38, Exit 43: Delran/Rancocas Woods). Two other major thoroughfares through Mount Laurel are Route 38 and Route 73.
New Jersey Transit provides bus service to Philadelphia on the 317 and 413 bus routes, with local service on the 457 line.[20]
[edit] Mount Laurel Decision
The Mount Laurel Decision is a judicial interpretation of the New Jersey State Constitutionthat requires municipalities to use their zoning powers in an affirmative manner to provide a realistic opportunity for the production of housing affordable to low and moderate income households. The decision was a result of a lawsuit brought against the town by the N.A.A.C.P. that was decided by the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1975 and reaffirmed in a subsequent decision in 1983.
The history behind this, and the story leading to the Decision was highlighted in a Chapter of a book by David L. Kirp called "Almost Home". [1]
Mount Laurel was a small, poor rural farming community until it was hit with massive suburban growth from Philadelphia in the latter 1900s. Poor families, whose history had resided there for centuries, were suddenly priced and forced out. In 1970, at a meeting about a proposal for affordable housing, held at an all black church in Mount Laurel, the mayor summed up the newcomers perspectives by saying "If you people can't afford to live in our town, then you'll just have to leave." [2]
Even though the poor black families in Mount Laurel were not from urban ghettos, and were not involved in gang activity, the new suburban influx thought otherwise, and significantly delayed the creation of affordable housing, citing concerns of gang activity and an influx of inner city criminals. Exampled comments from town meetings against affordable housing included "we need this like Custer needed more Indians"; "it's reverse discrimination"; "we lived in this in South Philly and Newark" they said, and that the housing would be a "breeding ground for violent crime and drug abuse". [3]
Resident advocates of the housing were treated with abuse and threats. Leading advocate Ethel Lawrence, a poor black resident who lived her life in Mount Laurel, had her house repeatedly vandalized, and once her bedroom window was shot at.[21][22] Long time white residents also turned to try to force the poor blacks out of town. Although the court ruled in favor of creating affordable housing, residents did manage to delay the process for decades. [4]
[edit] Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Mount Laurel Township include:
- Larry Chatzidakis (1949-), represents the 8th legislative district in the New Jersey General Assembly. Chatzidakis served on the Mount Laurel Township Council from 1985-2000 and was its Mayor in 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000.[23]
- Victor Hobson (1980-), pro football linebacker.[24]
- Jirair Hovnanian (1927-2007), home builder whose business developed and built over 6,000 houses throughout South Jersey.[25]
- John Kruk (1961-), former Major League Baseball player, notably with the Philadelphia Phillies.[26]
- Alice Paul (1885-1977), suffragist.
- Dave Robinson (1941-), former football player for Penn State University, the Green Bay Packers and the Washington Redskins.[27]
- Scott Schoeneweis (1973-), a relief pitcher for the New York Mets.[28]
- Vai Sikahema (1962-), former Pro Bowl punt returner for the Philadelpha Eagles, currently head sportscaster for NBC News.[29]
- Stephen M. Wolownik (1946-2000), pioneer in the Russian and Eastern European music community in the United States.
- Jon Runyan (1973-), American football player for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League from 2000 to the present day. Recently built his home from the ground up for several million dollars.
[edit] References
- ^ Township Administration, Mount Laurel Township. Accessed May 25, 2008.
- ^ USGS GNIS: Township of Mount Holly, Geographic Names Information System. Accessed January 4, 2008.
- ^ a b Census data for Mount Laurel township, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 6, 2007.
- ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 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. 97.
- ^ 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. 43.
- ^ Township Council, Mount Laurel Township. Accessed May 25, 2008.
- ^ Wanted: Experienced municipal professional, Burlington County Times, June 8, 2006
- ^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 61. Accessed August 30, 2006.
- ^ Legislative Roster: 2008-2009 Session, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed June 6, 2008.
- ^ About the Governor, New Jersey. Accessed June 6, 2008.
- ^ The Burlington County Board Of Chosen Freeholders, Burlington County, New Jersey. Accessed January 30, 2008.
- ^ Data for the Mount Laurel Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 8, 2008.
- ^ Schools selected as No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools in 2005. Retrieved on May 2, 2006.
- ^ Lenape High School 2007 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 8, 2008. "ATTENDANCE AREA: Mount Laurel"
- ^ Lenape Regional High School District 2007 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 8, 2008. "The Lenape Regional High School District serves the eight municipalities of Evesham, Medford, Mount Laurel, Shamong, Southampton, Tabernacle and Woodland townships and Medford Lakes borough."
- ^ New Jersey Turnpike: James Fenimore Cooper Service Area, accessed May 31, 2006
- ^ Burlington County Bus/Rail Connections, New Jersey Transit. Accessed July 15, 2007.
- ^ Tribute to Ethel Robinson Lawrence "Ethel was the second of eight children born to Mary and Leslie Robinson. At the time, Mount Laurel, in Burlington County, was a rural enclave of farms. Most residents were white, but there was a small black population. Ethel Lawrence was among them. The family resided in Mount Laurel for over six generations." Accessed March 14, 2008.
- ^ Kirp, David L. (2000), Almost home: America's love-hate relationship with community, Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, ISBN 0691095175, p. 79: "Ethel Lawrence and Mary Robinson were sure that the township council would go along. After all, Mount Laurel was their town too and had been for generations."
- ^ Assembly Member Larry Chatzidakis, Project Vote Smart. Accessed August 9, 2007.
- ^ Parrillo, Ray. "FAMILIAR FOE FOR MICHIGAN'S HOBSON THE SWIFT LINEBACKER, WHO STARRED AT ST. JOE'S PREP, KNOWS A LOT OF THE PENN STATE PLAYERS HE WILL FACE SATURDAY.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 9, 2000. Accessed February 17, 2008.
- ^ Sims, Gayle Nonan. "An entrepreneur's final act of generosity", The Philadelphia Inquirer, 2007-08-16. Retrieved on 2007-09-16.
- ^ Rys, Richard. "John Kruk", Philadelphia (magazine), June 2007. Accessed March 3, 2008. "Another surprise, at least to us, is that he lives in Mount Laurel, keeping such a low profile that Exit Interview didn’t even know he was still here."
- ^ Picken, Barbara and Gail Greenberg (1972), Mount Laurel: a centennial history, p.36: "Dave Robinson at the Hula Bowl which honored him as a Penn State senior in the late 1950's. Robinson was an All-American at Penn State and became a defensive end for the Green Bay Packers. He is the son of Mrs. Mary Robinson."
- ^ Wagman, Jake. "He is Mount Laurel's Angel", The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 21, 2002. Accessed December 26, 2007. "The parents of World Series pitcher Scott Schoeneweis want to set the record straight. Yes, he was born at a hospital in Long Branch, Monmouth County. And he did attend Lenape High School in Medford. But their little angel is a Mount Laurel native, through and through."
- ^ Kravitz, Gary. "Where Are They Now: KR/PR Vai Sikahema", Philadelphia Eagles, April 2, 2004. Accessed May 25, 2008. "Sikahema currently resides in Mount Laurel, N.J., with his wife Keala and four children: Landon, L.J., Trey, and Lana."
[edit] External links
- Mount Laurel Township website
- Mount Laurel Schools
- Mount Laurel Schools's 2006-07 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- Data for the Mount Laurel Schools, National Center for Education Statistics
- Lenape Regional High School District
- Mount Laurel Public Library
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