Berlin Township, New Jersey

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 3.238 square miles (8.386 km²), including 3.232 square miles (8.371 km²) of land and 0.006 square miles (0.015 km²) of water (0.18%).

The township borders Berlin Borough, Lindenwold, Voorhees Township, and Waterford Township. Berlin Township also borders Evesham Township in Burlington County.

Crow Foot, Reed Crossing and West Berlin are unincorporated communities located within the township.

The township is one of 56 South Jersey municipalities that are included within the New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve, a protected natural area of unique ecology covering 1,100,000 acres (450,000 ha), that has been classified as a United States Biosphere Reserve and established by Congress in 1978 as the nation's first National Reserve. Part of the borough is included in the state-designated Pinelands Area, which includes portions of Camden County, along with areas in Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Ocean counties.

Census 2010

The 2010 United States Census counted 5,357 people, 1,975 households, and 1,363 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,657.5 per square mile (640.0/km²). The township contained 2,069 housing units at an average density of 640.2 per square mile (247.2/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 77.19% (4,135) White, 11.57% (620) Black or African American, 0.19% (10) Native American, 5.13% (275) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 3.79% (203) from other races, and 2.13% (114) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 8.29% (444) of the population.

Out of a total of 1,975 households, 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.25.

In the township, 22.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.3 years. For every 100 females the census counted 99.2 males, but for 100 females at least 18 years old, it was 97.4 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $61,029 (with a margin of error of +/- $8,347) and the median family income was $70,777 (+/- $6,678). Males had a median income of $50,286 (+/- $4,262) versus $41,250 (+/- $8,550) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $26,184 (+/- $2,541). About 4.6% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 1.3% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 5,290 people, 1,893 households, and 1,368 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,628.9 people per square mile (628.5/km²). There were 2,009 housing units at an average density of 618.6 per square mile (238.7/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 82.46% White, 11.87% African American, 0.17% Native American, 2.70% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.21% from other races, and 1.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.80% of the population.

There were 1,893 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.28.

In the township the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 22.9% 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 99.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $54,448, and the median income for a family was $61,042. Males had a median income of $37,240 versus $28,703 for females. The per capita income for the township was $22,178. About 4.8% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.6% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Local government

In 1973, Berlin Township changed its form of government from the Township form to a Faulkner Act Small Municipality form, and now operates under plan 3 of the Small Municipality form, as implemented on January 1, 1988, by direct petition. Its structure consists of four Council members and a Mayor, all elected at-large. The mayor serves a four-year term of office and the councilmembers serve a three-year term, with two council seats coming up for election each year for two years and no council seats up for vote in the third year of the cycle. The candidates run in partisan elections at regular primary and are elected at the November general election. Independent candidates, having declared their intentions at primary time, run only in the general election.

This type of government is a strong mayor form in which the Mayor, as chief executive, is responsible for all administrative functions. The Mayor presides at Council meetings, voting and participating as a member of Council. The Mayor appoints, with Council's approval, the following: Tax Assessor, Tax Collector, Clerk, Treasurer, Zoning Officer, Construction Official, Court Administrator, Attorney and Engineer. The Mayor is responsible for the budget; enforcing the charter (State law) and all ordinances (local laws), and the preparation of an annual report for the Council and residents. The Council has legislative and policy-making power. It elects a Council President annually to preside in the Mayor's absence. The Mayor appoints Council members to serve as liaisons to the Recreation Committee, Finance Committee, Athletic Association, Public Works, Special Events, School Board, Public Safety and Senior Citizens. The Mayor and one council member are members of the Planning and Zoning Board.

As of 2016, the Mayor of Berlin Township is Democrat Phyllis A. Magazzu, whose term of office ends December 31, 2017. Members of the Township Council are Council President Christopher T. Morris (D, 2016), Marion Bodanza (D, 2016), Frank Epifanio (D, 2018) and Jerome McIntosh (D, 2018).

Federal, state and county representation

Berlin Township is located in the 1st Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 6th state legislative district.

New Jersey's First Congressional District is represented by Donald Norcross (D, Camden). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Cory Booker (D, Newark, term ends 2021) and Bob Menendez (D, Paramus, 2019).

For the 2016–2017 session (Senate, General Assembly), the 6th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by James Beach (D, Voorhees Township) and in the General Assembly by Louis Greenwald (D, Voorhees Township) and Pamela Rosen Lampitt (D, Cherry Hill). The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham Township). The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).

Camden County is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders, whose seven members chosen at-large in partisan elections to three-year terms office on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats coming up for election each year. As of 2015, Camden County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. (Collingswood, term as freeholder ends December 31, 2017; term as director ends 2015), Freeholder Deputy Director Edward T. McDonnell (Pennsauken Township, term as freeholder ends 2016; term as deputy director ends 2015), Michelle Gentek (Gloucester Township, 2015), Ian K. Leonard (Camden, 2015), Jeffrey L. Nash (Cherry Hill, 2015), Carmen Rodriguez (Merchantville, 2016) and Jonathan L. Young, Sr. (Berlin Township, November 2015; serving the unexpired term of Scot McCray ending in 2017)

Camden County's constitutional officers, all elected directly by voters, are County clerk Joseph Ripa, Sheriff Charles H. Billingham, and Surrogate Patricia Egan Jones. The Camden County Prosecutor Mary Eva Colalillo was appointed by the Governor of New Jersey with the advice and consent of the New Jersey Senate (the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature).

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 3,449 registered voters in Berlin Township, of which 1,552 (45.0% vs. 31.7% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 370 (10.7% vs. 21.1%) were registered as Republicans and 1,524 (44.2% vs. 47.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 3 voters registered to other parties. Among the township's 2010 Census population, 64.4% (vs. 57.1% in Camden County) were registered to vote, including 82.9% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 73.7% countywide).

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 1,502 votes (63.9% vs. 54.8% countywide), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 814 votes (34.6% vs. 43.5%) and other candidates with 19 votes (0.8% vs. 0.9%), among the 2,351 ballots cast by the township's 3,686 registered voters, for a turnout of 63.8% (vs. 70.4% in Camden County). In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 1,519 votes (62.4% vs. 66.2% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 829 votes (34.1% vs. 30.7%) and other candidates with 32 votes (1.3% vs. 1.1%), among the 2,434 ballots cast by the township's 3,478 registered voters, for a turnout of 70.0% (vs. 71.4% in Camden County). In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 1,305 votes (56.6% vs. 61.7% countywide), ahead of Republican George W. Bush with 876 votes (38.0% vs. 36.4%) and other candidates with 23 votes (1.0% vs. 0.8%), among the 2,304 ballots cast by the township's 3,123 registered voters, for a turnout of 73.8% (vs. 71.3% in the whole county).

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 60.0% of the vote (848 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 39.2% (554 votes), and other candidates with 0.8% (12 votes), among the 1,515 ballots cast by the township's 3,752 registered voters (101 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 40.4%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 857 ballots cast (51.0% vs. 53.8% countywide), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 650 votes (38.7% vs. 38.5%), Independent Chris Daggett with 73 votes (4.3% vs. 4.5%) and other candidates with 29 votes (1.7% vs. 1.1%), among the 1,681 ballots cast by the township's 3,428 registered voters, yielding a 49.0% turnout (vs. 40.8% in the county).

Education

The Berlin Township Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2014-15 school year, the district and its two schools had an enrollment of 846 students and 61.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.9:1. Schools in the district (with 2014-15 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are John F. Kennedy Elementary School for PreK through 3rd grade (341 students) and Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School for grades 4-8 (293 students). The Huster Building, formerly used as a kindergarten and now used for administration, is named after Robert R. Huster, a Berlin Township resident who was killed in action on April 8, 1967, during the Vietnam War.

Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades from Berlin Township and Clementon attend Overbrook High School in Pine Hill as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Pine Hill Schools. A representative from Berlin Township serves on the board of education of the Pine Hill Schools. As of the 2014-15 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 722 students and 65.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.0:1.

Students from Berlin Township, and from all of Camden County, are eligible to attend the Camden County Technical Schools, a countywide public school district that serves the vocational and technical education needs of students at the high school and post-secondary level at the Gloucester Township Campus in the Sicklerville section of Gloucester Township or the Pennsauken Camps in Pennsauken Township. Students are accepted based on district admission standards and costs of attendance and transportation are covered by the home district of each student.

Roads and highways

As of May 2010, the township had a total of 36.12 miles (58.13 km) of roadways, of which 27.40 miles (44.10 km) were maintained by the municipality, 6.51 miles (10.48 km) by Camden County and 2.21 miles (3.56 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

County Route 534 and County Route 561 both pass through the township. Route 73 also passes through Berlin Township.

Public transportation

NJ Transit bus service is available in the borough on the 406 route, which operates between Berlin Township and Philadelphia.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Berlin Township include: