Logan Township, New Jersey

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 26.929 square miles (69.747 km²), including 21.925 square miles (56.786 km²) of land and 5.004 square miles (12.961 km²) of water (18.58%).

Beckett (with a 2010 Census population of 4,847) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Logan Township.

Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Bridgeport, Cadwalader, Center Square, Cooper Wharf, Coopers, Flood Gates, New Bridge, Nortonville, Prospect, Raccoon Island and Repaupo. It is also home to Pureland Industrial Complex, a 3,000-acre (12 km²) industrial park that is one of the largest in the nation.

The township borders Greenwich Township and Woolwich Township. Logan Township also borders the Delaware River, and Oldmans Creek serves as its border with Oldmans Township in Salem County. Raccoon Creek branches off from the Delaware River in Logan Township.

Census 2010

The 2010 United States Census counted 6,042 people, 2,087 households, and 1,634 families residing in the township. The population density was 275.6 per square mile (106.4/km²). The township contained 2,172 housing units at an average density of 99.1 per square mile (38.3/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 81.53% (4,926) White, 12.50% (755) Black or African American, 0.15% (9) Native American, 2.55% (154) Asian, 0.02% (1) Pacific Islander, 1.13% (68) from other races, and 2.14% (129) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 3.97% (240) of the population.

Out of a total of 2,087 households, 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.6% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.7% were non-families. 17.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.29.

In the township, 27.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 30.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.8 years. For every 100 females the census counted 96.7 males, but for 100 females at least 18 years old, it was 92.6 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $87,209 (with a margin of error of +/- $6,583) and the median family income was $100,688 (+/- $14,321). Males had a median income of $67,192 (+/- $7,690) versus $49,914 (+/- $4,283) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $35,587 (+/- $2,882). About 1.6% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 0.0% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 6,032 people, 2,001 households, and 1,610 families residing in the township. The population density was 266.7 people per square mile (103.0/km²). There were 2,077 housing units at an average density of 91.8 per square mile (35.5/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 82.00% White, 13.51% African American, 0.13% Native American, 1.77% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.21% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.74% of the population.

There were 2,001 households out of which 48.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.3% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.5% were non-families. 15.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.00 and the average family size was 3.38.

In the township the population was spread out with 32.1% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $67,148, and the median income for a family was $70,771. Males had a median income of $48,415 versus $34,864 for females. The per capita income for the township was $26,853. About 3.0% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 1.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Pureland Industrial Complex was established in the early 1970s when 45 farms comprising 3,200 acres (1,300 ha) were assembled in Logan Township. Under the ownership of State Mutual Life Assurance Company of America, environmental studies were under taken by Dr. Jack McCormick, the first scientist with a doctorate in environmental science.

In 1973, the Pureland Association was formed and Declaration of Environmental Standards were established and recorded in Gloucester County, New Jersey. Approximately 1,200 acres were placed in an environmental reserve in perpetuity and rigid environmental controls were established, prior to the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency or the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. These restrictive covenants protect property owners' value and are enforced by the Pureland Association which consist of property owners.

In 1976, the initial infrastructure was established with public water, sewer and rail servicing Pureland.

In 1977, Center Square Real Estate Development Company took over management of Pureland for State Mutual Life Assurance Company of America.

In 2000, Center Square Real Estate Development Company purchased the undeveloped land from State Mutual and continues to manage and develop Pureland today.

Pureland consists of 12,000,000 square feet (1,100,000 m²) of space and houses in excess of 180 companies employing over 8,500 people, mostly in the arena of warehousing and distribution. Pureland is the largest Industrial Complex in the State of New Jersey.

Logan Township was the proposed location for the Crown Landing LNG Terminal, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) off-loading and processing facility to be sited along the Delaware River. The facility would have included an off-loading pier that would technically enter the waters of the State of Delaware. Delaware opposed to the project and filed a lawsuit in Federal court to stop the project from going forward on the basis that they control the waters in which part of the pier would be situated; a lawsuit the State of Delaware lost. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the Crown Landing LNG Terminal on June 15, 2006. In 2009, long after the project should have been completed, Hess Energy acquired the project after BP failed to get plans approved and construction started. On January 6, 2012, Hess Energy surrendered its authorization to construct and operate the terminal. In a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Hess said it determined that the terminal would not be profitable, saying that "significant increases in natural gas production from North American shale resources" would affect prices and demand for natural gas.

Local government

Logan Township is governed within the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the Small Municipality (Plan 3) form of New Jersey municipal government, enacted by direct petition as of January 1, 1984. The government consists of a Mayor and a Township Council comprising four council members, with all positions elected at-large in partisan elections. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Township Council members are elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats up for election each year.

This five-member governing body is empowered to enact local ordinances, to levy municipal taxes and conduct the affairs of our community. In almost all cases, it can review and approve the actions of other Township of Logan, committees and agencies. The Mayor and Borough Council conducts all of its business during monthly meetings open to the public. All Legislative powers of the Township are exercised by the Mayor and Council. These powers can take the form of a resolution, ordinance or proclamation.

As of 2016, the Mayor of Logan Township is Democrat Frank Minor, whose term of office ends December 31, 2019. Members of the Logan Township Council are Deputy Mayor Christopher Morris (D, 2017), Stephen F. Dougherty (D, 2016), Doris Hall (D, 2016) and Bernadine E. Jackson (D, 2018).

Mayor Minor is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Federal, state and county representation

Logan Township is located in the 1st Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 3rd 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 3rd Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Stephen M. Sweeney (D, West Deptford Township) and in the General Assembly by John J. Burzichelli (D, Paulsboro) and Adam Taliaferro (D, Woolwich Township). The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham Township). The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).

Gloucester County is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders, whose seven members are elected at-large to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis in partisan elections, with two or three seats coming up for election each year. At a reorganization meeting held each January, the Board selects a Freeholder Director and a Deputy Freeholder Director from among its members. As of 2016, Gloucester County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Robert M. Damminger (D, West Deptford Township; term ends December 31, 2018), Deputy Freeholder Director Giuseppe "Joe" Chila (D, Woolwich Township; 2018), Lyman J. Barnes (D, Logan Township; 2017), Daniel Christy (D, Washington Township; 2016), Frank J. DiMarco (D, Deptford Township; 2016), Heather Simmons (D, Glassboro; 2017) and Jim Jefferson (D, Woodbury; 2017). Constitutional officers elected countywide are County Clerk James N. Hogan, Surrogate Helene M. Reed (Monroe Township) and Sheriff Carmel Morina (Greenwich Township).

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 4,029 registered voters in Logan Township, of which 1,652 (41.0%) were registered as Democrats, 695 (17.2%) were registered as Republicans and 1,678 (41.6%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were four voters registered to other parties.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 59.7% of the vote (1,779 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 38.9% (1,157 votes), and other candidates with 1.4% (42 votes), among the 2,997 ballots cast by the township's 4,214 registered voters (19 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 71.1%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 59.3% of the vote (1,868 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 38.7% (1,219 votes) and other candidates with 1.4% (43 votes), among the 3,151 ballots cast by the township's 4,142 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.1%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 54.2% of the vote (1,600 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 44.4% (1,311 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (28 votes), among the 2,952 ballots cast by the township's 3,820 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 77.3.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 62.6% of the vote (1,041 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 35.6% (591 votes), and other candidates with 1.8% (30 votes), among the 1,703 ballots cast by the township's 4,133 registered voters (41 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 41.2%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 49.8% of the vote (939 ballots cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 39.5% (745 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 8.6% (162 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (13 votes), among the 1,886 ballots cast by the township's 4,103 registered voters, yielding a 46.0% turnout.

Education

The Logan Township School District serves public school students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2011-12 school year, the district's two schools had an enrollment of 863 students and 76.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.27:1. Schools in the district (with 2011-12 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Center Square School on Peachwood Drive (grades PreK - 1; 213 students), Logan Township Elementary School located on School Lane (grades 2-5; 650 students combined in grades 2-8) and Logan Middle School (grades 6-8).

Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades are educated at Kingsway Regional High School under a sending/receiving relationship in which tuition is paid on a per-pupil basis to the Kingsway Regional School District, which serves students in seventh through twelfth grades from East Greenwich Township, South Harrison Township, Swedesboro and Woolwich Township. As of the 2014-15 school year, the district's two schools had an enrollment of 2,544 students and 189.9 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.4:1. Schools in the district (with 2014-15 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Kingsway Regional Middle School with 876 students in grades 7-8 and Kingsway Regional High School with 1,668 students in grades 9-12. Under a 2011 proposal, Kingsway would merge with its constituent member's K-6 districts to become a full K-12 district, with various options for including Logan Township as part of the consolidated district.

Roads and highways

The Commodore Barry Bridge is a cantilever bridge that spans the Delaware River from Chester, Pennsylvania to Bridgeport in Logan Township. Owned and operated by the Delaware River Port Authority, construction of the bridge began in 1969 and the bridge opened to traffic in February 1974. The bridge is named for the American Revolutionary War hero and Philadelphia resident, John Barry.

Passing through the township are U.S. Route 130, U.S. Route 322/County Route 536, Route 324, and Interstate 295.

As of May 2010, the township had a total of 72.03 miles (115.92 km) of roadways, of which 32.76 miles (52.72 km) were maintained by the municipality, 19.01 miles (30.59 km) by Gloucester County, 18.04 miles (29.03 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 2.22 miles (3.57 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

Public transportation

NJ Transit bus service is available between in the township between Pennsville Township and Philadelphia on the 402 route.

Wineries