Waterford Township, New Jersey

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Waterford Township had a total area of 36.267 square miles (93.932 km²), including 36.041 square miles (93.345 km²) of land and 0.226 square miles (0.586 km²) of water (0.62%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Atco, Atco Lake, Bishops, Dunbarton, Fisher, Jackson, Louden and Pestletown.

The township borders the municipalities of Berlin, Berlin Township and Winslow Township in Camden County; Hammonton in Atlantic County; and Evesham Township, Medford Township and Shamong Township in Burlington County.

2010 Census

As of the census of 2010, there were 10,649 people, 3,692 households, and 2,824 families residing in the township. The population density was 295.5 per square mile (114.1/km²). There were 3,839 housing units at an average density of 106.5 per square mile (41.1/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 90.59% (9,647) White, 4.83% (514) Black or African American, 0.10% (11) Native American, 1.16% (124) Asian, 0.03% (3) Pacific Islander, 1.56% (166) from other races, and 1.73% (184) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.39% (467) of the population.

There were 3,692 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.4% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were non-families. 17.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the township, the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 32.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.7 years. For every 100 females there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and old there were 98.0 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $76,786 (with a margin of error of +/- $9,237) and the median family income was $87,774 (+/- $9,978). Males had a median income of $54,714 (+/- $3,576) versus $42,896 (+/- $4,994) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $31,193 (+/- $2,094). About 2.6% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

2000 Census

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 10,494 people, 3,542 households, and 2,791 families residing in the township. The population density was 290.0 people per square mile (112.0/km²). There were 3,671 housing units at an average density of 101.4 per square mile (39.2/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 92.75% White, 4.18% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.90% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from other races, and 1.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.07% of the population.

There were 3,542 households out of which 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.5% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 16.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the township the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 100.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.6 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $59,075, and the median income for a family was $63,693. Males had a median income of $41,561 versus $28,763 for females. The per capita income for the township was $21,676. About 3.6% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

Local government

Waterford Township is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government. The five-member Township Committee is elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor are chosen by the Township Committee from among its members during the Reorganization meeting each January.

As of 2016, members of the Waterford Township Committee are Mayor William A. Richardson (R, term on committee ends December 31, 2018; term as mayor ends 2016), Deputy Mayor Alphons Campbell (R, term on committee ends 2017; term as deputy mayor ends 2016), Ralph Ferguson (D, 2017), Thomas Giangiulio Jr. (R, 2018) and Richard T. Yeatman Sr. (D, 2016).

Federal, state and county representation

Waterford Township is located in the 2nd Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 8th state legislative district. Prior to the 2011 reapportionment following the 2010 Census, Waterford Township had been in the 6th state legislative district.

New Jersey's Second Congressional District is represented by Frank LoBiondo (R, Ventnor City). 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 8th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Dawn Marie Addiego (R, Evesham Township) and in the General Assembly by Maria Rodriguez-Gregg (R, Evesham Township) and Joe Howarth (R, Evesham Township). 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 7,364 registered voters in Waterford Township, of which 2,438 (33.1%) were registered as Democrats, 1,386 (18.8%) were registered as Republicans and 3,536 (48.0%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 4 voters registered to other parties.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 50.4% of the vote (2,501 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 48.5% (2,406 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (58 votes), among the 5,012 ballots cast by the township's 7,783 registered voters (47 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 64.4%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 50.0% of the vote (2,708 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain, who received around 46.5% (2,517 votes), with 5,411 ballots cast among the township's 7,323 registered voters, for a turnout of 73.9%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 49.3% of the vote (2,582 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry, who received around 47.1% (2,468 votes), with 5,242 ballots cast among the township's 7,107 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 73.8.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 70.7% of the vote (2,253 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 27.9% (889 votes), and other candidates with 1.4% (43 votes), among the 3,271 ballots cast by the township's 7,828 registered voters (86 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 41.8%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 54.9% of the vote (1,749 ballots cast), ahead of both Democrat Jon Corzine with 36.7% (1,168 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 4.9% (155 votes), with 3,186 ballots cast among the township's 7,462 registered voters, yielding a 42.7% turnout.

Education

The Waterford Township School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. As of the 2011-12 school year, the district's three schools had an enrollment of 875 students and 71.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.32:1. Schools in the district (with 2011-12 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Atco Elementary School for Kindergarten and first grade (215 students), Thomas Richards School for prekindergarten through 3rd grade (257 students) and Waterford Elementary School for grades 4-6 (403 students).

For seventh through twelfth grades, public school students attend Hammonton Middle School and Hammonton High School in Hammonton as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Hammonton Public Schools, alongside students from Folsom, who attend for grades 9-12 as part of an agreement with the Folsom Borough School District. In the wake of the dissolution of the Lower Camden County Regional School District, the Hammonton board of education voted in 1999 to begin accepting an estimated 800 students from Waterford Township for grades 7-12 starting as soon as 2002, with the tuition paid by students from Waterford helping to lower overall costs to Hammonton taxpayers and the New Jersey Department of Education approved the agreement.

Assumption School, located in Atco, was an elementary school that operated under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden, which closed the school at the end of the 2012-13 school year in the wake of declining enrollment, though parents and contributors argued that they had raised the funds and met the attendance criteria needed to keep the school operating.

Recreation

Great Times Day Camp is a summer camp for young children and teenagers. It was founded in 1976 and is situated on Hobb Lake, one of Camden County's major reservoirs.

Roads and highways

As of May 2010, the township had a total of 87.48 miles (140.79 km) of roadways, of which 61.64 miles (99.20 km) were maintained by the municipality, 21.86 miles (35.18 km) by Camden County and 3.98 miles (6.41 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

U.S. Route 30 (White Horse Pike) enters from Berlin borough and continues for 3.3 miles (5.3 km) into Chesilhurst. while Route 73 runs for a short distance along the township's western border, entering from Winslow Township and exiting into Berlin borough. U.S. 30 and NJ 73 intersect on the west side of the township.

County Route 534 (Jackson Road) enters from Berlin Township on the west near the Atco station and continues for almost 8 miles (13 km) across the township's northern border, into Shamong Township in Burlington County. County Route 536 (New Brooklyn / Cedarbrook Road / Pump Branch Road / Pennington Avenue) runs for 5.6 miles (9.0 km) from Monroe Township in Gloucester County into Waterford Township.

The closest limited access road is the Atlantic City Expressway in neighboring Winslow Township. Interstate 295 and the New Jersey Turnpike are two towns away.

Public transportation

The Atco station provides NJ Transit train service to the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia and the Atlantic City Rail Terminal in Atlantic City on the Atlantic City Line.

NJ Transit local bus service is available on the 554 route from Lindenwold to Atlantic City and on the 459 route.

Notable people

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