Woodbury, New Jersey

History

As recounted by the historian William McMahon, the Native Americans called the place where the city of Woodbury was to be founded, "Piscozackasing", or, 'place of the black burrs'.

Woodbury was founded in 1683 by Henry Wood, a Quaker from the Northwest of England, who had left Great Britain due to religious persecution. Wood was incarcerated in Lancaster gaol for practicing as a Quaker and left his home in the village of Tottington, near Bury, Lancashire, in a boat to set up a community in the new world where he and his family could practice his religion freely. His surname and his home town went to make up the name of the city he founded – Woodbury.

In 2000, the Borough of Bury, England, and the City of Woodbury were twinned as part of millennium celebrations in both countries. The twinning ceremony was the culmination of a week where more than 300 school children and college students, local dignitaries and local residents from Bury took part in sporting and cultural events held in and around Woodbury with local people. During the week there was a symbolic meeting and reconciliation of the Vicar of Henry Wood's former church in Tottington and the Quaker's meeting house in Woodbury and an ecumenical service attended by many of the residents and visitors.

Paleontological discovery

In 1787, a fossil bone recovered in Woodbury from local Cretaceous strata was discussed by the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia. The remains were only retrospectively identified as dinosaurian, as dinosaurs would not be scientifically recognized as a distinct group of reptiles until Sir Richard Owen presented his treatise on British fossil reptiles to the British Association in August 1841.

Recycling forerunner

Woodbury was the first city in the United States to mandate recycling. This effort was led by then-councilman and later mayor Donald P. Sanderson in the 1970s, and an ordinance was finally passed in December 1980. The idea of towing a "recycling" trailer behind a trash collection vehicle to enable the collection of trash and recyclable material at the same time emerged. Sanderson was asked to speak in municipalities throughout the country and other towns and cities soon followed suit.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 2.059 square miles (5.333 km²), including 2.009 square miles (5.203 km²) of land and 0.050 square miles (0.130 km²) of water (2.43%). Woodbury has a few lakes that feed off of Woodbury Creek.

The city borders Woodbury Heights, West Deptford Township and Deptford Township.

Climate

Woodbury has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) typical of New Jersey with warm summers and cold winters.

Census 2010

As of the census of 2010, there were 10,174 people, 4,088 households, and 2,420 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,064.0 per square mile (1,955.2/km²). There were 4,456 housing units at an average density of 2,217.9 per square mile (856.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 66.01% (6,716) White, 24.91% (2,534) Black or African American, 0.23% (23) Native American, 1.28% (130) Asian, 0.28% (28) Pacific Islander, 3.19% (325) from other races, and 4.11% (418) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.66% (1,085) of the population.

There were 4,088 households out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.6% were married couples living together, 17.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the city, the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.0 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and old there were 90.3 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $58,629 (with a margin of error of +/- $4,598) and the median family income was $74,276 (+/- $7,880). Males had a median income of $57,019 (+/- $3,425) versus $37,363 (+/- $6,910) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $28,845 (+/- $2,571). About 7.8% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.7% of those under age 18 and 15.0% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 10,307 people, 4,051 households, and 2,588 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,961.4 people per square mile (1,913.2/km²). There were 4,310 housing units at an average density of 2,074.7 per square mile (800.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 72.45% White, 22.83% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 1.28% from other races, and 2.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.94% of the population.

There were 4,051 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.4% were married couples living together, 18.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $41,827, and the median income for a family was $53,630. Males had a median income of $40,429 versus $30,570 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,592. About 11.2% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.7% of those under age 18 and 15.4% of those age 65 or over.

Local government

Woodbury is governed under the City form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a City Council comprising nine council members. A Mayor is elected at-large directly by the voters for a four-year term of office. The City Council consists of nine members, three from each of three wards, elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with one seat from each ward coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle.

As of 2017, the Mayor of the City of Woodbury is Democrat Jessica M. Floyd, whose term ends December 31, 2016. Members of the Woodbury City Council are:

First Ward: Daniel Reddin (D, 2017), Tracey L. Parker (D, 2018) and Danielle Carter (D, 2019)

Second Ward: Theodore Johnson Jr. (D, 2017), William H. Fleming Jr. (D, 2018) and Council President David Trovato (D, 2019)

Third Ward: Ken McIlvaine (D, 2017; appointed to serve an unexpired term), David Swanson (D, 2018) and Heather S. Tierney (R, 2019)

At the January 2017 reorganization meeting, the City Council chose Kenneth McIlvaine from three candidates nominated by the Democratic municipal committee to fill the Third Ward seat expiring in December 2017 that was vacated by Jessica Floyd when she took office as mayor.

The Democratic sweep in November 2012 of the three council seats and mayor gave the party a 6-3 majority on the 2013 council.

Federal, state and county representation

Woodbury is located in the 1st Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 5th 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 5th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D, Barrington) and in the General Assembly by Arthur Barclay (D, Camden) and Patricia Egan Jones (D, Barrington). 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 6,368 registered voters in Woodbury, of which 2,255 (35.4%) were registered as Democrats, 1,162 (18.2%) were registered as Republicans and 2,948 (46.3%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 3 voters registered to other parties.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 67.7% of the vote (2,972 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 30.9% (1,356 votes), and other candidates with 1.5% (65 votes), among the 4,430 ballots cast by the city's 6,623 registered voters (37 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 66.9%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 66.9% of the vote (3,216 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 30.9% (1,487 votes) and other candidates with 1.2% (58 votes), among the 4,806 ballots cast by the city's 6,829 registered voters, for a turnout of 70.4%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 60.1% of the vote (2,735 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 38.3% (1,742 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (43 votes), among the 4,547 ballots cast by the city's 6,521 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 69.7.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 58.6% of the vote (1,499 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 39.4% (1,007 votes), and other candidates with 2.0% (51 votes), among the 2,608 ballots cast by the city's 6,370 registered voters (51 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 40.9%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 51.8% of the vote (1,416 ballots cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 36.4% (995 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 8.5% (232 votes) and other candidates with 1.2% (34 votes), among the 2,732 ballots cast by the city's 6,649 registered voters, yielding a 41.1% turnout.

Education

The Woodbury Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2011-12 school year, the district's four schools had an enrollment of 1,511 students and 127.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.85:1. Schools in the district (with 2011-12 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Evergreen Avenue Elementary School (grades preK-5; 315 students), Walnut Street Elementary School (K-5; 92), West End Memorial Elementary School (K-5; 340) and Woodbury Junior-Senior High School (6-12; 764).

St. Margaret Regional School is a PreK-8 elementary school founded in 1963 that operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden.

Roads and highways

As of May 2010, the city had a total of 36.26 miles (58.35 km) of roadways, of which 29.15 miles (46.91 km) were maintained by the municipality, 5.04 miles (8.11 km) by Gloucester County and 2.07 miles (3.33 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Route 45 (Mantua Avenue / Broad Street) enters the city at its southernmost point from West Deptford Township and proceeds for 1.8 miles (2.9 km) before heading along the Deptford Township / West Deptford Township border at the north end of the city.

County Route 551 (Salem Avenue) enters from West Deptford Township in the southwest and proceeds for 0.5 miles (0.80 km) before beginning a concurrency with Route 45.

Public transportation

NJ Transit bus service between the city and Philadelphia is available on the 401 (from Salem), 402 (from Pennsville Township), 410 (from Bridgeton) and 412 (from Sewell) routes, with local service offered on the 455 (Cherry Hill Township to Paulsboro) and 463 (between Woodbury and the Avandale Park/Ride in Winslow Township) routes.

Beginning in the 1860s passenger train service was provided successively by the Camden and Woodbury Railroad, West Jersey Railroad, West Jersey & Seashore Railroad and the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines ending in the 1971. The station was built in 1883 and renovated in 2000.

A stop on the proposed Glassboro–Camden Line, an 18-mile (28.97 km) diesel multiple unit (DMU) light rail system projected for completion in 2019, is planned.

Notable people

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

Ken Albers (1924–2007), singer with the Four Freshmen.

Don Amendolia (born 1945), actor.

John Boyd Avis (1875–1944), United States federal judge whose private practice was here.

Eli Ayers (1778–1822), physician and the first colonial agent of the American Colonization Society in what would later become Liberia.

George Benjamin Jr. (1919–1944), United States Army soldier and a posthumous recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the Philippines campaign of World War II.

John Hancock Bradway (1821–1904), member of the New Jersey State House of Assembly in 1857; listed in the American Amateur Photographer magazine in 1889, along with other journals, for contributing important images of Woodbury.

Carroll William "Boardwalk" Brown (1889–1977), a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics.

Arthur "Ted" Browne (1915–2002), baseball player in the Negro League on the Zulu Cannibal Giants team, sporting his "Zulu" name Lakola.

Hugh Victor Browne II (born c. 1925), a 2012 recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award in the United States; is also the younger brother of Roscoe (below).

Roscoe Lee Browne (1922–2007), character actor and former athlete; brother of Hugh (above).

Van Bruner, world record holder in the 65-yard indoor dirt track high hurdles; ran in finals of 1952 Olympic Trials and also in first round of the 1965 Trials.

Dave Budd (born 1938), former NBA player for the New York Knicks who was one of the three centers for the Knicks assigned to guard Wilt Chamberlain in the game in which he scored 100 points vs. 13 points for Budd.

Dave Calloway (born 1968), former head men's basketball coach at Monmouth University.

Kyle Cassidy (born 1966), professional photographer.

Joe Colone (1926–2009), one-year player for the New York Knicks, moved to Woodbury and taught in the school system for over 30 years.

John Cooper (1729-1785), member of the Provincial Congress of New Jersey in 1775 and 1776 who served on the committee that drafted New Jersey's first constitution.

Mike Cox (born 1985), NFL player, was born in Woodbury.

Daniel Dalton (born 1949), politician who served as New Jersey Senate Majority Leader and as Secretary of State of New Jersey.

Franklin Davenport (1755–1832), Benjamin Franklin's nephew and a Federalist Party U.S. Senator.

Donald J. Farish (born 1942), former president of Rowan University in Glassboro.

Joe Fields (born 1953), former professional football center and guard in the National Football League.

Henry Clay Foote (1820–1912), worked for G.G.Green's company in Woodbury. While a resident, he was the inventor of a "crimping machine" in 1889.

Oscar Fraley (1914–1994), co-author, with Eliot Ness, of The Untouchables which sold 1.5 million copies, was raised in Woodbury.

George Gill Green (1842–1925), a patent medicine entrepreneur and Colonel in the American Civil War.

Grace Helbig (born 1985), comedian, actress, New York Times bestselling author, and creator and host of the web series It's Grace

Robert C. Hendrickson (1898–1964), United States Senator from New Jersey from 1949 to 1955.

Donald Holmes (1910–1980), inventor.

Ralph Ipri (born c. 1943), former National High School Tennis Coach of the Year (coaching Cherry Hill East in 1979) and the all-time winningest high school boys' tennis coach in United States history. He retired in 2011 with a career record of 956–90.

John Joseph Kitchen (1911–1973), a United States federal judge whose private practice was in Woodbury.

George Knapp (born 1952), investigative journalist.

George F. Kugler Jr. (1925-2004), lawyer who served as New Jersey Attorney General from 1970 to 1974.

Jonathan V. Last (born 1974), columnist for The Weekly Standard.

James Lawrence (1781–1813), who coined the phrase "Don't give up the ship" during the War of 1812.

Mike McBath (born 1946), a defensive end for the Buffalo Bills from 1968–1973 and part-owner of the Orlando Predators.

Bryant McKinnie (born 1979), professional football player for the Baltimore Ravens at the offensive tackle position.

Dan Meyer (born 1981), pitcher for the Florida Marlins, was born in Woodbury.

Tyler Miller (born 1993), professional soccer player.

J. Hampton Moore (1864–1950), former Republican Congressman and Mayor of Philadelphia (1920–24; 1932–36), was born in Woodbury.

Tim O'Shea (born 1962), head men's basketball coach of the Bryant Bulldogs.

Paul Owens (1924–2003), manager of the 1983 National League Pennant-winning Philadelphia Phillies, lived and died in Woodbury.

Francis F. Patterson Jr. (1867–1935), represented New Jersey's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1920 to 1927.

Jack Pierce (born 1962), Olympic bronze medalist in the 100-meter high hurdles at the 1992 Olympic Games.

Chris Pressley (born 1986), fullback for the Cincinnati Bengals.

John Chandler Rafferty (1816-1880), politician.

H. Browning Ross (1924–1998), Olympian in long-distance running (1948) and gold medal winner in the 1,500-meter at the 1951 Pan American Games.

Patti Smith (born 1946), singer-songwriter, was raised in Woodbury.

Heather Spytek (born 1977), Playboy Magazine's Playmate of the Month in June 2001.

Dennis Sullivan (born 1945), Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden.

Al Szolack (born c. 1950), a member of the Washington Generals traveling basketball team during the 1974–75 season.

D. K. Ulrich (born 1944), NASCAR driver and owner.

David Ogden Watkins (1862–1938), acting Governor of New Jersey from 1898 to 1899 and mayor of Woodbury from 1886 to 1890.

Ann Cooper Whitall (1716–1797), a prominent Quaker woman known for her actions at the Battle of Red Bank.

John M. Whitall (1800–1877), sea captain, businessman and philanthropist, was born in Woodbury.

John L. White (1930-2001), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1964 to 1968 and in the New Jersey Senate from 1968 to 1972.