Washington Township was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 17, 1836, from portions of Deptford Township. The township officially moved to the newly created Camden County on March 13, 1844. Monroe Township was created on March 3, 1859, from part of the township. Most of Washington Township, along with all of Monroe Township, was moved back into Gloucester County on February 28, 1871, with the remaining portions of Washington Township that were still in Camden County being transferred to Gloucester Township. Additional transfers to Gloucester Township were made in 1926 and 1931.[27] The township was named for George Washington, one of more than ten communities statewide named for the first president.[28][29] It is one of five municipalities in the state of New Jersey with the name Washington Township.[30]Washington, New Jersey, another borough, is surrounded by Washington Township in Warren County.
The township is part of the Delaware Valley, also known as the Philadelphia metropolitan area,[31] and the South Jersey region of the state. In 2008, CNN and Money Magazine ranked Washington Township 58th on its list of the "100 Best Cities to Live in the United States".[32]
History
The oldest community in Washington Township, Grenloch Terrace, was a thriving LenapeNative American settlement called Tetamekon. Some of the early settlers to the area were the Collins family of Chestnut Ridge Farm, for whom Chestnut Ridge Middle School is named; the Turner family, for whom Turnersville was named; the Hurff family, for whom Hurffville and Hurffville Elementary School are named; the Heritage family, whose family began the Heritage's Dairy Farm Stores, and for whom the community Heritage Valley is named; the Morgan family, who were the first residents of the Olde Stone House, a landmark for residents of the township; and the Bell Family, who arrived in 1899 and for whom Bells Lake Park and Bells Elementary School are named. Sewell is named after General William Joyce Sewell, who was elected to the United States Senate in 1881 and 1895, and served as president of the New Jersey Senate in 1876, 1879 and 1880.[33][34]
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 21.55 square miles (55.81 km2), including 21.35 square miles (55.28 km2) of land and 0.20 square miles (0.53 km2) of water (0.95%).[1][2]
Other unincorporated communities, localities, and places located partially or completely in the township include Bells Lake, Cressville, Dilkesboro, Fairview, Green Tree, Grenloch Terrace, Hurffville, Mount Pleasant, and Prossers Mill.[37]
The 2010 United States census counted 48,559 people, 17,287 households, and 13,328 families in the township. The population density was 2,271.0 per square mile (876.8/km2). There were 17,810 housing units at an average density of 833.0 per square mile (321.6/km2). The racial makeup was 87.70% (42,588) White, 5.82% (2,825) Black or African American, 0.11% (52) Native American, 3.78% (1,836) Asian, 0.02% (9) Pacific Islander, 0.85% (415) from other races, and 1.72% (834) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.65% (1,774) of the population.[24]
Of the 17,287 households, 34.3% had children under the age of 18; 61.4% were married couples living together; 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 22.9% were non-families. Of all households, 19.3% were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.23.[24]
24.0% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 31.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 92.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 89.0 males.[24]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $79,017 (with a margin of error of +/− $3,281) and the median family income was $94,585 (+/− $3,639). Males had a median income of $62,702 (+/− $2,103) versus $46,628 (+/− $2,959) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $33,038 (+/− $1,285). About 2.6% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.[53]
2000 census
As of the 2000 census,[21] there were 47,114 people, 15,609 households, and 12,658 families residing in the township. The population density was 2,204.6 inhabitants per square mile (851.2/km2). There were 16,020 housing units at an average density of 749.6 per square mile (289.4/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 90.20% White, 4.85% African American, 0.08% Native American, 3.31% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.03% of the population.[51][52]
There were 15,609 households, out of which 43.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.3% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.9% were non-families. 15.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% 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.[51][52]
In the township, the population was spread out, with 28.7% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.[51][52]
The median income for a household in the township was $66,546, and the median income for a family was $74,661. Males had a median income of $51,319 versus $35,018 for females. The per capita income for the township was $25,705. About 2.5% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.[51][52]
Government
Local government
Washington Township is governed under the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law. by the Mayor-Council system of New Jersey municipal government (Plan 2), implemented based on direct petition as of January 1, 1985.[54] The township is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government.[55] The township's governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the five-member Township Council. The mayor is directly elected by township voters and is the chief executive in charge of the administrative functions of the town. Members of the township council are elected on an at-large basis in partisan elections held as part of the November general election. All elected officials serve four-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with the mayor and two council seats up for election in even-numbered years and the other three council seats up for vote two years later.[7][56]
As of 2023[update], the mayor of Washington Township is Democrat Joann Gattinelli, whose term of office ends December 31, 2024.[3] Members of the township council are Council President Anthony DellaPia (R, 2024), Council Vice-President Richard Bennett (R, 2024), Donald Brown Jr. (R, 2026), Peter Del Borello III (R, 2026) and Jack Yerkes III (R, 2026).[57][58][59][60][61]
Federal, state and county representation
Washington Township is located in the 1st Congressional District[62] and is part of New Jersey's 4th state legislative district.[63][64][65]
Gloucester County is governed by a board of county commissioners, whose seven members are elected at-large to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis in partisan elections, with either two or three seats coming up for election each year. At a reorganization meeting held each January, the Board selects a Director and a Deputy Director from among its members. As of 2024[update], Gloucester County's Commissioners are:
Gloucester County's constitutional officers are:
Clerk James N. Hogan (D, Franklin Township; 2027),[80][81]
Sheriff Jonathan M. Sammons (R, Elk Township; 2024)[82][83] and
Surrogate Giuseppe "Joe" Chila (D, Woolwich Township; 2028).[84][85][86]
Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 33,934 registered voters in Washington, of which 11,872 (35.0%) were registered as Democrats, 7,763 (22.9%) were registered as Republicans and 14,279 (42.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 20 voters registered to other parties.[87]
In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 49.7% of the vote (12,169 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 49.2% (12,050 votes), and other candidates with 1.1% (273 votes), among the 24,648 ballots cast by the township's 35,305 registered voters (156 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 69.8%.[88][89] In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 49.6% of the vote (12,815 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 48.6% (12,570 votes) and other candidates with 1.0% (268 votes), among the 25,859 ballots cast by the township's 35,224 registered voters, for a turnout of 73.4%.[90] In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 50.9% of the vote (12,805 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 48.0% (12,082 votes) and other candidates with 0.5% (163 votes), among the 25,149 ballots cast by the township's 33,043 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 76.1.[91]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 67.1% of the vote (9,129 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 31.6% (4,294 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (172 votes), among the 13,803 ballots cast by the township's 34,580 registered voters (208 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 39.9%.[92][93] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 52.6% of the vote (7,789 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 38.8% (5,757 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 7.0% (1,043 votes) and other candidates with 0.5% (79 votes), among the 14,820 ballots cast by the township's 34,338 registered voters, yielding a 43.2% turnout.[94]
Education
Washington Township Public School District serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of 11 schools, had an enrollment of 7,202 students and 651.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.1:1.[95] Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[96]) are
Grenloch Terrace Early Childhood Center[97] (with 339 students; in kindergarten),
Bells Elementary School[98] (429; 1–5),
Birches Elementary School[99] (443; 1–5),
Hurffville Elementary School[100] (492; 1–5),
Thomas Jefferson Elementary School[101] (527; 1–5),
Wedgewood Elementary School[102] (460; 1–5),
Whitman Elementary School[103] (494; 1–5),
Bunker Hill Middle School[104] (586; 6–8),
Chestnut Ridge Middle School[105] (696; 6–8),
Orchard Valley Middle School[106] (544; 6–8), and
Washington Township High School[107] with 2,237 students in grades 9–12.[108][109]
Students from across the county are eligible to apply to attend Gloucester County Institute of Technology, a four-year high school in Deptford Township that provides technical and vocational education. As a public school, students do not pay tuition to attend the school.[110]
Economy
Washington Township has two major economic centers. The town center is focused around the square formed by Greentree Road, Egg Harbor Road, Ganttown Road, and Hurffville-Crosskeys Road. Washington Township High School, the TD Bank Arts Centre, Washington Lake Park, and the township municipal building are located around this general vicinity. The other major center is located around Route 42, which connects Philadelphia to the Jersey Shore.
Washington Township is sometimes referred to as "South Jersey's Premier Community", "South Philly South", or "Little South Philly" since a large percentage of its citizens moved to the town from the largely Italian South Philadelphia region over the past several decades.[111] It is also known simply as "Township".[112]
Recent expansion
Washington Township is largely the frontline between open space and home developers. A township that in the 1960s was composed of several isolated housing areas gravitating around the Wedgwood, Whitman Square, Birches, Birches West, and Hurffville neighborhoods has expanded outwards.[citation needed]
There are several major roadways that pass through Washington Township.[114]Route 42 (Black Horse Pike) heads along the east side of the township, entering in the south from Monroe Township and continuing north for 4 miles (6.4 km) towards Gloucester Township in Camden County, where the road is known as the North-South Freeway.[115]Route 168 (also known as Black Horse Pike) has its southern terminus at Route 42 in Washington Township and heads north along the township border towards Gloucester Township.[116]Route 47 (Delsea Drive) runs along the western quarter of the township, entering in the south from Glassboro and proceeding north for 3.2 miles (5.1 km) towards Deptford Township.[117]Route 55 clips the eastern tip of Gloucester Township, extending for 0.4 miles (0.64 km) from Mantua Township in the south to Deptford Township in the north.[118] The Atlantic City Expressway enters from Gloucester Township, and zig-zags through both until its western terminus in Washington Township at Route 42.[19][119]
^Rondinaro, Gene. "Washington Slept Here And There And. . .", The New York Times, February 17, 1985. Accessed October 21, 2015. "First in war, first in peace and, come tomorrow, first in the hearts of his countrymen, George Washington may be nowhere more fondly remembered than in New Jersey, where 12 communities are named for him. The profusion of such names - six Washington Townships, one each in Bergen, Burlington, Gloucester, Mercer, Morris and Warren Counties; Washington in Warren, Washington Crossing in Mercer, Washington Heights and Washington Park in Middlesex, Washingtonville in Sussex and Washington Valley in Morris - causes problems."
^Wilk, Tom. "Awash in Washingtons: New Jersey has six towns named for the father of our country.", New Jersey Monthly, January 17, 2011. Accessed October 22, 2015. "In New Jersey, Washington can lay claim to another first. He's number one in names selected for the state's 566 municipalities. Bergen, Burlington, Gloucester, Morris and Warren counties all have a Washington Township. Warren also has a Washington Borough surrounded—naturally—by Washington Township. The largest is Gloucester County's Washington, with 52,096 people; the smallest is the Washington in Burlington, with a population of 649. New Jersey had a sixth Washington Township in Mercer County until 2008, when voters there approved a name change to Robbinsville."
^Raum, John O. The History of New Jersey: From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time, Volume 1, p. 279, J. E. Potter and company, 1877. Accessed November 10, 2013. "Washington contained in 1850, a population of 2,114; in 1860, 1,307; and in 1870, 1,567. These two townships [including Monroe township] were set off from Camden county and annexed to Gloucester, February 28th, 1871."
^Full Biography, Congressman Donald Norcross. Accessed January 3, 2019. "Donald and his wife Andrea live in Camden City and are the proud parents of three grown children and grandparents of two."
^Biography of Bob Menendez, United States Senate, January 26, 2015. "Menendez, who started his political career in Union City, moved in September from Paramus to one of Harrison's new apartment buildings near the town's PATH station.."
^Admissions, Gloucester County Institute of Technology. Accessed November 7, 2019. "There is no charge to attend. GCIT is a public school.... GCIT is the vocational-technical school for Gloucester County residents. You must live in Gloucester County to apply and attend."
^Fifield, Adam. "Rival Washington Township, Pa., Cannoli Makers Square Off.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 5, 2003. Accessed October 21, 2007. "Washington Township, Pa. -- Is there room in this town for more than one cannoli?... And in a Gloucester County community nicknamed 'South Philly South' for its large population of Italian American city transplants, it has earned a loyalty thicker than ricotta."
^Fifield, Adam. "Where passion, pride connect", The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 16, 2004. Accessed October 21, 2007. "Washington Township may not rank as a big draw for Sunday drivers. If you're passing through, spinning along the strip malls and housing developments and fast-food chains, you may feel compelled to keep your foot on the gas until more appealing scenery rolls by. But this is a town where much of the allure runs more than soil- or asphalt-deep. Gloucester County's largest community, known to some as South Philly South and to many simply as Township, often shortened by residents to 'Twp'..."
^Beym, Jessica. "Former Washington Township councilman to run for Board of Education", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 28, 2010. Accessed December 19, 2023. "Former Republican Councilman Stephen Altamuro announced today he's intending to run for a seat on the Washington Township Board of Education. However, Altamuro -- an attorney and a lifelong resident -- hasn't put an application in with the school district to make his candidacy official."
^Pawling, Chris. "Swimming legend George Breen pays visit to local meet", South Jersey Times, January 30, 2012. Accessed November 30, 2017. "Washington Township resident George Breen was in attendance at Saturday’s SJISA Coaches’ Invitational swim meet at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology."
^Minnick, Kevin. "D'Imperio goes to Vikings", Courier-Post, April 25, 2010. Accessed September 24, 2012. "Ryan D'Imperio talked to a few teams leading up to the NFL Draft. The 2006 Washington Township High School graduate also worked out for a few teams."
^Isaac, Dave. "Washington Twp. native dreaming of orange and black",
Courier-Post, June 21, 2014. Accessed November 6, 2015. "The Washington Township native almost couldn't believe he was talking to his hometown team — which he's still a fanatic of — about the possibility of being drafted this week."
^Goldstein, Eric. "2014 NHL Draft: Anthony DeAngelo selected by Tampa Bay Lightning with No. 19 pick", South Jersey Times, June 27, 2014. Accessed September 18, 2018. "Anthony DeAngelo is going to spend his winters in the Sunshine State.... The Sewell native was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning with the No. 19 pick on Friday night at the NHL draft at the Wells Fargo Center.... DeAngelo lived in Washington Township until age 14, when he left to play for the Cedar Rapids Roughriders in the United States Hockey League."
^"N.J.'s Sam Esmail, Mr. Robot creator, on season 2 -- and getting beaten up in high school", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 14, 2016, updated January 17, 2019. Accessed December 17, 2020. "Esmail was born in Hoboken and grew up in South Carolina and Sewell, N.J., in Gloucester County's Washington Township, which is also where Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek), the psychologically fragile hacker of Mr. Robot, grew up and where some of the action takes place."
^Laday, Jason. "As Wawa celebrates 50th anniversary, CEO remembers Vineland store", South Jersey Times, April 15, 2014. Accessed October 8, 2015. "'My dad would have a bunch of change from the car wash, and he was like the banker for everyone over there at the Wawa,' said Gheysens, a graduate of both St. Mary's in East Vineland and St. Augustine College Preparatory School. 'South Jersey is a big part of Wawa, and it is definitely part of me — I grew up in Vineland, and my parents had a summer house in Sea Isle. I moved to Washington Township — or 'Township' as they call it — after marrying my wife, and we raised our four children there.'"
^Ralph, Matthew. "South Jersey native Emily Gray called into United States Women’s U20 team", Brotherly Game, December 4, 2018. Accessed April 30, 2022. "After a standout rookie season at Virginia Tech, Washington Township, N.J. native Emily Gray has received a call-up to the United States Women’s U20 team for the Nike International Friendlies in Florida."
^Hefler, Jan. "Mayor target in mayoral race Paul Moriarty has drawn criticism from both candidates for his office in Washington Twp.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 13, 2008. Accessed November 10, 2013. "Republican candidate Theresa Lappe wants to raise a number of issues in the hotly contested race for Washington Township mayor. But each time she criticizes the all-Democratic local government, her opponent agrees with her. That's because Democrat Matt Lyons is trying to distance himself from lame-duck Mayor Paul Moriarty, whose popularity in Gloucester County's most populous municipality has plummeted since he was elected in 2004."
^McGowan, Deane. "Lopez Stops Rossman in Six Rounds", The New York Times, March 3, 1978. Accessed September 23, 2017. "Mike Rossman of Turnersville, N.J., is a tough fighter, but Yaqui Lopez of Stockton, Calif., was even tougher last night."
^Servalli, Frank. "Kings' Stevens enjoys reunion", The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 31, 2010. Accessed October 23, 2011. "Sometime after watching the team he coached earlier in the year lose in the Stanley Cup finals last June, John Stevens was relaxing at his shore house in Sea Isle City when he received a call.... From a father's perspective, Los Angeles is 2,873 miles from his home base in Washington Township, N.J. For a tight-knit family man like Stevens, 44, who would be forced to leave his wife Stacy and hockey-loving sons John and Nolan behind, the decision wasn't an easy one."
^Shyrock, Bob. "Bob Shryock: He got the blame for hitting slump", South Jersey Times, July 27, 2010. Accessed November 10, 2013. "Thompson is the same Washington Township resident — and 1993 World Series RBI specialist — who was given major kudos for the hit machine that was the 2008 World Champs and 2009 National League pennant winners."
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