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Mount Laurel Township, New Jersey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mount Laurel, New Jersey | |
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Burlington |
| Area | |
| - Total | 21.9 sq mi (56.8 km²) |
| - Land | 21.8 sq mi (56.5 km²) |
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²) |
| Elevation | 85 ft (26 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 40,221 |
| - Density | 1,844.3/sq mi (712.1/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 08054 |
| Area code(s) | 856 |
| FIPS code | 34-49020GR2 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882093GR3 |
Mount Laurel Township is a Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 40,221. It is the home of NFL Films.
Mount Laurel Township was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 7, 1872, from portions of Evesham Township.[1]
Ramblewood is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Mount Laurel Township.
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According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 21.9 square miles (56.8 km²), of which, 21.8 square miles (56.5 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (0.55%) is water.
Mount Laurel Township borders Maple Shade Township, Moorestown Township, Willingboro Township, Westampton Township, Hainesport Township, Lumberton Township, Medford Township, Evesham Township, and Cherry Hill Township.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 1,929 |
|
|
| 1940 | 2,189 | 13.5% | |
| 1950 | 2,817 | 28.7% | |
| 1960 | 5,249 | 86.3% | |
| 1970 | 11,221 | 113.8% | |
| 1980 | 17,614 | 57.0% | |
| 1990 | 30,270 | 71.9% | |
| 2000 | 40,221 | 32.9% | |
| Est. 2006 | 40,326 | [2] | 0.3% |
| Population 1930 - 1990[3] | |||
As of the census² of 2000, there were 40,221 people, 16,570 households, and 11,068 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,844.3 people per square mile (712.0/km²). There were 17,163 housing units at an average density of 787.0/sq mi (303.8/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 87.10% White, 6.92% African American, 0.09% Native American, 3.80% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.24% of the population.
There were 16,570 households out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the township the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $63,750, and the median income for a family was $76,288. Males had a median income of $55,597 versus $37,198 for females. The per capita income for the township was $32,245. About 2.5% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.
Mount Laurel Township changed its form of government in 1970 from a Township Committee form to a Council-Manager system under the Faulkner Act. In this form of government the Township Manager oversees the daily functions of the Township. The Governing Body consists of five council members, one of whom is chosen to serve as the Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor on an annual basis.
Members of the Mount Laurel Township Committee are Mayor Mark Sanchirico, Deputy Mayor John F. Drinkard, Virginia Devery, Peter R. McCaffrey and Tracy Riley.[4]
In May 2006, Township Manager Patricia Halbe announced her resignation from the post she held for eleven years.[5] While Halbe will remain in the title of Municipal Clerk, the Patriot Consulting Group, a local government consulting firm, was retained in June 2006 to conduct a search for Halbe's replacement as Manager.
Mount Laurel Township is in the Third Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 8th Legislative District.[6]
New Jersey's Third Congressional District, covering portions of Burlington County, Camden County and Ocean County, is represented by Jim Saxton (R, Mount Holly). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
The 8th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Martha W. Bark (R, Mount Laurel) and in the Assembly by Francis L. Bodine (D, Mount Laurel) and Larry Chatzidakis (R, Mount Laurel). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).
Burlington County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. Burlington County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director James K. Wujcik, Deputy Freeholder Director William S. Haines, Jr., Dawn Marie Addiego, Vincent R. Farias and Aubrey A. Fenton.
Laurel Acres Park is known for its Veteran's Memorial, fishing lake, playground, and enormous grassy hill used for concerts and sledding in the winter, Laurel Acres Park is right along Church Street at Academy Road.
For Kindergarten through eighth grade, public school students attend the Mount Laurel Schools. Schools in the district include six K-4 elementary schools — Countryside Elementary School with 379 students and 65 staff members, Fleetwood Elementary School with 359 students and 65 staff members, Hillside Elementary School with 427 students and 65 staff members, Larchmont Elementary School with 416 students and 75 staff members, Parkway Elementary School with 375 students and 65 staff members Springville Elementary School with 447 students and 80 staff members — Mount Laurel Hartford School with 1,052 students in Grades 5 & 6 and 115 staff members and Thomas E. Harrington Middle School with 1,056 students in Grades 7 & 8 and 125 staff members.
Parkway Elementary School was one of four schools in New Jersey recognized by the national Blue Ribbon Schools Program, awarded by the United States Department of Education, for the 2005-06 school year.[7]
Public school students in Mount Laurel Township for grades 9-12 attend Lenape High School, located in Medford Township, which is part of the Lenape Regional High School District, a regional high school district in Burlington County, New Jersey that serves the eight municipalities of Evesham Township, Medford Lakes, Medford Township, Mount Laurel Township, Shamong Township, Southampton Township, Tabernacle Township and Woodland Township.
The New Jersey Turnpike passes through Mount Laurel Township. The Turnpike's James Fenimore Cooper rest area is located between Interchanges 4 and 5 northbound at milepost 39.4.[8] Mount Laurel hosts Exit 4 of the Turnpike, with the 4 toll gate consisting of 8 lanes at the gate.
Interstate 295 passes through the township, with three exits (Exit 36: Berlin/Tacony Bridge/Route 73, Exit 40: Moorestown/Mount Holly/Route 38, Exit 43: Delran/Rancocas Woods). Two other major thoroughfares through Mount Laurel are Route 38 and Route 73.
New Jersey Transit provides bus service to Philadelphia on the 317 and 413 bus routes, with local service on the 457 line.[9]
The Mount Laurel Decision is a controversial judicial interpretation of the New Jersey State Constitution. The doctrine requires that municipalities use their zoning powers in an affirmative manner to provide a realistic opportunity for the production of housing affordable to low and moderate income households. The decision was a result of a lawsuit brought against the town by the N.A.A.C.P. that was decided by the NJ Supreme Court in 1975 and reaffirmed in a subsequent decision in 1983.
The history behind this, and the story leading to the Decision was highlighted in a Chapter of a book by David L. Kirp called "Almost Home". [1]
Mount Laurel was a small, poor rural farming community until it was hit with massive suburban growth from Philadelphia in the latter 1900s. Poor families, whose history had resided there for centuries, were suddenly priced and forced out. In 1970, at a meeting about a proposal for affordable housing, held at an all black church in Mount Laurel, the mayor summed up the newcomers perspectives by saying "If you people can't afford to live in our town, then you'll just have to leave." [2]
Even though the poor black families in Mount Laurel were not from urban ghettos, and were not involved in gang activity, the new suburban influx thought otherwise, and significantly delayed the creation of affordable housing, citing concerns of gang activity and an influx of inner city criminals. Exampled comments from town meetings against affordable housing included "we need this like Custer needed more Indians"; "it's reverse descrimination"; "we lived in this in South Philly and Newark" they said, and that the housing would be a "breeding ground for violent crime and drug abuse". [3]
Resident advocates of the housing were treated with abuse and threats. Leading advocate Ethel Lawrence, a poor black resident who lived her life in Mount Laurel, had her house repeatedly vandalized, and once her bedroom window was shot at. Long time white residents also turned to try to force the poor blacks out of town. Although the court ruled in favor of creating affordable housing, residents did manage to delay the process for decades. [4]
Notable current and former residents of Mount Laurel Township include:
- Larry Chatzidakis (1949-), represents the 8th legislative district in the New Jersey General Assembly. Chatzidakis served on the Mount Laurel Township Council from 1985-2000 and was its Mayor in 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000.[10]
- Jirair Hovnanian (1927-2007), home builder whose buiness developed and built over 6,000 houses throughout South Jersey.[11]
- Alice Paul (1885-1977), suffragist.
- Stephen M. Wolownik (1946-2000), pioneer in the Russian and Eastern European music community in the United States.
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 97.
- ^ Census data for Mount Laurel township, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 6, 2007.
- ^ Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
- ^ Mount Laurel Township web site, Mount Laurel Township. Accessed March 4, 2007.
- ^ Wanted: Experienced municipal professional, Burlington County Times, June 8, 2006
- ^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 61. Accessed August 30, 2006.
- ^ Schools selected as No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools in 2005. Retrieved on May 2, 2006.
- ^ New Jersey Turnpike: James Fenimore Cooper Service Area, accessed May 31, 2006
- ^ Burlington County Bus/Rail Connections, New Jersey Transit. Accessed July 15, 2007.
- ^ Assembly Member Larry Chatzidakis, Project Vote Smart. Accessed August 9, 2007.
- ^ Sims, Gayle Nonan. "An entrepreneur's final act of generosity", Philadelphia Inquirer, 2007-08-16. Retrieved on 2007-09-16.
- Mount Laurel Township website
- Mount Laurel Schools
- Mount Laurel Schools's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Mount Laurel Schools
- Lenape Regional High School District
- Mount Laurel Public Library
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Burlington County, New Jersey |
||
|---|---|---|
| County seat: Mount Holly Township | ||
| Boroughs |
Fieldsboro | Medford Lakes | Palmyra | Pemberton | Riverton | Wrightstown |
 |
| Cities | ||
| Townships |
Bass River | Bordentown | Burlington | Chesterfield | Cinnaminson | Delanco | Delran | Eastampton | Edgewater Park | Evesham | Florence | Hainesport | Lumberton | Mansfield | Maple Shade | Medford | Moorestown | Mount Holly | Mount Laurel | New Hanover | North Hanover | Pemberton | Riverside | Shamong | Southampton | Springfield | Tabernacle | Washington | Westampton | Willingboro | Woodland |
|
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities |
Chatsworth | Crosswicks | Jobstown | New Gretna | Vincentown |
|