Camden County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its county seat is Camden. As of the 2016 Census estimate, the county's population was 510,150, making it the state's 8th-largest county, representing a 0.7% decrease from the 513,657 enumerated at the 2010 Census, in turn having increased by 4,725 (up 0.9%, the third-lowest growth rate in the state) from the 508,932 counted in the 2000 Census. The most populous place was Camden, with 77,344 residents at the time of the 2010 Census, while Winslow Township covered 58.19 square miles (150.7 km2), the largest total area of any municipality.
It was formed on March 13, 1844, from portions of Gloucester County. The county was named for Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden, a British judge, civil libertarian, and defender of the American cause.
The county is part of the Camden, NJ Metropolitan Division of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD / Delaware Valley Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
Geography
According to the 2010 Census, the county had a total area of 227.293 square miles (588.69 km2), including 221.263 square miles (573.07 km2) of land (97.3%) and 6.030 square miles (15.62 km2) of water (2.7%).
Located in a coastal / alluvial plain, the county is uniformly flat and low-lying. The highest points are a survey benchmark near the Burlington County line at 219 feet (67 m) above sea level. The low point is sea level, along the Delaware River.
Adjacent counties
The county borders the following counties:
- Burlington County, New Jersey - northeast
- Atlantic County, New Jersey - southeast
- Gloucester County, New Jersey - southwest
- Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania - northwest
National protected area
- Great Egg Harbor Scenic and Recreational River (part)
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Camden have ranged from a low of 26 °F (-3 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of -11 °F (-24 °C) was recorded in February 1934 and a record high of 106 °F (41 °C) was recorded in August 1918. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.75 inches (70 mm) in February to 4.35 inches (110 mm) in July.
Demographics
While many of its municipalities are working class, Camden County has many contrasts in its demographics. Most of Camden and parts of Lindenwold are considered highly impoverished, while Cherry Hill Township, Voorhees Township, Haddon Heights and Haddonfield have upper-income enclaves.
Census 2010
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 513,657 people, 190,980 households, and 129,866 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,321.5 per square mile (896.3/km2). There were 204,943 housing units at an average density of 926.2 per square mile (357.6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 65.29% (335,389) White, 19.55% (100,441) Black or African American, 0.31% (1,608) Native American, 5.11% (26,257) Asian, 0.03% (165) Pacific Islander, 7.08% (36,354) from other races, and 2.62% (13,443) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.24% (73,124) of the population.
There were 190,980 households out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couples living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the county, the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 9% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.9 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and old there were 89.7 males.
Census 2000
As of the 2000 United States Census there were 508,932 people, 185,744 households, and 129,835 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,289 people per square mile (884/km²). There were 199,679 housing units at an average density of 898 per square mile (347/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 70.88% White American, 18.09% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 3.72% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 5.09% from other races, and 1.93% from two or more races. 9.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Among those residents listing their ancestry, 20.6% of residents were of Irish, 18.2% Italian, 15.7% German and 8.1% English ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 185,744 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the county, the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $48,097, and the median income for a family was $57,429. Males had a median income of $41,609 versus $30,470 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,354. About 8.1% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.
Government
The county is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders consisting of seven members chosen at-large in partisan elections for three-year terms on a staggered basis by the residents of the county, with either two or three seats up for election each year as part of the November general election. At a reorganization meeting held in January after each election, the newly constituted Freeholder Board selects one of its members to serve as Director and another as Deputy Director As of 2015, Camden County's Freeholders are:
- Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. (Collingswood, term as freeholder ends 2017; term as director ends 2016)
- Freeholder Deputy Director Edward T. McDonnell (Pennsauken Township, term as freeholder ends 2019; term as deputy director ends 2016)
- Susan Shin Angulo (Cherry Hill, 2018)
- William F. Moen, Jr. (Camden, 2018)
- Jeffrey L. Nash (Cherry Hill, 2018)
- Carmen Rodriguez (Merchantville, 2019)
- Jonathan L. Young, Sr. (Berlin Township, 2017)
Camden County's constitutional officers, all elected directly by voters, are
- County clerk Joseph Ripa,
- Sheriff Gilbert L. "Whip" Wilson (Camden) and
- Surrogate Michelle Gentek-Mayer (Gloucester Township, 2015)
- 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).
Camden County constitutes Vicinage 4 of the New Jersey Superior Court. Vicinage 4 is seated at the Camden County Hall of Justice in Camden, with additional facilities at various locations in Cherry Hill. The Assignment Judge for Vicinage 4 is the Honorable Deborah Silverman Katz. As with most counties in the state, the court system in Camden County also includes municipal courts for each township, borough and city to handle traffic and other minor items.
Law enforcement at the county level, in addition to a sheriff, includes the Camden County Police Department and the Camden County Prosecutor's Office. The Camden Police Department and the Camden County Park Police were absorbed into the newly formed Camden County Police Department in 2013.
Two federal Congressional Districts cover the county, including portions of the 1st and 2nd Districts. New Jersey's First Congressional District is represented by Donald Norcross (D, Camden). New Jersey's Second Congressional District is represented by Frank LoBiondo (R, Ventnor City).
The county is part of the 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th Districts in the New Jersey Legislature. For the 2016-2017 session (Senate, General Assembly), the 4th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Fred H. Madden (D, Washington Township, Gloucester County) and in the General Assembly by Paul Moriarty (D, Washington Township, Gloucester County) and Gabriela Mosquera (D, Gloucester Township). 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). For the 2016-2017 session (Senate, General Assembly), the 6th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by James Beach (D, Voorhees Township) and in the General Assembly by Louis Greenwald (D, Voorhees Township) and Pamela Rosen Lampitt (D, Cherry Hill). For the 2016-2017 session (Senate, General Assembly), the 6th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by James Beach (D, Voorhees Township) and in the General Assembly by Louis Greenwald (D, Voorhees Township) and Pamela Rosen Lampitt (D, Cherry Hill).
Politics
Camden County has long been a Democratic stronghold. The county usually votes overwhelmingly Democratic in national, state, and local elections.
As of October 31, 2014, there were a total of 355,107 registered voters in Camden County, of whom 141,869 (40.%) were registered as Democrats, 44,645 (12.6%) were registered as Republicans and 168,287 (47.4%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 306 voters registered to other parties. Among the county's 2010 Census population, 69.1% were registered to vote, including 75.6% of those ages 18 and over.
In the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, John Kerry carried the county by a 25.5% margin over George W. Bush, with Kerry carrying the state by 6.7% over Bush. Barack Obama carried the county by 34.8% over John McCain in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, while Obama won New Jersey by 14.7%.
Almost all of the county is in the 1st congressional district, which has a Cook Partisan Voting Index score of D+14.
Municipalities
Municipalities in Camden County (with 2010 Census data for population, housing units and area) are:
Historical municipalities
Defunct municipalities in the county (with years of formation and dissolution listed in parentheses) include:
- Centre Township (1855-1926)
- Clementon Township (1903-1941)
- Delaware Township (renamed as Cherry Hill)
- Newton Township (1695-1871)
- Stockton Township (1859-1899)
- Union Township (1831-1868)
Education
Colleges and universities
Rutgers University-Camden is located in the downtown/waterfront district of Camden, and dates back to 1926 with the founding of the South Jersey Law School.
Rutgers School of Law-Camden is one of two campuses of Rutgers Law School, the other being in Newark.
The Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine is located in Stratford and dates to 1976. It is the state's only osteopathic medical school and was South Jersey's first four-year college of medicine.
The Cooper Medical School of Rowan University is located in the downtown/university district of Camden. Established as a four-year medical school in 1975, the relationship with Rowan University was formed in 2008.
Rowan University at Camden is located on Cooper Street in Camden and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Camden County College is a two-year public community college serving students from Camden County. The school has campuses in Blackwood, Camden, and Cherry Hill, and was founded in 1967.
Arts and culture
Fine and performing arts
The Ritz Theater in Haddon Township hosts theater performances and film festivals.
Symphony in C is based on the campus of Rutgers University-Camden
Perkins Center for the Arts has locations in Moorestown and Collingswood.
The Scottish Rite Theater in Collingswood hosts national music and theater performances.
Literature
Poet Walt Whitman lived in Camden County.
Matthew Quick's novel The Silver Linings Playbook takes place in Collingswood and Voorhees, although the screen adaptation is set in Pennsylvania.
Film
The Last Broadcast was partially filmed in the Pine Barrens.
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle is partially set in Cherry Hill.
Camden was the setting for several scenes in 12 Monkeys.
Transportation
Roads and highways
Camden County hosts numerous county, state, U.S. and Interstates. As of October 2015, the county had a total of 2,045.06 miles (3,291.21 km) of roadways, of which 1,535.22 miles (2,470.70 km) are maintained by the municipality, 377.65 miles (607.77 km) by Camden County and 104.41 miles (168.03 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 27.78 miles (44.71 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority or the South Jersey Transportation Authority.
Major county roads that pass through include County Road 534, County Road 536, County Road 537, County Road 543, County Road 544, County Road 551 and County Road 561.
State routes that pass through are Route 38, Route 41, Route 42 (the North-South Freeway), Route 47 (only in Brooklawn), Route 70, Route 73, Route 90 (the Betsy Ross Bridge), Route 143 (only in Winslow), Route 154 (only in Cherry Hill) and Route 168.
U.S. Routes that traverse are U.S. Route 30 and U.S. Route 130.
The interstates that pass through are Interstate 76 (part of the North-South Freeway and the Walt Whitman Bridge), Interstate 295 and Interstate 676 (part of the North-South Freeway and the Ben Franklin Bridge (which is multiplexed with US 30)).
Other limited access roads that pass through are the Atlantic City Expressway and the New Jersey Turnpike. There are five ACE interchanges that are within the county borders: Exits 44 (at NJ 42), 41 (at Berlin-Cross Keys Road / CR 689), 38 (at Williamstown-New Freedom Road / CR 536 Spur), 33 (connecting to NJ 73) and 31 (at NJ 73). The only turnpike interchange that is in the county is Exit 3 at the border of Runnemede and Bellmawr.
Public transportation
New Jersey Transit has stations along the Atlantic City Line in Pennsauken, Cherry Hill, Lindenwold and Atco in Waterford Township, connecting Philadelphia to Atlantic City along the former Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines main line.
The River Line is a diesel tram-train light-rail system operated for New Jersey Transit by the Southern New Jersey Rail Group on a former Pennsylvania Railroad line from Trenton. Most stations in the county are in the City of Camden, including the Walter Rand Transportation Center, except for the Pennsauken Transit Center located in Pennsauken Township.
The PATCO Speedline, owned by the Delaware River Port Authority, runs a rapid transit line across the Ben Franklin Bridge from Philadelphia through Camden to the PRSL main right-of-way between Haddonfield and its eastern terminus in Lindenwold. Suburban station stops include Woodcrest, Westmont and Collingswood.
New Jersey Transit provides commuter and long distance bus service from many locations in the county to Philadelphia, with additional service to Atlantic City, New Jersey. Extensive local service is offered within the county, including routes to Camden and area train and light rail stations.
Wineries, breweries, and distilleries
- Amalthea Cellars
- Cooper River Distillers
- Flying Fish Brewing
- Sharrott Winery
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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