Collingswood, New Jersey

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Collingswood
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Motto: It's Where You Want To Be
Location of Collingswood within Camden County, New Jersey.
Coordinates: 39°54′58″N, 75°4′29″W
Country	United States of America
State	New Jersey
County	Camden
Settled	1682
Incorporated	May 22, 1888
Government
- Mayor	Jim Maley
- Commissioner	Joan Leonard
- Commissioner	Mike Hall
Area
- City	1.9 sq mi (5.0 km²)
- Land	1.8 sq mi (4.7 km²)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
Elevation	30 ft (9.14 m)
Population (2000)
- City	14,326
- Density	7,835.2/sq mi (3,022.6/km²)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	08108
Area code(s)	856
Website: http://www.collingswood.com

Collingswood is a Borough in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 14,326.

Collingswood was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 22, 1888, from portions of Haddon Township, based on the results of a referendum held that same day.^[1]

The Borough does not license any establishments to serve or sell alcoholic beverages inside borough limits, a policy that dates back to 1873.^[2]

[edit] Geography

Collingswood is located at 39°54′58″N, 75°4′29″W (39.916141, -75.074671).^GR1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 5.0 km² (1.9 mi²). 4.7 km² (1.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (4.69%) is water.

Collingswood shares land borders with Camden, Haddon Township, Oaklyn, and Woodlynne.

The Cooper River serves as the Northern border of Collingswood.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 14,326 people, 6,263 households, and 3,463 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,022.6/km² (7,835.2/mi²). There were 6,866 housing units at an average density of 1,448.6/km² (3,755.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 86.47% White, 6.67% African American, 0.34% Native American, 2.76% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.42% from other races, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.67% of the population.

There were 6,263 households out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.7% were non-families. 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the borough the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $43,175, and the median income for a family was $57,987. Males had a median income of $40,423 versus $30,877 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $24,358. About 3.8% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

[edit] Local government

The Borough of Collingswood is governed under the Walsh Act by three non-partisan commissioners who are elected to serve four-year concurrent terms. Collingswood's commissioners are Mayor Jim Maley, Joan Leonard, and Mike Hall.^[5]

[edit] Federal, state and county representation

Collingswood is in the First Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 6th Legislative District.^[6]

New Jersey's First Congressional District, covering portions of Burlington County, Camden County and Gloucester County, is represented by Rob Andrews (D, Haddon Heights). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).

The 6th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by John H. Adler (D, Cherry Hill) and in the Assembly by Louis Greenwald (D, Voorhees) and Pamela Rosen Lampitt (D, Cherry Hill). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).

Camden County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. Camden County's Freeholders are: Louis Cappelli, Jr (Freeholder Director), Edward McDonnell (Freeholder Deputy Director), Riletta L. Cream, Jeffrey L. Nash, Joseph Ripa, Carmen Rodriguez, and Rodney Greco.

[edit] Education

The Collingswood Public Schools serve students in prekindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district are five K-6 elementary schools (except as noted) — Garfield, Newbie, Sharp, Tatem and Zane-North (includes PreK) — Collingswood Middle School for grades 7-8 and Collingswood High School for grades 9-12.

Students in grades 9-12 from Woodlynne attend Collingswood High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Woodlynne School District. Students in grades 10-12 from Oaklyn attend the high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Oaklyn Public School.

[edit] Community

Collingswood has a vibrant shopping and restaurant district. Haddon Avenue, the main street through the downtown district, is lined with restaurants, coffee shops, and boutiques. Collingswood restaurants include American, Italian, French, Chinese, Mexican, Japanese, and Cuban cuisine. On Saturdays from April to October, the town hosts a Farmers' market under the PATCO line, offering fresh vegetables, jams, desserts, and crafts from local farmers and artisans.

Collingswood's arts community hosts "2nd Saturdays," with the town's art galleries and restaurants hosting new exhibitions by local, national, and international painters, sculptors, and photographers. Collingswood is also home to a vibrant theater community, with the Collingswood Community Theater and Shakespeare Company offering several shows each year. The Scottish Rite Auditorium hosts local theatrical productions as well as national recording artists such as Ben Folds, Foreigner and The Beach Boys. Additionally, the borough's annual Book Festival brings recognized authors including Camille Paglia and Joshua Piven of the Worst-Case Scenario series.

Collingswood is also becoming a popular home for gays and lesbians, many of whom are leaving surrounding states lured by gay-friendly laws in New Jersey. In 2004, The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote about Collingswood's "fast growing gay and lesbian community."^[7]

Real Estate prices in Collingswood have skyrocketed since 2001. In 2006, Philadelphia Magazine ranked Collingswood number one in the region for price growth of homes and property. Values were up about 100% over five years.

View of Collingswood from above. Collingswood High School, Collingswood Middle School, and Knight Park are in the foreground; Camden and Philadelphia are in the distance.

Knight Park and Haddon Avenue are the heart of Collingswood. Knight Park is the home to daytime recreation of the town. It is located across the street from Collingswood High School and it hosts the home games of the high school's sports teams, such as Women's Field Hockey, Lacrosse, Baseball and Softball. During the Summer months, the borough offers outdoor movies and Madonna concerts in Knight Park.

The town is also host to a championship Marching Band at the High School level. The Collingswood Panther Marching Band, under the direction of Joe Lerch, has captured titles for the United States Scholastic Band Association (USSBA) All-States and New Jersey State Championships in the years 2004 and 2005, and participated in the National Championships in 2006. The marching band has a membership of 43 members (about 5% of the school population), the largest it has been since before 2000.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Transportation

The Collingswood PATCO Speedline Park and Ride station is just 10 minutes to Philadelphia by subway.. Collingswood is also served by New Jersey Transit bus routes.

[edit] History

Europeans settled near Newton Creek in the late 17th Century, establishing what was known as the Newton Colony and eventually Newton Township. Much of what is now Collingswood was a farm owned by members of the Collings family during the 18th and 19th Centuries. The 1820s-era house of the Collings family, known as the Collings-Knight house, still stands near the corner of the White Horse Pike and Collings Avenue. Collingswood incorporated as a separate borough in 1888, leaving Haddon Township. That same year, Edward Collings Knight, a wealthy philanthropist from Philadelphia, donated the land that became Knight Park. Knight was a descendant of the Collings family for whom the borough is named.

Collingswood has several historic homes, including the Stokes-Lees mansion, which dates back to the 18th Century, making it one of the oldest houses in Camden County.

[edit] Notable residents

• B. J. Averell, winner of The Amazing Race 9 reality television show, which concluded on May 17, 2006.^[8]
• William T. Cahill, Governor of New Jersey from 1970-1974
• Audrey Kitching, model and hairdresser, "scene queen"
• Michael Landon, Television actor^[9]
• Susan Myrtetus Lorentzen, author of Down Over Normandy
• No Regrets, Independent ska band that's been active for six years
• Fran Smith, Jr., bass player for the Philadelphia-based band, The Hooters
• Tiny Tim, singer famous for his single Tiptoe Through the Tulips
• Gary Williams, head coach of the University of Maryland's Men's basketball team.^[10]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Collingswood Borough municipal website
• Collingswood Public Schools
• Collingswood Public Schools's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
• National Center for Education Statistics data for the Collingswood Public Schools
• Championship Collingswood Panther Marching Band
• Collingswood Gay and Lesbian Social Network
• Collingswood Book Festival
• Collingswood Community Theater
• Collingswood Shakespeare Company
• Collingswood Fire Department
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 39.916141° -75.074671°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA

v • d • e Municipalities of Camden County, New Jersey (County seat: Camden)
Boroughs	Audubon | Audubon Park | Barrington | Bellmawr | Berlin | Brooklawn | Chesilhurst | Clementon | Collingswood | Gibbsboro | Haddon Heights | Haddonfield | Hi-Nella | Laurel Springs | Lawnside | Lindenwold | Magnolia | Merchantville | Mount Ephraim | Oaklyn | Pine Hill | Pine Valley | Runnemede | Somerdale | Stratford | Tavistock | Woodlynne
Cities	Camden | Gloucester
Townships	Berlin | Cherry Hill | Gloucester | Haddon | Pennsauken | Voorhees | Waterford | Winslow
CDPs and other communities	Ashland | Barclay-Kingston | Blackwood | Cherry Hill Mall | Echelon | Erial | Erlton-Ellisburg | Glendora | Golden Triangle | Greentree | Sicklerville | Springdale