Maurice River Township, New Jersey
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Maurice River Township is a township in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Vineland-Millville- Bridgeton Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area for statistical purposes. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 6,928.
Maurice River Township was first formed as a precinct on January 19, 1748, and was incorporated as one of New Jersey's initial 104 townships by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. Portions of the township were taken to form Millville on March 1, 1866.[1]
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[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 247.9 km² (95.7 mi²). 241.9 km² (93.4 mi²) of it is land and 6.0 km² (2.3 mi²) of it (2.41%) is water.
Maurice River Township borders Commercial Township, Millville, and Vineland. Maurice River Township also borders Cape May County, Atlantic County, and the Delaware Bay. The Maurice River forms the western boundary between Maurice River Township and Commercial Township.
Maurice River Township is one hour from both Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Atlantic City, situated just off of Route 47, Route 49 and Route 55. Route 347 and County Routes 548, 550 and 552 all pass through the Township.
The township consists of several communities such as Dorchester, Leesburg, Heislerville, Delmont, Port Elizabeth, Bricksboro, Cumberland and some portions of Belleplain and Milmay.[2] The township government is based in the community of Leesburg in the municipal complex. Maurice River Township is mostly rural in character and some of the land is covered by extensive forests of the Pine Barrens.
[edit] History
Originally called Wahatquenak by the local Lenni Lenape Native Americans, the Maurice River is said to be named for a local folktale, in which a Dutch ship on the river, the Prince Maurice, was sunk by the local Native Americans in 1657. The land was surveyed by John Worledge and Thomas Budd, and the village of Dorchester was laid out. However, it was not until 1798 on that the township itself was established.
Port Elizabeth was established as a port of delivery by an Act of Congress in 1789, and trade was done directly with the West Indies for several years, until the 1830s, when trading was done more with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York City. Dorchester and Leesburg were known for shipbuilding industry, and the A.J. Meerwald (the State Ship of New Jersey) was built in the shipyards of Dorchester. The village of Heislerville and its surroundings were known for their oystering industry until around 1957, when a parasitic disease called MSX crippled the oyster population of the river. The oystering industry has not recovered since.[3]
In 1993, the Maurice River and its tributaries were designated as the Maurice National Scenic and Recreational River by the Congress.[4]
[edit] Culture
The pace of life in Maurice River Township is slow, and a lot of residents enjoy outdoors activities all year long. With an abundance of forests and marshlands, the wildlife refugee areas are frequented by locals for hunting and fishing.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 2,319 |
|
|
| 1940 | 2,261 | -2.5% | |
| 1950 | 2,834 | 25.3% | |
| 1960 | 3,105 | 9.6% | |
| 1970 | 3,743 | 20.5% | |
| 1980 | 4,577 | 22.3% | |
| 1990 | 6,648 | 45.2% | |
| 2000 | 6,928 | 4.2% | |
| Est. 2005 | 7,669 | [5] | 10.7% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[6] | |||
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 6,928 people, 1,332 households, and 1,012 families residing in the township. The population density was 28.6/km² (74.2/mi²). There were 1,461 housing units at an average density of 6.0/km² (15.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 58.63% White, 32.98% African American, 0.78% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 4.43% from other races, and 2.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.15% of the population.
There were 1,332 households out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.1% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.0% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% 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 3.03.
In the township the population was spread out with 12.9% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 55.1% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 277.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 343.8 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $43,182, and the median income for a family was $46,987. Males had a median income of $37,901 versus $27,928 for females. The per capita income for the township was $17,141. About 6.4% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
The Township of Maurice River operates under the Township Committee form of government. The governing body consists of three elected officials, with one of its members elected by the committee to serve as the Mayor on an annual basis and another to serve as Deputy Mayor. The committee members are elected to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis.
Members of the Maurice River Township Committee are Mayor Ronald D. Riggins (term expires December 31, 2008), Deputy Mayor Andrew Sarclette (2007) and Norman Franckle, Jr. (2009).[7]
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Maurice River Township is in the Second Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 1st Legislative District.[8]
New Jersey's Second Congressional District, covering all of Atlantic County, Cape May County, Cumberland County and Salem County and portions of Burlington County, Camden County and Gloucester County, is represented by Frank LoBiondo (R, Vineland). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
The 1st legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Nicholas Asselta (R) and in the Assembly by Nelson Albano (D, Vineland) and Jeff Van Drew (D, Dennis Township). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).
Cumberland County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. Cumberland County's Freeholders are: Douglas M. Rainear - Freeholder Director (Term ends December 31, 2007), Bruce T. Peterson - Freeholder Deputy Director (2008), Jane Yetman Christy (2008), Dr. Mary L. Gruccio (2007), Louis N. Magazzu (2006), James Rocco (2006) and Jeffrey M. Trout (2008).
[edit] Education
The Maurice River Township School serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
Students in grades 9-12 attend high school in Millville, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Millville Public Schools. Students in grade 9 and half of those in grade 10 attend Memorial High School, while the other half in grade 10 and the entirety of grades 11 and 12 attend Millville Senior High School.
[edit] References
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 121.
- ^ The History of "Maurice River Township", accessed April 6, 2007
- ^ Historic Themes and Resources within the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route: Maritime Activities, accessed April 6, 2007
- ^ National Wild & Scenic Rivers System: Maurice River, National Park Service, accessed April 6, 2007. "In 1993, the Maurice River and several tributaries—including Menantico and Muskee Creeks and the Manumuskin River—were added to the National Wild and Scenic River System."
- ^ Census data for Maurice River township, United States Census Bureau, accessed March 1, 2007
- ^ Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, accessed March 1, 2007
- ^ Maurice River Mayor & Committee, accessed March 8, 2007
- ^ League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 60, accessed August 30, 2006
[edit] External links
- Maurice River Township website
- Cumberland County webpage for Maurice River Township
- Maurice River Township School
- Maurice River Township School's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Commercial Township School District
- - More on MSX disease
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(County seat: Bridgeton) |
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| Cities | Bridgeton | Millville | Vineland |  |
| Townships | Commercial | Deerfield | Downe | Fairfield | Greenwich | Hopewell | Lawrence | Maurice River | Stow Creek | Upper Deerfield | |
| Borough | Shiloh | |
| Communities | Cedarville | Fairton | Fortescue | Laurel Lake | Port Norris | Rosenhayn | Seabrook Farms | |
