Buena Vista Township, New Jersey
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| Buena Vista, New Jersey | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Atlantic |
| Incorporated | March 5, 1867 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Township (New Jersey) |
| - Mayor | Chuck Chiarello |
| Area | |
| - Total | 41.5 sq mi (107.6 km²) |
| - Land | 41.4 sq mi (107.1 km²) |
| - Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²) |
| Elevation [1] | 105 ft (32 m) |
| Population (2006)[2] | |
| - Total | 7,436 |
| - Density | 179.8/sq mi (69.4/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Area code(s) | 609 and 856 |
| FIPS code | 34-08710[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882048[4] |
| Website: http://www.buenavistatownship.org | |
Buena Vista Township (pronounced "BYOO-nuh Vista" by locals[5]) is a township located in Atlantic County, New Jersey. As of the 2000 census, the township had a total population of 7,436.
Buena Vista was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 5, 1867, from portions of Hamilton Township. Portions of the township were taken on May 23, 1906, to create Folsom, and on September 1, 1948, to create Buena.[6] The name comes from the 1847 Battle of Buena Vista of the Mexican-American War.[7]
Buena Vista Township includes the communities of Buena, Buena Acres, East Vineland, Lake Ann, Milmay, New Kuban, Newtonville, and Pine Lake Estates, and Richland. Collings Lakes is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Buena Vista Township.
The township is headquarters for Troop A of the New Jersey State Police.
On April 26, 2004, the Buena Vista Township Committee voted to temporarily rename the community of Richland, a section of Buena Vista Township. For the first half of the month of May, Richland became Mojito, New Jersey, named after the Cuban rum drink. Bacardi had offered to give the township $5,000 for recreation projects in exchange for a sign placed on U.S. Route 40 commemorating the new name. Richland was chosen because it is home to the family-run Dalponte Farms, a major east coast supplier of mint, an essential ingredient of the mojito.
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[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 41.5 square miles (107.6 km²), of which, 41.4 square miles (107.1 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it is water. The total area is 0.39% water. 90% of the area is within the boundaries of the New Jersey Pine Barrens.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 4,176 |
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| 1940 | 4,067 | −2.6% | |
| 1950 | 2,106 | −48.2% | |
| 1960 | 3,915 | 85.9% | |
| 1970 | 4,239 | 8.3% | |
| 1980 | 6,959 | 64.2% | |
| 1990 | 7,655 | 10% | |
| 2000 | 7,436 | −2.9% | |
| Est. 2006 | 7,487 | [2] | 0.7% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[8] | |||
As of the census[3] of 2000, there are 7,436 people residing in the township, organized into 2,648 households and 1,972 families. The population density is 179.8 people per square mile (69.4/km²). There are 2,827 housing units at an average density of 68.3/sq mi (26.4/km²). The racial makeup of the township is 77.34% White, 15.69% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 4.07% from other races, and 2.43% from two or more races. 9.27% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 2,648 households out of which 30.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.5% are married couples living together, 10.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% are non-families. 21.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.77 and the average family size is 3.20.
In the township the population is spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.6 males.
The median income for a household in the township is $43,770, and the median income for a family is $50,403. Males have a median income of $36,064 versus $26,180 for females. The per capita income for the township is $18,382. 12.1% of the population and 7.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 13.2% of those under the age of 18 and 13.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
Buena Vista is governed under the Township form of government with a five-member Township Committee. The Township Committee is elected directly by the voters to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year.[9] At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another to serve as Deputy Mayor.
The Buena Vista Township Committee consists of Mayor Chuck Chiarello, Deputy Mayor Teresa Kelly, Sue Barber, Peter Bylone and Mike Rivera.[10]
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Buena Vista Township is in the Second Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 1st Legislative District.[11]
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, Ventnor). 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).[12] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[13]
Atlantic County's County Executive is Dennis Levinson (Linwood).[14] The Board of Chosen Freeholders, the county's legislature, consists of nine members elected to three-year terms on a staggered basis, with three seats coming up for election each year. As of 2008, Atlantic County's Freeholders are Freeholder Chairman Joseph F. Silipena, (Egg Harbor City, term expires December 31, 2008), Freeholder Vice Chairman Frank Sutton (Egg Harbor Township, 2008), Alisa Cooper (Linwood, 2008), James Curcio (Hammonton, 2009), Richard Dase (Galloway Township, 2010), Charles Garrett (Atlantic City, 2010), Frank V. Giordano (Hamilton Township, 2009), Joseph McDevitt (Ventnor City, 2010) and Thomas Russo (Atlantic City, 2009).[15]
[edit] Education
Students in public school for grades K - 12 in Buena Vista Township attend the Buena Regional School District, together with children from Buena Borough. Students from Newfield, a non-operating school district, attend the district's schools for K-12 as part of a sending/receiving relationship. Students are sent to the district's high school for grades 9 - 12 from both Estell Manor City and Weymouth Township as part of sending/receiving relationships with the respective school districts.[16] Newfield, however, has recently decided to sever its ties with the Buena Regional School District, and, instead, begin a relationship with Delsea Regional School District.[17]
Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are four elementary schools (K-5, except as noted) — William B. Donini (165 students in K - 3), J.C. Milanesi (488 students), Edgarton (208 students, K-6) and Collings Lakes (270 students in grades K - 5) — Dr. J. P. Cleary Middle School (528 students in grades 6 - 8) and Buena Regional High School (985 students in grades 9 - 12).[18]
St. Augustine College Preparatory School is an all-male Roman Catholic high school in Richland, New Jersey, and serves approximately 550 students.
[edit] Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Buena Vista Township include:
- Renald Iacovelli, author whose novels are remarkable for their eccentric characters (many of them artists deriving from lower middle class, suburban America) and a general disdain of urbanism.
[edit] References
- ^ USGS GNIS: Township of Buena Vista, Geographic Names Information System, accessed January 4, 2008.
- ^ a b Census data for Buena Vista, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 31, 2007
- ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Buena, the Name, Buena Vista Township. Accessed August 31, 2007.
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 68.
- ^ A Brief History and Overview of Buena Vista Township, Buena Vista Township. Accessed August 31, 2007. "The name Buena Vista, which means “good vision”, was originally introduced to this area after the Mexican War by George B. Cake, a hotel owner, in 1848."
- ^ Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
- ^ 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 8.
- ^ Buena Vista Township Committee Members, Buena Vista Township. Accessed May 6, 2008.
- ^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 55. Accessed August 30, 2006
- ^ Legislative Roster: 2008-2009 Session, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed June 6, 2008.
- ^ About the Governor, New Jersey. Accessed June 6, 2008.
- ^ County Executive Dennis Levinson, Atlantic County, New Jersey. Accessed March 31, 2008.
- ^ Board of Chosen Freeholders, Atlantic County, New Jersey. Accessed March 31, 2008.
- ^ Buena Regional School District 2007 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 14, 2008. "Students from Weymouth and Estell Manor join students from Buena Vista Township, Buena Borough, and Newfield at the high school."
- ^ Minutes, Board of Education, Buena Regional School District, January 23, 2007. Accessed March 14, 2008.
- ^ Data for the Buena Regional School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed March 2, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Buena Vista Township's website
- Buena Regional School District
- Buena Regional School District's 2006-07 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Buena Regional School District
- Cape May Seashore Lines Railroad
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