Penns Grove, New Jersey

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Penns Grove, New Jersey
Penns Grove Borough highlighted in Salem County. Inset map: Salem County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Penns Grove Borough highlighted in Salem County. Inset map: Salem County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Coordinates: 39°43′41″N 75°28′5″W / 39.72806, -75.46806
Country United States
State New Jersey
County Salem
Area
 - Total 0.9 sq mi (2.4 km²)
 - Land 0.9 sq mi (2.4 km²)
 - Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation 10 ft (3 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 4,886
 - Density 5,275.8/sq mi (2,037.0/km²)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 08069
Area code(s) 856
FIPS code 34-57750[1]
GNIS feature ID 0879213[2]

Penns Grove is a Borough in Salem County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 4,886.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Penns Grove is located at 39°43′41″N, 75°28′5″W (39.728188, -75.468050)[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.4 km²), all of it land.

Penns Grove borders Carneys Point Township and the Delaware River.

[edit] History

In the early 1900s, many Italian immigrants from Valle San Giovanni and the surrounding province of Teramo came to work at the local E.I. DuPont de Nemours plant in Carneys Point. Many settled on Pitman Street in Penns Grove. In 1925, a copy of the statue of the Madonna and Child, found in the Chiesa della Madonna delle Grazie in Teramo, Italy, was placed in the Penns Grove RC Church, Saint James. It remains there to this day.[citation needed]

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop.  %±
1900 1,826
1910 2,118 16.0%
1920 6,060 186.1%
1930 5,895 -2.7%
1940 6,488 10.1%
1950 6,669 2.8%
1960 6,176 -7.4%
1970 5,727 -7.3%
1980 5,760 0.6%
1990 5,228 -9.2%
2000 4,886 -6.5%
Est. 2006 4,797 [4] -1.8%
Population 1930 - 1990.[5][6]

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 4,886 people, 1,827 households, and 1,231 families residing in the borough. The population density was 5,275.8 people per square mile (2,028.5/km²). There were 2,075 housing units at an average density of 2,240.5/sq mi (861.5/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 48.85% White, 39.75% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 8.13% from other races, and 2.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.29% of the population.

There were 1,827 households out of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.6% were married couples living together, 27.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the borough the population was spread out with 33.0% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 85.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.6 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $26,227, and the median income for a family was $34,076. Males had a median income of $30,871 versus $20,983 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $13,330. About 18.1% of families and 21.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.1% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

[edit] Local government

Penns Grove is governed by a mayor and a six-member Borough Council. The mayor is elected to a four-year term of office. The members of the Borough Council are elected to three-year terms, with two seats coming up for election each year.

The Mayor of the Borough of Penns Grove is John Washington. Members of the Penns Grove Borough Council are Tami Baytops, Mary Kay James, Clifford Poindexter, John Scarpaci, Deborah A. Scott and James Venello.[7]

[edit] Federal, state and county representation

Penns Grove is in the Second Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 3rd 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, Ventnor). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).

The 3rd legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Stephen M. Sweeney (D, Thorofare) and in the Assembly by John J. Burzichelli (D, Thorofare) and Douglas H. Fisher (D, Thorofare).[9] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[10]

Salem County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders who serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis. As of 2008, Salem County's Freeholders are Director Lee R. Ware (Elsinboro Township), Deputy Director David Lindenmuth (Woodstown), Julie A. Acton (Pennsville Township), Bruce L. Bobbitt (Pilesgrove Township), Jeffrey J. Hogan (Pennsville Township), Charles Sullivan (Salem) and Beth E. Timberman (Woodstown).[11]

[edit] Education

Students in public school for grades K through 12 attend the Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional School District, together with students from Carneys Point Township. Students from Oldmans Township attend the district as part of a sending/receiving relationship. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[12]) are Lafayette-Pershing School for grades Pre-K to 1 (333 students), Field Street School for grades 1 - 3 (528), Paul W. Carleton School for grades 4 and 5 (324), Penns Grove Middle School for grades 6 - 8 (513) and Penns Grove High School grades 9 - 12 (622).


[edit] Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Penns Grove include:

[edit] References

[edit] External links