Ventnor City, New Jersey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ventnor City, New Jersey | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Atlantic |
| Incorporated | March 17, 1903[1] |
| Government | |
| - Type | Walsh Act (New Jersey) |
| - Mayor | Tim Kreischer |
| Area | |
| - Total | 3.5 sq mi (9.2 km²) |
| - Land | 2.1 sq mi (5.5 km²) |
| - Water | 1.4 sq mi (3.6 km²) |
| Elevation [2] | 7 ft (2 m) |
| Population (2006)[3] | |
| - Total | 12,564 |
| - Density | 6,023.2/sq mi (2,329.2/km²) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 08406 |
| Area code(s) | 609 |
| FIPS code | 34-75620[4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0881438[5] |
| Website: http://www.ventnorcity.org/ | |
Ventnor City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey on the Atlantic Ocean. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city population was 12,910.
Ventnor City was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1903, from portions of Egg Harbor Township.[1]
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[edit] Geography
Ventnor City is located at (39.342299, -74.481922)[6].
Ventnor City is located on 8.1-mile long Absecon Island, along with Atlantic City to the northeast, and Margate City and Longport on the southeast.[7]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.2 km²), of which, 2.1 square miles (5.5 km²) of it is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²) of it (39.44%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 6,674 |
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| 1940 | 7,905 | 18.4% | |
| 1950 | 8,158 | 3.2% | |
| 1960 | 8,688 | 6.5% | |
| 1970 | 10,385 | 19.5% | |
| 1980 | 11,704 | 12.7% | |
| 1990 | 11,005 | −6% | |
| 2000 | 12,910 | 17.3% | |
| Est. 2006 | 12,564 | [3] | −2.7% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[8] | |||
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 12,910 people, 5,480 households, and 3,255 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,023.2 people per square mile (2,329.2/km²). There were 8,009 housing units at an average density of 1, 445.0/km² (3,736.6/sq mi). The racial makeup of the city was 77.10% White, 2.94% African American, 0.19% Native American, 7.45% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 9.37% from other races, and 2.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.14% of the population.
The major ethnic groups in Ventnor City are: Italian (22.8%), Irish (15.5%), German (8.7%), English (6.2%), Russian (4.2%), Polish (3.6%).[9]
There were 5,480 households out of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,478, and the median income for a family was $52,701. Males had a median income of $31,300 versus $26,788 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,631. About 3.4% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] History
In the latter part of the 19th Century, an American couple visiting England became so impressed with the beauty of the locality, that in 1889, when the Camden and Atlantic Land Company decided to name the section of the land south of Atlantic City, they remembered Ventnor, England.
Mrs. S. Bartram Richards, suggested that the name, Ventnor, would be an ideal fit for this exciting new area. This name was suggested on January 8, 1889, by Mrs. Richards, who was the wife of the secretary-treasurer of the land company.
This name was formally adopted the following day. Although the City received its name in January of 1889, it was not officially recognized until it received its incorporation by the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1903.
Chapter 51 of the laws and Sessions of the State of New Jersey provided the noble beginning to Ventnor City stating, " Be it enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of New Jersey that all part or portion of the County of Atlantic, formerly a part of Egg Harbor Township, situated on Absecon Beach, lying between the Westwardly limit of Atlantic City and the Eastwardly limit of South Atlantic City, the Atlantic Ocean on the south as far as the jurisdiction of the State extends, and to the center of Beach Thoroughfare on the North, be, and is hereby constituted as a City of this State, and all of the inhabitants of the State residing within the limits aforesaid be and they are hereby ordained, constituted and declared to be from time to time forever hereafter one body politic and corporate, in fact and in name, by the name, Ventnor City. This act shall take effect immediately, and was approved on March 17, 1903."
These meetings were originally held in the Carisbrooke Inn, which was located behind the present City Hall, on Atlantic Avenue between Cambridge and Sacramento Avenues. The first meeting was held on April 20, 1903, with a follow up meeting being conducted on April 27, 1903.[10]
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
On September 17, 1968, the then existing Mayor-Council form of government was changed to a Commission form of government, under the Walsh Act, and consists of three Commissioners. Voters choose three Commissioners to serve four-year terms of office in non-partisan elections. After each election, the three elected commissioners then choose one their members to serve as Mayor.[11][12]
The Mayor of Ventnor City is Tim Kreischer. The other Commissioners are Sandy Vespertino and Joseph Schafer.[13]
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Ventnor City is in the Second Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 2nd Legislative District.[14]
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 2nd legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Jim Whelan (D, Atlantic City), and in the Assembly by John F. Amodeo (R, Margate) and Vincent J. Polistina (R, Egg Harbor Township).[15] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[16]
Atlantic County's County Executive is Dennis Levinson (Linwood).[17] 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).[18]
[edit] Education
The Ventnor City School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The two schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[19]) are Ventnor Elementary School (680 students) and Ventnor Middle School (325 students). They are operated as separate schools but are located in a single, large building known as the Ventnor Educational Community Complex or VECC. The original school was built in 1970.
Public school students in grades 9-12, along with those from Brigantine, Longport and Margate City, attend Atlantic City High School in neighboring Atlantic City, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Atlantic City School District that has existed since 1920.[20]
St. James School is a Catholic school run by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden, for grades pre-kindergarten to eighth grade
[edit] References
- ^ a b "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 71.
- ^ USGS GNIS: Ventnor City, Geographic Names Information System, accessed June 14, 2007.
- ^ a b Census data for Ventnor City, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 11, 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.
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Absecon Island Shore Protection Project, United States Army Corps of Engineers. Accessed May 1, 2008. "Construct an approximate $63 million beach and dune system along the 8.1 mile oceanfront of Absecon Island that includes, the cities of Atlantic City, Ventnor, Margate and Longport."
- ^ Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
- ^ City Data for Ventnor City, CityData.com. Accessed November 27, 2006.
- ^ The History of Ventnor City, Ventnor City. Accessed August 2, 2006.
- ^ The Commission Form of Municipal Government, p. 53. Accessed August 11, 2007.
- ^ 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 12.
- ^ Welcome to the City of Ventnor City: Administration, Ventnor City. Accessed August 2, 2006.
- ^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 65. 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.
- ^ Data for the Ventnor City School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed March 3, 2008.
- ^ Atlantic City High School 2006 Report Card, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 14, 2007. "Atlantic City High School is a unique, comprehensive state-of-the-art facility that serves a diverse student population from Atlantic City, Brigantine, Longport, Margate and Ventnor."
[edit] External links
- Ventnor City website
- Ventnor Educational Community Complex
- Ventnor City School District's 2006-07 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- Data for the Ventnor City School District, National Center for Education Statistics
- The Current of Ventnor
- Taxpayer private citizens group
- Ventnor City, New Jersey is at coordinates Coordinates:
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