| Burlington County, New Jersey | |
Location in the state of New Jersey |
|
New Jersey's location in the U.S. |
|
| Founded | May 17, 1694 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Mount Holly |
| Largest city | Evesham |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
819 sq mi (2,121 km²) 805 sq mi (2,085 km²) 15 sq mi (39 km²), 1.81% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
448,734 557/sq mi (215.2/km²) |
| Website | www.co.burlington.nj.us |
Burlington County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The county seat is Mount Holly. The county seat had been in Burlington, but as population moved away from the Delaware River a more central location was needed. As of 2010, the population was 448,734. The largest municipality in the county is Evesham Twp.
Burlington County dates back to 1681, when its court was established in the Province of New Jersey. The county was formed on May 17, 1694, "by the union of the first and second Tenths."[1]
This county is part of the Delaware Valley area.
Contents |
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 819 square miles (2,121.2 km2), of which 805 square miles (2,084.9 km2) is land and 15 square miles (38.8 km2) (1.81%) is water.
Most of the land in the county is coastal and alluvial plain with little relief. There are a few anomalous hills, such as Apple Pie Hill and Arney's Mount, the highest of not only the entire county but all of South Jersey at approximately 260 feet (79 m) above sea level. The low point is sea level along the Delaware and Mullica Rivers.
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 423,394 people, 154,371 households, and 111,610 families residing in the county. The population density was 526 people per square mile (203/km²). There were 161,311 housing units at an average density of 200 per square mile (77/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 78.39% White, 15.13% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 2.69% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.48% from other races, and 2.07% from two or more races. 4.16% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 16.0% were of Irish, 15.6% Italian, 13.3% German, 7.4% English and 5.4% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 18,095 |
|
|
| 1800 | 21,521 | 18.9% | |
| 1810 | 24,979 | 16.1% | |
| 1820 | 28,822 | 15.4% | |
| 1830 | 31,107 | 7.9% | |
| 1840 | 32,831 | * | 5.5% |
| 1850 | 43,203 | 31.6% | |
| 1860 | 49,730 | 15.1% | |
| 1870 | 53,639 | 7.9% | |
| 1880 | 55,402 | 3.3% | |
| 1890 | 58,528 | 5.6% | |
| 1900 | 58,241 | −0.5% | |
| 1910 | 66,565 | 14.3% | |
| 1920 | 81,770 | 22.8% | |
| 1930 | 93,541 | 14.4% | |
| 1940 | 97,013 | 3.7% | |
| 1950 | 135,910 | 40.1% | |
| 1960 | 224,499 | 65.2% | |
| 1970 | 323,132 | 43.9% | |
| 1980 | 362,542 | 12.2% | |
| 1990 | 395,066 | 9.0% | |
| 2000 | 423,394 | 7.2% | |
| 2010 | 448,734 | 6.0% | |
| * lost territory historical census data source:[3][4] [5] |
|||
There were 154,371 households out of which 34.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.70% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% were non-families. 22.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.20% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 31.50% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $58,608, and the median income for a family was $67,481 (these figures had risen to $72,466 and $85,117 respectively as of a 2007 estimate).[6] Males had a median income of $46,381 versus $32,228 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,339. About 3.20% of families and 4.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.50% of those under age 18 and 4.90% of those age 65 or over.
As of the 2010 Census the population of the county was 448,734. The racial makeup of the county was 70.65% Non-Hispanic white, 16.60% black, 0.22% Native American, 4.32% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.33% Non-Hispanics of some other race, 2.26% Non-Hispanics reporting two or more races and 6.42% Hispanics or Latinos.
A variety of major routes pass through Burlington County. Major county roads include County Route 528, County Route 530, County Route 532, County Route 534 (only in Shamong), County Route 537, County Route 541, County Route 543, County Route 545 and County Route 563. State Routes that pass through are Route 38, Route 68, Route 70, Route 72, Route 73, Route 90 (only in Cinnaminson), and Route 413 (only in Burlington). U.S. Routes that traverse are U.S. Route 9 (only in Bass River), U.S. Route 130 and U.S. Route 206. Limited access roads include the Garden State Parkway (only in Bass River), Interstate 295 and the New Jersey Turnpike (a portion of Interstate 95).
Five Turnpike interchanges are located in Burlington: Exit 4 in Mount Laurel, Exit 5 in Westampton, Exit 6A in Florence, Exit 6 in Mansfield and Exit 7 in Bordentown.
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority plans to widen the Parkway to three lanes in each direction from exit 80 in South Toms River, Ocean County to exit 30 in Somers Point, Atlantic County.
In addition, the Authority is planning to extend the 'dual-dual' configuration (Inner Car Lanes & Outer Truck Lanes) to Exit 6 from its current end at Exit 8A in Monroe Township, Middlesex County. This is planned to be completed by 2014.
The Burlington County Bridge Commission is responsible for maintaining the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge and the Burlington-Bristol Bridge, both of which cross the Delaware River. In addition, the agency maintains several bridges along CR 543 including the Riverside-Delanco Bridge over the Rancocas Creek.[7]
Burlington County is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders consisting of five members. Freeholders are elected at large by the voters of Burlington County in partisan elections and serve staggered three-year terms. Burlington County's Freeholders have both administrative and policy making powers. Each Burlington County Freeholder oversees a particular area of service: Administration; Education and Human Services; Public Safety and Solid Waste; Economic Development and Public Works; and Land Use and Public Affairs.
As of 2010[update], Burlington County's Freeholders are:[8]
**Chris Brown was elected in 2008 as a Democrat along with Mary Anne Reinhart. On March 29, 2010, he announced that he was switching parties and becoming a Republican.[9]
A moderate county in New Jersey politics, Burlington County in recent years has become an important area for the Republican party, especially in more recently developed, more affluent communities such as Medford, Mount Laurel, Moorestown, and Evesham (as opposed to the more reliably Democratic strongholds along the Delaware River). Despite this however, in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, Barack Obama carried Burlington County by an 18.5% margin over John McCain, with Obama carrying the state by 14.4% over McCain.[10] In the 2009 Gubernatorial Election, Republican Chris Christie received 48% of the vote, defeating Democrat Jon Corzine, who received around 45%.
The following municipalities are located in Burlington County. Unincorporated areas are listed within the municipalities in which they are situated. The type of government is listed in parentheses where it is not included in municipality name:
Most municipalities have their own municipal courts, and the county has a Superior Court as well. Municipal courts handle traffic and minor criminal and civil matters, while Superior Court handles the more serious cases.
The Burlington County Library System, the first county library in New Jersey, began in a small room of the Mt. Holly YMCA in 1921 after voters adopted a new law providing for the creation of a county library system. Library service grew in popularity and several moves ensued as more space became a necessity. By 1971, a new headquarters facility had been constructed, Cinnaminson and Bordentown had joined the system as branches, and a bookmobile visited areas without local facilities. Medford and Evesham had joined the system by 1975. The Pemberton Branch joined the system in 1987. Maple Shade became a branch in April, 2001 while Riverton, the newest branch, joined in December 2003. With a larger network of 9 additional member libraries, the system provides a range of services to its residents.
Burlington County College is a two-year public community college serving students from Burlington County. The school is located in Pemberton and Mount Laurel and was founded in 1966.
| Bucks County, Pennsylvania | Mercer County | Monmouth County | ||
| Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania | Ocean County | |||
| Burlington County, New Jersey | ||||
| Camden County | Atlantic County | Atlantic Ocean |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||