| Swedesboro, New Jersey | |
|---|---|
| — Borough — | |
| Swedesboro highlighted in Gloucester County. Inset map: Gloucester County highlighted in the State of New Jersey. | |
| Census Bureau map of Swedesboro, New Jersey | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Gloucester |
| Incorporated | April 9, 1902 |
| Government[1] | |
| • Type | Borough (New Jersey) |
| • Mayor | Thomas W. Fromm (term ends 2011)[2] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.8 sq mi (2.0 km2) |
| • Land | 0.7 sq mi (1.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation[3] | 46 ft (14 m) |
| Population (2006)[4] | |
| • Total | 2,043 |
| • Density | 2,830.8/sq mi (1,093.0/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 08085 |
| Area code(s) | 856 |
| FIPS code | 34-71850[5][6] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0885415[7] |
| Website | http://www.swedesboro-nj.us |
Swedesboro is a borough in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 2,055.
Swedesboro was formed as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 9, 1902, from portions of Woolwich Township.[8]
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Swedesboro was settled by a small group of Swedes from Pennsylvania and Delaware in the mid- 1600’s. The English Colonial government needed a road between the towns of Burlingtown and Salem so they built the Kings Highway in 1691 which opened the southern portion of Gloucester County to more settlers. The area offered an abundance of fertile sandy soil, prime farmland and vasts tracks of oak, birch, maple and pine trees. Originally, the town was called Raccoon. In 1765 the name was changed to Swedesboro.
The early Swedes and Finns were fishermen, hunters and farmers. Through the late 1800’s, Raccoon Creek was a water route that was naturally deep enough to transport wood and farming projects to Philadelphia by the Delaware River.
Swedesboro is located at 39°44'53" North, 75°18'41" West (39.748125, -75.311411).[9]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2), of which, 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (3.95%) is water.
Swedesboro is an independent municipality surrounded on all sides by Woolwich Township.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 1,477 |
|
|
| 1920 | 1,838 | 24.4% | |
| 1930 | 2,123 | 15.5% | |
| 1940 | 2,268 | 6.8% | |
| 1950 | 2,459 | 8.4% | |
| 1960 | 2,449 | −0.4% | |
| 1970 | 2,287 | −6.6% | |
| 1980 | 2,031 | −11.2% | |
| 1990 | 2,024 | −0.3% | |
| 2000 | 2,055 | 1.5% | |
| Est. 2006 | 2,043 | [4] | −0.6% |
| Population 1930 - 1990.[10][11] | |||
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 2,055 people, 771 households, and 528 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,830.8 people per square mile (1,086.9/km2). There were 860 housing units at an average density of 1,184.7 per square mile (454.9/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 76.93% White, 16.50% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 3.36% from other races, and 2.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.52% of the population.
There were 771 households out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the borough the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $49,286, and the median income for a family was $58,721. Males had a median income of $41,346 versus $33,125 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $20,857. About 7.8% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.4% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.
Swedesboro is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.[1]
As of 2011[update], the Mayor of Swedesboro, who presides over the Council is Thomas W. Fromm (D, term ends December 31, 2011. The Swedesboro Council consists of Council President George Weeks (D, 2013), Steve Ayers (D, 2011), Salvatore "Sam" Casella (R, 2012), Joanna Gahrs (R, 2011), Diane Hale (D, 2013) and Russell Zappala (R, 2012).[12]
Swedesboro is in the 2nd Congressional district. New Jersey's Second Congressional District is represented by Frank LoBiondo (R, Ventnor City). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
Swedesboro is in the 3rd legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature, which is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Stephen M. Sweeney (D, West Deptford Township) and in the New Jersey General Assembly by John J. Burzichelli (D, Paulsboro) and Celeste Riley (D, Bridgeton).[13]
Gloucester County is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders, whose seven members are elected at-large to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with two or three seats coming up for election each year. Each year, the Board selects a Freeholder Director and Deputy Director from among its members. As of 2011, Gloucester County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Robert M. Damminger (D, West Deptford Township, 2012), Deputy Freeholder Director Dr. Warren S. Wallace (D, Washington Township, 2011), Giuseppe "Joe" Chila (D, Woolwich Township, 2012), Frank J. DiMarco (D, Deptford Township, 2011), Vincent H. Nestore, Jr. (R, Deptford Township, 2013), Heather Simmons (D, Glassboro Borough, 2011), Larry Wallace (R, Woolwich Township, 2013).[14]
Public school students in grades PreK-6 attend the Swedesboro-Woolwich School District, a consolidated school district that serves students from both Swedesboro and Woolwich Township. Schools in the district (with 2008-09 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[15]) are Margaret C. Clifford School (Grades PreK and K, 231 students) in Swedesboro, Charles C. Stratton School (Grades 1-2, 511 students) in Woolwich Township, Harker School (grades 3-5; 661 students) and Walter H. Hill School (grade 6, 279 students).
For grades 7-12, public school students are educated by the Kingsway Regional School District. The district serves students from East Greenwich Township, Logan Township, South Harrison Township, Swedesboro and Woolwich Township.[16] Schools in the district are Kingsway Regional Middle School and Kingsway Regional High School.
Swedesboro, along with Bridgeport, was one of only two settlements established in New Jersey as a part of the New Sweden colony. The oldest extant log cabin in the United States, the Nothnagle Log Cabin (ca. 1640) was built by Antti Niilonpoika (Anthony Neilson/Nelson) in Swedesboro. It is a registered National Historic Place, as is Trinity Episcopal "Old Swedes" Church. Trinity was established as a Swedish Lutheran Church in 1703; the present building dates to 1784. Trinity Church Cemetery is the burial place of Governor of New Jersey Charles C. Stratton and Congressman Benjamin Franklin Howey, among other notable interees.[17]
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