Mount Laurel, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mount Laurel, New Jersey
Township
Township of Mount Laurel
Evesham Friends Meeting House
Mount Laurel highlighted in Burlington County. Inset map: Burlington County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Mount Laurel, New Jersey
Mount Laurel, New Jersey Location in Burlington County, New Jersey Show map of Burlington County, New Jersey Mount Laurel, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Mount Laurel, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Burlington
Incorporated	March 7, 1872
Government
• Type	Faulkner Act (council–manager)
• Body	Township Council
Area
• Total	21.99 sq mi (56.95 km2)
• Land	21.72 sq mi (56.26 km2)
• Water	0.27 sq mi (0.69 km2)  1.21%
Area rank	124th of 565 in state 12th of 40 in county
Elevation	36 ft (11 m)
Population  (2010 Census)
• Total	41,864
• Estimate  (2019)	41,250
• Rank	48th of 566 in state 2nd of 40 in county
• Density	1,930.0/sq mi (745.2/km2)
• Density rank	297th of 566 in state 16th of 40 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	08054
Area code(s)	856
FIPS code	3400549020
GNIS feature ID	0882093

Mount Laurel is a township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, and is an edge city suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 41,864, reflecting an increase of 1,643 (+4.1%) from the 40,221 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 9,951 (+32.9%) from the 30,270 counted in the 1990 Census. It is the home of NFL Films.

In 2020, Mount Laurel was ranked 16th in Money magazine's list of the 50 best places to live in America, citing a kid-friendly environment, affordable housing, and easy access to Philadelphia and the Jersey Shore.

History

Mount Laurel was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 7, 1872, from portions of Evesham Township. The township was named for a hill covered with laurel trees.

There are several historical landmarks, including General Clinton's headquarters, Paulsdale, Evesham Friends Meeting House, Jacob's Chapel, Hattie Britt School and Farmer's Hall.

Mount Laurel Decision

The Mount Laurel Decision is a judicial interpretation of the New Jersey State Constitution that requires municipalities to use their zoning powers in an affirmative manner to provide a realistic opportunity for the production of housing affordable to low and moderate income households. The decision was a result of a lawsuit brought against the town by the N.A.A.C.P. that was decided by the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1975 and reaffirmed in a subsequent decision in 1983.

The history behind this, and the story leading to the Decision was highlighted in a book by David L. Kirp called Our Town.

Mount Laurel was a small, poor rural farming community until it was hit with massive suburban growth from Philadelphia in the later 1900s. Poor families, whose history had resided there for centuries, were suddenly priced out of buying additional property.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 21.971 square miles (56.903 km²), including 21.692 square miles (56.181 km²) of land and 0.279 square miles (0.722 km²) of water (1.27%).

Ramblewood (with a 2010 Census population of 5,907) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Mount Laurel.

Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Birchfield, Bougher, Centerton, Colemantown, Coxs Corner, Fellowship, Hartford, Heulings Hill, Masonville, Petersburg, Pine Grove, Rancocas Woods and Texas.

Demographics

2010 Census

As of the census of 2010, there were 41,864 people, 17,538 households, and 11,294 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,930.0 per square mile (745.2/km²). There were 18,249 housing units at an average density of 841.3 per square mile (324.8/km²)^*. The racial makeup of the township was 79.42% (33,249) White, 9.70% (4,061) Black or African American, 0.16% (67) Native American, 7.26% (3,040) Asian, 0.04% (17) Pacific Islander, 1.00% (418) from other races, and 2.42% (1,012) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.56% (1,907) of the population.

There were 17,538 households out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the township, the population was spread out with 22.3% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 29.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.8 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and old there were 83.5 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $84,632 (with a margin of error of +/- $5,366) and the median family income was $100,189 (+/- $4,065). Males had a median income of $75,870 (+/- $3,130) versus $54,215 (+/- $2,830) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $41,573 (+/- $1,416). About 3.0% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

Laurel Acres Park

Laurel Acres Park is known for its Veterans Memorial, fishing lake, playground, and huge grassy hill used for concerts and sledding in the winter. Laurel Acres Park is right between Church Street at Union Mill Road. The Mount Laurel Baseball League and the Mount Laurel United Soccer Club play in the park's sports fields, and since 2008, the Mount Laurel Premiership.

Transportation

View north along the New Jersey Turnpike in Mount Laurel

Roads and highways

As of May 2010^[update], the township had a total of 170.19 miles (273.89 km) of roadways, of which 115.86 miles (186.46 km) were maintained by the municipality, 33.26 miles (53.53 km) by Burlington County and 13.55 miles (21.81 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 7.52 miles (12.10 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

The New Jersey Turnpike is the most prominent highway passing through Mount Laurel. It enters from Cherry Hill in the township's southwest corner and continues for about 7.5 miles (12.1 km) to Westampton Township at Mount Laurel's northern edge. The Turnpike's James Fenimore Cooper rest area is located within the township on the northbound side at milepost 39.4. The only exit within Mount Laurel is Exit 4, which provides access to Route 73.

Interstate 295 passes through the township, with three exits (Exit 36: Berlin/Tacony Bridge/Route 73, Exit 40: Moorestown/Mount Holly/Route 38, Exit 43: Delran/Rancocas Woods). Other major thoroughfares through Mount Laurel are Route 38, Route 73 and County Route 537.

Public transportation

Greyhound station

NJ Transit provides bus service to and from Philadelphia on routes 317 (from Asbury Park), the 413 route between Camden and Burlington and the 457 route between Moorestown Mall and Camden.

The Greyhound Lines bus station on Fellowship Road provides service to Philadelphia, New York City, Atlantic City and other points.

Education

The Mount Laurel Schools serve public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The grade configuration includes six schools serving pre-kindergarten / kindergarten through fourth-grade students. Students are assigned on a geographic basis to one of the six K-4 schools; Countryside serves the township's northwest; Fleetwood, the northeast; Hillside covers the north central portion of the township; Larchmont, a piece of the eastern side; Parkway, covers the western portion; and Springville the southern tip. All students from the six K-4 schools feed into a single upper elementary school (for grades 5 and 6) and middle school (grades 7 and 8). As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of eight schools, had an enrollment of 4,214 students and 350.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.0:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Countryside Elementary School (with 309 students; in grades PreK-4), Fleetwood Elementary School (372; K-4), Hillside Elementary School (348; PreK-4), Larchmont Elementary School (395; K-4), Parkway Elementary School (342; K-4), Springville Elementary School (512; PreK-4), Mount Laurel Hartford School (961; 5–6) and Thomas E. Harrington Middle School (963; 7–8). Parkway Elementary School was one of four schools in New Jersey recognized by the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program, awarded by the United States Department of Education, for the 2005–06 school year.

Public school students from Mount Laurel in ninth through twelfth grades attend Lenape High School, located in Medford Township. As of the 2018–19 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,895 students and 156.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.1:1. Lenape High School is part of the Lenape Regional High School District, a regional secondary school district in Burlington County that also serves the eight municipalities of Evesham Township, Medford Lakes, Medford Township, Shamong Township, Southampton Township, Tabernacle Township and Woodland Township at its four high schools.

Students from Mount Laurel, and from all of Burlington County, are eligible to attend the Burlington County Institute of Technology, a countywide public school district that serves the vocational and technical education needs of students at the high school and post-secondary level at its campuses in Medford and Westampton Township.

Additionally there are students from Mount Laurel who attend Resurrection Regional Catholic Schools in Cherry Hill. The school is under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden.

Notable people

Alice Paul

Scott Schoeneweis

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Mount Laurel include:

• Brian Aitken (born 1983), convicted on gun-related charges, subsequently became the only individual to be granted executive clemency from Governor Chris Christie.
• James Berardinelli (born 1967), film critic.
• Frank Budd (1939–2014), wide receiver who played in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins.
• Larry Chatzidakis (born 1949), represented the 8th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1997 to 2008 and served on the Mount Laurel Township Council from 1985 to 2000, serving as mayor in 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000.
• Harold L. Colburn Jr. (1925–2012), physician and politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 8th Legislative District from 1984 to 1995.
• Chris DeStefano, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter, record producer and multi instrumentalist.
• Matt Duke (born 1985), singer-songwriter/musician.
• Ken Dunek (born 1957), former professional American football tight end who played in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles and in the USFL for the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars.
• Todd Fedoruk (born 1979), former NHL winger who played for the Philadelphia Flyers.
• Christina Foggie (born 1992), professional basketball player, who was drafted in 2014 by the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA.
• C. William Haines (1928-1996), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from the 8th Legislative District from 1982 to 1985 and in the New Jersey Senate from 1985 until his death.
• Marielle Hall (born 1992), long-distance runner who represented the United States in the Women's 10,000 meters final at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• Neil Hartman, Comcast SportsNet sports anchor.
• Darling Hill (born 1989), artistic gymnast.
• Victor Hobson (born 1980), former linebacker for the New York Jets.
• Jirair Hovnanian (1927–2007), home builder whose business developed and built over 6,000 houses throughout South Jersey.
• Sara Keane (born 1991), soccer goalkeeper who played for FC Kansas City of the National Women's Soccer League.
• John Kruk (born 1961), former Major League Baseball player, notably with the Philadelphia Phillies.
• Ethel Lawrence (1926–1984), civil rights activist who was the lead plaintiff in the litigation for affordable housing in Mount Laurel, which led to the New Jersey Fair Housing Act, the New Jersey Council on Affordable Housing and the Mount Laurel doctrine.
• Francis Leo Lawrence (1937–2013), educator, scholar specializing in French literature and university administrator, who served from 1990 to 2002 as the 18th president of Rutgers University.
• Carli Lloyd (born 1982), member of United States women's national soccer team.
• Man Overboard, pop punk band with multiple members from Mount Laurel.
• John Mazur (1930-2013), American football player and coach, who was quarterback for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team and served as head coach for the New England Patriots from 1970 to 1972.
• Carol A. Murphy, politician who has represented the 7th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly since 2018.
• Gregg Murphy, sports journalist who has been a broadcaster for the Philadelphia Phillies.
• John A. Nagy (born 1946), author of books about espionage and mutinies of the American Revolution.
• Alice Paul (1885–1977), leader of a campaign for women's suffrage resulting in passage of the 19th Amendment.
• Fabiana Pierre-Louis (born 1980/81), lawyer who was nominated in June 2020 to serve on the New Jersey Supreme Court.
• Joe Pisarcik (born 1952), former professional football quarterback who played in the NFL for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles.
• John Reid (born 1996), American football cornerback for the Houston Texans of the NFL.
• Dave Robinson (born 1941), Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinee who played for Moorestown High School, Penn State University, the Green Bay Packers and the Washington Redskins.
• Sav Rocca (born 1973), former Australian rules footballer and NFL punter.
• Anne Rosenberg, surgical oncologist.
• Jon Runyan (born 1973), U.S. Congressman who played offensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles.
• Scott Schoeneweis (born 1973), a relief pitcher who played in MLB for the New York Mets.
• Jill Scott (born 1972), soul and R&B singer-songwriter, poet, and actress.
• Vai Sikahema (born 1962), former punt returner for the Philadelphia Eagles, currently a morning news anchor for NBC 10 in Philadelphia.
• Slushii (born 1997), disc jockey and electronic music producer.
• Inge Sørensen (1924-2011), swimmer from Denmark, who became the youngest known female Olympic Games medalist in an individual event when she won the bronze medal in the 200 m breaststroke at the 1936 Summer Olympics at the age of 12 years and 24 days.
• Jason Thompson (born 1986), basketball player with the Sacramento Kings.
• Ryan Thompson (born 1988), professional basketball player.
• Bryan Warrick (born 1959), former professional basketball player who played five seasons in the NBA.
• Stephen M. Wolownik (1946–2000), pioneer in the Russian and Eastern European music community in the United States.
• Kenie Wright (born 1997), soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Sky Blue FC in the NWSL.

See also

In Spanish: Municipio de Mount Laurel (Nueva Jersey) para niños