Fairfield Township, Cumberland County, New Jersey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fairfield Township, New Jersey
|
||
|---|---|---|
|
Township
|
||
Trinity African Methodist Episcopal Church
|
||
|
||
Location of Fairfield Township in Cumberland County highlighted in red (right). Inset map: Location of Cumberland County in New Jersey highlighted in red (left).
|
||
Census Bureau map of Fairfield Township, Cumberland County, New Jersey
|
||
 Fairfield Township, New Jersey
Location in Cumberland County, New Jersey
Fairfield Township, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Fairfield Township, New Jersey
Location in the United States
|
||
| Country |  United States |
|
| State |  New Jersey |
|
| County | Cumberland | |
| Formed | May 12, 1697 | |
| Incorporated | February 21, 1798 | |
| Named for | Fairfield, Connecticut | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Township | |
| • Body | Township Committee | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 43.82 sq mi (113.50 km2) | |
| • Land | 41.12 sq mi (106.50 km2) | |
| • Water | 2.70 sq mi (7.00 km2) 6.17% | |
| Area rank | 45th of 565 in state 5th of 14 in county |
|
| Elevation | 16 ft (5 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
|
||
| • Total | 5,546 | |
| • Estimate
(2023)
|
5,340 | |
| • Rank | 363rd of 565 in state 6th of 14 in county |
|
| • Density | 134.9/sq mi (52.1/km2) | |
| • Density rank | 528th of 565 in state 9th of 14 in county |
|
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST)) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT)) | |
| ZIP Code |
08320 – Fairton
|
|
| Area code(s) | 856 exchange: 575 | |
| FIPS code | 3401122350 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882059 | |
| Website | ||
Fairfield Township is a community in Cumberland County, New Jersey. It's called a township and is part of a larger area that includes the cities of Vineland and Bridgeton. In 2020, about 5,546 people lived here. This was a small decrease from 2010.
Fairfield Township was officially created on May 12, 1697. This happened when it was still part of Salem County. Later, on January 19, 1748, it became a precinct in the new Cumberland County. It became one of New Jersey's first 104 townships on February 21, 1798. Over time, some parts of Fairfield Township were used to form other nearby towns.
The name Fairfield comes from its first settlers. They moved here in 1697 from a place called Fairfield, Connecticut. The oldest Presbyterian church in South Jersey is said to have started here in June 1697. You can still see a plaque and an old cemetery from that time. When Fairfield Township was first formed, it was much larger. It included land that is now Commercial Township, Downe Township, Lawrence Township, and Millville.
Contents
Fairfield Township Geography
Fairfield Township covers about 43.82 square miles (113.50 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, about 41.12 square miles (106.50 square kilometers). The rest is water, which is about 2.70 square miles (7.00 square kilometers).
Communities in Fairfield Township
Several smaller communities are located within Fairfield Township.
- Fairton is one of these communities. In 2010, about 1,264 people lived there.
- Gouldtown is another community. It is known as an old African American community.
- Other smaller places include Back Neck, Ben Davis Point, and Sea Breeze.
The main population centers in the township are Sea Breeze, Fairton, and Gouldtown.
Neighboring Areas
Fairfield Township shares borders with several other towns in Cumberland County. These include Bridgeton, Deerfield Township, and Millville. It also borders the Delaware Bay.
Fairfield Township Population Data
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1810 | 2,279 | * | — |
| 1820 | 1,869 | −18.0% | |
| 1830 | 1,812 | −3.0% | |
| 1840 | 1,935 | 6.8% | |
| 1850 | 2,133 | 10.2% | |
| 1860 | 2,448 | 14.8% | |
| 1870 | 3,011 | 23.0% | |
| 1880 | 3,215 | 6.8% | |
| 1890 | 1,688 | * | −47.5% |
| 1900 | 1,911 | 13.2% | |
| 1910 | 1,629 | −14.8% | |
| 1920 | 1,514 | −7.1% | |
| 1930 | 1,848 | 22.1% | |
| 1940 | 1,977 | 7.0% | |
| 1950 | 2,932 | 48.3% | |
| 1960 | 3,916 | 33.6% | |
| 1970 | 4,990 | 27.4% | |
| 1980 | 5,693 | 14.1% | |
| 1990 | 5,699 | 0.1% | |
| 2000 | 6,283 | 10.2% | |
| 2010 | 6,295 | 0.2% | |
| 2020 | 5,546 | −11.9% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 5,340 | −15.2% | |
| Population sources: 1810–2000 1810–1920 1840 1850–1870 1850 1870 1880–1890 1890–1910 1910–1930 1940–2000 2000 2010 2020 * = Lost territory in previous decade |
|||
Fairfield Township Population in 2010
In 2010, Fairfield Township had 6,295 people. There were 1,882 households. About 47.53% of the people were Black or African American. About 37.49% were White. Around 5.10% were Native American. The township had the highest percentage of Native Americans in any New Jersey town in 2010.
About 12.84% of the population was Hispanic or Latino. The average household had 2.67 people. The average family had 3.14 people. The median age was 39.0 years.
Fairfield Township Education
Students in Fairfield Township attend public schools run by the Fairfield Township School District.
Fairfield Township School District
The Fairfield Township School District teaches students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2022–23 school year, there was one school with 510 students. There were 35 teachers, meaning about 14.6 students per teacher. A new Fairfield Township School opened in 2006. It brought all grades into one building.
High School Education
Students in ninth through twelfth grades go to Cumberland Regional High School. This high school also serves students from several other nearby townships. In the 2022–23 school year, the high school had 1,124 students. There were 82 teachers, with about 13.7 students per teacher. Fairfield Township has two seats on the high school's board of education.
Technical Education Opportunities
Students can also attend the Cumberland County Technical Education Center in Vineland. This center offers full-time technical training programs. These programs are free for students who live in Cumberland County.
Fairfield Township Transportation
Fairfield Township has many roads for travel.
Roads and Highways
As of 2015, the township had about 74.45 miles of roads.
- The local government maintains 30.89 miles of these roads.
- Cumberland County maintains 39.90 miles.
- The state of New Jersey maintains 3.66 miles.
Route 49 is the main highway in Fairfield Township. County Route 553 also runs through the township.
_at_Cumberland_County_Route_553_(Gouldtown-Woodruff_Road)_in_Fairfield_Township,_Cumberland_County,_New_Jersey.jpg)
Public Transportation Options
NJ Transit provides bus service in the area. The 553 bus route connects Upper Deerfield Township to Atlantic City.
Fairfield Township Notable People
Many interesting people have lived in or are connected to Fairfield Township:
- Nathaniel Clark Burt (1825–1874) was a Presbyterian clergyman.
- Harold Gould (1924–2012) was a baseball pitcher. He played for the Philadelphia Stars in the Negro leagues.
- John T. Nixon (1820–1889) served in the United States House of Representatives. He represented New Jersey from 1859 to 1863.
- Theophilus Gould Steward (1843–1924) was an author, educator, and clergyman. He was a U.S. Army chaplain and a Buffalo Soldier.
