Galloway Township, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Galloway Township, New Jersey
Township
Galloway is a growing edge city to neighboring Atlantic City.
Seal
Location of Galloway Township in Atlantic County highlighted in yellow (left). Inset map: Location of Atlantic County in New Jersey highlighted in black (right).
Census Bureau map of Galloway Township, New Jersey
Galloway Township, New Jersey Location in Atlantic County, New Jersey Show map of Atlantic County, New Jersey Galloway Township, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Galloway Township, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Atlantic
Royal charter	April 4, 1774
Incorporated	February 21, 1798
Named for	Joseph Galloway or Mull of Galloway
Government
• Type	Faulkner Act (council–manager)
• Body	Township Council
Area
• Total	114.49 sq mi (296.52 km2)
• Land	88.67 sq mi (229.65 km2)
• Water	25.82 sq mi (66.87 km2)  22.55%
Area rank	1st of 565 in state 1st of 23 in county
Elevation	30 ft (9 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	37,813
• Estimate  (2023)	37,876
• Rank	63rd of 565 in state 3rd of 23 in county
• Density	426.5/sq mi (164.7/km2)
• Density rank	452nd of 565 in state 13th of 23 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Codes	08201, 08205
Area code(s)	609 exchanges: 404, 652, 748
FIPS code	3400125560
GNIS feature ID	0882052

Historic Oliphant Grist Mill

Galloway Township is a township in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and a growing edge city to neighboring Atlantic City. At 114.49 square miles (296.5 km²) of total area of land and water, Galloway Township is the largest municipality in the state. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 37,813, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 464 (+1.2%) from the 2010 census count of 37,349, which in turn reflected an increase of 6,140 (+19.7%) from the 31,209 counted in the 2000 census.

Galloway Township was incorporated by Royal charter on April 4, 1774, from portions of Egg Harbor Township, when it was still part of Gloucester County. Galloway was incorporated as one of the initial group of 104 townships by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. After becoming part of the newly formed Atlantic County in 1837, portions of the township were taken to create Mullica Township (March 13, 1838), Egg Harbor City (June 14, 1858), Absecon (February 29, 1872), Brigantine Beach borough (now Brigantine; June 14, 1890) and Port Republic (March 1, 1905).

Geographically, the township, and all of Atlantic County, is part of the South Jersey region of the state and of the Atlantic City-Hammonton metropolitan statistical area, which in turn is included in the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden combined statistical area and the Delaware Valley.

History

The Township of Galloway was created by Royal Patent of King George III of Great Britain on April 4, 1774. At that time it was part of Gloucester County, and comprised what is now Hammonton, Mullica Township, Egg Harbor City, Port Republic, Brigantine, Atlantic City, and the northern portion of Absecon. Galloway Township was incorporated by the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, as one of the state's initial group of 104 townships under the Township Act of 1798.

For thousands of years, the area of Galloway Township was occupied by different cultures of indigenous peoples. The Lenape Native Americans were the historic tribe who occupied the area at the time of European encounter. They were one of the many Algonguian language peoples of the East Coast.

They were followed by European settlers, primarily English in the early years of colonial settlement. Historians are uncertain of the source of Galloway Township's name. One theory is that it was named after an area known as Galloway now part of the modern region of Dumfries and Galloway in southern Scotland. An alternative derivation is that the Township was named for Joseph Galloway, a Loyalist delegate to the First Continental Congress in 1774, who was opposed to independence of the Thirteen Colonies. During the American Revolutionary War, Galloway was the site of the Battle of Chestnut Neck, in what is now a part of Port Republic.

During the spring of 2007, a large swath of oak and other hardwood trees were defoliated by the Gypsy moth caterpillar. Due to budget constraints, the township did not apply for spraying through the State of New Jersey, and the gypsy moths flourished.

On the morning of August 28, 2011, Tropical Storm Irene made its second U.S. landfall in Brigantine, though initial reports placed it at the Little Egg Inlet on the border with Little Egg Harbor Township. At the time it was believed to be the first hurricane to make landfall in New Jersey since 1903, but later analysis by the National Hurricane Center determined that the storm had weakened to tropical storm status by the time it made its second landfall.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 114.49 square miles (296.52 km²), including 88.67 square miles (229.65 km²) of land and 25.82 square miles (66.87 km²) of water (22.55%). Galloway Township serves as a growing edge city to neighboring Atlantic City.

Pomona (2010 Census population of 7,124) and Smithville (2010 Census population of 7,242) are unincorporated communities and census-designated places (CDPs) located within Galloway Township.

Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Absecon, Absecon Highlands, Brigantine Junction, Cologne, Cologne Station, Conovertown, Doughtys, Germania, Hewittville, Higbeetown, Island Beach, Johnsontown, Leeds Point, Oceanville, Pinehurst, Pomerania, South Egg Harbor, Somersville, and the "Township Center".

The township borders the municipalities of Absecon, Atlantic City, Egg Harbor City, Egg Harbor Township, Hamilton Township, Mullica Township, and Port Republic in Atlantic County; Bass River Township and Washington Township in Burlington County; and Little Egg Harbor Township in Ocean County.

The township is one of 56 South Jersey municipalities that are included within the New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve, a protected natural area of unique ecology covering 1,100,000 acres (450,000 ha), that has been classified as a United States Biosphere Reserve and established by Congress in 1978 as the nation's first National Reserve. Parts of the township are included in the state-designated Pinelands Area, which includes portions of Atlantic County, along with areas in Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Ocean counties.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 37,349 people, 13,067 households, and 9,173 families in the township. The population density was 419.3 per square mile (161.9/km²). There were 14,132 housing units at an average density of 158.7 per square mile (61.3/km²). The racial makeup was 71.92% (26,860) White, 11.44% (4,271) Black or African American, 0.27% (99) Native American, 10.02% (3,744) Asian, 0.02% (9) Pacific Islander, 3.39% (1,266) from other races, and 2.95% (1,100) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.05% (3,752) of the population.

Of the 13,067 households, 31.6% had children under the age of 18; 51.5% were married couples living together; 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 29.8% were non-families. Of all households, 23.2% were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.12.

21.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 14.3% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 90.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 86.8 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $65,908 (with a margin of error of +/− $3,931) and the median family income was $76,106 (+/− $2,675). Males had a median income of $50,516 (+/− $3,544) versus $40,663 (+/− $2,096) for females. The per capita income for the township was $24,302 (+/− $2,134). About 5.0% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

For pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, students attend the Galloway Township Public Schools. As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of six schools, had an enrollment of 3,164 students and 304.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.4:1. Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Pomona Preschool with 90 students in grades PreK, Arthur Rann Elementary School with 658 students in grades K-6, Reeds Road Elementary School with 498 students in grades K-6, Roland Rogers Elementary School with 522 students in grades K-6, Smithville Elementary School with 562 students in grades K-6 and Galloway Township Middle School with 729 students in grades 7–8.

Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Absegami High School, located in the township. As of the 2021–22 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,169 students and 102.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.4:1. Students in the western portion of the township have the option of attending Cedar Creek High School in neighboring Egg Harbor City under the school of choice program. Both high schools are part of the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District, a regional public high school district serving students from the constituent districts of Egg Harbor City, Galloway Township, Hamilton Township and Mullica Township. The district also serves students from the districts of the City of Port Republic and Washington Township (in Burlington County) as part of sending/receiving relationships. Seats on the nine-member board are allocated based on the population of the constituent municipalities, with four seats assigned to Galloway Township.

Township public school students are also eligible to attend the Atlantic County Institute of Technology in the Mays Landing section of Hamilton Township or the Charter-Tech High School for the Performing Arts, located in Somers Point.

The Galloway Community Charter School was a public school that served students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The school, which drew students from across Atlantic County, operated independently of the Galloway Township Public Schools under a charter issued by the New Jersey Department of Education. There was no tuition charged; costs were paid on a per-student basis by each of the sending districts, with additional funding provided by the State of New Jersey. Opened in 1997 among the state's first group of charter schools, the school's charter was revoked due to low scores on standardized tests and the school closed at the end of the 2014–2015 school year.

Assumption Regional Catholic School is a Catholic elementary school for pre-kindergarten through eighth grades with a specially designed middle school system, operated under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Camden and serving students from the sending parishes of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish (in Galloway Township), St. Thomas the Apostle Church (Brigantine) and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish (Absecon). The school had been located in Pomona, and moved in September 2007 to another campus elsewhere in the township.

Stockton University is a four-year liberal arts university located in the Pomona section of the township.

Galloway Township is served by Atlantic Cape Community College, a public community college in Atlantic and Cape May counties, with more than 8,000 students enrolled. Its main campuses are in the Mays Landing section of Hamilton Township, Atlantic City, and Cape May Court House.

Transportation

The northbound Garden State Parkway in Galloway Township

Roads and highways

As of May 2010^[update], the township had a total of 253.48 miles (407.94 km) of roadways, of which 171.70 miles (276.32 km) were maintained by the municipality, 59.44 miles (95.66 km) by Atlantic County and 16.66 miles (26.81 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 5.68 miles (9.14 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

The Garden State Parkway passes through the township, extending 5.7 miles (9.2 km) from Egg Harbor Township in the south to Port Republic in the north. Included in the township are Interchange 40 for U.S. Route 30 White Horse Pike East, Interchange 41 for Route 561 Jimmie Leeds Road, and Interchange 44 for Route 575 Pomona. It was on this stretch of the Parkway that Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine was involved in a serious accident on April 12, 2007.

Also passing through the township are Route 50 and U.S. Route 30, along with CR 561, CR 561 Alternate, CR 563 and CR 575.

Public transportation

NJ Transit provides bus service to Atlantic City on routes 508 (from the Hamilton Mall), 554 (from Lindenwold station) and 559 (from Lakewood Township).

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Galloway Township include:

Points of interest

• Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, whose headquarters and visitor center are located in the township.
• Galloway National Golf Club, designed by Tom Fazio, has been recognized by Golf Digest as one of its Best New Courses of 1994.
• Historic Smithville and Village Greene
• Renault Winery
• Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club, hosted the 1942 PGA Championship and was host of the ShopRite LPGA Classic in 1986–87, from 1998 to 2006 and again starting in 2010.
• Sylvin Farms Winery

See also

In Spanish: Municipio de Galloway para niños