Gloucester County, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gloucester County
County
Rowan College of South Jersey campus
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of New Jersey
New Jersey's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
Founded	1686
Named for	Gloucester / Gloucestershire, England
Seat	Woodbury
Largest municipality	Washington Township (population) Franklin Township (area)
Area
• Total	337.18 sq mi (873.3 km2)
• Land	322.00 sq mi (834.0 km2)
• Water	15.17 sq mi (39.3 km2)  4.50%
Population  (2020)
• Total	302,294
• Density	896.536/sq mi (346.154/km2)
Congressional districts	1st, 2nd

Gloucester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, the county's population was 302,294, as the state's 14th-most populous county, and representing an increase of 14,006 (4.9%) from the 288,288 enumerated in the 2010 U.S. Census, in turn an increase of 33,615 (+13.2%) from the 254,673 counted in the 2000 U.S. Census.

Gloucester County is located south of Philadelphia and northwest of Atlantic City. It is part of the Camden, New Jersey Metropolitan Division of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Delaware Valley Combined Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the 2010 Census, the county had a total area of 337.18 square miles (873.3 km²), including 322.00 square miles (834.0 km²) of land (95.5%) and 15.17 square miles (39.3 km²) of water (4.5%).

Gloucester County is largely composed of low-lying rivers and coastal plains. The highest elevation in the county is a slight rise along County Route 654 southeast of Cross Keys that reaches approximately 180 feet (55 m) above sea level; the lowest point is at sea level on the Delaware River.

Adjacent counties

• Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania – north
• Camden County, New Jersey – northeast
• Atlantic County, New Jersey – southeast
• Cumberland County, New Jersey – south
• Salem County, New Jersey – southwest
• New Castle County, Delaware – west
• Delaware County, Pennsylvania – northwest

National protected area

• Great Egg Harbor Scenic and Recreational River (part)

History

The old Gloucester County Courthouse in Woodbury

Swedesboro and Bridgeport were the among the earliest European settlements in New Jersey as a part of the 17th century New Sweden colony. Gloucester dates back to May 26, 1686, when courts were established separate from those of Burlington. It was officially formed and its boundaries defined as part of West Jersey on May 17, 1694. Portions of Gloucester County were set off on February 7, 1837, to create Atlantic County, and on March 13, 1844 to create Camden County. The county was named for the city of Gloucester / county of Gloucestershire in England.

Woodbury, founded in 1683 by Henry Wood, is the oldest municipality in the county. National Park, another town in the county, was the site of the Revolutionary War Battle of Red Bank where Fort Mercer once stood. It is now the site of Red Bank Battlefield Park and the remains of the HMS Augusta laid there until they were moved and subsequently re sunk in Gloucester City on their way to Philadelphia. During the colonial era, Gloucester County's main economic activity was agriculture. Woodbury was the site of the county courthouse, the county jail, a Quaker meeting house (still in existence), and an inn (on the current location of Woodbury Crossings). Because of the county's many creeks leading to the Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean, smuggling was very common.

Demographics

Census 2010

As of the census of 2010, there were 288,288 people, 104,271 households, and 75,805 families residing in the county. The population density was 895.3 per square mile (345.7/km²). There were 109,796 housing units at an average density of 341 per square mile (132/km²)^*. The racial makeup of the county was 83.56% (240,890) White, 10.06% (29,006) Black or African American, 0.17% (501) Native American, 2.64% (7,609) Asian, 0.03% (95) Pacific Islander, 1.41% (4,055) from other races, and 2.13% (6,132) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.76% (13,712) of the population.

There were 104,271 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 22% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.2.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.7 years. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and old there were 91.1 males.

Census 2000

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 254,673 people, 90,717 households, and 67,221 families residing in the county. The population density was 784 people per square mile (303/km²). There were 95,054 housing units at an average density of 293 per square mile (113/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.07% White, 9.06% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 1.49% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.85% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. 2.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Among those residents listing their ancestry, 26.9% were of Italian, 24.4% Irish, 22.9% German and 11.5% English ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 90,717 households out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 23.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the county, the population was spread out with 26.40% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 30.40% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 11.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $54,273, and the median income for a family was $62,482. Males had a median income of $43,825 versus $31,077 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,708. About 4.3% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Roads and highways

As of 2010^[update], the county had 1,698.59 miles (2,733.62 km) of roadways, of which 1,126.99 miles (1,813.71 km) were maintained by the local municipality, 406.47 miles (654.15 km) by Gloucester County and 145.11 miles (233.53 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, 2.22 miles (3.57 km) by the Delaware River Port Authority, 1.09 miles (1.75 km) by the South Jersey Transportation Authority and 16.71 miles (26.89 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

Various county, state, U.S. routes and interstates pass through the county. Major county highways include County Road 534, County Road 536, County Road 538, County Road 544, County Road 551, County Road 553, County Road 555 and County Road 557.

State Routes include Route 41, Route 42 (part of the North-South Freeway), Route 45, Route 47, Route 55, Route 77, Route 168 and Route 324 (only in Logan). The three U.S. routes that traverse include U.S. Route 130 in the northwest, U.S. Route 322 near the center, and U.S. Route 40 in the southern tip.

The Commodore Barry Bridge carries U.S. Route 322 between Chester, PA and Logan.

Interstate 295 is the only Interstate in the county which also runs through the northwest for about 14 miles (23 km). The New Jersey Turnpike also passes through in the northwest. Only one turnpike interchange is located within Gloucester: Exit 2 in Woolwich.

Public transportation

NJ Transit bus service between the county and the Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal is available on the 313 and 315 routes; to Philadelphia on the 400, 401 (from Salem), 402 (from Pennsville Township), 403, 408, 410 (from Bridgeton) and 412 (from Sewell) routes, with local service offered on the 455 (Cherry Hill to Paulsboro) and 463 (between Woodbury and the Avandale Park/Ride in Winslow Township) routes.

The Glassboro–Camden Line is a proposed 18-mile (28.97 km) diesel multiple unit (DMU) light rail system that is planned to connect with the River LINE and PATCO Speedline in Camden and was previously anticipated to be in operation in 2019. The lack of both an official project sponsor and identified funding source(s), have delayed the start of construction, making the 2019 timeframe unrealistic.

Located within the Conrail South Jersey/Philadelphia Shared Assets Area. freight rail in the county travels along Penns Grove Secondary, the Salem Branch, and the Vineland Secondary. SMS Rail Lines handles interchanges with CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway.

Port

The Port of Paulsboro is located on the Delaware River and Mantua Creek in and around Paulsboro. Traditionally one of the nation's busiest for marine transfer operations of petroleum products, the port is being redeveloped as an adaptable omniport able to handle bulk, break bulk cargo and shipping containers. Studies completed in 2012 concluded that the port is well suited to become a center for the manufacture, assembly, and transport of wind turbines and platforms the development of wind power in New Jersey.

Municipalities

Index map of Gloucester County municipalities (click to see index key)

The following municipalities in Gloucester County (with 2010 Census data for population, housing units and area) are:

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Woodbury have ranged from a low of 26 °F (−3 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −11 °F (−24 °C) was recorded in February 1934 and a record high of 106 °F (41 °C) was recorded in August 1918. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.75 inches (70 mm) in February to 4.35 inches (110 mm) in July.

Economy

Based on data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Gloucester County had a gross domestic product (GDP) of $14.4 billion in 2018, which was ranked 14th in the state and represented an increase of 1.3% from the previous year.

Education

Unified school districts

School districts in the county include the Gloucester County Vocational-Technical School District, with its one school being the Gloucester County Institute of Technology, which operates as a four-year vocational-technical high school that serves students from across the county.

Colleges and universities

Rowan University in Glassboro, is a public university that was founded in 1923 as Glassboro Normal School on a 25-acre (10 ha) site donated by the borough. After a series of alternative titles over the years, in 1992 the school was renamed Rowan College of New Jersey after Henry Rowan and his wife Betty gave the school $100 million, at the time the largest gift to a public college. It became Rowan University on March 21, 1997, when it won approval for university status from the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education. The Cold War Glassboro Summit Conference between U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin took place from June 23–25, 1967, in Hollybush Mansion. The site was chosen because of its location equidistant between New York City, where Kosygin would be making a speech at the United Nations, and Washington, D.C.

The county college is Rowan College of South Jersey, having been established in 1966 as Gloucester County College and first opening to students two years later.

Notable people

• Corey Clement (born 1994), running back for the Philadelphia Eagles and Super Bowl Champion his rookie year in the NFL (Glassboro).
• Danielson is an American rock band from Clarksboro, that plays indie pop gospel music.
• Linda Fiorentino, actress (Mantua Township).
• Grace Helbig, comedian, actress, author, talk show host, and YouTube personality (Woodbury/Woodbury Heights).
• Michael Johns, health care executive, former White House speechwriter, conservative policy analyst and writer (Deptford).
• Tara Lipinski, Olympic gold medal winner, figure skating (Mantua Township).
• Bryant McKinnie, professional football player, Minnesota Vikings (Woodbury).
• J. Hampton Moore, former Mayor of Philadelphia (Woodbury).
• Milt Plum, former professional football player, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants (Westville).
• Jimmy Rollins (born 1978), professional baseball player, Philadelphia Phillies (Woolwich Township).
• Patti Smith, punk rock musician (Woodbury).
• Steven Squyres, scientist, Squyres is the Goldwin Smith Professor of Astronomy at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He is principal investigator of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission (MER) (Wenonah).
• Charles C. Stratton, served as Governor of New Jersey, former Member of Congress (Swedesboro).