Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mansfield Township, New Jersey
Township
Seal
Location of Mansfield Township in Burlington County, New Jersey (right) and of Burlington County in New Jersey (left)
Census Bureau map of Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey
Mansfield Township, New Jersey Location in Burlington County, New Jersey Show map of Burlington County, New Jersey Mansfield Township, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Mansfield Township, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Burlington
Formed	November 6, 1688
Royal charter	May 9, 1770
Incorporated	February 21, 1798
Named for	Mansfield, England
Government
• Type	Township
• Body	Township Committee
Area
• Total	21.89 sq mi (56.69 km2)
• Land	21.73 sq mi (56.29 km2)
• Water	0.16 sq mi (0.40 km2)  0.71%
Area rank	128th of 565 in state 13th of 40 in county
Elevation	66 ft (20 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,897
• Estimate  (2023)	8,991
• Rank	266th of 565 in state 20th of 40 in county
• Density	409.4/sq mi (158.1/km2)
• Density rank	456th of 565 in state 31st of 40 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	08022 – Columbus
Area code(s)	609
FIPS code	340053290
GNIS feature ID	0882108
Website

Mansfield Township is a township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 8,897, an increase of 353 (+4.1%) from the 2010 census count of 8,544, which in turn reflected an increase of 3,454 (+67.9%) from the 5,090 counted in the 2000 census. The township, and all of Burlington County, is a part of the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden combined statistical area and the Delaware Valley.

History

Historic White Oak Tree, known as the Keeler Oak

Keeler Oak Tree in May 2013

Keeler Oak Sign

Before European settlement, the land that would become Mansfield Township was occupied by the Lenape Native Americans. Mansfield was first formed on November 6, 1688, and reformed by Royal charter on May 9, 1770. Mansfield was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships. Portions of the township were taken to form Fieldsboro (March 7, 1850, within township; became fully independent c. 1894), Bordentown Township (March 8, 1852) and Florence Township (March 7, 1872).

The township was named for Mansfield, England.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 21.89 square miles (56.69 km²), including 21.73 square miles (56.29 km²) of land and 0.16 square miles (0.40 km²) of water (0.71%).

The township borders the Burlington County municipalities of Bordentown Township (to the north and northeast), Chesterfield Township (northeast), Florence Township (southwest) and Springfield Township (south).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Bishops Barn, Columbus (where the town hall is located), Georgetown, Hedding, Kinkora, Mansfield, Rising Sun Square (also known as Mansfield Square) and Three Tuns. Homestead, a retirement village, consists of 1,200 homes in Columbus.

Liberty Lake is a 6-acre (24,000 m²) freshwater spring-fed lake, that allows boating, swimming and fishing.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 8,544 people, 3,401 households, and 2,452 families in the township. The population density was 393.0 per square mile (151.7/km²). There were 3,529 housing units at an average density of 162.3 per square mile (62.7/km²). The racial makeup was 79.04% (6,753) White, 10.42% (890) Black or African American, 0.16% (14) Native American, 7.69% (657) Asian, 0.06% (5) Pacific Islander, 0.62% (53) from other races, and 2.01% (172) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.01% (428) of the population.

Of the 3,401 households, 25.6% had children under the age of 18; 63.5% were married couples living together; 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present and 27.9% were non-families. Of all households, 24.8% were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.01.

20.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 18.3% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 27.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 90.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 86.0 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $74,671 (with a margin of error of +/− $7,953) and the median family income was $97,774 (+/− $17,454). Males had a median income of $62,215 (+/− $5,997) versus $57,917 (+/− $10,212) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $38,899 (+/− $4,224). About 2.5% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Students in public school for kindergarten through sixth grade attend the Mansfield Public Schools. As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 514 students and 56.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.1:1. Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are John Hydock Elementary School with 232 students in grades K-2 and Mansfield Township Elementary School with 279 students in grades 3-6.

Children in public school for seventh through twelfth grades attend the schools of the Northern Burlington County Regional School District, which also serves students from Chesterfield Township, North Hanover Township and Springfield Township, along with children of military personnel based at Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst. The schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Northern Burlington County Regional Middle School with 723 students in grades 7-8, and Northern Burlington County Regional High School with 1,441 students in grades 9-12. Both schools are in the Columbus section of Mansfield Township. Using a formula that reflects the population and the value of the assessed property in each of the constituent municipalities, taxpayers in Mansfield Township pay 46.5% of the district's tax levy, with the district's 2013–2014 budget including $35.6 million in spending. The 7–12 district's board of education has nine members, who are elected directly by voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with three seats up for election each year. The nine seats on the Board of Education are allocated based on the population of the constituent municipalities, with two seats assigned to Mansfield Township.

Students from Mansfield Township, 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.

Transportation

Roads and highways

The junction of Interstate 95 and the New Jersey Turnpike in Mansfield

As of 2010^[update], the township had a total of 76.02 miles (122.34 km) of roadways, of which 37.12 miles (59.74 km) were maintained by the municipality, 18.42 miles (29.64 km) by Burlington County and 13.67 miles (22.00 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 6.81 miles (10.96 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

Mansfield is the location where Interstate 95 (I-95) joins the New Jersey Turnpike at Interchange 6. I-95 stretches for 3.1 miles (5.0 km) through the township, connecting Florence Township in the west (via the turnpike's Pennsylvania Extension) to Bordentown Township on the township's northern border (via the mainline turnpike). The mainline of the turnpike continues south from its junction with I-95 into Springfield Township. Local access to Mansfield is via interchanges with U.S. Route 206 in neighboring Bordentown Township and with U.S. Route 130 in neighboring Florence Township.

Interstate 295 also passes through Mansfield, with one interchange, Exit 52, located within the township. Route 68 and County Route 543 also pass through Mansfield.

Public transportation

NJ Transit provides bus service in the township between Trenton and Philadelphia on the 409 route.

Notable people

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

• Rosey Brown (1932–2004), offensive tackle who played in the NFL for the New York Giants and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
• Oliver Cromwell (1752–1853), African-American soldier, who served with the 2nd New Jersey Regiment of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War
• Willie Drewrey (born 1963), wide receiver who played for nine seasons in the NFL for the Houston Oilers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Cedric Jackson (born 1986), professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, and Washington Wizards
• Henry Miller Shreve (1785–1851), inventor and steamboat captain who opened the Mississippi River to steamboat navigation, becoming the namesake of Shreveport, Louisiana
• Israel Shreve (1739–1799), colonel in the 2nd New Jersey Regiment during the American Revolution War who fought at the Battle of Springfield
• Eddie Smith (1913–1994), starting pitcher who played for 10 seasons in Major League Baseball and gave up the first hit in Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak