Millville, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Millville, New Jersey
City
High Street in downtown Millville in 2006
Seal
Nickname(s):  "The Holly City of America"
Map of Millville highlighted within Cumberland County. Right: Location of Cumberland County in New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Millville, New Jersey
Millville, New Jersey Location in Cumberland County, New Jersey Show map of Cumberland County, New Jersey Millville, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Millville, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Cumberland
Founded	c. 1720
Incorporated	February 24, 1801 (as Township)
Reincorporated	March 1, 1866 (as City)
Government
• Type	Walsh Act
• Body	Board of Commissioners
Area
• Total	44.50 sq mi (115.25 km2)
• Land	42.00 sq mi (108.78 km2)
• Water	2.50 sq mi (6.47 km2)  5.62%
Area rank	43rd of 565 in state 4th of 14 in county
Elevation	43 ft (13 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	27,491
• Estimate  (2023)	27,358
• Rank	91st of 565 in state 2nd of 14 in county
• Density	654.6/sq mi (252.7/km2)
• Density rank	424th of 565 in state 3rd of 14 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	08332
Area code(s)	856
FIPS code	3401146680
GNIS feature ID	0885304

Millville is a city in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 27,491, a decrease of 909 (−3.2%) from the 2010 census count of 28,400, which in turn reflected an increase of 1,553 (+5.8%) from the 26,847 counted in the 2000 census.

Millville was originally incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 24, 1801, from portions of Fairfield Township. Portions of the township were taken to form Landis Township on March 7, 1864. Millville was reincorporated as a city on March 1, 1866, based on the results of a referendum passed that same day. The city derives its name from a proposal to create a mill town in the area.

Millville is part of the South Jersey region of the state and is located within the Vineland-Bridgeton metropolitan statistical area, and it is ultimately part of the larger Delaware Valley or Philadelphia metropolitan area.

History

The Maurice River in Millville in 2006

Millville's First Bank Building

Around 1720, a sawmill was believed to have existed at Leaming's Mill, known as "Shingle Landing" in its earliest days. The area also had a public road, a boat landing, and a bridge-like structure.

In 1790, Joseph Smith and Henry Drinker purchased 24,000 acres (97 km²) of land known as the Union Mills Tract. They formed the Union Estates Company, built lumber mills along the Maurice River and established a dam to power these new mills. Joseph Buck, an American Revolutionary War veteran who served under General George Washington, was part of a group that purchased the land in the area in 1795 and laid out the plans for what would become Millville.

In 1806, an Irish immigrant, James Lee, opened the area's first glass factory, making use of the large amounts of silica sand and the ample wood that could be used to operate the plant.

In the early 1850s, the Smith and Wood Iron Foundry and New Jersey Mills were constructed. In 1860, a bleachery and dye house were added to New Jersey Mills, which then became Millville Manufacturing. David Wood then constructed a dam, forming the largest man-made lake in the state, which powered the entire manufacturing organization. By 1870, the mill had 600 employees, and in 40 years this number doubled.

In 1862, Charles K. Landis laid out the city of Vineland about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east of the Maurice River. In 1864, Vineland was separated from Millville Township and joined the new Landis Township.

In 1936, the town was the site of Roosevelt Park, a project proposed by Effie Maud Aldrich Morrison as the country's first housing development for the elderly. The retirement colony was built on land which had been repossessed by the town of Millville for back taxes, and became known as the "Roosevelt Colony". It was later renamed to the "Roosevelt Park" old age colony, and was sometimes referred to as the Colony for the Aged at Roosevelt Park and Roosevelt Park Colony for Aged. When it opened on October 23, 1936, it became the first senior citizens retirement colony in the United States.

Millville Airport was dedicated "America's First Defense Airport" on August 2, 1941, by local, state, and federal officials. In less than a year, construction of military base facilities began, and in January 1943, the Millville Army Air Field opened as a gunnery school for fighter pilots. Gunnery training began with Curtiss P-40 Warhawk aircraft, but after a few weeks was changed over to the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. During its three-year existence, thousands of soldiers and civilians served here, with about 1,500 pilots receiving advanced fighter training in the Thunderbolt.

Following World War II, the airfield was declared excess to the government's needs, and returned to the City of Millville. Most of the airport buildings were converted to apartments for the many veterans returning from the war. The last of the apartments vanished in the early 1970s, and the airport soon became a hub of industry and aviation for Southern New Jersey.

Up to the late 1990s the Millville downtown area was depressed and somewhat isolated, as illustrated by the abandoned Levoy Theatre and Wheaton Glass Factory, with investors reluctant to venture in its development. Major redevelopment has occurred in the past several years, establishing the scenic Riverfront and Downtown areas into an artists' haven, including many studios, shops, and restaurants. Older abandoned buildings have been restored, and continued major development is planned.

Millville has an arts district named the Glasstown Arts District. A public art center with galleries and studios is the hub of activity, and is open six days a week. The district includes seven full-time galleries, along with ten part-time galleries and studios, which are open mostly on weekends and on the third Friday of each month. Wheaton Arts and the Creative Glass Center of America includes a major collection of early American glass with contemporary glass from CGCA Fellows and working glass artists in a restored 19th century glass factory. Opened in 1908 and closed in 1974 with declining numbers of customers, the Levoy Theatre re-opened in September 2012.

One of Millville's claims to fame is an original paperweight making technique which originated there. Fine paperweights from the classic period (1845–1870) were made with one of three techniques: millefiori, lampwork or cameo incrustations (sulphides). In the first decade of the twentieth century, crimp flowers, mostly roses, originated in Millville, with several glassworkers making them in their off duty time. These paperweights are commonly called "Millville roses", even when sometimes made elsewhere.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 44.50 square miles (115.25 km²), including 42.00 square miles (108.78 km²) of land and 2.50 square miles (6.47 km²) of water (5.62%). Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the city include Clarks Mill, Farmingdale, Manatico, North Newark and Union Lake.

The city borders the Cumberland County municipalities of Commercial Township, Deerfield Township, Downe Township, Fairfield Township, Lawrence Township, Maurice River Township and Vineland.

Millville lies between the southern termini of the New Jersey Turnpike, the Garden State Parkway, Route 55 (which runs through the northeastern portion of the city) and the Atlantic City Expressway.

Climate

The city has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) and the hardiness zone is 7a bordering 6b.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 28,400 people, 10,648 households, and 7,187 families in the city. The population density was 676.2 per square mile (261.1/km²). There were 11,435 housing units at an average density of 272.3 per square mile (105.1/km²). The racial makeup was 69.04% (19,608) White, 19.83% (5,631) Black or African American, 0.94% (266) Native American, 1.19% (338) Asian, 0.06% (18) Pacific Islander, 5.24% (1,488) from other races, and 3.70% (1,051) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.93% (4,239) of the population.

Of the 10,648 households, 30.4% had children under the age of 18; 41.2% were married couples living together; 20.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 32.5% were non-families. Of all households, 26.6% were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.19.

25.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 90.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 85.7 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $44,925 (with a margin of error of +/− $4,459) and the median family income was $55,000 (+/− $4,433). Males had a median income of $46,186 (+/− $3,934) versus $35,336 (+/− $2,860) for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,364 (+/− $1,573). About 16.2% of families and 19.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.2% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Portions of the city are part of a joint Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) with Vineland, one of 32 zones covering 37 municipalities statewide. Millville was selected in 1983 as one of the initial group of 10 zones chosen to participate in the program. In addition to other benefits to encourage employment and investment within the Zone, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3.3125% sales tax rate (half of the 6+5⁄8% rate charged statewide) at eligible merchants. Established in October 1988, the city's Urban Enterprise Zone status expires in December 2023.

Arts and culture

Originally opened in 1908, the Levoy Theatre reopened in September 2012 after a 34-year hiatus, with an orchestra on hand playing music to accompany a pair of silent films featuring Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.

Education

Primary and secondary

The Millville Public Schools serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts statewide that were established pursuant to the decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Abbott v. Burke which are now referred to as "SDA Districts" based on the requirement for the state to cover all costs for school building and renovation projects in these districts under the supervision of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority.

As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of nine schools, had an enrollment of 5,107 students and 433.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.8:1. Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Child Family Center with 520 students in PreK, R. M. Bacon Elementary School with 262 students in grades K-5, Holly Heights Elementary School with 487 students in grades K-5, Mount Pleasant Elementary School with 173 students in grades K-5, Rieck Avenue Elementary School with 415 students in grades K-5, Silver Run Elementary School with 423 students in grades K-5, Lakeside Middle School with 999 students in grades 6-8 and Millville Senior High School with a total 1,638 students in grades 9-12; Thunderbolt Academy is a partnership between Millville Public Schools and Camelot Education. Camelot offers an alternative setting for students facing behavioral, emotional or academic challenges.

The district has high school sending/receiving relationships with Commercial Township, Lawrence Township and Maurice River Township. Students from Woodbine had attended the district's high school programs until a July 2013 ruling by the New Jersey Department of Transportation under which Woodbine students would start attending Middle Township High School as of September 2014, while Woodbine students who had already started attendance in Millville would be allowed to graduate.

As part of a project $137 million project begun in 2019 and funded by the New Jersey Schools Development Authority, Millville Senior High School has undergone a project that will add 82,000 square feet (7,600 m²) of space, which will allow all high school students to attend high school in a single building; when complete, the phased high school expansion project will add 230,000 square feet (21,000 m²) of new space at the high school, as well as extensive renovations to existing facilities in the building. Starting in the 1960s, grades 9–10 have been served in Memorial High School and grades 9–12 at Millville Senior High School.

Facing a deficit of $3 million for the 2017–2018 school year, the district closed R.D. Wood Elementary School in order to generate $1.8 million in savings.

Students are also eligible to attend Cumberland County Technical Education Center in Millville, serving students from the entire county in its full-time technical training programs, which are offered without charge to students who are county residents.

St. Mary Magdalen School was a Catholic school serving children in grades K–8 operating under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden. The school opened in 1882 with an enrollment of 45 students. Former Camden Bishop Joseph Galante announced in January 2012 that the school would close in June due to poor finances resulting from a declining student body. Bishop Schad School in Vineland and St. Mary Regional School in East Vineland are nearby. Additionally As of 2020^[update] Bishop McHugh Regional School in Dennis Township in Cape May County accepts students from Millville.

Sacred Heart High School was in nearby Vineland until its 2013 closure. St. Joseph High School in Hammonton was the closest Catholic high school. However that school closed in 2020.

College

Rowan College of South Jersey Cumberland Campus (former Cumberland County College) is partially in the Millville city limits with the other portion in Vineland.

Library

Millville Public Library is the city's public library.

Transportation

Route 55 southbound in Millville

The city had a total of 172.73 miles (277.98 km) of roadways, of which 107.90 miles (173.65 km) were maintained by the municipality, 42.39 miles (68.22 km) by Cumberland County and 22.44 miles (36.11 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Major roads that pass through the city include Route 47, Route 49 and Route 55.

Public transportation

Millville Municipal Airport, operated by the Delaware River and Bay Authority, serves general aviation.

NJ Transit has several bus routes that service the Millville region. Service includes the 313 route from Cape May to Philadelphia, the 408 route between Milville and Philadelphia and the 553 route from Upper Deerfield Township to Atlantic City.

Attractions

• New Jersey Motorsports Park
• Southwind Vineyard & Winery
• Laurel Lake Community Center, Beaches and Piersites
• Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center
• Glasstown Brewing Company

Parks and recreation

The Cumberland Cape Atlantic YMCA is in nearby Vineland. The corporate name was changed from Vineland YMCA as the board of directors decided to expand the organization's service area to Atlantic County and Cape May County.

There was a previous YMCA campus in Millville which stopped operations in August 1990. In late 1997 Millville Housing Authority purchased the campus. An apartment complex was installed in the former administration building and gymnasium, while a new building was constructed on the site of the former racquetball courts. Millville Housing Authority occupied the second floor; the first floor became a new exercise center. The first floor of the new building and a pre-existing basement is used by the Holly City Development Corp. Family Center (HCDC), which leases from the housing authority and opened the center on January 2, 2001.

Notable people

Notable past and present residents of Millville include:

See also

In Spanish: Millville (Nueva Jersey) para niños