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Mullica Township, New Jersey
Township
Pleasant Mills
Pleasant Mills
Map of Mullica Township in Atlantic County. Inset: Location of Atlantic County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Map of Mullica Township in Atlantic County. Inset: Location of Atlantic County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Mullica Township, New Jersey
Census Bureau map of Mullica Township, New Jersey
Mullica Township, New Jersey is located in Atlantic County, New Jersey
Mullica Township, New Jersey
Mullica Township, New Jersey
Location in Atlantic County, New Jersey
Mullica Township, New Jersey is located in New Jersey
Mullica Township, New Jersey
Mullica Township, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Mullica Township, New Jersey is located in the United States
Mullica Township, New Jersey
Mullica Township, New Jersey
Location in the United States
Country  United States
State  New Jersey
County Atlantic
Incorporated March 13, 1838
Named for Eric Pålsson Mullica
Government
 • Type Township
 • Body Township Committee
Area
 • Total 56.84 sq mi (147.22 km2)
 • Land 56.38 sq mi (146.01 km2)
 • Water 0.47 sq mi (1.21 km2)  0.82%
Area rank 25th of 565 in state
4th of 23 in county
Elevation
56 ft (17 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 5,816
 • Estimate 
(2023)
5,802
 • Rank 356th of 565 in state
14th of 23 in county
 • Density 103.2/sq mi (39.8/km2)
 • Density rank 540th of 565 in state
21st of 23 in county
Time zone UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code
08217 – Elwood
Area code(s) 609
FIPS code 3400149410
GNIS feature ID 0882053
Website

Mullica Township is a community located in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a type of local government called a township. In 2020, about 5,816 people lived here.

Mullica Township was officially created on March 13, 1838. It was formed from a part of Galloway Township. Later, some areas split off to form Egg Harbor City in 1858 and Hammonton in 1866.

The township and its river are named after Eric Pålsson Mullica. He was an early Swedish settler with Finnish family roots. Born in 1636, he started a home near the river. The Finnish word mullikka means "bull calf."

Geography and Communities

Mullica Township covers about 56.84 square miles (147.22 square kilometers). Most of this area is land.

Even though it has a smaller population, Mullica Township is home to many small communities. One important community is Elwood. It is an "unincorporated community," which means it's a recognized place but doesn't have its own separate local government.

Other small communities and places in the township include Amatol, Colwell, Da Costa, Devonshire, and Nesco. You might also find Pleasant Mills, Speedway, Sweetwater, and Weekstown. People in Mullica Township often feel very proud of their specific small community. They might say they are from Elwood or Sweetwater before saying they are from Mullica Township.

The township is in the northwest part of Atlantic County. It shares borders with Washington Township (separated by the Mullica River), Egg Harbor City, Galloway Township, Hamilton Township, and Hammonton. Mullica Township is about 13 miles (21 km) from Atlantic City and 40 miles (64 km) from Philadelphia.

Mullica Township is also part of the New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve. This is a special protected natural area with unique plants and animals. It covers a huge area of 1.1 million acres (4,500 square kilometers). Congress created it in 1978 to protect its natural beauty.

Population Over Time

Historical population
Census Pop.
1840 1,056
1850 918 −13.1%
1860 1,600 * 74.3%
1870 861 * −46.2%
1880 717 −16.7%
1890 697 −2.8%
1900 880 26.3%
1910 811 −7.8%
1920 1,166 43.8%
1930 1,425 22.2%
1940 1,500 5.3%
1950 1,804 20.3%
1960 2,944 63.2%
1970 3,391 15.2%
1980 5,243 54.6%
1990 5,896 12.5%
2000 5,912 0.3%
2010 6,147 4.0%
2020 5,816 −5.4%
2023 (est.) 5,802 −5.6%
Population sources: 1840–2000
1840–1920 1840 1850–1870
1850 1870 1880–1890
1890–1910 1910–1930
1940–2000 2000
2010 2020
* = Lost territory in previous decade.

Population in 2010

The 2010 United States census showed that 6,147 people lived in Mullica Township. There were 2,154 households, which are groups of people living together.

Most residents, about 83.26%, were White. About 5.68% were Black or African American. About 7.19% were from other races, and 2.93% were from two or more races. People of Hispanic or Latino background made up 17.02% of the population.

About 23.1% of the people were under 18 years old. The average age in the township was 41.7 years.

Education

Mullica Township has its own school district called the Mullica Township Schools. This district serves students from pre-kindergarten up to eighth grade. In the 2020–21 school year, there were 652 students across two schools.

  • Mullica Township Elementary School serves students in Pre-K through 4th grade.
  • Mullica Township Middle School serves students in 5th through 8th grade.

Since 2016, students from Washington Township also attend Mullica Township Schools. This is part of a "sending/receiving relationship" where one district sends its students to another district's schools.

For high school, students in Mullica Township attend Cedar Creek High School. This school is located in Egg Harbor City. It opened in September 2010.

Cedar Creek High School is part of the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District. This district includes Egg Harbor City, Galloway Township, and Hamilton Township. Cedar Creek High School serves students from Egg Harbor City, Mullica Township, Port Republic, and Washington Township.

Students can also choose to attend special schools. These include the Atlantic County Institute of Technology for technical training. Another option is the Charter-Tech High School for the Performing Arts for students interested in arts.

Transportation

2018-09-16 12 30 23 View west along U.S. Route 30 (White Horse Pike) just west of Atlantic County Route 623 (Elwood Road) in Mullica Township, Atlantic County, New Jersey
U.S. Route 30 (White Horse Pike) westbound in Mullica Township

Mullica Township has many roads. As of 2010, there were over 106 miles (171 km) of roads. The local government maintains about 60 miles (97 km) of these roads. The county and state maintain the rest.

U.S. Route 30, also known as the White Horse Pike, runs through Mullica Township. You might notice that some street names, like Elwood Road or Weekstown Road, are used for different roads or even in nearby towns. This can sometimes be a bit confusing!

For public transportation, NJ Transit provides bus service. The 554 bus route connects Mullica Township to Lindenwold station and Atlantic City.

Notable People

Many interesting people have lived in or are connected to Mullica Township:

  • Joseph Fralinger (1848–1927): He was a successful businessman. He is best known for selling salt water taffy.
  • Day Deborah Lipford: She was crowned Miss Delaware in 1976. She was the first Black woman to become a semi-finalist in the Miss America Pageant.
  • Eric Pålsson Mullica (1636–around 1704): He was an early Swedish settler. Mullica Township was named after him.
  • Charles Saalmann (1836–1909): He was a captain in the Union army during the American Civil War. He also started the Black Rose Vineyard.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Municipio de Mullica para niños

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