Mullica Township, New Jersey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mullica Township, New Jersey
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Township
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Pleasant Mills
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Map of Mullica Township in Atlantic County. Inset: Location of Atlantic County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
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Census Bureau map of Mullica Township, New Jersey
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 Mullica Township, New Jersey
Location in Atlantic County, New Jersey
Mullica Township, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Mullica Township, New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| 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)
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| • Total | 5,816 |
| • Estimate
(2023)
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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
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| Area code(s) | 609 |
| FIPS code | 3400149410 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882053 |
| Website | |
Mullica Township is a township in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 5,816, a decrease of 331 (−5.4%) from the 2010 census count of 6,147, which in turn reflected an increase of 235 (+4.0%) from the 5,912 counted in the 2000 census. 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.
Mullica Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 13, 1838, from the western section of Galloway Township. Egg Harbor City was created from portions of the township on June 14, 1858, while the Town of Hammonton was created and split off on March 5, 1866.
The township and its river were named after Eric Pålsson Mullica, early Swedish settler (with Finnish ancestry) born in 1636 who founded a homestead on the river after moving there from the vicinity of Philadelphia, and who later moved to Mullica Hill in Gloucester County. When used as a common noun, mullikka is the Finnish term for a bull calf.
Contents
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 56.84 square miles (147.22 km2), including 56.38 square miles (146.01 km2) of land and 0.47 square miles (1.21 km2) of water (0.82%).
Despite a relatively small population, Mullica Township comprises many small communities. Elwood is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) (with a 2010 Census population of 1,437) located within Mullica Township.
Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Amatol, Colwell, Da Costa, Devonshire, East Hammonton, Indian Cabin, Nesco, New Columbia, Pleasant Mills, Speedway, Sweetwater, Weekstown, Wescoatville, West Egg Harbor and Woodland. Unincorporated communities in Mullica Township are largely identified by landmarks such as the Elwood Deli, the Sweetwater Casino, or the Weekstown Firehouse. The small unincorporated communities within the township engender a particularly high level of pride, and many Mullica Township residents refer to themselves as residents of their unincorporated community, before referring to themselves as residents of Mullica Township.
The township is located in the northwest portion of Atlantic County. It is bounded on the north by Washington Township in Burlington County (which is separated from it by the Mullica River); on the east by Egg Harbor City; on the south by Galloway Township and Hamilton Township; and on the west by the Town of Hammonton. The Township is approximately 13 miles (21 km) outside of Atlantic City and 40 miles (64 km) outside of Philadelphia.
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. All of the township is 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
| Historical population | |||
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| 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. |
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2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 6,147 people, 2,154 households, and 1,631 families in the township. The population density was 108.9 per square mile (42.0/km2). There were 2,360 housing units at an average density of 41.8 per square mile (16.1/km2). The racial makeup was 83.26% (5,118) White, 5.68% (349) Black or African American, 0.23% (14) Native American, 0.68% (42) Asian, 0.03% (2) Pacific Islander, 7.19% (442) from other races, and 2.93% (180) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.02% (1,046) of the population.
Of the 2,154 households, 30.5% had children under the age of 18; 57.4% were married couples living together; 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present and 24.3% were non-families. Of all households, 18.4% were made up of individuals and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.19.
23.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 31.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 100.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 100.1 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $54,730 (with a margin of error of +/− $11,733) and the median family income was $62,000 (+/− $10,758). Males had a median income of $42,931 (+/− $9,882) versus $41,716 (+/− $5,514) for females. The per capita income for the township was $26,217 (+/− $3,264). About 3.6% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.1% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The Mullica Township Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 652 students and 56.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.5:1. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics.) are Mullica Township Elementary School with 331 students in grades Pre-K–4 and Mullica Township Middle School with 320 students in grades 5–8. With the start of the 2016–17 school year, the Washington Township School District no longer operates and all students from Washington Township attend the Mullica Township Schools as part of a full sending/receiving relationship.
Students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Cedar Creek High School, which is located in the northern section of Egg Harbor City and opened to students in September 2010. The school is one of three high schools operated as part of the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District, which is comprised of the constituent municipalities of Egg Harbor City, Galloway Township and Hamilton Township, and participates in sending/receiving relationships with Port Republic and Washington Township (Burlington County). Cedar Creek High School is zoned to serve students from Egg Harbor City, Mullica Township, Port Republic and Washington Township, while students in portions of Galloway and Hamilton townships have the opportunity to attend Cedar Creek through the school of choice program or through attendance in magnet programs offered at Cedar Creek. As of the 2020–21 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 935 students and 74.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.5:1.
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.
Transportation
_just_west_of_Atlantic_County_Route_623_(Elwood_Road)_in_Mullica_Township,_Atlantic_County,_New_Jersey.jpg)
Roads and highways
As of May 2010[update], the township had a total of 106.24 miles (170.98 km) of roadways, of which 59.91 miles (96.42 km) were maintained by the municipality, 38.26 miles (61.57 km) by Atlantic County and 8.07 miles (12.99 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
U.S. Route 30 (White Horse Pike) passes through Mullica Township. Many of the street names in Mullica Township are used on multiple, sometimes intersecting roads within the township, or reused from adjacent municipalities. Examples are Elwood Rd, Weekstown Road, Pleasant Mills Road, and Columbia Road. In fact, 7th Ave has two major intersections, one with County Road 612 and the other with County Road 643. Both of the county roads are named Weekstown Road at the point where they intersect with 7th Ave, approximately 2.5 miles away from each other.
Public transportation
NJ Transit provides bus service in the township on the 554 route that runs between Lindenwold station and Atlantic City.
Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Mullica Township include:
- Joseph Fralinger (1848–1927), businessman and confectioner, known for being the most successful merchandiser of salt water taffy
- Day Deborah Lipford, crowned Miss Delaware 1976, she became the first black woman to place as a semi finalist in the Miss America Pageant
- Eric Pålsson Mullica (1636–c. 1704), an early Swedish settler (with Finnish ancestry) for whom Mullica Township was named
- Charles Saalmann (1836–1909), captain of Union infantry during the American Civil War who established the Black Rose Vineyard
See also
In Spanish: Municipio de Mullica para niños
