Pennsauken Township, New Jersey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pennsauken Township, New Jersey
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Township
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| Motto(s):
A Great Place to Grow, Dream and Prosper!
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Location of Pennsauken Township in Camden County highlighted in red (right). Inset map: Location of Camden County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (left).
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Census Bureau map of Pennsauken Township, New Jersey
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 Pennsauken Township, New Jersey
Location in Camden County, New Jersey
Pennsauken Township, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Pennsauken Township, New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  New Jersey |
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| County | Camden | |
| Incorporated | February 18, 1892 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Township | |
| • Body | Township Committee | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 12.13 sq mi (31.41 km2) | |
| • Land | 10.48 sq mi (27.14 km2) | |
| • Water | 1.65 sq mi (4.27 km2) 13.59% | |
| Area rank | 189th of 565 in state 5th of 37 in county |
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| Elevation | 89 ft (27 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 37,074 | |
| • Estimate
(2023)
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37,288 | |
| • Rank | 66th of 565 in state 5th of 37 in county |
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| • Density | 3,537.9/sq mi (1,366.0/km2) | |
| • Density rank | 190th of 565 in state 23rd of 37 in county |
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| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST)) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT)) | |
| ZIP Codes |
08109–08110
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| Area code | 856 | |
| FIPS code | 3400757660 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882157 | |
Pennsauken Township is a township in Camden County, in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and it is located outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which it borders directly on the Delaware River. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 37,074, an increase of 1,189 (+3.3%) from the 2010 census count of 35,885, which in turn increased by 148 (+0.4%) from the 35,737 counted in the 2000 census.
The township is part of the South Jersey region of the state.
Contents
History
Pennsauken Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 18, 1892, from portions of the now-defunct Stockton Township.
The exact origin of the name Pennsauken is unclear, but it probably derives from the language of the Lenni Lenape Native Americans, who once occupied the area from "Pindasenauken", the Lenape language term for tobacco pouch. Alternatively, the "Penn" in the township's name refers to William Penn, while "sauk" is a water inlet or outlet.
Pennsauken was home to America's first drive-in movie theater, created in 1933 with the opening of the Camden Drive-In in Pennsauken. It featured the comedy Wives Beware, released in the theaters as Two White Arms.
For 50 years, the township was the home to the Pennsauken Mart, a large multi-vendor indoor market, which was closed in January 2006 to make way for a sports arena/conference complex, however, that did not materialize. Most of the vendors relocated to a marketplace in Willingboro Township. A luxury apartment complex was completed on the site in 2018.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 12.13 square miles (31.41 km2), including 10.48 square miles (27.14 km2) of land and 1.65 square miles (4.27 km2) of water (13.59%).
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Amon Heights, Bethel, Biedemon, Delair, Delair Station, Delaware Gardens, Dudley, East Pennsauken, Fish House, Hillcrest, Homesteadville, Jordantown, Merchantville Park, Morris, Morrisville, North Pennsville and Wellwood.
The township includes Petty's Island, a 392-acre (1.59 km2) island in the Delaware River although most of the island actually sits across a narrow strait from neighboring Camden. Once an oil storage and distribution facility, the island is now the site of a container cargo shipping operation and nesting bald eagles. Petty's Island is currently in the process of being turned over to the State of New Jersey by Citgo to be transformed to a new state park and nature center .
Pennsauken borders Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The two municipalities are connected across the Delaware River by the Betsy Ross Bridge which is owned and operated by the Delaware River Port Authority. In New Jersey, Pennsauken borders Camden, Cherry Hill, Collingswood and Merchantville in Camden County, and Cinnaminson Township, Maple Shade Township and Palmyra in Burlington County.
Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Pennsauken has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Pennsauken was 108 °F (42.2 °C) on July 16, 1995, while the coldest temperature recorded was −4 °F (−20.0 °C) on January 19–21, 1994.
| Climate data for Pennsauken, New Jersey, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1991–present | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 74 (23) |
77 (25) |
94 (34) |
96 (36) |
100 (38) |
100 (38) |
108 (42) |
103 (39) |
98 (37) |
92 (33) |
80 (27) |
77 (25) |
108 (42) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 64.0 (17.8) |
63.7 (17.6) |
74.2 (23.4) |
85.7 (29.8) |
90.4 (32.4) |
94.9 (34.9) |
98.5 (36.9) |
95.4 (35.2) |
90.9 (32.7) |
82.1 (27.8) |
73.5 (23.1) |
65.2 (18.4) |
99.4 (37.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 40.5 (4.7) |
43.4 (6.3) |
51.7 (10.9) |
63.8 (17.7) |
73.1 (22.8) |
82.1 (27.8) |
87.0 (30.6) |
84.8 (29.3) |
78.1 (25.6) |
66.0 (18.9) |
55.1 (12.8) |
45.5 (7.5) |
64.3 (17.9) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 31.9 (−0.1) |
33.9 (1.1) |
41.6 (5.3) |
52.2 (11.2) |
61.9 (16.6) |
71.5 (21.9) |
76.7 (24.8) |
74.6 (23.7) |
67.7 (19.8) |
55.4 (13.0) |
44.9 (7.2) |
36.9 (2.7) |
54.1 (12.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 23.3 (−4.8) |
24.5 (−4.2) |
31.4 (−0.3) |
40.7 (4.8) |
50.7 (10.4) |
60.9 (16.1) |
66.4 (19.1) |
64.3 (17.9) |
57.2 (14.0) |
44.9 (7.2) |
34.8 (1.6) |
28.4 (−2.0) |
44.0 (6.7) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 9.9 (−12.3) |
11.7 (−11.3) |
18.8 (−7.3) |
29.6 (−1.3) |
37.9 (3.3) |
48.8 (9.3) |
58.2 (14.6) |
56.2 (13.4) |
45.8 (7.7) |
33.1 (0.6) |
22.8 (−5.1) |
16.9 (−8.4) |
7.4 (−13.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −4 (−20) |
1 (−17) |
8 (−13) |
24 (−4) |
32 (0) |
38 (3) |
47 (8) |
52 (11) |
40 (4) |
28 (−2) |
14 (−10) |
6 (−14) |
−4 (−20) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.46 (88) |
2.62 (67) |
4.39 (112) |
3.94 (100) |
3.88 (99) |
4.56 (116) |
5.04 (128) |
4.07 (103) |
4.32 (110) |
4.07 (103) |
3.29 (84) |
4.49 (114) |
48.13 (1,224) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 10.5 | 9.3 | 11.2 | 12.1 | 12.6 | 11.0 | 10.1 | 9.9 | 8.9 | 9.9 | 9.3 | 10.8 | 125.6 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 3,145 | — | |
| 1910 | 4,169 | 32.6% | |
| 1920 | 6,474 | 55.3% | |
| 1930 | 16,915 | 161.3% | |
| 1940 | 17,745 | 4.9% | |
| 1950 | 22,767 | 28.3% | |
| 1960 | 33,771 | 48.3% | |
| 1970 | 36,394 | 7.8% | |
| 1980 | 33,775 | −7.2% | |
| 1990 | 34,738 | 2.9% | |
| 2000 | 35,737 | 2.9% | |
| 2010 | 35,885 | 0.4% | |
| 2020 | 37,074 | 3.3% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 37,288 | 3.9% | |
| Population sources: 1900–2000 1900–1920 1900–1910 1910–1930 1940–2000 2000 2010 2020 |
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2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 35,885 people, 12,633 households, and 8,995 families in the township. The population density was 3,438.9 per square mile (1,327.8/km2). There were 13,275 housing units at an average density of 1,272.2 per square mile (491.2/km2). The racial makeup was 47.60% (17,081) White, 26.87% (9,644) Black or African American, 0.59% (210) Native American, 7.72% (2,770) Asian, 0.04% (15) Pacific Islander, 13.59% (4,877) from other races, and 3.59% (1,288) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 26.91% (9,657) of the population.
Of the 12,633 households, 30.7% had children under the age of 18; 46.9% were married couples living together; 18.4% had a female householder with no husband present and 28.8% were non-families. Of all households, 23.8% were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.36.
24.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.0 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.8 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 87.8 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $57,241 (with a margin of error of +/− $3,957) and the median family income was $65,910 (+/− $3,272). Males had a median income of $47,651 (+/− $3,101) versus $39,229 (+/− $2,035) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $26,048 (+/− $1,438). About 6.4% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.4% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Pennsauken is home to a large industrial park that includes a Pepsi bottling plant and J & J Snack Foods.
Education
The Pennsauken Public Schools serve public school students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of nine schools, had an enrollment of 4,785 students and 395.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.1:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Baldwin Early Childhood Learning Center (103 students in grade Pre-K), Carson Elementary School (300; Pre-K–4), Delair Elementary School (386; Pre-K–4), George B. Fine Elementary School (249; Pre-K–4), Benjamin Franklin Elementary School (361; K–4), Pennsauken Intermediate School (702; 5–6), Howard M. Phifer Middle School (1,151; 7–8), Alfred E. Burling High School (now 6–12; was 108 in Pre-K–3) and Pennsauken High School (1,317; 9–12). Beginning in 1972, Merchantville sent its students to attend the Pennsauken district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Merchantville School District; the Merchantville district has sought to end the relationship with the Pennsauken school and send its students to Haddon Heights High School. From 2015 to 2019 Merchantville was phased out of the Pennsauken High School.
Also available in the township is the Pennsauken Technical High School, which offers day and evening technical and vocational education to students from across the county.
Eustace Preparatory School is a coeducational, private high school for students in grades 9–12, founded in 1954 by the priests and brothers of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (the Pallottines). Established in 1927, St. Cecilia School is a K–8 elementary school that operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden. St. Cecilia operates jointly with a group of schools in Camden in the Catholic Partnership Schools, a post-parochial model of Urban Catholic Education.
Transportation
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Roads and highways
As of May 2010[update], the township had a total of 144.85 miles (233.11 km) of roadways, of which 105.82 miles (170.30 km) were maintained by the municipality, 26.76 miles (43.07 km) by Camden County, 10.27 miles (16.53 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 2.00 miles (3.22 km) by the Delaware River Port Authority.
Major roads through the township include Route 130, the largest highway through the township, which intersects with Route 73 in the northern part of the township, near the Cinnaminson Township border. Route 90 is a short highway leading to the Betsy Ross Bridge, which connects the township with Philadelphia. Owned and operated by the Delaware River Port Authority, the bridge stretches 8,500 feet (2,600 m) between abutments and opened to traffic on April 30, 1976. New Jersey Route 38 and Route 70 merge westbound in the eastern part of the township near the Cherry Hill border and U.S. Route 30 at the border with Camden. US 130 and 30 and NJ 38 and 70 converge at the Airport Circle in the southern section of Pennsauken Township.
CR 537 passes through in the south while CR 543 travels through in the north.
Public transportation
The township hosts three NJ Transit rail stops. The Pennsauken-Route 73 and 36th Street stations on the River Line offer service between Trenton and Camden. The Pennsauken Transit Center on River Road features a transfer between the River Line and the Atlantic City Line, which provides rail service between Atlantic City and Philadelphia. The station was constructed at a cost of $40 million and opened for commuters in October 2013.
Daily NJ Transit bus service between the township and Philadelphia is available on routes 317, 404, 406, and 409. Additional service to Philadelphia is available through routes 414 and 417, which run on weekdays during morning and evening rush hours. The township is also serviced by intrastate or local routes 405, 407, 413, and 419, as well as express route 418.
Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Pennsauken Township include:
- Harold Amos (1918–2003), microbiologist and professor, who was the first black department chairman at Harvard Medical School
- Dotty Attie (born 1938), feminist painter and printmaker whose works are in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art, The Whitney Museum, and the Brooklyn Museum
- Albert E. Burling (1891–1960), Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1947 to 1960
- Bill Conaty (born 1973), former professional American football player who played center for nine seasons for the Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, and the Arizona Cardinals.
- Jack Conners (born 1943), member of the New Jersey General Assembly from 1998 to 2011
- Mary Keating Croce (1928–2016), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly for three two-year terms, from 1974 to 1980, before serving as the Chairwoman of the New Jersey State Parole Board in the 1990s
- Krysten Cummings (born 1974/75), film and stage actress who appeared as Tina in the 1997 production of The Fix, and as Mimi in the 1998 version of the musical Rent
- Ron Curry (born 1993), professional basketball player for Krka of the Premier A Slovenian Basketball League
- Eric Dezenhall (born 1962), crisis management consultant and author
- George Dempsey (1929–2017), former professional basketball player who played five seasons (1954–1959) in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Philadelphia Warriors and Syracuse Nationals
- Vice Admiral Nanette M. DeRenzi, 42nd Judge Advocate General (JAG) of the United States Navy
- Al Fisher (born 1986), basketball player for Kent State University who was named 2008 MAC PLayer of the Year
- Carmen M. Garcia, former Chief judge of Municipal Court in Trenton, New Jersey
- Bill Gosper (born 1943), mathematician and pioneering computer programmer
- David Griggs (1967–1995), former NFL linebacker
- Dwight Hicks (born 1956), former player for the San Francisco 49ers
- Todd McNair (born 1965), former NFL running back who played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Oilers
- Bill Melchionni (born 1944), former National Basketball Association and American Basketball Association player
- Donald Norcross (born 1958), politician who has represented New Jersey's 1st congressional district since 2014, prior to which he served in the New Jersey General Assembly
- Jamal Parker (born 1998), professional gridiron football defensive back for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League
- Delia Parr, author of historical fiction
- Steven M. Petrillo (born 1958), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1994 to 1996
- Gary Schaer (born 1951), Council President of Passaic who represents the 36th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly
- Frank Seward (1921–2004), pitcher who played for the New York Giants in 1943 and 1944
- Stephen M. Sweeney (born 1959), New Jersey State Senator (2002-2021) in the 3rd Legislative District and served as Senate President
- John Taylor (born 1962), wide receiver with the San Francisco 49ers
- Keith Taylor (born 1964), former NFL safety who played for the Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints and Washington Redskins
- Jersey Joe Walcott (1914–1994), world heavyweight boxing champion from 1949 to 1952
- William Wesley (born 1964), NBA basketball player associate
- Darrell Wilson (born 1958), American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Wagner Seahawks football team
