Pittsgrove Township, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pittsgrove Township, New Jersey
Township
Moshe Bayuk House
Seal
Motto(s):  Old Values, New Ideas: Working Together For All
Pittsgrove Township highlighted in Salem County. Inset map: Salem County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Pittsgrove Township, New Jersey Location in Salem County, New Jersey Show map of Salem County, New Jersey Pittsgrove Township, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Pittsgrove Township, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Salem
Royal charter	December 6, 1769
Incorporated	February 21, 1798
Named for	William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
Government
• Type	Township
• Body	Township Committee
Area
• Total	45.75 sq mi (118.50 km2)
• Land	44.90 sq mi (116.29 km2)
• Water	0.85 sq mi (2.21 km2)  1.87%
Area rank	40th of 565 in state 2nd of 15 in county
Elevation	108 ft (33 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,777
• Estimate  (2023)	8,888
• Rank	273rd of 565 in state 2nd of 15 in county
• Density	195.5/sq mi (75.5/km2)
• Density rank	505th of 565 in state 7th of 15 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	08318
Area code(s)	856 exchange: 358
FIPS code	3403359130
GNIS feature ID	1729723
Website

Pittsgrove Township is a community located in Salem County, New Jersey. It is a township, which is a type of local government area. In 2020, about 8,777 people lived here.

Pittsgrove Township was first formed on December 6, 1769. This happened through a special document called a Royal charter. It became an official township on February 21, 1798. This was part of the first 104 townships created in New Jersey. The township was named after William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham. He was a famous person who supported the American colonies.

Geography of Pittsgrove

Pittsgrove Township covers about 45.75 square miles (118.50 square kilometers). Most of this area is land. Only a small part, about 0.85 square miles (2.21 square kilometers), is water.

Communities in the Township

Olivet is a community located inside Pittsgrove Township. Other small communities and places in the township include:

• Alliance
• Brotmanville
• Centerton
• Daretown
• Greenville
• Norma
• Norma Station
• Palatine
• Parvin Lake
• Rainbow Lake
• Six Points
• Union Grove
• Upper Neck
• Willow Grove

Neighboring Towns

Pittsgrove Township shares borders with several other towns. These include Elmer Borough and Upper Pittsgrove Township in Salem County. It also borders Deerfield Township, Upper Deerfield Township, and Vineland in Cumberland County. Finally, it borders Franklin Township in Gloucester County.

Population Changes Over Time

The number of people living in Pittsgrove Township has changed over many years. In 2010, there were 9,393 people. By 2020, the population had gone down slightly to 8,777 people.

Who Lives in Pittsgrove?

In 2010, most people in Pittsgrove Township were White (88.17%). About 6.97% were Black or African American. Other groups included Native American, Asian, and people of two or more races. About 4.80% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

Most households (60.1%) were married couples living together. About 31.8% of households had children under 18. The average household had 2.80 people.

Education in Pittsgrove

Students from Pittsgrove Township and Elmer borough go to public schools together. They attend the Pittsgrove Township School District from kindergarten through twelfth grade. This means all students from both areas learn together in the same school system.

Schools in the District

The Pittsgrove Township School District has five schools. In the 2021–2022 school year, there were 1,686 students. Here are the schools and the grades they serve:

• Norma Elementary School: Grades PreK-K (97 students)
• Elmer Elementary School: Grades 1-2 (214 students)
• Olivet Elementary School: Grades 3-5 (333 students)
• Pittsgrove Township Middle School: Grades 6-8 (496 students)
• A.P. Schalick High School: Grades 9-12 (486 students)

Transportation

U.S. Route 40 westbound on the border of Pittsgrove Township and Upper Pittsgrove Township

Pittsgrove Township has many roads, more than any other place in Salem County. In 2010, there were over 125 miles of roads. The township itself takes care of about 57 miles of these roads. Salem County maintains about 65 miles. The New Jersey Department of Transportation maintains a small part, about 2.85 miles.

Major Roads

U.S. Route 40 is a very important highway in Pittsgrove Township. It runs east to west along the northern edge of the area. Other key roads include Route 56, which goes through the southern part. A small section of Route 55 is in the eastern part of the township.

County roads are also important for getting around. County Route 540 goes east and west. It crosses and briefly joins with County Route 553, which runs north and south.

Notable People from Pittsgrove

Many interesting people have connections to Pittsgrove Township. These are people who were born there, lived there, or are closely linked to the area:

• Stanley Brotman (1924–2014), a judge for the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.
• Jack Collins (born 1943), a former Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly.
• Paul Gause (born 1986), a professional basketball player. He played for the Newcastle Eagles.
• Michael Iaconelli (born 1972), a professional bass fisherman. He won the 2003 Bassmaster Classic.
• Kevin Jackson (born 1978), a former professional soccer player.
• Jamarr Andre Johnson (born 1988), a professional basketball player. He played in Indonesia.
• Matthew Newkirk (1794-1868), a railroad executive.
• Joseph B. Perskie (1885–1957), an Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court.
• Thomas Whitaker Trenchard (1863–1942), a lawyer and Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court. He was the judge in the famous Lindbergh kidnapping trial.