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Wenonah, New Jersey
Borough
Borough of Wenonah
Stone House Inn, built ca. 1773
Stone House Inn, built ca. 1773
Map of Wenonah highlighted within Gloucester County. Inset: Location of Gloucester County in New Jersey.
Map of Wenonah highlighted within Gloucester County. Inset: Location of Gloucester County in New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Wenonah, New Jersey
Census Bureau map of Wenonah, New Jersey
Wenonah, New Jersey is located in Gloucester County, New Jersey
Wenonah, New Jersey
Wenonah, New Jersey
Location in Gloucester County, New Jersey
Wenonah, New Jersey is located in New Jersey
Wenonah, New Jersey
Wenonah, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Wenonah, New Jersey is located in the United States
Wenonah, New Jersey
Wenonah, New Jersey
Location in the United States
Country  United States
State  New Jersey
County Gloucester
Incorporated March 10, 1883
Government
 • Type Borough
 • Body Borough Council
Area
 • Total 1.01 sq mi (2.62 km2)
 • Land 1.00 sq mi (2.58 km2)
 • Water 0.02 sq mi (0.04 km2)  1.58%
Area rank 498th of 565 in state
23rd of 24 in county
Elevation
69 ft (21 m)
Population
 • Total 2,278
 • Estimate 
(2019)
2,212
 • Rank 477th of 566 in state
23rd of 24 in county
 • Density 2,342.8/sq mi (904.6/km2)
 • Density rank 261st of 566 in state
8th of 24 in county
Time zone UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code
08090
Area code(s) 856 Exchanges: 415, 464, 468
FIPS code 3401578110
GNIS feature ID 0885434
Website

Wenonah is a borough in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 2,278, reflecting a decline of 39 (-1.7%) from the 2,317 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn declined by 14 (-0.6%) from the 2,331 counted in the 1990 Census. It is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Wenonah was established as a Borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 10, 1883, from portions of Deptford Township, based on the results of a referendum that was held two days earlier. The borough was named for the mother of Hiawatha in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's work The Song of Hiawatha.

It is a dry town, where alcohol cannot be sold.

The borough had the 29th-highest property tax rate in New Jersey, with an equalized rate of 4.120% in 2020, compared to 3.212% in the county as a whole and a statewide average of 2.279%.

History

Wenonah was founded in 1871 by Philadelphia businessmen as a country resort, drawn by its location along the Mantua Creek and on the West Jersey Railroad. Over the next 40 years, numerous dams were installed to create recreational lakes. From 1902 until the Great Depression, Wenonah Military Academy, a private military school, trained cadets there.

Throughout its history, Wenonah has been almost exclusively a residential area. Over 21% of the borough's land area is conservation land, which is protected by ordinance from development. There are more than 6 miles (9.7 km) of hiking trails are threaded around lakes and alongside waterways in these conserved areas.

Wenonah is a close-knit community with holiday events every season. Halloween brings the Wenonah Police Station to set up their "Halloween in the Park", a display of inflatable Halloween-themed lit decorations. Christmas means the Tree Lighting celebration in the park in the center of town. The grade school children sing, there are cookies and hot chocolate, and live music is played until a countdown to the official lighting of the town's tree for the season. Fourth of July features a variety of activities from a parade to fire truck rides to races. The Wenonah parade is famous around the area and has been ranked by travel magazines as one of the top-ten small town Fourth of July parades.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 0.983 square miles (2.547 km2), including 0.972 square miles (2.518 km2) of land and 0.011 square miles (0.029 km2) of water (1.12%).

The borough borders Deptford Township and Mantua Township.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1880 166
1890 383 130.7%
1900 498 30.0%
1910 645 29.5%
1920 918 42.3%
1930 1,245 35.6%
1940 1,311 5.3%
1950 1,511 15.3%
1960 2,100 39.0%
1970 2,364 12.6%
1980 2,303 −2.6%
1990 2,331 1.2%
2000 2,317 −0.6%
2010 2,278 −1.7%
2019 (est.) 2,212 −2.9%
Population sources:
1890-2000 1880-1890
1890-1920 1890-1910
1910-1930 1930-1990
2000 2010

Census 2010

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,278 people, 829 households, and 649 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,342.8 per square mile (904.6/km2). There were 860 housing units at an average density of 884.4 per square mile (341.5/km2)*. The racial makeup of the borough was 96.27% (2,193) White, 0.92% (21) Black or African American, 0.13% (3) Native American, 1.05% (24) Asian, 0.04% (1) Pacific Islander, 0.22% (5) from other races, and 1.36% (31) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.36% (31) of the population.

There were 829 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.3% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.7% were non-families. 18.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the borough, the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 21.6% from 25 to 44, 33.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.6 years. For every 100 females there were 103.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and old there were 98.0 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $103,403 (with a margin of error of +/- $8,030) and the median family income was $112,891 (+/- $12,345). Males had a median income of $78,417 (+/- $11,006) versus $64,205 (+/- $16,821) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $47,743 (+/- $6,172). About 1.1% of families and 1.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.4% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 2,317 people, 844 households, and 652 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,380.3 people per square mile (922.3/km2). There were 860 housing units at an average density of 883.5 per square mile (342.3/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.546% White, 1.084% African American, 0.093% Native American, 0.65% Asian, and 0.652% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.731% of the population.

There were 844 households, out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.4% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.7% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 29.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $71,625, and the median income for a family was $82,505. Males had a median income of $57,381 versus $37,500 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $34,116. About 2.0% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.8% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

2018-09-07 14 20 50 View north along Gloucester County Route 553 (Woodbury-Glassboro Road) just north of Salina Road and Bark Bridge Road along the border of Deptford Township and Wenonah in Gloucester County, New Jersey
County Route 553 northbound along Wenonah's eastern border

Roads and highways

As of May 2010, the borough had a total of 15.42 miles (24.82 km) of roadways, of which 13.63 miles (21.94 km) were maintained by the municipality and 1.79 miles (2.88 km) by Gloucester County.

County Route 553 and County Route 632 are the main roadways serving Wenonah.

Public transportation

NJ Transit bus service between Sewell and Philadelphia is available on the 412 route.

The borough is the site of a planned stop on the Glassboro–Camden Line, an 18-mile (28.97 km) diesel multiple unit light rail system projected for completion in 2019. However, as of 2019, completion is not expected until 2025.

Education

The Wenonah School District serves public school students in kindergarten through sixth grade at Wenonah Elementary School. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 177 students and 19.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.0:1. In the 2016–17 school year, Wenonah had the 37th smallest enrollment of any school district in the state, with 177 students.

For seventh through twelfth grades, public school students attend Gateway Regional High School, a regional public high school that also serves students from the boroughs of National Park, Westville and Woodbury Heights, as part of the Gateway Regional High School District. As of the 2018–19 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 879 students and 81.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.8:1.

Students from across the county are eligible to apply to attend Gloucester County Institute of Technology, a four-year high school in Deptford Township that provides technical and vocational education. As a public school, students do not pay tuition to attend the school.

Notable people

See also (related category): People from Wenonah, New Jersey

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Wenonah include:

  • B.C. Camplight (born 1979, as Brian Christinzio), singer-songwriter.
  • Michael Capuzzo (born 1957), author of Close to Shore: A True Story of Terror in an Age of Innocence and four-time Pulitzer Prize nominee.
  • Edward Everett Grosscup (1860-1933), chairman of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee from 1911 to 1919 and Treasurer of the State of New Jersey from 1913 to 1915.
  • Carl Hausman (born 1953), journalist, educator and commentator, who is the author of Lies We Live By.
  • Michael Pellegrino (born 2001), soccer player for the University of Notre Dame who played for Bethlehem Steel FC.
  • Isaac Pursell (1853-1910), architect.
  • Grover C. Richman Jr. (1911-1983), lawyer who served as United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey from 1951 to 1953 and New Jersey Attorney General from 1954 to 1958.
  • Joseph C. Salema, New Jersey Governor James Florio's former Chief of Staff who resigned in the Spring of 1993 amid accusations of accepting payments in a pay to play scandal.
  • Steve Squyres (born 1957), astronomer and principal investigator of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission.
  • Tim Squyres (born 1959), film editor of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hulk, Life of Pi and Syriana, among others.
  • Bob Steuber (born 1921), elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1971.

See also

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