Wenonah, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wenonah, New Jersey
Borough
Stone House Inn, built c. 1773
Seal
Map of Wenonah highlighted within Gloucester County. Inset: Location of Gloucester County in New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Wenonah, New Jersey
Wenonah, New Jersey Location in Gloucester County, New Jersey Show map of Gloucester County, New Jersey Wenonah, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Wenonah, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of 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  (2020)
• Total	2,283
• Estimate  (2023)	2,309
• Rank	476th of 565 in state 23rd of 24 in county
• Density	2,293.0/sq mi (885.3/km2)
• Density rank	272nd of 565 in state 9th 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 small town, called a borough, located in Gloucester County, in the state of New Jersey. It's about 10 miles south of Philadelphia, a big city in the United States.

In 2020, about 2,283 people lived in Wenonah. The town was officially created by the New Jersey Legislature on March 10, 1883. Its name comes from the mother of Hiawatha, a character in a famous poem called The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Wenonah is known as a "dry town," which means that alcohol cannot be legally bought or sold there. The town also has a higher property tax rate compared to the average for New Jersey.

History of Wenonah

The old Pennsylvania Railroad station in Wenonah in August 2022

Wenonah was started in 1871 by business people from Philadelphia. They wanted to create a country resort where people could relax. They chose this spot because it was near the Mantua Creek and a railroad line. Over the next 40 years, many dams were built to create lakes for fun activities.

From 1902 until the Great Depression (a time when many people lost their jobs and money), there was a private military school in Wenonah called Wenonah Military Academy.

For most of its history, Wenonah has been a place where people live, rather than a big business area. More than 21% of the land in Wenonah is protected. This means it cannot be built on, helping to keep the area natural. There are also over 6 miles of hiking trails around the lakes and waterways in these protected areas.

On September 1, 2021, a strong tornado hit the area as a leftover from Hurricane Ida. This tornado damaged more than 200 homes and buildings in Wenonah.

Geography of Wenonah

Wenonah covers about 1.01 square miles (2.62 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water, like lakes and creeks.

Wenonah shares its borders with two other towns: Deptford Township and Mantua Township.

Population Changes in Wenonah

Education in Wenonah

Students in Wenonah attend public schools through two different districts.

Elementary School

• The Wenonah School District serves students from kindergarten through sixth grade.
• These students go to Wenonah Elementary School.
• In the 2018–19 school year, there were 177 students and about 20 teachers, meaning there were about 9 students for every teacher.

High School

• For seventh through twelfth grades, students attend Gateway Regional High School.
• This high school also serves students from the nearby towns of National Park, Westville, and Woodbury Heights.
• In the 2018–19 school year, the high school had 879 students and about 81 teachers.

Vocational Education

• Students from anywhere in Gloucester County can apply to attend Gloucester County Institute of Technology.
• This school is in Deptford Township and offers technical and vocational training.
• Since it is a public school, students do not have to pay tuition to attend.

Transportation in Wenonah

County Route 553 heading north along Wenonah's eastern border

Roads

• As of 2010, Wenonah had about 15.42 miles of roads.
• Most of these roads (13.63 miles) are maintained by the town itself.
• The rest (1.79 miles) are maintained by Gloucester County.
• The main roads serving Wenonah are County Route 553 and County Route 632.

Public Transit

• NJ Transit offers bus service on the 412 route, which connects Sewell to Philadelphia.
• Wenonah is also planned to have a stop on the Glassboro–Camden Line. This will be an 18-mile light rail system that is expected to be finished around 2025.

Notable People from Wenonah

Many interesting people have lived in or are connected to Wenonah:

• B.C. Camplight (born 1979, as Brian Christinzio), a singer-songwriter.
• Michael Capuzzo (born 1957), an author who was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize four times.
• Carl Hausman (born 1953), a journalist, educator, and author.
• Michael Pellegrino (born 2001), a soccer player for the University of Notre Dame.
• Isaac Pursell (1853–1910), an architect.
• Joe Solecki (born 1993), a professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
• Steve Squyres (born 1957), an astronomer who led the Mars Exploration Rover Mission.
• Tim Squyres (born 1959), a famous film editor who worked on movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Life of Pi.
• Bob Steuber (1921–1996), an NFL football player who is in the College Football Hall of Fame.

See also

In Spanish: Wenonah (Nueva Jersey) para niños