Hamilton Township, Atlantic County, New Jersey

:"Not to be confused with Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey."

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Hamilton Township, New Jersey
settlement_type = Township
nickname =
motto =

imagesize =
image_caption =


image_

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mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Map of Hamilton Township in Atlantic County. Inset: Location of Atlantic County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.


mapsize1 = 250x200px
map_caption1 = Census Bureau map of Hamilton Township, Atlantic County, New Jersey

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = New Jersey
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Atlantic
government_footnotes =
government_type = Township (New Jersey)
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Charles Pritchard
leader_title1 = Administrator
leader_name1 = Edward Sasdelli [ [http://www.townshipofhamilton.com/content/146/default.aspx Hamilton Township Administrator] , Township of Hamilton. Accessed May 5, 2008.]
established_title = Incorporated
established_date = February 5, 1813

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 292.6
area_land_km2 = 288.2
area_water_km2 = 4.4
area_total_sq_mi = 113.0
area_land_sq_mi = 111.3
area_water_sq_mi = 1.7

population_as_of = 2007
population_footnotes =
population_total = 24553
population_density_km2 = 71.1
population_density_sq_mi = 184.2

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes = [Gnis|882049|Township of Hamilton, Geographic Names Information System. Accessed January 4, 2008.]
elevation_m = 21
elevation_ft = 69
latd = 39 |latm = 29 |lats = 6 |latNS = N
longd = 74 |longm = 45 |longs = 31 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP Code
postal_code = 08330 - Mays Landing
area_code = 609
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 34-29280GR|2 [ [http://mcdc2.missouri.edu/webrepts/commoncodes/ccc_nj.html A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey] , Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 14, 2008.]
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0882049GR|3
website = http://www.townshipofhamilton.com
footnotes =

Hamilton Township is a township in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 20,499. The Township of Hamilton was incorporated by the New Jersey Legislature on February 5, 1813. [http://www.townshipofhamilton.com/ A Brief Overview of our Town] , Hamilton Township. Accessed October 2, 2006.]

At convert|113|sqmi|km2, Hamilton Township was the largest municipality, in area, in the State of New Jersey. Until the federal government confirmed recently that neighboring Galloway Township was larger with a total area of convert|114.8|sqmi|km2 of land and water.

Mays Landing (2000 population of 2,321), a census-designated place and unincorporated area, located within Hamilton Township, has been the county seat of Atlantic County since 1837.

History

Hamilton Township’s origins are directly tied to the Great Egg Harbor River and its tributaries which run through it. George May, after whom the village of Mays Landing was named, built a shipyard and trading post near Babcock Creek in 1756. By the mid 19th century that Mays Landing reached the height of its shipbuilding.

From 1830 to 1880, more than two hundred vessels were built along the Great Egg Harbor River with lumber from native forests and iron from Weymouth foundries. Half of them were produced at Mays Landing. But by the end of century, wood shipbuilding began to disappear due to the lack of suitable timber. Iron was then substituted for hull construction.

Hamilton was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 5, 1813, from portions of Egg Harbor Township and Weymouth Township, while the area was still part of Gloucester County. Hamilton became part of the newly-created Atlantic County in 1837. Portions of the township were taken to form Hammonton on March 5, 1866, and to form Buena Vista Township on March 5, 1867."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 69.]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 113.0 square miles (292.6 km²), of which, 111.3 square miles (288.2 km²) of it is land and 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²) of it (1.51%) is water.

The western three-quarters of the township is rural pine forest protected from dense development by New Jersey Pinelands Commission restrictions and large preserved tracts of land. By stark contrast, the eastern quarter has developed as a suburban-like area due to its status as a Pinelands Regional Growth Area (RGA). Mandated to absorb growth fueled by nearby Atlantic City, Hamilton’s RGA now is home to the majority of its nearly 24,000 residents.

Demographics

USCensusPop
1930= 3193
1940= 3363
1950= 3774
1960= 6017
1970= 6445
1980= 9499
1990= 16012
2000= 20499
estimate=24553
estyear=2007
estref= [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=ChangeGeoContext&geo_id=06000US3400129280&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US34%7C05000US34001%7C06000US3400125560&_street=&_county=hamilton&_cityTown=hamilton&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry= Census data for Hamilton Township] , United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2008.]
footnote=Population 1930 - 1990 [ [http://www.wnjpin.net/OneStopCareerCenter/LaborMarketInformation/lmi01/poptrd6.htm New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990] , Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.] As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 20,499 people, 7,148 households, and 5,039 families residing in the township. The population density was 184.2 people per square mile (71.1/km²). There were 7,567 housing units at an average density of 68.0/sq mi (26.3/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 71.45% White, 19.26% African American, 0.29% Native American, 3.29% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.33% from other races, and 2.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.91% of the population.

There were 7,148 households out of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the township the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 35.9% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 99.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $50,259, and the median income for a family was $54,899. Males had a median income of $37,419 versus $30,089 for females. The per capita income for the township was $21,309. About 4.5% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

The Township of Hamilton is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government by a five-member Township Committee. Members are elected in partisan elections to three-year terms in office on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year."2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book", Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 13.] At an annual reorganization meeting each January, the Council selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor.

The members of the Hamilton Township Committee are
Mayor [http://www.townshipofhamilton.com/content/76/156/default.aspx Charles Pritchard] ,
Deputy Mayor [http://www.townshipofhamilton.com/filestorage/76/991/Gaskill.pdf Nelson Gaskill] , [http://www.townshipofhamilton.com/filestorage/76/1183/AmyGatto_Resume_011408.pdf Amy Gatto] , Joseph A. Nickels, III and [http://www.townshipofhamilton.com/filestorage/76/1181/RogerSilva_Resume.pdf Roger Silva] . [ [http://www.townshipofhamilton.com/content/76/default.aspx Hamilton Township Committee] , Hamilton Township. Accessed May 5, 2008.]

Federal, state and county representation

Hamilton Township is in the Second Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 2nd Legislative District. [ [http://www.lwvnj.org/pubs/CG06.pdf 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government] , New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 58. Accessed August 30, 2006.]

Education

For Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade, public school students attend the Hamilton Township Schools. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics [ [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3406510 Data for the Hamilton Township Schools] , National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed May 4, 2008.] ) are [http://www.hamiltonschools.org/shaner/ Joseph C. Shaner Memorial School] with 681 students in Pre-K to 1st grade, [http://www.hamiltonschools.org/hess/ George Hess Educational Complex] with 1,470 in grades 2 - 6 and [http://www.hamiltonschools.org/davies/ William Davies Middle School] with 1,067 students in grades 7 and 8.

Public school students in grades 9 - 12 attend Oakcrest High School, located in Hamilton Township, which serves students from Hamilton Township, Mullica Township, the City of Port Republic and Washington Township. [ [http://education.state.nj.us/rc/rc07/narrative/01/1790/01-1790-050.html Oakcrest High School 2007 Report Card Narrative] , New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 3, 2008. "Oakcrest is a comprehensive high school located in Mays Landing that provides a secondary school education to four elementary districts including Greenbank, Hamilton Township, Mullica Township, and Port Republic."] 2,108 students attend the school. The High School is part of the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District, a regional high school district serving approximately 3,700 students in the constituent districts of Egg Harbor City, Galloway Township, Hamilton Township and Mullica Township, together with students from the City of Port Republic and Washington Township (in Burlington County), who attend as part of sending/receiving relationships with their respective school districts. [ [http://education.state.nj.us/rc/rc07/narrative/01/1790/01-1790-000.html Greater Egg Harbor Regional School District 2007 Report card Narrative] , New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 2, 2008. "The Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District serves the communities of Galloway Township, Hamilton Township, Egg Harbor City, Mullica Township and participates in receiving relationships with Port Republic and Washington Township."]

[http://www.svdprs.com/ Saint Vincent de Paul Regional School] is a Catholic elementary school in Mays Landing, operated under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Camden. [ [http://www.camdendiocese.org/schools/ac.html Atlantic County Schools] , Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden. Accessed July 22, 2008.]

Atlantic Cape Community College and the Atlantic County Institute of Technology are both located in the township.

Points of interest

Hamilton is home to over convert|3000000|sqft|m2 of first class retail establishments including Hamilton Mall, Consumer Square and Hamilton Commons. The Great Egg Harbor River and Lake Lenape are recreational resources used by local residents and visitors alike. Hamilton is also home to the Atlantic County Justice Facility, the County Court Complex and the main branch of the Atlantic County Library.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Hamilton Township include::
* Suzette Charles (born 1963), singer and entertainer, who became Miss America 1984. [Chira, Susan. [http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F10A1FFA3A5C0C7A8DDDA00894DB484D81 "TO FIRST BLACK MISS AMERICA, VICTORY IS A MEANS TO AN END"] , "The New York Times", September 19, 1983. Accessed December 4, 2007. "Her home is in Mays Landing, 15 miles west of Atlantic City, the site of the contest."]
* Darren Drozdov (born 1969), ex-NFL player and retired professional wrestler who competed in the WWF. [ [http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=DROZDDAR01 Darren Drozdov] , database Football. Accessed December 8, 2007.]
* William Moore (1810-1878), served in the United States House of Representatives, where he represented New Jersey's 1st congressional district from 1867 to 1871. [ [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=M000922 William Moore] , "Biographical Directory of the United States Congress". Accessed August 24, 2007.]

References

External links

* [http://www.townshipofhamilton.com/ Township of Hamilton Official Site]
* [http://www.acbiz.org/Main%20Pages/About/ECD_about_gov.htm#hamilton Atlantic County municipal government information for Hamilton Township]
* [http://www.htmua.com/home.html Hamilton Township Municipal Utilities Authority]
* [http://www.hamiltonschools.org/ Hamilton Township Schools]
*NJReportCard|01|1940|0|Hamilton Township Schools
* [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=3406510 Data for the Hamilton Township Schools] , National Center for Education Statistics
* [http://www.oakcrest.net/ Oakcrest High School website]
* [http://www.gehrhsd.net/ Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District]
* [http://www.shorenewstoday.com/ham The Current of Hamilton Township]
* [http://www.acracecourse.com/ Atlantic City Race Course website]
* [http://www.shophamilton.com/ Hamilton Mall website]