Lower_Alloways_Creek_Township,_New_Jersey

Lower Alloways Creek Township, New Jersey

Lower Alloways Creek Township, New Jersey

Township in Salem County, New Jersey, United States


Lower Alloways Creek Township is a township in Salem County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 1,717,[9] a decrease of 53 (−3.0%) from the 2010 census count of 1,770,[17][18] which in turn reflected a decline of 81 (−4.4%) from the 1,851 counted in the 2000 census.[19]

Quick Facts Country, State ...

PSE&G operates three nuclear reactors in Lower Alloways Creek Township. Salem 1 and Salem 2 are pressurized water reactors at the Salem Nuclear Power Plant and the Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station has one boiling water reactor.[20] Lower Alloways Creek Township is a dry town where alcohol cannot be sold legally.[21][22]

History

Lower Alloways Creek Township was formed on June 17, 1767, when Alloways Creek Township was subdivided and Upper Alloways Creek Township (now Alloway Township) was also formed. The township was incorporated by the New Jersey Legislature's Township Act of 1798 on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's original group of 104 townships.[23] The name Alloway is derivative of Allowas, a local Native American chief.[24][25][26][27]

Geography

The Hope Creek (left) and Salem (right) nuclear power plants as seen from the Delaware River

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 72.53 square miles (187.84 km2), including 45.31 square miles (117.35 km2) of land and 27.22 square miles (70.49 km2) of water (37.53%).[2][3]

Hancock's Bridge (with a 2010 Census population of 254[28]) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Lower Alloways Creek Township, and home to the township's municipal building, police station and a post office.[29][30][31]

The township includes the great majority of Artificial Island, the northern tip of which is crossed east-westward by the New Jersey-Delaware state line, so it borders a tiny portion of New Castle County, Delaware, which is one of two areas of land of Delaware (and New Castle County) that is east of the Delaware River, the other being Finns Point, also part of New Castle County, DE, adjacent to Pennsville Township.[32]

Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Alder Cove, Arnold Point, Canton, Cumberland, Harmersville, Haskells Mills, Maskellers Mill, New Bridge and Woods Landing.[33]

The township borders the Salem County municipalities of Elsinboro Township, Quinton Township and Salem. Lower Alloways Creek Township also borders the Delaware Bay, Cumberland County and a small point of land that is located within Delaware's Twelve-Mile Circle.[34][35]

Demographics

More information Census, Pop. ...

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 1,770 people, 679 households, and 503 families in the township. The population density was 39.1 inhabitants per square mile (15.1/km2). There were 727 housing units at an average density of 16.1 per square mile (6.2/km2). The racial makeup was 96.95% (1,716) White, 1.36% (24) Black or African American, 0.28% (5) Native American, 0.17% (3) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.11% (2) from other races, and 1.13% (20) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.53% (27) of the population.[17]

Of the 679 households, 27.4% had children under the age of 18; 62.2% were married couples living together; 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 25.9% were non-families. Of all households, 20.8% were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.03.[17]

21.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 31.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 96.0 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 94.7 males.[17]

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $66,384 (with a margin of error of +/− $3,808) and the median family income was $72,969 (+/− $7,867). Males had a median income of $46,964 (+/− $6,435) versus $43,083 (+/− $8,815) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $27,325 (+/− $2,057). About none of families and 1.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.[48]

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census[14] there were 1,851 people, 693 households, and 537 families residing in the township. The population density was 39.6 inhabitants per square mile (15.3/km2). There were 730 housing units at an average density of 15.6 per square mile (6.0/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 96.38% White, 2.16% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.49% of the population.[46][47]

There were 693 households, out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.7% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.4% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.00.[46][47]

In the township the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.2 males.[46][47]

The median income for a household in the township was $55,078, and the median income for a family was $59,653. Males had a median income of $44,081 versus $30,313 for females. The per capita income for the township was $21,962. About 4.2% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.7% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.[46][47]

Government

Local government

Lower Alloways Creek Township is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state.[49] The Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle.[4][50] At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as mayor and another as deputy mayor.

As of 2023 members of the Lower Alloways Creek Township Committee are Mayor Paul M. Collier (R, 2026, term as mayor ends 2023), Deputy Mayor Timothy W. Bradway (I, 2024; term as deputy mayor ends 2023), Laura Tice Crane (R, 2024), Jeffrey P. Palombo (R, 2026) and Richard W. Venable Sr. (R, 2023).[5][51][52][53][54][55]

In 2018, the township had an average property tax bill of $2,157, the lowest in the county, compared to an average bill of $5,711 in Salem County and $8,767 statewide.[56][57]

Federal, state and county representation

Lower Alloways Creek Township is located in the 2nd Congressional District[58] and is part of New Jersey's 3rd state legislative district.[59][60][61]

For the 118th United States Congress, New Jersey's 2nd congressional district is represented by Jeff Van Drew (R, Dennis Township).[62] New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027)[63] and Bob Menendez (Englewood Cliffs, term ends 2025).[64][65]

For the 2024-2025 session, the 3rd legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by John Burzichelli (D, Paulsboro) and in the General Assembly by David Bailey (D, Woodstown) and Heather Simmons (D, Glassboro).[66]

Salem County is governed by a five-member Board of County Commissioners who are elected at-large to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year. At an annual reorganization meeting held in the beginning of January, the board selects a Director and a Deputy Director from among its members.[67] As of 2024, Salem County's Commissioners (with party, residence, and term-end year listed in parentheses) are:

Director Benjamin H. Laury (R, Elmer, 2024), Deputy Director Gordon J. "Mickey" Ostrum Jr. (R, Pilesgrove Township, 2024), Cordy Taylor (R, Oldmans Township, 2025), Ed Ramsey (R, Pittsgrove Township, 2026) and Daniel Timmerman (R, Elmer, 2025).[67][68]

Constitutional officers elected on a countywide basis are: Clerk Dale A. Cross (R, Pennsville Township, 2024),[69][70] Sheriff Charles M. Miller (R, Salem, 2024)[71][72] and Surrogate Nicki A. Burke (D, Woodstown, 2025).[73][74]

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 1,302 registered voters in Lower Alloways Creek Township, of which 461 (35.4% vs. 30.6% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 337 (25.9% vs. 21.0%) were registered as Republicans and 503 (38.6% vs. 48.4%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There was one voter registered to another party.[75] Among the township's 2010 Census population, 73.6% (vs. 64.6% in Salem County) were registered to vote, including 94.1% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 84.4% countywide).[75][76]

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 65.7% of the vote (620 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 33.2% (313 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (11 votes), among the 1,153 ballots cast by the township's 1,313 registered voters (209 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 87.8%.[77][78] In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 657 votes (65.2% vs. 46.6% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 316 votes (31.4% vs. 50.4%) and other candidates with 23 votes (2.3% vs. 1.6%), among the 1,007 ballots cast by the township's 1,323 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.1% (vs. 71.8% in Salem County).[79] In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 761 votes (70.0% vs. 52.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 313 votes (28.8% vs. 45.9%) and other candidates with 9 votes (0.8% vs. 1.0%), among the 1,087 ballots cast by the township's 1,358 registered voters, for a turnout of 80.0% (vs. 71.0% in the whole county).[80]

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 78.9% of the vote (597 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 19.8% (150 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (10 votes), among the 772 ballots cast by the township's 1,330 registered voters (15 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 58.0%.[81][82] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 438 votes (53.5% vs. 46.1% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 248 votes (30.3% vs. 39.9%), Independent Chris Daggett with 95 votes (11.6% vs. 9.7%) and other candidates with 19 votes (2.3% vs. 2.0%), among the 819 ballots cast by the township's 1,328 registered voters, yielding a 61.7% turnout (vs. 47.3% in the county).[83]

Education

The Lower Alloways Creek Township School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade at Lower Alloways Creek Elementary School.[84] As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprising one school, had an enrollment of 143 students and 19.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 7.3:1.[85] In the 2016–17 school year, Lower Alloways Creek Township had the 32nd smallest enrollment of any school district in the state, with 159 students.[86]

Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Salem High School in Salem City, together with students from Elsinboro Township, Mannington Township and Quinton Township, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Salem City School District.[87][88][89] As of the 2021–22 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 399 students and 39.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.2:1.[90]

Transportation

Main Street-Canton Road (County Route 623) in Lower Alloways Creek Township

As of May 2010, the township had a total of 49.78 miles (80.11 km) of roadways, of which 27.18 miles (43.74 km) were maintained by the municipality and 22.60 miles (36.37 km) by Salem County.[91]

No Interstate, U.S., state or major county highways pass through Lower Alloways Creek Township. The only numbered roads are minor county routes, such as County Route 623.

Route 45 and Route 49 are the closest state highways, and are accessible in neighboring municipalities. The closest limited access roads, Interstate 295 and the New Jersey Turnpike, are accessible two towns away in Pennsville Township.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Lower Alloways Creek Township include:


References

  1. Genovese, Peter. "Hidden Jersey: Lower Alloways Creek", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, August 17, 2012. Accessed July 29, 2016. "Lower Alloways — not to be confused with Alloway Township, to the north and east — includes the hamlets of Hancocks Bridge, Canton, Harmersville and Maskells Mill, and calls itself 'The Heart of South Jersey.'"
  2. 2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2006, p. 19.
  3. Township Committee, Lower Alloways Creek Township. Accessed August 16, 2022.
  4. 2023 New Jersey Mayors Directory, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, updated February 8, 2023. Accessed February 10, 2023. As of date accessed, Collier is listed with a term-end year of 2025, which is the end of his three-year committee term, not his one-year mayoral term of office.
  5. Municipal Clerk, Lower Alloway's Creek Township. Accessed August 16, 2022.
  6. Area Code Lookup - NPA NXX for Hancocks Bridge, NJ, Area-Codes.com. Accessed October 21, 2013.
  7. Geographic Codes Lookup for New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed April 1, 2022.
  8. PSEG Nuclear, Public Service Enterprise Group. Accessed January 11, 2018. "PSEG Nuclear operates the Salem and Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Stations in Lower Alloways Creek, NJ and is a part owner of the Peach Bottom Nuclear generation station in Delta, PA."
  9. New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control. New Jersey ABC list of dry towns (May 1, 2013)
  10. Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 16061968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 215. Accessed October 28, 2012.
  11. Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed August 30, 2015.
  12. Pierce, Arthur Dudley. Smugglers' Woods: Jaunts and Journeys in Colonial and Revolutionary New Jersey, p. 87. Rutgers University Press, 1960. ISBN 9780813504445. Accessed September 3, 2015.
  13. Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed August 26, 2015.
  14. Schoonejongen, John. "How Delaware got on Jersey's side of the river", Asbury Park Press, September 10, 2010. Accessed September 17, 2015. "Over the years, dumping grounds for dredge spoils have actually expanded the land mass in New Jersey, but the old border holds fast, meaning that in areas of Salem County, for example, someone can walk from New Jersey to Delaware without getting his or her feet wet. A part of Lower Alloways Creek's Artificial Island, upon which three nuclear generators sit, is one of those areas. Killcohook, in Pennsville Township, is another."
  15. Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed May 2, 2015.
  16. Salem County Map, Coalition for a Healthy NJ. Accessed February 26, 2020.
  17. Barnett, Bob. Population Data for Salem County Municipalities, 1810 - 2000, WestJersey.org, January 6, 2011. Accessed January 17, 2013.
  18. Bowen, Francis. American Almanac and Repository of Useful Knowledge for the Year 1843, p. 232, David H. Williams, 1842. Accessed October 21, 2013.
  19. Raum, John O. The History of New Jersey: From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time, Volume 1, p. 254, J. E. Potter and company, 1877. Accessed January 17, 2013. "Lower Alloways creek contained a population in 1830 of 1,222; in 1840, 1,252, in 1850, 1,423; in 1860, 1,471; and in 1870, 1,483."
  20. Debow, James Dunwoody Brownson. The Seventh Census of the United States: 1850, p. 140. R. Armstrong, 1853. Accessed January 17, 2013.
  21. Staff. A compendium of the ninth census, 1870, p. 260. United States Census Bureau, 1872. Accessed January 17, 2013.
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  23. Inventory of Municipal Forms of Government in New Jersey, Rutgers University Center for Government Studies, July 1, 2011. Accessed June 1, 2023.
  24. "Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey", p. 7. Rutgers University Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023.
  25. "Township Committee Reorganizes for 2022", Lower Alloways Creek Township, January 1, 2022. Accessed August 16, 2022."Mrs. Crane and Mr. Bradway were sworn-in for three-years terms. Mr. Bradway was chosen by the Township Committee to be the Mayor for 2022."
  26. 2022 Municipal Data Sheet, Lower Alloways Creek Township. Accessed August 16, 2022.
  27. November 5, 2019 Summary Report Salem County, NJ Official Results, Salem County, New Jersey Clerk, updated November 18, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020.
  28. 2018 Property Tax Information, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, updated January 16, 2019. Accessed November 7, 2019.
  29. Marcus, Samantha. "These are the towns with the lowest property taxes in each of N.J.’s 21 counties", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, April 30, 2019. Accessed November 7, 2019. "New Jersey’s average property tax bill may have hit $8,767 last year — a new record — but taxpayers in some parts of the state pay just a fraction of that.... The average property tax bill in Lower Alloways Creek Township was $2,157 in 2018, the lowest in Salem County."
  30. Plan Components Report, New Jersey Redistricting Commission, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020.
  31. U.S. Sen. Cory Booker cruises past Republican challenger Rik Mehta in New Jersey, PhillyVoice. Accessed April 30, 2021. "He now owns a home and lives in Newark's Central Ward community."
  32. Biography of Bob Menendez, United States Senate, January 26, 2015. "Menendez, who started his political career in Union City, moved in September from Paramus to one of Harrison's new apartment buildings near the town's PATH station.."
  33. Home, sweet home: Bob Menendez back in Hudson County. nj.com. Accessed April 30, 2021. "Booker, Cory A. - (D - NJ) Class II; Menendez, Robert - (D - NJ) Class I"
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  46. 2004 Presidential Election: Salem County, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 13, 2004. Accessed January 17, 2013.
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  49. 2009 Governor: Salem County Archived 2012-10-17 at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 31, 2009. Accessed January 17, 2013.
  50. Guion, Payton. "These 43 N.J. school districts have fewer than 200 students", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, September 2017. Accessed January 30, 2020. "Based on data from the state Department of Education from the last school year and the Census Bureau, NJ Advance Media made a list of the smallest of the small school districts in the state, excluding charter schools and specialty institutions.... 32. Lower Alloways Creek Township; Enrollment: 159; Grades: Pre-K-8; County: Salem; Town population: 1,770"
  51. Our Sending Districts, Salem City School District (New Jersey). Accessed January 24, 2017. "Salem High School welcomes students from: Elsinboro Township School; Lower Alloways Creek School; Mannington Township School; Quinton Township School"
  52. Shott, Meghan. "Salem High School", SouthJersey.com. Accessed January 24, 2017. "Students from Elsinboro, Lower Alloways Creek Township, Mannington Township and Quinton Township attend the high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship, according to the school's 2010 Report Card from the NJ Department of Education."
  53. Bumpus, Robert L. Salem County Report on Consolidation and Regionalization, Salem County, New Jersey Executive County Superintendent, March 15, 2010. "In this area of Salem County four P-8 districts, Lower Alloway Creek, Quinton, Elsinboro, and Mannington Townships have a send/receive agreement with neighboring Salem City to send their students to Salem High School."
  54. Tomlinson, Phillip. "Salem County's Revolutionary War massacre at Hancock House relived", South Jersey Times, March 23, 2014. Accessed May 2, 2015. "Lower Alloways Creek Twp. — A dark chapter in South Jersey's rich Revolutionary War history was relived this weekend with the commemoration of the massacre of local patriots by the British at Hancocks Bridge.... On March 21, 1778 a band of British loyalists bayoneted a company American militiamen to death, along with Judge William Hancock — purportedly a loyalist himself — and members of his household.The house where the sleeping patriots were slain was built by Hancock's father, who was also William and also a judge, in 1734 and still stands overlooking the bridge that spans Alloways Creek."

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