West Deptford Township, New Jersey
West Deptford Township (pronounced West DEP-ford) is a township in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 22,197 reflecting an increase of 530 (+2.4%) from the 21,667 counted in the 2010 Census, which had in turn increased by 2,309 (+11.9%) from the 19,368 counted in the 2000 Census. West Deptford Township was formed as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 1, 1871, from portions of Deptford Township. Portions of the township were taken to form the boroughs  of National Park (April 15, 1902) and Westville (April 7, 1914). Woodbury annexed portions of the township in May 1907. The township was named for Deptford, which in turn was named after the English port of Deptford. History. Ladd's Castle (also known as Candor Hall) is a historic building located in the Colonial Manor section that is Gloucester County's oldest brick home. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, it was constructed around 1688 by William Ladd, a surveyor who is said to have helped William Penn to lay out a master design for the  city of Philadelphia. Geography. According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 17.81 square miles (46.12 km), including 15.36 square miles (39.77 km) of land and 2.45 square miles (6.35 km) of water (13.77%). Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Colonial Manor, Eagle Point, Greenfields Village, Hoffman Wharf, League Island, Leonards, North Woodbury, Ogens, Paradise, Parkville, Pierces Corner, Red Bank, Tatens, Thorofare, Verga, Washington Park and West End. West Deptford Township borders the municipalities of Deptford Township, East Greenwich Township, Mantua Township, National Park, Paulsboro, Westville , Woodbury and Woodbury Heights in Gloucester County; and Philadelphia Tinicum Township in Pennsylvania, across the Delaware River. Demographics. Census 2010. The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $69,316 (with a margin of error of +/- $3,689) and the median family income was $84,900 (+/- $5,549). Males had a median income of $61,346 (+/- $4,244) versus $47,155 (+/- $4,421) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $33,874 (+/- $1,513). About 4.0% of families and 5.5 % of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.6% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over. Census 2000. As of the 2000 United States Census there were 19,368 people, 7,719 households, and 5,125 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,218.4 people per square mile (470.3/km). There were 7,999 housing units at an average density of 503.2 per square mile (194.2/km). The racial makeup of the township was 92.29% White, 5.08% Black, 0.23% Native American, 1.13% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.42% from other races, and 0.82% from two or  more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.76% of the population. There were 7,719 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.07. In the township, the population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age  of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males. The median income for a household in the township was $50,583, and the median income for a family was $64,477. Males had a median income of $42,711 versus $30,621 for females. The per capita income for the township was $24,219. About 3.0 % of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over. Government. Local government. West Deptford Township is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 565) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state. The Township Committee is composed 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. At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor. The Township Committee is the legislative branch of the Township government, developing and adopting ordinances that become the laws of the township. , members of the West Deptford Township Committee are Mayor Denice DiCarlo (D, term on committee ends December 31, 2021; term as mayor ends 2020), Deputy Mayor James Mehaffey (D, term on committee ends 2020 ; term as deputy mayor ends 2019), Megan Kerr (D, 2022), Adam Reid (D, 2020) and Jim Robinson (D, 2022). The pick-up of two seats by Republicans in the 2011 election gave the party control of the Township Committee for the first time since the 1980s. Republicans Jeff Hansen and Gerald P. Maher won three-year seats in the November 2013 election, giving Republicans a 4–1 edge on the 2014 committee. In the 2014 election, Democratic challengers James Mehaffey and Adam Reid defeated incumbent Republicans Raymond Chintall and John Keuler Jr., giving the Democrats a 3-2 majority, with the  three Democrats choosing as mayor Denice DiCarlo, who had been the lone Democrat in the previous council. Federal, state and county representation. West Deptford Township is located in the 1st Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 3rd state legislative district. Politics. As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 14,703 registered voters in West Deptford, of which 5,661 (38.5%) were registered as Democrats, 2,312 (15.7%) were registered as Republicans and 6,724 (45.7%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 6 voters registered to other parties. In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 57.1% of  the vote (6,119 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 41.7% (4,463 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (132 votes), among the 10,804 ballots cast by the township's 15,400 registered voters (90 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 70.2%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 57.1% of the vote (6,351 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 40.2% (4,468 votes) and other candidates with 1.4% (158 votes), among the 11,119 ballots cast by the township's 15,030 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.0%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 55.3% of  the vote (5,566 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 43.5% (4,375 votes) and other candidates with 0.5% (71 votes), among the 10,065 ballots cast by the township's 13,400 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 75.1. In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 66.3% of the vote (4,593 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 32.3% (2,236 votes), and other candidates with 1.4% (96 votes), among the 7,118 ballots cast by the township's 15,194 registered voters (193 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 46.8%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received  45.4% of the vote (3,212 ballots cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 43.5% (3,077 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 8.9% (629 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (39 votes), among the 7,072 ballots cast by the township's 14,879 registered voters, yielding a 47.5% turnout. Education. The West Deptford Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of five schools, had an enrollment of 2,947 students and 220.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.4:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment  data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Oakview Elementary School with 374 students in grades PreK-1, Red Bank Elementary School with 252 students in grade K and 2, Green-Fields Elementary School with 488 students in grades 3–4, West Deptford Middle School with 900 students in grades 5-8 and West Deptford High School with 879 students in grades 9-12. 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. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden operated St. Matthews School, which had campuses in Verga and National Park. In 2007 it was consolidated into Holy Trinity Regional School, in Deptford. In 2017 was moved to the former St. Patrick's Building in Woodbury due to the superior condition of that building, according to the archdiocese. It opened as Holy Angels Catholic School which still operates. Additionally Guardian Angels Regional School (Pre-K-Grade 3 campus in Gibbstown CDP and 4-8 campus in Paulsboro) takes students from West Deptford Township. Transportation. Roads and highways . , the township had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Gloucester County and by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. Major roadways in and around West Deptford Township include Interstate 295, which enters the township's southwest from Paulsboro and continues for towards the northeast to Deptford Township and includes exits 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23. U.S. Route 130 follows a concurrency with Interstate 295, splitting off near interchange 23 towards the township's northeast as Crown Point Road and continuing into Westville. Route 44 (Crown  Point Road) enters from Paulsboro, closely paralleling Interstate 295 for to its northern terminus in the township. Route 45 (Mantua Avenue) enters from Mantua Township in the extreme southeast corner of the township and runs along the eastern border with Deptford Township and then Woodbury Heights, enters Woodbury and then re-enters West Deptford Township as its border with Deptford Township before continuing to the north towards its terminus in Westville. County Route 551 (Kings Highway) enters on the south from East Greenwich Township and continues for heading northeast into Woodbury. The New Jersey Turnpike passes through the township's  southeastern corner, heading northeast from East Greenwich Township to Woodbury Heights, but the nearest exits are Interchanges 3 and 2. Public transportation. NJ Transit bus service between the township and Philadelphia is available on the 401 (Salem to Philadelphia), 402 (Pennsville Township to Philadelphia), 410 (Bridgeton to Philadelphia) and 412 (Glassboro to Philadelphia) routes, with local service offered on the 455 route between Cherry Hill Township and Paulsboro. Port of Paulsboro. The Port of Paulsboro is located on the Delaware River and Mantua Creek in Paulsboro and West Deptford. Traditionally one of the nation's busiest for marine transfer operations  of petroleum products, the port is being redeveloped as an adaptable "omniport" able to handle a diversity of bulk, break bulk cargo and shipping containers. Studies completed in 2012. concluded that the port is well suited to become a center for the manufacture, assembly, and transport of wind turbines and platforms the development of Atlantic Wind Connection Community. West Deptford is host of the annual Senior Little League Baseball Eastern Regional Tournament. The winner of this tournament advances to the Senior League World Series held annually in Bangor, Maine since 2002. Notable people. People who were born in, residents of , or otherwise closely associated with West Deptford Township include: