CHESTERFIELD TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY

'Chesterfield Township' is a Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 5,955.
Chesterfield was originally formed on November 6, 1688. It was reformed by Royal Charter on January 10, 1713, and was incorporated as one of New Jersey's initial 104 townships by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. Portions of the township were taken to form New Hanover Township (December 2, 1723) and Bordentown borough (December 9, 1825)."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 87.
Chesterfield Township comprises three distinct communities: Chesterfield, Crosswicks and Sykesville. The area was first settled in 1677, when a group primarily consisting of Quakers settled in the area of Crosswicks, the oldest of the Chesterfield's three "villages".^[1]

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Education

References

External links

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 55.7 km² (21.5 mi²). 55.5 km² (21.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.42%) is water.
Chesterfield Township borders Bordentown Township, Mansfield Township, Springfield Township, and North Hanover Township. Chesterfield Township also borders Mercer County.
What is now the unincorporated village of Chesterfield was known as Recklesstown in the 18th and early 19th centuries, named for one of its founders, Joseph Reckless. The name was changed in 1888, when the district's Congressman thought it an object of ridicule.^[2]

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 5,955 people, 899 households, and 744 families residing in the township. The population density was 107.4/km² (278.1/mi²). There were 924 housing units at an average density of 16.7/km² (43.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 49.71% White, 37.36% African American, 0.67% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 8.45% from other races, and 3.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.34% of the population.
There were 899 households out of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.6% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.2% were non-families. 12.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the township the population was spread out with 11.8% under the age of 18, 40.7% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 12.6% from 45 to 64, and 5.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 345.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 423.4 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $85,428, and the median income for a family was $91,267. Males had a median income of $50,305 versus $44,659 for females. The per capita income for the township was $17,193. About 0.4% of families and 1.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 1.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Chesterfield Township operates under the Township form of government which comprises three committeepersons who are elected on a partisan basis for an overlapping three year term, one member being elected each year. The committee traditionally selects the committeeperson serving the last year of his/her term to serve as mayor. The Mayor is always appointed in January after the elections. The Township Committee derives from the state statutes which delegates powers, prescribe the offices and structure and establish various procedures under which the Township must operate. The committee serves both legislative and executive functions.
Members of the Chesterfield Township Committee are Mayor Brian Kelly, Deputy Mayor Lawrence H. Durr and Michael Hlubik.^[3]

Federal, state and county representation

Chesterfield township is in the Fourth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 30th Legislative District.^[4]

Education

Students in public school for grades 1 - 6 attend Chesterfield Elementary School.
Public school students in grades 7 - 12 attend the schools of the Northern Burlington County Regional School District, which also serves students from Mansfield Township, North Hanover Township and Springfield Township. Students in grades 7 and 8 attend the Northern Burlington County Regional Middle School (721 students) and those in grades 9 - 12 attend Northern Burlington County Regional High School (1,194 students). Both schools are in Columbus.

References

1. History of Chesterfield Township, Chesterfield Township. Accessed March 6, 2007.
2. Chesterfield Township: Recklesstown Historic District, accessed April 26, 2007. "What is now the unincorporated village of Chesterfield was known as Recklesstown in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Its name derived not from the behavior of its inhabitants, but from one of its founders, Joseph Reckless. The name was changed in 1888, when the then Congressman for the district, himself a resident of the village, thought it an object of ridicule."
3. Chesterfield Township Committee, Chesterfield Township. Accessed March 6, 2007.
4. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters. p. 55. Accessed August 30, 2006.

External links

★ Chesterfield Township website

★ Chesterfield Elementary School

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★ National Center for Education Statistics data for the Chesterfield Elementary School

★ Northern Burlington County Regional School District

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★ National Center for Education Statistics data for the Northern Burlington County Regional School District

★ ChesterfieldNewJersey.com, a community-based website