GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY

'Galloway Township' is a township in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 31,209.
Galloway Township was incorporated by Royal Charter on April 4, 1774, from portions of Egg Harbor Township, when it was still part of Gloucester County. Galloway was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. After becoming part of the newly-formed Atlantic County in 1837, portions of the township were taken to create Mullica Township (March 13, 1838), Egg Harbor City (June 14, 1858), Absecon town (February 29, 1872), Brigantine Beach borough (now Brigantine city; June 14, 1890) and Port Republic (March 1, 1905)."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 69.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Education

History

Transportation

Notable residents

Points of interest

Pests

References

External links

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 297.3 km² (114.8 mi²). 234.4 km² (90.5 mi²) of it is land and 63.0 km² (24.3 mi²) of it (21.18%) is water.
Pomona (2000 Census population of 4,019) is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Galloway Township. Other unincorporated areas within Galloway Township include Absecon Highlands, Cologne, Conovertown, Germania, Higbeetown, Leeds Point, Oceanville, Pinehurst, Pomona, Smithville and South Egg Harbor, and the "Township Center".

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 31,209 people, 10,772 households, and 7,680 families residing in the township. The population density was 133.2/km² (344.9/mi²). There were 11,406 housing units at an average density of 48.7/km² (126.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 77.16% White, 9.80% African American, 0.24% Native American, 8.00% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.59% from other races, and 2.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.16% of the population.
There were 10,772 households out of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the township the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 13.6% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $51,592, and the median income for a family was $57,156. Males had a median income of $38,048 versus $31,167 for females. The per capita income for the township was $21,048. About 4.4% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Galloway Township has adopted the Council-Manager form of New Jersey government. This format is regulated by New Jersey law under the Faulkner Act. In Galloway Township residents elect council members, but not the Mayor. Members of Council select one of their members to take the office of Mayor and another to serve as Deputy Mayor. The Mayor does not have any more powers than any other member of the Council. Although the Council is the governing body of the township, the day-to-day operations are the responsibility of the Township Manager.
Council members are elected to serve four-year terms of office. Seats come up for election every two years, with either four or three seats expiring in each election on a staggered basis.
Members of the Galloway Township Council are Mayor Thomas Bassford (R, term ends December 2009), Deputy Mayor William Ackerman (R, 2007), Richard Dase (R, 2009), Alan DeSimone (R, 2009), Mark A. Hanko (R, 2007), David Maxwell (R, 2007) and Meg Worthington (D, 2009).^[1]

Federal, state and county representation

Galloway Township is in the Second Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 2nd Legislative District.^[2]

Education

For pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade, students attend the Galloway Township Public Schools. Schools in the district are Oceanville Kindergarten Learning Center with 174 students in Kindergarten, Pomona Kindergarten Learning Center with 196 students in Kindergarten, Arthur Rann Elementary School with 598 students in grades 1-6, Reeds Road Elementary School with 605 students in grades 1-6, Roland Rogers Elementary School with 575 students in grades 1-6, Smithville Elementary School with 615 students in preschool and grades 1-6, and Galloway Township Middle School with 970 students in grades 7-8.
Public school students in grades 9 - 12 attend Absegami High School, located in Galloway Township, which serves students from both Galloway Township and Egg Harbor City. About 2,300 students attend the school. The High School is part of the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District, a regional public high school district serving about 3,700 in the constituent districts of Egg Harbor City, Galloway Township, Hamilton Township and Mullica Township. In addition,students from the districts of the City of Port Republic and Washington Township (in Burlington County) attend as part of sending/receiving relationships.
The Galloway Community Charter School is a public school that serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The school operates independently of the Galloway Township Public Schools under a charter issued by the New Jersey Department of Education. There is no tuition charged; costs are paid on a per-student basis by each of the sending districts, with additional funding provided by the State of New Jersey. The school draws its students from throughout Atlantic County.
The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey is a four-year Liberal arts college located in the Pomona section of Galloway Township.

History

The Township of Galloway was created by Royal Patent of King George III of England on April 4, 1774. At that time it was part of Old Gloucester County, and comprised what is now Hammonton, Mullica Township, Egg Harbor City, Port Republic, Brigantine, Atlantic City, and the northern portion of Absecon. Galloway Township was incorporated by the New Jersey Legislature on [{February 21]], 1798."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 69.
Historians are uncertain of the source of Galloway Township's name. One theory is that is was named after an area known as Mull of Galloway in the region of Dumfries and Galloway in southern Scotland. An alternative derivation is that the Township was named for Joseph Galloway, a Loyalist delegate to the First Continental Congress in 1774, who was opposed to independence of the Thirteen colonies.
Galloway Township's first inhabitants were Lenni-Lenape Native Americans, who were followed by European settlers. During the American Revolutionary War, Galloway was the site of the Battle of Chestnut Neck (in what is now a part of Port Republic).
The webcomic Uncertainty Principle, written by Scott McAllister and drawn by Darrell M. Stark (a Galloway Township resident and Absegami High School graduate) takes place in Galloway Township during the year 2550.
Patricia Nickles was the first female Mayor of Galloway Township.

Transportation

The Garden State Parkway passes through the township. It was on this stretch of the Parkway that Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine was involved in a serious accident on April 12, 2007.^[3] Also passing through the township are Route 50 and U.S. Route 30, along with CR 561, CR 561 Alternate, CR 563 and CR 575.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Galloway Township include:

★ Elias Higbee (1795-1843) was an associate of Joseph Smith, Jr., and an official historian and recorder in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Points of interest

★ Galloway National Golf Club was designed by Tom Fazio.

Pests

A large swath of oak and other hardwood trees were defoliated in the spring of 2007 by the Gypsy moth caterpillar. The township did not apply for spraying through the State of New Jersey due to budget constraints, and without spraying the gypsy moths flourished.^[4]

References

1. Galloway Township Council, Galloway Township. Accessed May 22, 2007.
2. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 57. Accessed August 30, 2006.
3. " Corzine Is Critically Injured in Car Crash on Parkway", ''The New York Times'', April 13, 2007, accessed April 21, 2007. "The accident occurred at Mile Marker 44.5 in Galloway Township on the parkway's northbound lanes, about five miles north of the Atlantic City Expressway."
4. Prisament, Steve. "State approach on gypsy moth spraying really bugs council", ''Current of Galloway'', June 13, 2007. Accessed June 29, 2007.

External links

★ Township Government website

★ Galloway Township Public Schools

★

★ National Center for Education Statistics data for the Galloway Township Public Schools

★ Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District

★ Absegami High School website

★ Police Department website

★ Ambulance Squad website

★ Fire Department website