OAKLYN, NEW JERSEY

'Oaklyn' is a Borough in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 4,188.
Oaklyn was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 13, 1905, from portions of Haddon Township."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 108.

Contents

Geography

History

Demographics

Government

Local government

Emergency services

Federal, state and county representation

Education

Transportation

References

External links

Geography

Oaklyn is located at (39.902063, -75.080389).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.8 km² (0.7 mi²). 1.6 km² (0.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (11.43%) is water.

History

The area now known as Oaklyn was once dense forest land which was inhabited by the Lenape Native Americans, until 1681 when a group of Quakers from Wickloe, Ireland sailed up the Delaware River and settled on Newton Creek. The leader of these Quakers, William Bates, purchased 250 acres on the south side of Newton Creek from the local Native Americans. This became known as the Newton Colony.
The Colony began to grow rapidly and the land was cleared for farming. Eventually two highways were laid out. One, from the Delaware River to Egg Harbor, followed an old Native American trail, which is today the Black Horse Pike. The other was known as the Long-a-coming trail, which extended from Atlantic City to Berlin and then from Berlin to Camden. This trail is now known as the White Horse Pike.
After the American Revolutionary War, a group of Virginia sportsmen built a racetrack on the east side of the White Horse Pike. President Ulysses S. Grant visited this track as a young man before it closed in 1846.
A Samuel Bettle bought the land which was formerly the racetrack and eventually, the land was deeded to Haddon Township.
As the years passed, the farms along Newton Creek were divided into lots and the development called "Oakland the Beautiful." The name was changed to Oaklyn in 1894 to avoid confusion with another Oakland in North Jersey. Finally, in 1905, Oaklyn broke away from Haddon Township and became an independent borough governed by a mayor and six councilmen.
Oaklyn borders Audubon, Audubon Park, Collingswood, and Haddon Township.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,188 people, 1,791 households, and 1,067 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,650.8/km² (6,824.2/mi²). There were 1,893 housing units at an average density of 1,198.2/km² (3,084.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 95.92% White, 1.15% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.84% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.32% of the population.
There were 1,791 households out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.4% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the borough the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $44,364, and the median income for a family was $55,434. Males had a median income of $37,474 versus $30,243 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $24,157. About 5.2% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Oaklyn Borough's Mayor is Mike LaMaina.
Members of the Oaklyn Borough Council are:^[1]

★ Council President Jim Rafferty - Director of Public Works

★ Jeff Elder - Director of Recreation & Senior Affairs

★ Robert Forbes - Director of Buildings & Grounds

★ Michael Krusen - Director of Finance

★ Maggie McNamara - Director of Public Safety

★ Victor Santucci - Director of Planning & Zoning

Emergency services

The Oaklyn Fire Department (Station 18-3) is responsible for fire protection in the Borough of Oaklyn and Haddon Township Fire District 3, which pays the Borough of Oaklyn for fire protection through tax money it collects from its residents.
The Oaklyn Fire Department was established in 1976. Before that time, two separate fire companies served the Borough and District 3.
The Oaklyn Fire Company No. 1 (Station 18-1) was established in 1902 (predating the borough's establishment) and was located on Newton Avenue near the Suburban Lumber Company. The building still stands today as a private residence. The company was formed by Oaklyn residents who had been volunteering their services at the nearby Defender Fire Company, which was located in the community of Orston (now part of Audubon borough). Until the formation of the Oaklyn Fire Company, the Defender Fire Company handled firefighting duties in the Borough of Oaklyn (The Defender Fire Company was subsequently taken over by the Audubon Fire Department as of 1996).
The Welcome Fire Company (Station 18-2) was established in 1907 and was located at the corner of the White Horse Pike and West Clinton Avenue. Today, the building houses the Oaklyn Police Department and Borough Hall and stands next to the current fire station. The Welcome Fire Company was established when residents who wished to volunteer with the Oaklyn Fire Company found they had filled their roster and were not "welcoming" any new members, hence their name. They then created their own company.
The two fire companies merged in 1976 to create the Oaklyn Fire Department. The current Chief is Mark Quinter.
The Oaklyn Community Ambulance Corps was disbanded in 2005, and at this time the Borough has no ambulance service of its own. Ambulance calls are being handled by Mt. Ephraim EMS, Westmont Fire Co. No. 1, the Collingwood Fire Department], and Audubon EMS depending on who is available to take it.

Federal, state and county representation

Oaklyn is in the First Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 6th Legislative District.^[2]

Education

Oaklyn Public School consists of two separate schools within one building. Oaklyn Elementary School educates students from kindergarten through sixth grades. Oaklyn Junior High School educates students in grades seventh through ninth. Oaklyn Public School also educates students from the Borough of Hi-Nella in grades Kindergarten through eighth as part of sending/receiving relationships. The student population in grades Kindergarten through ninth grades averages 500 students, including Hi-Nella pupils.
Public school students in tenth through twelfth grades attend Collingswood High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship. The relationships with Collingswood and Hi-Nella have been in place for over 40 years.

Transportation

New Jersey Transit bus service to Philadelphia is available on the 400 and (New Jersey bus)| routes, with local service on the 450 route.^[3]

References

1. Oaklyn Mayor & Council, Borough of Oaklyn. Accessed March 9, 2007.
2. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 62. Accessed August 30, 2006.
3. Camden County Bus/Rail Connections, New Jersey Transit. Accessed June 21, 2007.

External links

★ Oaklyn Borough municipal website

★ Oaklyn Public School

★

★ National Center for Education Statistics data for the Oaklyn Public Schools