VENTNOR CITY, NEW JERSEY

'Ventnor City' is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey on the Atlantic Ocean shore of Absecon Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city population was 12,910.
Ventnor City was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1903, from portions of Egg Harbor Township."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 71.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

History

Government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Education

References

External links

Geography

Ventnor City is located at (39.342299, -74.481922).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.2 km² (3.5 mi²). 5.5 km² (2.1 mi²) of it is land and 3.6 km² (1.4 mi²) of it (39.44%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 12,910 people, 5,480 households, and 3,255 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,329.2/km² (6,023.2/mi²). There were 8,009 housing units at an average density of 1, 445.0/km² (3,736.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.10% White, 2.94% African American, 0.19% Native American, 7.45% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 9.37% from other races, and 2.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.14% of the population.
The major ethnic groups in Ventnor City are: Italian (22.8%), Irish (15.5%), German (8.7%), English (6.2%), Russian (4.2%), Polish (3.6%).^[2]
There were 5,480 households out of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,478, and the median income for a family was $52,701. Males had a median income of $31,300 versus $26,788 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,631. About 3.4% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

History

In the latter part of the 19th Century, an American couple visiting England became so impressed with the beauty of the locality, that in 1889, when the Camden and Atlantic Land Company decided to name the section of the land south of Atlantic City, they remembered Ventnor, England.
Mrs. S. Bartram Richards, suggested that the name, Ventnor, would be an ideal fit for this exciting new area. This name was suggested on January 8, 1889, by Mrs. Richards, who was the wife of the secretary-treasurer of the land company.
This name was formally adopted the following day. Although the City received its name in January of 1889, it was not officially recognized until it received its incorporation by the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1903.
Chapter 51 of the laws and Sessions of the State of New Jersey provided the noble beginning to Ventnor City stating, " Be it enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of New Jersey that all part or portion of the County of Atlantic, formerly a part of Egg Harbor Township, situated on Absecon Beach, lying between the Westwardly limit of Atlantic City and the Eastwardly limit of South Atlantic City, the Atlantic Ocean on the south as far as the jurisdiction of the State extends, and to the center of Beach Thoroughfare on the North, be, and is hereby constituted as a City of this State, and all of the inhabitants of the State residing within the limits aforesaid be and they are hereby ordained, constituted and declared to be from time to time forever hereafter one body politic and corporate, in fact and in name, by the name, Ventnor City. This act shall take effect immediately, and was approved on March 17, 1903."
These meetings were originally held in the Carisbrooke Inn, which was located behind the present City Hall, on Atlantic Avenue between Cambridge and Sacramento Avenues. The first meeting was held on April 20, 1903, with a follow up meeting being conducted on April 27, 1903.^[3]

Government

Local government

On September 17, 1968, the then existing Mayor-Council form of government was changed to a Commission form of government, under the Walsh Act, and consists of a Mayor and two Commissioners.^[4]
The Commissioners serve a four-year term of office. Voters within the City of Ventnor City choose three Commissioners to serve the four year term. The three elected commissioners then choose one their members to serve as Mayor.
The Mayor of Ventnor City is Tim Kreischer. The other Commissioners are Sandy Vespertino and Joseph Schafer.^[5]

Federal, state and county representation

Ventnor City is in the Second Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 2nd Legislative District.^[6]

Education

The Ventnor City School District operates two schools, Ventnor Elementary School and Ventnor Middle School for public school students in grades pre-kindergarten through eighth grade; they are operated as separate schools but are located in a single, large building known as the Ventnor Educational Community Complex or VECC. The original school was built in 1970.
Public school students in grades 9-12, along with those from Brigantine, Longport and Margate City, attend Atlantic City High School in neighboring Atlantic City, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Atlantic City School District that has existed since 1920.^[7]

References

1. , Geographic Names Information System, accessed June 14, 2007.
2. City Data for Ventnor City, CityData.com. Accessed November 27, 2006.
3. The History of Ventnor City, Ventnor City. Accessed August 2, 2006.
4. The Commission Form of Municipal Government, p. 53. Accessed August 11, 2007.
5. Welcome to the City of Ventnor City: Administration, Ventnor City. Accessed August 2, 2006.
6. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 65. Accessed August 30, 2006.
7. Atlantic City High School 2006 Report Card, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 14, 2007. "Atlantic City High School is a unique, comprehensive state-of-the-art facility that serves a diverse student population from Atlantic City, Brigantine, Longport, Margate and Ventnor."

External links

★ Ventnor City website

★ Ventnor Educational Community Complex

★

★ National Center for Education Statistics data for the Ventnor City School District