VOORHEES TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY

'Voorhees Township' is a township in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 28,126. Voorhees is a New Jersey suburb in the Greater Philadelphia Metropolitan Area.
Voorhees Township was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on march 1, 1899, from portions of Waterford Township. Portions of the township were taken on March 8, 1924, to form Gibbsboro."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 109.
The township is named after Foster MacGowan Voorhees, the Governor of New Jersey who authorized its creation. History of Voorhees, accessed May 8, 2007. "Over the years six "neighborhood" communities took root; Ashland, Glendale, Kirkwood, Kresson, Osage and Gibbsboro. Residents held strong loyalties to these sections of town, rather than to the town itself. One result of this divisive attitude was Gibbsboro’s secession from Voorhees in 1924.... Since Governor Foster McGowan Voorhees granted the request, the township was named in his honor."
The area comprises the Ashland, Kirkwood, Kresson, Glendale, and Osage sections. Voorhees is largely a bedroom community, with many of its residents commuting to Cherry Hill or Philadelphia for work.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Education

Transportation

Corporate residents

Notable residents

References

External links

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 30.1 km² (11.6 mi²). 30.0 km² (11.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.26%) is water.
Echelon is a census-designated place in the western part of the township between Cherry Hill and Gibbsboro.
Voorhees borders the Camden County communities of Berlin Township, Cherry Hill, Gibbsboro, Lindenwold, and Somerdale. To the east is Evesham Township in Burlington County.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 28,126 people, 10,489 households, and 7,069 families residing in the township. The population density was 936.2/km² (2,424.0/mi²). There were 11,084 housing units at an average density of 368.9/km² (955.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 78.26% White, 8.00% African American, 0.14% Native American, 11.44% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races, and 1.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.47% of the population.
There were 10,489 households out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the township the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $68,402, and the median income for a family was $86,873. Males had a median income of $58,484 versus $38,897 for females. The per capita income for the township was $33,635. About 3.7% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

The current mayor is Michael R. Mignogna (D). Other members of the Voorhees Township Committee are Deputy Mayor Mario DiNatale, Joseph C. Lovallo II, Dean T. Mazurek and Harry A. Platt.^[1]

Federal, state and county representation

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

Education

Students in Kindergarten through eighth grade attend the Voorhees Township Public Schools. The district has four elementary schools serving grades Kindergarten therough fifth grade — Edward T. Hamilton Elementary School with 561 students, Kresson Elementary School with 472 students, Osage Elementary School with 625 students, and Signal Hill Elementary School with 576 students — Voorhees Middle School with 1,231 students in grades 6 - 8.
For grades 9 - 12, public school students attend the Eastern Camden County Regional High School District, a limited-purpose, public regional school district consisting of Eastern Senior High School and Eastern Intermediate High School. The schools serve a combined population of approximately 37,000 in the communities of Berlin Borough, Gibbsboro and Voorhees Township. The District operates two high schools, Eastern High School with over 1,000 students for grades 11 and 12 and Eastern Intermediate High School with nearly 1,150 students for grades 9 and 10. Both schools are located on the same site, but operate independently. Eastern presently enrolls about 2,131 students at the two high schools.

Transportation

The only major highway that passes through Voorhees is Route 73. Interstate 295 and Route 70 provide access to nearby Philadelphia via Cherry Hill. Exit 32 of Interstate 295 is partially signed for Voorhees, though motorists can also use exits 29A (U.S. Route 30/Berlin), 31 (Woodcrest Station) or 36 (Route 73) to access parts of the township.
One station on the PATCO High-Speed rail system, Ashland, is located within township limits, but the Woodcrest and Lindenwold stations are also easily accessible to many residents.
New Jersey Transit bus service is offered on the 403 to Philadelphia, with local service provided by the 451 and 459 routes.^[3]

Corporate residents

New Jersey American Water, based in Voorhees Township, is the largest water utility in New Jersey, serving over two million people in 176 communities throughout the state. New Jersey American Water is a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Water.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Voorhees Township include:

★ Ron Anderson, played on several NBA teams, as well as in Europe

★ Barrett Brooks (1972-), offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers.^[4]

★ Sarah Chang, violinist.^[5]

★ Brian Dawkins, plays on the Philadelphia Eagles

★ Simon Gagne, plays on the Philadelphia Flyers

★ Daniel Brière, plays on the Philadelphia Flyers

★ Scott Graham, sports broadcaster for the Philadelphia Phillies.^[6]

★ Louis Greenwald (1967-), represents the 6th legislative district in the New Jersey General Assembly.^[7]

★ Ryan Howard, plays with the Philadelphia Phillies

★ Ron Jaworski, formerly played on the Philadelphia Eagles.^[8]

★ John LeClair, played on the Philadelphia Flyers

★ Raoul Peck, the award-winning Haitian filmmaker.^[9]

★ Todd Pinkston, formerly played on the Philadelphia Eagles

★ Keith Primeau, played on the Philadelphia Flyers

★ Adam Taliaferro, played football for Penn State.^[10]

★ Clarence Weatherspoon (1970-), played on the Philadelphia 76ers

References

1. Township Committee Members, Voorhees Township. Accessed March 9, 2007.
2. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 65. Accessed August 30, 2006.
3. Camden County Bus/Rail Connections, New Jersey Transit. Accessed June 21, 2007.
4. Domowitch, Paul. "Former Eagle Brooks in super situation with Steelers", ''Philadelphia Daily News', February 3, 2006. Accessed August 8, 2007. "Brooks still lives in the Philadelphia area. He and his family live in Voorhees, N.J."
5. Baxter, Robert. "Chang forced to cancel appearance", ''Courier-Post'', March 2, 2000. "Violinist Sarah Chang barely returned from a brief European tour last week when she joined her parents on a flight to Korea to be with her ill grandmother. Chang, who lives in Voorhees, was forced to cancel her Sunday concert with the Cherry Hill Orchestra at the Garden State Racetrack Pavilion."
6. " Scott Graham reportedly out as Phillies broadcaster", ''Courier-Post'', November 15, 2006, accessed April 29, 2007. "Graham, 41, of Voorhees worked in the Phillies broadcast booth for the last eight years after starting his career with the Phillies in 1991 as a pregame and postgame host on the radio."
7. Assembly Member Louis D. Greenwald, Project Vote Smart. Accessed August 8, 2007.
8. Ron Jaworski speaker profile, accessed April 29, 2007. "A proud family man, Ron Jaworski currently resides in Voorhees, New Jersey with his wife, Liz."
9. Raoul Peck profile for the film ''Lumumba, accessed March 19, 2007.
10. Kindred, David. "One amazing freshman", ''The Sporting News'', August 27th, 2001. Accessed June 2, 2007. "For three months, from October 6 past his 19th birthday on New Year's Day to January 5, Taliaferro underwent rehabilitation therapy at the Magee Rehabilitation Center in Philadelphia, 15 miles from his home in Voorhees, N.J."

External links

★ Voorhees Township official web site

★ Voorhees Township Public Schools

★

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

★ Eastern Camden County Regional School District

★ Detailed history of the township