Commercial Township, New Jersey

Commercial Township is a township in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Vineland- Millville- Bridgeton Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area for statistical purposes. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 5,178, reflecting a decline of 81 (−1.5%) from the 5,259 counted in the 2000 census.

Commercial Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 27, 1874, from portions of Downe Township.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 120. Accessed July 11, 2012. The township was named for its shellfish industry.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 34.41 square miles (89.13 km²), including 31.91 square miles (82.66 km²) of land and 2.50 square miles (6.47 km²) of water (7.26%).

Laurel Lake (2010 Census population of 2,989), Port Norris (population of 1,377 as of 2010), and Mauricetown are unincorporated communities and census-designated places (CDPs) located within Commercial Township.

Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Baileytown, Bivalve, Buckshutem, Haleyville, Lores Mill, North Port Norris and Shell Pile.

The township borders Downe Township, Maurice River Township, Millville and the Delaware Bay.

Demographics

Census 2010

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $45,323 (with a margin of error of +/− $7,873) and the median family income was $46,790 (+/− $10,373). Males had a median income of $42,297 (+/− $6,069) versus $31,391 (+/− $5,851) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $19,242 (+/− $2,315). About 18.0% of families and 18.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.9% of those under age 18 and 21.2% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the 2000 United States census there were 5,259 people, 1,873 households, and 1,367 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 2,171 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 82.98% White, 13.42% African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.01% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.86% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Commercial township, Cumberland County, New Jersey
, United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 11, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Commercial township, Cumberland County, New Jersey
, United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 11, 2012.

There were 1,873 households, out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.0% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the township the population was spread out, with 28.3% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $34,960, and the median income for a family was $37,500. Males had a median income of $35,030 versus $21,610 for females. The per capita income for the township was $14,663. About 13.0% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Commercial Township is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state. The governing body is comprised of a three-member Township Committee, whose members are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one seat coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle.''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'', Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 19. At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor, each serving a one-year term.

, members of the Commercial Township Committee are Mayor Warren "Mike" Vizzard ( D, term on committee and as mayor ends December 31, 2022), Deputy Mayor Fletcher Jamison (D, term on committee and as deputy mayor ends 2023) and Joseph E. Klaudi ( R, 2024).Mayor & Committee
Township of Commercial. Accessed May 12, 2022. "Commercial Township is under the 'Township' form of local government. As in all local governments, our Township is highly regulated by the State of New Jersey and falls under the laws of the State Legislature. Three people serve on the Township government for a three year term. A single position is open each year for someone from the public to run for office.... The Mayor is appointed by the three Township committee people and is not elected directly by the public."''2021 Directory of Cumberland County, New Jersey''
Cumberland County, New Jersey. Accessed May 1, 2022.Election Summary Report General Election Cumberland County November 2, 2021
Cumberland County, New Jersey, updated November 19, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.General Election Results November 3, 2020, Official Results
Cumberland County, New Jersey, updated November 19, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.General Election Results November 5, 2019, Official Results
Cumberland County, New Jersey, updated November 14, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020.

After Mayor Judson Moore resigned from office in March 2016, Ronald Sutton was named as mayor to replace Moore and Fletcher Jamison shifted to deputy mayor.

In the November 2013 general election, Moore became the first candidate to win election running as an independent, while Ronald Sutton was elected to fill the vacant seat of Bill Riggin, who had resigned from office.

Federal, state and county representation

Commercial Township is located in the 2nd Congressional DistrictPlan Components Report
New Jersey Redistricting Commission, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020. and is part of New Jersey's 1st state legislative district.Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District
New Jersey Department of State. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey League of Women Voters. Accessed October 30, 2019. Prior to the 2011 reapportionment following the 2010 Census, Commercial Township had been in the 3rd state legislative district.''2011 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
, p. 56, New Jersey League of Women Voters. Accessed May 22, 2015.

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 3,183 registered voters in Commercial Township, of which 1,004 (31.5%) were registered as Democrats, 568 (17.8%) were registered as Republicans and 1,608 (50.5%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 3 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 57.6% of the vote (983 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 41.1% (701 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (23 votes), among the 1,726 ballots cast by the township's 3,270 registered voters (19 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 52.8%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 55.0% of the vote (1,032 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain, who received 41.7% (781 votes), with 1,875 ballots cast among the township's 3,151 registered voters, for a turnout of 59.5%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 50.2% of the vote (849 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry, who received 49.2% (832 votes), with 1,690 ballots cast among the township's 2,931 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 57.7.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 60.9% of the vote (691 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 36.4% (413 votes), and other candidates with 2.7% (31 votes), among the 1,191 ballots cast by the township's 3,031 registered voters (56 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 39.3%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 46.5% of the vote (475 ballots cast), ahead of both Republican Chris Christie with 43.6% (446 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 6.0% (61 votes), with 1,022 ballots cast among the township's 3,017 registered voters, yielding a 33.9% turnout.

Education

The Commercial Township School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 529 students and 42.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.6:1.District information for Commercial Township School District
National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are
Haleyville-Mauricetown Elementary School with 368 students in grades Pre-K–5 and
Port Norris Middle School with 166 students in grades 6–8.

Students in ninth through twelfth grades for public school attend high school in Millville together with students from Lawrence Township and Maurice River Township, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Millville Public Schools under which students attend Memorial High School for ninth grade and half of the tenth grade and Millville Senior High School for half of the tenth grade through the twelfth grade.

Students are also eligible to attend Cumberland County Technology Education Center in Vineland, serving students from the entire county in its full-time technical training programs, which are offered without charge to students who are county residents.

Transportation

, the township had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality and by Cumberland County.

County Route 553 is the most significant road serving Commercial Township.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Commercial Township include:

* Helen Gandy (1897–1988), secretary to J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, for 54 years
* Elden H. Johnson (1921–1944), United States Army soldier who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in World War II
* Henry C. Loudenslager (1852–1911), represented New Jersey's 1st congressional district from 1893 to 1911
* Larry Milbourne (born 1951), second baseman who played for 11 seasons in Major League Baseball
* Dallas Lore Sharp (1870–1929), author and university professorSharp, Dallas Lore; and Millard, Columbus Norman
''A Watcher in the Woods''
p. viii. Century Company, 1911. Accessed July 23, 2014. "Dallas Lore Sharp was born on a farm in Haleyville, New Jersey, where the pine barrens, the marshes of Maurice River, and the great river swamps stretched out around him."

Points of interest

* Caesar Hoskins Log Cabin

References

External links

Official website

{{Cumberland County, New Jersey

1874 establishments in New Jersey
Populated places established in 1874
Township form of New Jersey government
Townships in Cumberland County, New Jersey