Gloucester City is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in Camden County, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the city's population was 11,456,DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Gloucester City city, Camden County, New Jersey
,

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

. Accessed May 30, 2012.Table DP-1. Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2010 for Gloucester City city
,

New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The New Jersey Civil Service Commission is an independent body within the New Jersey state government under the auspices of the ...

. Accessed May 30, 2012. reflecting a decline of 28 (−0.2%) from the 11,484 counted in the 2000 census. It is located directly across the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and the

Port of Philadelphia The Port of Philadelphia is located on the Delaware River in Philadelphia in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Generally the term applies to the publicly owned marine terminals located within Philadelphia city limits along west bank of the river. Th ...

. Gloucester City was incorporated by an act of the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the ...

on February 25, 1868, from the remaining portions of Union Township, which was then dissolved. Additional territory was annexed in 1925 from Centre Township and in 1927 from Haddon Township.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 106 re Gloucester City, p. 109 re Union Township. Accessed May 30, 2012. The city's name derives from

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

, England. Gloucester City is known for its

Irish American , image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png , image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state , caption = Notable Irish Americans , population = 36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...

population, which was ninth-highest in the United States by percentage in the 2000 Census. The city had the 23rd-highest property tax rate in New Jersey, with an equalized rate of 4.343% in 2020, compared to 3.470% in the county as a whole and a statewide average of 2.279%.

History

The name Fort Nassau was used by the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

in the 17th century for several fortifications, mostly trading stations, named for the

House of Orange-Nassau The House of Orange-Nassau (Dutch: ''Huis van Oranje-Nassau'', ) is the current reigning house of the Netherlands. A branch of the European House of Nassau, the house has played a central role in the politics and government of the Netherlands ...

. The one built in the 1620s at today's Gloucester City was for trade, mostly in beaver pelts, with the indigenous population of

Susquehannock The Susquehannock people, also called the Conestoga by some English settlers or Andastes were Iroquoian Native Americans who lived in areas adjacent to the Susquehanna River and its tributaries, ranging from its upper reaches in the southern p ...

and

Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...

. The region along the

and its bay was called the Zuyd Rivier and marked the southern flank of the province of

New Netherland New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the East Coast of the United States, east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territor ...

. From 1638–1655 the area was part of

New Sweden New Sweden ( sv, Nya Sverige) was a Swedish colony along the lower reaches of the Delaware River in what is now the United States from 1638 to 1655, established during the Thirty Years' War when Sweden was a great military power. New Sweden form ...

, which had been established by

Peter Minuit Peter Minuit (between 1580 and 1585 – August 5, 1638) was a Wallonian merchant from Tournai, in present-day Belgium. He was the 3rd Director of the Dutch North American colony of New Netherland from 1626 until 1631, and 3rd Governor of New N ...

, who had been

Director of New Netherland This is a list of Directors, appointed by the Dutch West India Company, of the 17th century Dutch province of New Netherland (''Nieuw-Nederland'' in Dutch) in North America. Only the last, Peter Stuyvesant, held the title of Director General. As t ...

, and was responsible for the famous purchase of the island of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. The location was disadvantageous since the richest fur-trapping area was on the west side of the river, where Swedish could intercept trade with the natives. In 1651,

Peter Stuyvesant Peter Stuyvesant (; in Dutch also ''Pieter'' and ''Petrus'' Stuyvesant, ; 1610 – August 1672)Mooney, James E. "Stuyvesant, Peter" in p.1256 was a Dutch colonial officer who served as the last Dutch director-general of the colony of New Net ...

, director-general of New Netherland, dismantled the structure and relocated to a position on the other side of the river, in part to menace the Swedish, calling it

Fort Casimir Fort Casimir or Fort Trinity was a Dutch fort in the seventeenth-century colony of New Netherland. It was located on a no-longer existing barrier island at the end of Chestnut Street in what is now New Castle, Delaware. Background The Dutch c ...

Geography

According to the

, the city had a total area of 2.76 square miles (7.15 km²), including 2.31 square miles (5.98 km²) of land and 0.45 square miles (1.17 km²) of water (16.41%).

Unincorporated communities An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

, localities and place names located partially or completely within the city include Cloversdale, Gloucester Heights, Highland Park and Newbold. The city borders the municipalities of Bellmawr, Brooklawn, Camden, Haddon Township, and

Mount Ephraim Mount Ephraim ( he, הר אפרים), or alternately Mount of Ephraim, was the historical name for the central mountainous district of Israel once occupied by the Tribe of Ephraim (), extending from Bethel to the plain of Jezreel. In Joshua's time ...

. Gloucester City also borders Westville in Gloucester County and the city of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, across the

Demographics

Census 2010

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...

showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars)

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...

was $52,222 (with a margin of error of +/− $8,589) and the median family income was $58,825 (+/− $7,975). Males had a median income of $49,032 (+/− $3,038) versus $36,560 (+/− $2,335) for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $22,718 (+/− $1,341). About 12.2% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 23.2% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the

2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

there were 11,484 people, 4,213 households, and 2,839 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 5,213.7 people per square mile (2,015.5/km²). There were 4,604 housing units at an average density of 2,090.2 per square mile (808.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.14%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.69%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.18% Native American, 0.68%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.64% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.64% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.88% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Gloucester City city, New Jersey
,

. Accessed October 4, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Gloucester City city, Camden County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed October 4, 2012. As of the 2000 Census, 34.2% of Gloucester City residents were of

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

ancestry, the ninth-highest percentage of any municipality in the United States, and third-highest in New Jersey, among all places with more than 1,000 residents identifying their ancestry.Irish Communities
EPodunk. Accessed June 9, 2007. There were 4,213 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.32. In the city the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,855, and the median income for a family was $46,038. Males had a median income of $35,659 versus $24,907 for females. The

for the city was $16,912. About 7.7% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the

, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Portions of the city are part of an Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ), one of 32 zones covering 37 municipalities statewide. Gloucester City was selected in 2004 as one of two zones added to participate in the program. In addition to other benefits to encourage employment and investment within the Zone, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3.3125%

sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...

rate (half of the % rate charged statewide) at eligible merchants. Established in August 2004, the city's Urban Enterprise Zone status expires in August 2024.

Sports

Gloucester Point Grounds Gloucester Point Grounds is a former baseball ground located in Gloucester City, New Jersey. The ground, roughly bounded by the present day streets: 5th St, Jersey Ave, 7th St, Charles St, and Pine St and then located just behind Thompson's Hotel, a ...

is a former

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

stadium that was the part-time home to the Philadelphia Athletics from 1888 to 1890, with the Athletics playing games there on Sunday to avoid

blue law Blue laws, also known as Sunday laws, Sunday trade laws and Sunday closing laws, are laws restricting or banning certain activities on specified days, usually Sundays in the western world. The laws were adopted originally for religious reasons ...

restrictions in Philadelphia. John L. Sullivan World Champion Boxer had an exhibition match with William Muldoon Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion in Gloucester in 1889.

Annie Oakley Annie Oakley (born Phoebe Ann Mosey; August 13, 1860 – November 3, 1926) was an American sharpshooter who starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Oakley developed hunting skills as a child to provide for her impoverished family in western ...

performed in Gloucester City on July 2, 1888 at the grandstand Gloucester Point Grounds along the Gloucester Beach in New Jersey as part of the Pawnee Bill Frontier Exhibition. Oakley would return to Gloucester City for exhibitions in 1898.

Government

Local government

Gloucester City is governed under the Special charter, which was originally granted in 1868 by the

. The city is one of 11 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use a special form. The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the six-member City Council. The Mayor is elected

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

and serves a four-year term. The six members of the council are elected in a three-year cycle with three elected

one year and one each from three wards to three-year terms the next year, so that there are no council seats up for vote in one year in the three-year cycle. The Mayor and Common Council are responsible for making public policy that addresses the needs of the City and its residents. The Mayor and Common Council also appoint members of the Planning and Zoning Board, as well as the Board of Health.''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'',

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy The Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy of Rutgers University (The Bloustein School) serves as a center for the theory and practice of urban planning, public policy and public health/health administration scholarship. The sc ...

, March 2013, p. 28. , the Mayor of Gloucester City is

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Dayl R. Baile, who was elected in November 2021 to serve the balance of the term of office expiring on December 31, 2022.Dayl Baile
Gloucester City. Accessed May 3, 2022. Members of the City Council are Nancy Randolph Baus (D, 2024; Third Ward), George Berglund (D, 2024; First Ward), John Hutchinson (D, 2022; At Large), James "Bowie" Johnson (D, 2024; Second Ward), Robert J. Page (D, 2022; At Large, elected to serve an unexpired term) and Derek Timm (D, 2022; At Large, appointed to fill an unexpired term).Mayor and Common Council
Gloucester City. Accessed May 3, 2022.2021 General Election November 2, 2021 Official Election Results

Camden County, New Jersey Camden County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 523,485, an increase of 9,828 (1.9%) from the 2010 census, making it the state's 8th-largest county. Its county seat is ...

, update November 15, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.2020 General Election November 3, 2020 Official Election Results

, update November 20, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.Official Election Results 2019 General Election November 5, 2019

, updated November 15, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020.Official Election Results 2018 General Election November 6, 2018

, amended December 4, 2018. Accessed January 1, 2019. Mayor Dan Spencer stepped down from office in June 2021 from a term of office expiring in December 2022. In June 2021, the City Council appointed councilmember-at-large Patrick Keating to fill the mayoral seat on an interim basis. Based on the results of the November 2021 general election, Dayl Baile was sworn into mayor, having been elected to fill the seat that had been held by Dan Spencer, while Robert Page took office in the at-large council seat that had been held by Patrick Keating. In January 2022, the city council appointed Derek Timm to fill the at-large seat expiring in December 2022 that had been held by Dayl Baile before he took office as mayor.

Emergency services

Gloucester City is protected by a career fire staff 24/7 Located at 1 N. King Street. The fire department operates 1 Squad Company 51 (rescue engine), 1 Quint Company 51 (105' ladder), 1 Battalion 504, 1 Hazardous Material (Hazmat 5), 2 Engine Companies (52,54 volunteer stations), 2 Marine (boat) units and several support units. The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is operated by Virtua EMS formally Lourdes Health. Virtua EMS is operated daily with two NJ state certified EMTs and/or paramedics and serve as a Basic Life Support (BLS) unit. BLS 557 and 558 is located at 230 Nicholson Road at the Gloucester Heights Fire Association building.

Federal, state and county representation

Gloucester City is located in the 1st Congressional DistrictPlan Components Report

New Jersey Redistricting Commission The New Jersey Redistricting Commission is a constitutional body of the government of New Jersey tasked with redrawing the state's Congressional election districts after each decade's census. Like Arizona, Idaho, Hawaii, Montana, and Washington; t ...

, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020. and is part of New Jersey's 5th state legislative district.Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District

New Jersey Department of State The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing artistic, cultural, and historical programs within the U.S. state of New Jersey, as we ...

. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

. Accessed October 30, 2019. The sheriff of Camden County is Charles H. Billingham, a resident of Gloucester City who had previously served as the city's mayor.

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 6,726 registered voters in Gloucester City, of which 3,320 (49.4%) were registered as Democrats, 660 (9.8%) were registered as Republicans and 2,744 (40.8%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 2 voters registered to other parties. In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

received 65.6% of the vote (2,624 cast), ahead of Republican

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...

with 32.6% (1,303 votes), and other candidates with 1.8% (72 votes), among the 4,058 ballots cast by the city's 7,177 registered voters (59 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 56.5%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat

received 59.2% of the vote here (2,611 cast), ahead of Republican

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

, who received around 37.0% (1,631 votes), with 4,411 ballots cast among the city's 6,711 registered voters, for a turnout of 65.7%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

received 58.9% of the vote here (2,698 ballots cast), outpolling Republican

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

, who received around 38.3% (1,755 votes), with 4,578 ballots cast among the city's 6,653 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 68.8. In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Christie, who was born in Ne ...

received 59.0% of the vote (1,309 cast), ahead of Democrat

Barbara Buono Barbara A. Buono (born July 28, 1953) is an American politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2014, where she represented the 18th Legislative District. She served from 2010 to 2012 as the Majority Leader in the Senate, succ ...

with 39.2% (870 votes), and other candidates with 1.8% (41 votes), among the 2,310 ballots cast by the city's 7,097 registered voters (90 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 32.5%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat

Jon Corzine Jon Stevens Corzine ( ; born January 1, 1947) is an American financial executive and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from New Jersey from 2001 to 2006 and the 54th governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. Corzine ran fo ...

received 54.8% of the vote here (1,473 ballots cast), ahead of both Republican

with 36.0% (969 votes) and Independent

Chris Daggett Christopher Jarvis Daggett (born March 7, 1950) is an American businessman who is the president and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, one of the largest foundations in New Jersey. A former regional administrator of the United States En ...

with 4.2% (113 votes), with 2,689 ballots cast among the city's 6,708 registered voters, yielding a 40.1% turnout.

Education

The

Gloucester City Public Schools Gloucester City Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Gloucester City, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. The district is one of 31 form ...

serve students in

pre-kindergarten Pre-kindergarten (also called Pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool ...

through

twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

. The district is one of 31 former

Abbott district ''Abbott'' districts are school districts in New Jersey that are provided remedies to ensure that their students receive public education in accordance with the state constitution. They were created in 1985 as a result of the first ruling of ''Abb ...

s statewide that were established pursuant to the decision by the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging the ...

in ''Abbott v. Burke'' which are now referred to as "SDA Districts" based on the requirement for the state to cover all costs for school building and renovation projects in these districts under the supervision of the

New Jersey Schools Development Authority The New Jersey Schools Development Authority (commonly referred to as NJSDA or SDA) is the State agency responsible for fully funding and managing the new construction, modernization and renovation of school facilities projects in 31 New Jersey sch ...

. Students from Brooklawn attend the district's high school as part of a

sending/receiving relationship A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts hav ...

with the

Brooklawn Public School District The Brooklawn Public School District is a community public school district that serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Brooklawn, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020–21 school yea ...

. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 2,189 students and 173.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...

of 12.6:1.District information for Gloucester City Public School District

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...

. Accessed April 1, 2020. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the

) are Cold Springs Elementary School with 850 students in grades Pre-K–3), Gloucester City Middle School with 780 students in grades 4–8 and

Gloucester City High School Gloucester City High School is a comprehensive four-year community public high school that is based in Gloucester City, in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school serves students from seventh through twelfth grade as the l ...

with 515 students in grades 9–12. The

Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden The Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden is a Roman Catholic diocese of the Latin Church in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It consists of 62 parishes and about 475,000 Catholics in the Southern Jersey counties of Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cum ...

operates

Gloucester Catholic High School Gloucester Catholic High School is a co-educational six-year Roman Catholic high school located in Gloucester City, in Camden County, New Jersey. The school is managed by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden. The school serves students in seve ...

, a

co-education Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

al four-year

Roman Catholic high school , motto_translation = Faith and Knowledge , accreditation = MSA , nickname = The Cahillites , conference = Philadelphia Catholic League , colors = Purple & Gold , yearbook ...

. Saint Mary School was a Catholic grammar school that served grade levels from three- and four-year-old pre-school to eighth grade, which was closed by the diocese at the end of the 2010–2011 school year, in the wake of declining enrollment and rising deficits that were beyond the ability of the diocese to cover.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the city had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Camden County, by the

New Jersey Department of Transportation The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transportat ...

and by the

Delaware River Port Authority The Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA), officially the Delaware River Port Authority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, is a bi-state agency instrumentality created by a congressionally approved interstate compact between the governments of Penn ...

Interstate 76 Interstate 76 may refer to: Interstate Highways in the United States * Interstate 76 (Colorado–Nebraska) * Interstate 76 (Ohio–New Jersey), running through Pennsylvania Video gaming * ''Interstate '76 ''Interstate '76'' is a vehicular ...

is the main highway passing through Gloucester City. It enters Gloucester City from

, skims the north side of the city, briefly enters Camden, then reenters Gloucester City as it turns south towards its eastern terminus at Interstate 295 beyond the city limits. The

Walt Whitman Bridge The Walt Whitman Bridge is a single-level suspension bridge spanning the Delaware River from Philadelphia in the west to Gloucester City in Camden County, New Jersey in the east. The bridge is named after the poet Walt Whitman, who resided i ...

is the suspension bridge carrying Interstate 76 west over the

to Philadelphia. The bridge, which extends for almost between abutments, opened to traffic on May 16, 1957. U.S. Route 130 also travels through Gloucester City.

Public transportation

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bu ...

bus service is available to

on routes 401 (from Salem),

402 __NOTOC__ Year 402 (Roman numerals, CDII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Arcadius and Honorius (or, less frequent ...

(from Pennsville),

408 __NOTOC__ Year 408 (Roman numerals, CDVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Bassus and Philippus (or, less frequentl ...

(from Millville), 410 (from Bridgeton) and 412 (from Sewell), with local service on the 457 route between the

Moorestown Mall Moorestown Mall is a shopping mall in Moorestown, New Jersey, owned by Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust. The mall has over 90 stores and is anchored by Boscov's, Five Below, HomeSense, Michaels, Planet Fitness, and Sierra Trading Post. H ...

and Camden. The city is expected to be a stop on the Glassboro–Camden Line, a planned

diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...

(DMU) light rail system.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Gloucester City include: * James Barton (1890–1962), vaudevillian, stage performer and character actor in films and television * Agnus Berenato (born 1956), former women's

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

program

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

Rider University Rider University is a private university in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. It consists of four academic units: the Norm Brodsky College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the College of Education and Human Services, and West ...

(1982–1985),

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

(1989–2003) and

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

(2012–2013) * Jack Collins (born 1943), former Speaker of the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for ...

Edward Durr Edward Durr Jr. (born July 18, 1963) is an American politician and truck driver who has served in the New Jersey Senate since 2022, representing the 3rd Legislative district. A member of the Republican Party, Durr won his first election in 2021 ...

(born 1963), politician and truck driver who represents the 3rd Legislative district in the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...

* Francis J. Gorman (1924–1987), politician who served seven terms in the

Patrick T. Harker Patrick Timothy Harker (born November 19, 1958) is the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. Harker previously served as the President of University of Delaware. He was the dean of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylv ...

(born 1958), President of the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...

(2007–2015) *

Eliza Leslie Eliza Leslie (1787–1858), frequently referred to as Miss Leslie, was an American author of popular cookbooks during the nineteenth century. She also wrote household management books, etiquette books, novels, short stories and articles for magazin ...

(1787–1858), author of popular cookbooks during the nineteenth century *

Betsy Ross Elizabeth Griscom Ross (née Griscom;Addie Guthrie Weaver, ''"The Story of Our Flag..."'', 2nd Edition, A. G. Weaver, publ., 1898, p. 73 January 1, 1752 – January 30, 1836), also known by her second and third married names, Ashburn an ...

(1752–1836), best known as the creator of the flag that shares her name, the

Betsy Ross Flag The Betsy Ross flag is a reconstructed early design for the flag of the United States, which is conformant to the Flag Act of 1777 and has red stripes outermost and stars arranged in a circle. These details elaborate on the 1777 act, passed ea ...

Popular culture

* Gloucester City is cited by some as the birthplace of

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

Bill Haley & His Comets Bill Haley & His Comets were an American rock and roll band founded in 1947 that continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band was also known as Bill Haley and the Comets and Bill Haley's Comets. From late 1954 to late 1956, the group record ...

—originally a

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

band called "Bill Haley and the Saddlemen"—were the house band playing at the Twin Bar for 18 months starting in the early 1950s and are said to have modified their performing style while on stage there to an early form of rock and roll. * In 1881, painter

Thomas Eakins Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins (; July 25, 1844 – June 25, 1916) was an American realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and fine arts educator. He is widely acknowledged to be one of the most important American artists. For the length ...

completed two versions of "Shad-Fishing at Gloucester on the Delaware River". A watercolor version is housed in the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, while an oil on canvas version is on display at the

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMoA) is an art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at the northwest end of the Benjamin Fr ...

in Philadelphia, just across the Delaware River from Gloucester City. * On November 4, 1773, Elizabeth Griscom married John Ross at Huggs Tavern.Franolich, Mike
"Gloucester City: Reinvention over centuries"
''

The Courier-Post The ''Courier-Post'' is a morning daily newspaper that serves South Jersey in the Delaware Valley. It is based in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and serves most of Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties. The paper has 30,313 daily paid subscr ...

''. Accessed April 16, 2012. Elizabeth is better known as

, a flag maker during the early days of the United States. Huggs Tavern was torn down in the 1920s; the former site of the tavern is part of what is now Proprietor's Park. * Parts of the 1988 movie ''

Clean and Sober ''Clean and Sober'' is a 1988 American drama film directed by Glenn Gordon Caron and starring Michael Keaton as a real estate agent struggling with a substance abuse problem. This film served as Keaton's first dramatic departure from comedies. Th ...

''—starring

Michael Keaton Michael John Douglas (born September 5, 1951), known professionally as Michael Keaton, is an American actor. He is known for his various comedic and dramatic film roles, including Jack Butler in ''Mr. Mom'' (1983), Betelgeuse in ''Beetlejuice'' ( ...

—were shot in Gloucester City. The film prominently features the property at 215 Morris Street, which acts as the home of characters played by

Kathy Baker } Katherine Whitton Baker (born June 8, 1950) is an American actress. Baker began her career in theater and made her screen debut in the 1983 drama film '' The Right Stuff''. She received the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Suppor ...

and

Luca Bercovici Luca Bercovici (born February 22, 1957) is an American filmmaker, writer, producer and actor. In 1979, as part Bercovici's earliest involvements in filmmaking he spent six months in Japan as a dialogue director for the miniseries, ''Shogun'' (198 ...

.Imgur
"Michael Keaton on the steps of 215 Morris Street, Gloucester City, NJ. A sign for Labbree Realty is visible in the background."

References

External links

Gloucester City municipal information

{{authority control 1868 establishments in New Jersey Cities in Camden County, New Jersey Irish-American neighborhoods New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zones Populated places established in 1868 New Jersey populated places on the Delaware River Special Charters in New Jersey