Whitesboro-Burleigh was a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

and

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

located within Middle Township, in

Cape May County Cape May County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Much of the county is located on the Cape May peninsula, bound by the Delaware Bay to its west and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and east. Adjacent to the Atlantic ...

, 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 so ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 United States Census, the CDP's population was 1,836. In the 2010 United States Census, the Whitesboro-Burleigh CDP was split into two new CDPs, Whitesboro and Burleigh. Whitesboro was founded as a planned residential community for African Americans and has the majority-black population of the township.

History

Whitesboro was founded about 1901 by the Equitable Industrial Association, which had prominent black American investors including

Paul Laurence Dunbar Paul Laurence Dunbar (June 27, 1872 – February 9, 1906) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Dayton, Ohio, to parents who had been enslaved in Kentucky before the American C ...

, the educator

Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, and orator. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the primary leader in the African-American community and of the contemporary Black elite#United S ...

and

George Henry White George Henry White (December 18, 1852 – December 28, 1918) was an American attorney and politician, elected as a Republican U.S. Congressman from North Carolina's 2nd congressional district between 1897 and 1901. He later became a banker in ...

, the leading investor and namesake. He was an attorney who had moved to Philadelphia after serving as the last black Republican congressman representing . White and his fellow entrepreneurs wanted to create a self-reliant community for blacks, without the discrimination faced in the southern states. Shares in the planned community were sold to African Americans from North and South Carolina and Virginia. In 2006, the Johnson Family Historical Trust discovered the value of its original deed to Whitesboro property from the George H. White Realty Company. It has been called one of "America's Untold Treasures" by the renowned African-American appraiser Phillip Merrill. The Johnson Family Historical Trust holds rare items important to Whitesboro, such as a 1936 formerly owned by James L. Johnson, a nationally recognized ham radio operator. His radios are of interest to Whitesboro and national history in technology. There are more than 50 known and appraised artifacts from the original investors of the town that planned to be featured in Whitesboro in the few years to come. This summer a dig for national history will take place to uncover more artifacts at various historical sites in Whitesboro hosted by the Johnson Family Historical Trust.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of . of land and 0.24% of it was water.US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990

. Accessed September 4, 2014.

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 1,836 people, 759 households, and 478 families residing in the CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 975 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 60.08%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 35.19%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.27% Native American, 0.93% Asian, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 1.31% from other races, and 2.18% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 3.10% of the population. There were 759 households, out of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.05. In the CDP the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 24.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $34,231, and the median income for a family was $42,568. Males had a median income of $32,179 versus $24,612 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $16,812. About 4.2% of families and 9.2% 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 ...

, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

It is within the

Middle Township School District The Middle Township Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade from Middle Township, in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2018–19 s ...

which operates

Middle Township High School Middle Township High School is a four-year public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Middle Township in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Middle Township Public Schools ...

. Countywide schools include

Cape May County Technical High School Cape May County Technical High School, located in Middle Township, which provides vocational and technical education to students in ninth through twelfth grades from Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Cap ...

and

Cape May County Special Services School District The Cape May County Special Services School District (CMCSSSD) is a special education public school district headquartered in Middle Township, in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The district's schools offer educational and the ...

. In 1993 Richard Degener of ''

The Press of Atlantic City ''The Press of Atlantic City'' is the fourth-largest daily newspaper in New Jersey. Originally based in Pleasantville, New Jersey, Pleasantville, it is the primary newspaper for southeastern New Jersey and the Jersey Shore. The Designated marke ...

'' described what is now the location of the private K-12 school Cape Christian Academy as being in Burleigh. - Available from Newsbank
ID# news/0EAEAA6D18083359
The school is currently in the Cape May Courthouse CDP and not the Burleigh CDP.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Whitesboro-Burleigh include: *

Stedman Graham Stedman Graham Jr. (born March 6, 1951) is an American businessman and author. He is the long-term partner of Oprah Winfrey. Early life and education Graham was born on March 6, 1951, in the Whitesboro section of Middle Township, New Jersey, t ...

, one of the numerous 1,000-point scorers for the

boys varsity basketball team. He is an American educator, author, businessman, speaker and served in the United States Army. He is also the longtime partner of media mogul

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...

."Embrace Diversity With Stedman Graham: 'Diversity: Leaders Not Labels' Teaches Readers to Harness Their Skills and Achieve Success"

ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...

, September 21, 2006. Accessed June 17, 2007. "Students were bused from Whitesboro to attend Middle Township schools, where I attended an integrated high school."

References

External links

''The Cape May County Gazette''
community newspaper
''The Beachcomber''
{{Cape May County, New Jersey Census-designated places in Cape May County, New Jersey Census-designated places in New Jersey Middle Township, New Jersey