Camden, N.J.

Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 71,791.Camden city, Camden County, New Jersey
United States Census Bureau. Accessed April 26, 2022. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the population was 71,773 in 2021, ranking Camden as the 513th-most-populous in the country. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828. Camden has been the county seat of Camden CountyNew Jersey County Map
New Jersey Department of State. Accessed April 26, 2022. since the county was formed on March 13, 1844.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 104. Accessed January 17, 2012. The city derives its name from Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden.Hutchinson, Viola L
''The Origin of New Jersey Place Names''
New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed August 28, 2015. Gannett, Henry
''The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States''
p. 65. United States Government Printing Office, 1905. Accessed August 28, 2015. Camden is made up of over 20 neighborhoods.How Will Camden Be Counted in the 2010 Census?
CamConnect.org. Accessed July 3, 2011.
Camconnect.org. Accessed May 27, 2012.
City-Data. Accessed May 27, 2012.Locality Search
State of New Jersey. Accessed May 21, 2015. The city is part of the South Jersey region of the state.

Beginning in the early 1900s, Camden was a prosperous industrial city, and remained so throughout the Great Depression and World War II. During the 1950s, Camden manufacturers began gradually closing their factories and moving out of the city. With the loss of manufacturing jobs came a sharp population decline. The growth of the interstate highway system also played a large role in suburbanization, which resulted in white flight. Civil unrest and crime became common in Camden. In 1971, civil unrest reached its peak, with riots breaking out in response to the death of Horacio Jimenez, a Puerto Rican motorist who was killed by two police officers.

The Camden waterfront holds three tourist attractions: the USS ''New Jersey'', the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, and the Adventure Aquarium.Attractions
, Camden Waterfront. Accessed July 26, 2018. The city is the home of Rutgers University–Camden, which was founded as the South Jersey Law School in 1926,History
Rutgers University–Camden. Accessed April 5, 2016. and Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, which opened in 2012. Camden also houses both Cooper University Hospital and Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center. Camden County College and Rowan University also have campuses in downtown Camden. The " eds and meds" institutions account for roughly 45% of Camden's total employment.The Camden Higher Education and Healthcare Task Force: A Winning Investment for the City of Camden
Rutgers University–Camden, Fall 2012. Accessed July 26, 2018.

Camden had once been known for its high crime rate, though there has been a substantial decrease in crime in recent decades, especially since 2012, when the city disbanded its municipal police department and replaced it with a county-level police department. There were 23 homicides in Camden in 2017, the fewest in the city in three decades. The city saw 24 and 23 homicides in 2019 and 2020 respectively, the fourth-highest toll among New Jersey cities, behind Paterson, Trenton, and Newark. As of January 2021, violent crime was down 46% from its high in the 1990s and at the lowest level since the 1960s. Overall crime reports in 2020 were down 74% compared to 1974, the first year of uniform crime-reporting in the city.

History

Early history

In 1626, Fort Nassau was established by the Dutch West India Company at the confluence of Big Timber Creek and the Delaware River. Throughout the 17th century, Europeans settled along the Delaware, competing to control the local fur trade. After the Restoration in 1660, the land around Camden was controlled by nobles serving under King Charles II, until it was sold off to a group of New Jersey Quakers in 1673. The area developed further when a ferry system was established along the east side of the Delaware River to facilitate trade between Fort Nassau and Philadelphia, the growing capital of the Quaker colony of Pennsylvania directly across the river. By the 1700s, Quakers and the Lenni Lenape Native Americans were coexisting. The Quakers' expansion and use of natural resources, in addition to the introduction of alcohol and infectious disease, diminished the Lenape's population in the area.

The 1688 order of the County Court of Gloucester that sanctioned ferries between New Jersey and Philadelphia was: "Therefore we permit and appoint that a common passage or ferry for man or beast be provided, fixed and settled in some convenient and proper place between ye mouths or entrance of Cooper's Creek and Newton Creek, and that the government, managing and keeping of ye same be committed to ye said William Roydon and his assigns, who are hereby empowered and appointed to establish, fix and settle ye same within ye limits aforesaid, wherein all other persons are desired and requested to keep no other common or public passage or ferry." The ferry system was located along Cooper Street and was turned over to Daniel Cooper in 1695.History
City of Camden. Accessed July 26, 2018. Its creation resulted in a series of small settlements along the river, largely established by three families: the Coopers, the Kaighns, and the Mickels, and these lands would eventually be combined to create the future city. Of these, the Cooper family had the greatest impact on the formation of Camden. In 1773, Jacob Cooper developed some of the land he had inherited through his family into a "townsite," naming it Camden after Charles Pratt, the Earl of Camden.

19th century

For over 150 years, Camden served as a secondary economic and transportation hub for the Philadelphia area. However, that status began to change in the early 19th century. Camden was incorporated as a city on February 13, 1828, from portions of Newton Township, while the area was still part of Gloucester County. In 1832, Camden Township was created as a township coextensive with Camden City. The township existed until it was repealed in 1848.

One of the U.S.'s first railroads, the Camden and Amboy Railroad, was chartered in Camden in 1830. The Camden and Amboy Railroad allowed travelers to travel between New York City and Philadelphia via ferry terminals in South Amboy, New Jersey, and passengers were ferried across the Delaware River to their final Philadelphia destination. The Camden and Amboy Railroad opened in 1834 and helped to spur an increase in population and commerce in Camden.Greenberg, Gail
"County History"
, Camden County, New Jersey. Accessed July 3, 2011.

Horse ferries, or team boats, served Camden in the early 1800s. The ferries connected Camden and other South Jersey towns to Philadelphia. Ferry systems allowed Camden to generate business and economic growth. "These businesses included lumber dealers, manufacturers of wooden shingles, pork sausage manufacturers, candle factories, coachmaker shops that manufactured carriages and wagons, tanneries, blacksmiths and harness makers." Originally a suburban town with ferry service to Philadelphia, Camden evolved into its own city. Until 1844, Camden was a part of Gloucester County. In 1840 the city's population had reached 3,371 and Camden appealed to state legislature, which resulted in the creation of Camden County in 1844.

The poet Walt Whitman spent his later years in Camden. He bought a house on Mickle Street in March 1884. Whitman spent the remainder of his life in Camden and died in 1892 of a stroke. Whitman was a prominent member of the Camden community at the end of the nineteenth century.

Camden quickly became an industrialized city in the latter half of the nineteenth century. In 1860 Census takers recorded eighty factories in the city and the number of factories grew to 125 by 1870. Camden began to industrialize in 1891 when Joseph Campbell incorporated his business Campbell's Soup. Through the Civil War era Camden gained a large immigrant population which formed the base of its industrial workforce. Between 1870 and 1920 Camden's population grew by 96,000 people due to the large influx of immigrants. Like other industrial cities, Camden prospered during strong periods of manufacturing demand and faced distress during periods of economic dislocation."Rutgers University Computing Services – Camden"

Early 20th century

At the turn of the 20th century, Camden became an industrialized city. At the height of Camden's industrialization, 12,000 workers were employed at RCA Victor,O'Reilly, David
"An RCA museum grows at Rowan"
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', December 27, 2013. Accessed October 13, 2015. " Radio Corp. of America's "contributions to South Jersey were enormous," said Joseph Pane, deputy director of the RCA Heritage Program at Rowan, which he helped create.'At its peak in the 1960s, it (RCA) employed 12,000 people; 4,500 were engineers.'" while another 30,000 worked at New York Shipbuilding.New York Shipbuilding, Camden NJ
Shipbuilding History, March 17, 2014. Accessed October 13, 2015. "At its peak, New York Ship employed 30,000 people. It continued in both naval and merchant shipbuilding after WWII but closed in 1967." Camden Forge Company supplied materials for New York Ship during both world wars. RCA had 23 out of 25 of its factories inside Camden, and the Campbell Soup Company was also a major employer."Made in S.J.: Campbell Soup Co."
Portal to gallery of photographs (20) related to The Campbell Soup Company. ''Courier-Post''. Undated. Accessed December 25, 2009. In addition to major corporations, Camden also housed many small manufacturing companies as well as commercial offices.

From 1899 to 1967, Camden was the home of New York Shipbuilding Corporation, which at its World War II peak was the largest and most productive shipyard in the world."Made in S.J.: Shipbuilding"
Portal to gallery of photographs (16) related to shipbuilding in Camden. ''Courier-Post''. Undated. Accessed December 25, 2009. Notable naval vessels built at New York Ship include the ill-fated cruiser USS ''Indianapolis'' and the aircraft carrier USS ''Kitty Hawk''. In 1962, the first commercial nuclear-powered ship, the NS ''Savannah'', was launched in Camden.Encarta Encyclopedia: Ship
Accessed June 23, 2006

October 31, 2009. The Fairview Village section of Camden (initially Yorkship Village) is a planned European-style garden village that was built by the Federal government during World War I to house New York Shipbuilding Corporation workers.Staff
"Unnecessary excellence: what public-housing design can learn from its past."
''Harper's Magazine'', March 1, 2005. Accessed July 3, 2011. "'If it indicates the kind of Government housing that is to follow, we may all rejoice.' So wrote a critic for The Journal of the American Institute of Architects in 1918 about Yorkship Village, one of America's first federally funded public-housing projects. Located in Camden, New Jersey, Yorkship Village was designed to be a genuine neighborhood, as can be seen from these original architectural plans."

From 1901 through 1929, Camden was headquarters of the Victor Talking Machine Company, and thereafter to its successor RCA Victor, the world's largest manufacturer of phonographs and phonograph records for the first two-thirds of the 20th century."Made in S.J.: RCA Victor"
Portal to gallery of photographs (22) related to the Victor Talking Machine Company. ''Courier-Post'', January 30, 2008. Accessed July 3, 2011. Victor established some of the first commercial recording studios in Camden where Enrico Caruso, Arturo Toscanini, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Jascha Heifetz, Leopold Stokowski, John Philip Sousa, Woody Guthrie, Jimmie Rodgers, Fats Waller & The Carter Family among many others, made famous recordings. General Electric reacquired RCA and the remaining Camden factories in 1986.Staff
"General Electric gets go-ahead to acquire RCA"
''Houston Chronicle'', June 5, 1986. Accessed July 3, 2011. "The Federal Communications Commission cleared the way today for General Electric Co. to acquire RCA Corp. and its subsidiaries, including the NBC network. In allowing the transfer of RCA, the commission rejected four petitions to block the $6.28 billion deal.'

In 1919, plans for the Delaware River Bridge were enacted as a means to reduce ferry traffic between Camden and Philadelphia. The bridge was estimated to cost $29 million, but the total cost at the end of the project was $37,103,765.42. New Jersey and Pennsylvania would each pay half of the final cost for the bridge. The bridge was opened at midnight on July 1, 1926. Thirty years later, in 1956 the bridge was renamed to the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.

During the 1930s, Camden faced a decline in economic prosperity due to the Great Depression. By the mid-1930s, the city had to pay its workers in scrip because they could not pay them in currency. Camden's industrial foundation kept the city from going bankrupt. Major corporations such as RCA Victor, Campbell's Soup and New York Shipbuilding Corporation employed close to 25,000 people in Camden through the depression years. New companies were also being created during this time. On June 6, 1933, the city hosted America's first drive-in movie theater. Slavin, Barbara
"It's Technology to the Rescue of Drive-In Movie Theaters; 4,000 Drive-In Theaters in 1958"
''The New York Times'', August 8, 1978. Accessed August 22, 2018. "If he is right, the reason may well be the multiple screens and other technological advances that Richard M. Hollingshead Jr., the chemicals manufacturer who opened the first commercial drive‐in in Camden, N.J., on June 6, 1933, might have regarded with awe."Lewis, Mary Beth. "Ten Best First Facts", in '' Car and Driver'', January 1988, p. 92.

Between 1929 and 1957, Camden Central Airport was active; during the 1930s, it was Philadelphia's main airport. It was located in Pennsauken Township, on the north bank of the Cooper River. Its terminal building was beside what became known as Airport Circle.

Camden's ethnic demographic shifted dramatically at the beginning of the twentieth century. German, British, and Irish immigrants made up the majority of the city at the beginning of the second half of the nineteenth century. By 1920, Italian and Eastern European immigrants had become the majority of the population. African Americans had also been present in Camden since the 1830s. The migration of African Americans from the south increased during World War II. The different ethnic groups began to form segregated communities within the city and around religious organizations. Communities formed around figures such as Tony Mecca from the Italian neighborhood, Mario Rodriguez from the Puerto Rican neighborhood, and Ulysses Wiggins from the African American neighborhood.

Late 20th century

After close to 50 years of economic and industrial growth, the city of Camden experienced a period of economic stagnation and deindustrialization: after reaching a peak of 43,267 manufacturing jobs in 1950, there was an almost continuous decline to a new low of 10,200 manufacturing jobs in the city by 1982. With this industrial decline came a plummet in population: in 1950 there were 124,555 residents, compared to just 84,910 in 1980.

The city experienced white flight, as many White residents left the city for such segregated suburbs as Cherry Hill. In the 1960s, 1,289 families were displaced due the construction of the North-South Freeway, 85% of which were nonwhite families. During the period between 1963 and 1968, about 3,000 low-income units in Camden were destroyed (most due to the freeway construction), while only around 100 low-income housing units were built during the same period. The 1970 United States Census showed a loss of 15,000 residents, which reflected an increase of almost 50% in the number of Black residents, which grew from 27,700 to 40,000, and a simultaneous decline of 30% in the city's white population, which dropped from 89,000 to 61,000. Cherry Hill saw its population double to 64,000, which was 98.7% White. The city's population, which had been 59.8% White and 39.1% Black in 1970, was 30.6% White, 53.0% Black and 15.7% Other Race in 1980. By 1990, the balance was 19.0% White, 56.4% Black and 22.9% were other races.

Alongside these declines, civil unrest and criminal activity rose in the city. From 1981 to 1990, mayor Randy Primas fought to renew the city economically. Ultimately Primas had not secured Camden's economic future as his successor, mayor Milton Milan, declared bankruptcy for the city in July 1999, which was withdrawn after the state gave the city more than $60 million in aid and assumed oversight of the city's finances.

Industrial decline

After World War II, Camden's biggest manufacturing companies, RCA Victor and the Campbell Soup Company, decentralized their production operations. This period of capital flight was a means to regain control from Unionized workers and to avoid the rising labor costs unions demanded from the company. Campbell's kept its corporate headquarters in Camden, but the bulk of its cannery production was located elsewhere after a union worker's strike in 1934; local tomatoes from South Jersey tomatoes were replaced in 1979 by industrially produced tomato paste from California.

During the 1940s, RCA Victor began relocating some production to rural Indiana to employ low-wage ethnic Scottish-Irish workers and since 1968, has employed Mexican workers from Chihuahua.

The New York Shipbuilding Corporation, founded in 1899, shut down in 1967 due to mismanagement, unrest amongst labor workers, construction accidents, and a low demand for shipbuilding. When NY ship shut down, Camden lost its largest postwar employer.

The opening of the Cherry Hill Mall in 1961 increased Cherry Hill's property value while decreasing Camden's. Enclosed suburban malls, especially ones like Cherry Hill's, which boasted well-lit parking lots and babysitting services, were preferred by white middle-class over Philadelphia's central business district. Cherry Hill became the designated regional retail destination. The mall, as well as the Garden State Racetrack, the Cherry Hill Inn, and the Hawaiian Cottage Cafe, attracted the white middle class of Camden to the suburbs initially.

Manufacturing companies were not the only businesses that were hit. After they left Camden and outsourced their production, White-collar companies and workers followed suit, leaving for the newly constructed offices of Cherry Hill.

Unionization

Approximately ten million cans of soup were produced at Campbell's per day. This put additional stress on cannery workers who already faced dangerous conditions in an outmoded, hot and noisy factory. The Dorrance family, founders of Campbell's, made an immense amount of profit while lowering the costs of production.

Civil unrest and crime

On September 6, 1949, mass murderer Howard Unruh went on a killing spree in his Camden neighborhood killing 13 people. Unruh, who was convicted and subsequently confined to a state psychiatric facility, died on October 19, 2009.Ramsland, Katherine
"Rampage in Camden"
, ''TruTV''. Accessed July 3, 2011.

A civilian and a police officer were killed in a September 1969 riot, which broke out in response to accusation of police brutality. Two years later, public disorder returned with widespread riots in August 1971, following the death of a Puerto Rican motorist at the hands of white police officers. When the officers were not charged, Hispanic residents took to the streets and called for the suspension of those involved. The officers were ultimately charged, but remained on the job and tensions soon flared. On the night of August 19, 1971, riots erupted, and sections of Downtown were looted and torched over the next three days. Fifteen major fires were set before order was restored, and ninety people were injured. City officials ended up suspending the officers responsible for the death of the motorist, but they were later acquitted by a jury.

The Camden 28 were a group of anti-Vietnam War activists who, in 1971, planned and executed a raid on the Camden draft board, resulting in a high-profile trial against the activists that was seen by many as a referendum on the Vietnam War in which 17 of the defendants were acquitted by a jury even though they admitted having participated in the break-in.

In 1996, Governor of New Jersey Christine Todd Whitman frisked Sherron Rolax, a 16-year-old African-American youth, an event which was captured in an infamous photograph. Rolax alleged his civil rights were violated and sued the state of New Jersey. His suit was later dismissed.

1980s Revitalization efforts

In 1981, Randy Primas was elected mayor of Camden, but entered office "haunted by the overpowering legacy of financial disinvestment." Following his election, the state of New Jersey closed the $4.6 million deficit that Primas had inherited, but also decided that Primas should lose budgetary control until he began providing the state with monthly financial statements, among other requirements. When he regained control, Primas had limited options regarding how to close the deficit, and so in an attempt to renew Camden, Primas campaigned for the city to adopt a prison and a trash-to-steam incinerator. While these two industries would provide some financial security for the city, the proposals did not go over well with residents, who overwhelmingly opposed both the prison and the incinerator.

While the proposed prison, which was to be located on the North Camden Waterfront, would generate $3.4 million for Camden, Primas faced extreme disapproval from residents. Many believed that a prison in the neighborhood would negatively affect North Camden's "already precarious economic situation." Primas, however, was wholly concerned with the economic benefits: he told ''The New York Times'', "The prison was a purely economic decision on my part." Eventually, on August 12, 1985, the Riverfront State Prison opened its doors, however it was closed and demolished in 2009.

Camden residents also objected to the trash-to-steam incinerator, which was another proposed industry. Once again, Primas "...was motivated by fiscal more than social concerns," and he faced heavy opposition from Concerned Citizens of North Camden (CCNC) and from Michael Doyle, who was so opposed to the plant that he appeared on CBS's ''60 Minutes'', saying "Camden has the biggest concentration of people in all the county, and yet there is where they're going to send in this sewage... ...everytime you flush, you send to Camden, to Camden, to Camden." Despite this opposition, which eventually culminated in protests, "the county proceeded to present the city of Camden with a check for $1 million in March 1989, in exchange for the of city-owned land where the new facility was to be built... ...The $112 million plant finally fired up for the first time in March 1991."

Since the early 2000s, Camden has seen a large increaase in development and investment. Riverfront State Prison was torn down in 2009, replaced with walking trails and a park. The former RCA Victor building was purchased by the Dranoff Company, a Philadelphia based developer and converted into market rate apartments. Another market rate apartment complex and hotel followed in the 2010s, and Rutgers University and Rowan University have expanded their campuses over the 2010s and 2020s. Development has focused primarily on the waterfront and university/downtown areas, however Subaru moved their North American headquarters from Cherry Hill to Camden in a new campus on Admiral Wilson Boulevard in 2018.

Other notable events

Despite the declines in industry and population, other changes to the city took place during this period:
* In 1950, Rutgers University absorbed the former College of South Jersey to create Rutgers University–Camden.
* In 1992, the state of New Jersey under the Florio administration made an agreement with GE to ensure that GE would not close the remaining buildings in Camden. The state of New Jersey would build a new high-tech facility on the site of the old Campbell Soup Company factory and trade these new buildings to GE for the existing old RCA Victor buildings. Later, the new high tech buildings would be sold to Martin Marietta. In 1994, Martin Marietta merged with Lockheed to become Lockheed Martin. In 1997, Lockheed Martin divested the old Victor Camden Plant as part of the birth of L-3 Communications.
* In 1999, Camden was selected as the location for the . That ship remains in Camden.

21st century

Originally the city's main industry was manufacturing, and in recent years Camden has shifted its focus to education and medicine in an attempt to revitalize itself. Of the top employers in Camden, many are education and/or healthcare providers: Cooper University Hospital, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Rowan University, Rutgers University-Camden, Camden County College, Virtua, Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center, and CAMcare. The eds and meds industry itself is the single largest source of jobs in the city: 7,500 (30%) of the roughly 25,000 jobs in the city. The second-largest source of jobs in Camden is the retail trade industry, which provides roughly 3,000 (12%) jobs. While already the largest employer in the city, the eds and meds industry in Camden is growing and is doing so despite falling population and total employment: From 2000 to 2014, population and total employment in Camden fell by 3% and 10% respectively, but eds and meds employment grew by 67%.

Despite previous failures to transform the Camden Waterfront, in September 2015 Liberty Property Trust and Mayor Dana Redd announced an $830 million plan to rehabilitate the Waterfront. The project, which is the biggest private investment in the city's history, aims to redevelop of land south of the Ben Franklin Bridge and includes plans for 1.5 million square feet of commercial space, 211 residences, a 130-room hotel, more than 4,000 parking spaces, a downtown shuttle bus, a new ferry stop, a riverfront park, and two new roads. The project is a modification of a previous $1 billion proposal by Liberty Property Trust, which would have redeveloped and would have included of commercial space, 1,600 homes, and a 140-room hotel. On March 11, 2016, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority approved the modified plans and officials like Timothy J. Lizura of the NJEDA expressed their enthusiasm: "It's definitely a new day in Camden. For 20 years, we've tried to redevelop that city, and we finally have the traction between a very competent mayor's office, the county police force, all the educational reforms going on, and now the corporate interest. It really is the right ingredient for changing a paradigm which has been a wreck."Hurdle, Jon
"A Bold Plan to Remake Camden's Waterfront"
''The New York Times'', September 29, 2015. Accessed August 22, 2018.

In 2013, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority created the New Jersey Economic Opportunity Act, which provides incentives for companies to relocate to or remain in economically struggling locations in the state. These incentives largely come in the form of tax breaks, which are payable over 10 years and are equivalent to a project's cost. According to ''The New York Times'', "...the program has stimulated investment of about $1 billion and created or retained 7,600 jobs in Camden." This NJEDA incentive package has been used by organizations and firms such as the Philadelphia 76ers, Subaru of America, Lockheed Martin, and Holtec International.

In late 2014 the Philadelphia 76ers broke ground in Camden (across the street from the BB&T Pavilion) to construct a new 125,000-square-foot training complex. The Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex includes an office building and a 66,230-square-foot basketball facility with two regulation-size basketball courts, a 2,800-square-foot locker room, and a 7,000-square-foot roof deck. The $83 million complex had its grand opening on September 23, 2016, and was expected to provide 250 jobs for the city of Camden.

Also in late 2014, Subaru of America announced that in an effort to consolidate their operations, their new headquarters would be located in Camden. The $118 million project broke ground in December 2015 but was put on hold in mid-2016 because the original plans for the complex had sewage and waste water being pumped into an outdated sewage system. Adjustments to the plans were made and the project was expected to be completed in 2017, creating up to 500 jobs in the city upon completion. The building was completed in April 2018. The company also said that it would donate 50 cherry trees to the city and aim to follow a "zero landfill" policy in which all waste from the offices would be either reduced, reused, or recycled.

Several smaller-scale projects and transitions also took place during the 21st century.

In preparation for the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, various strip clubs, hotels, and other businesses along Admiral Wilson Boulevard were torn down in 1999, and a park that once existed along the road was replenished.

In 2004, conversion of the old RCA Victor Building 17 to The Victor, an upscale apartment building was completed. The same year, the River LINE, between the Entertainment Center at the Waterfront in Camden and the Transit Center in Trenton, was opened, with a stop directly across from The Victor.

In 2010, massive police corruption was exposed that resulted in the convictions of several policemen, dismissals of 185 criminal cases, and lawsuit settlements totaling $3.5 million that were paid to 88 victims. On May 1, 2013, the Camden Police Department was dissolved and the newly formed Camden County Police Department took over full responsibility for policing the city.

As of 2019, numerous projects were underway downtown and along the waterfront, with a market-rate apartment complex and hotel opening in early 2020.

In 2022, a $2 billion expansion of Cooper University Hospital was announced, which was expected to take about a decade to complete.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 10.34 square miles (26.78 km²), including 8.92 square miles (23.10 km²) of land and 1.42 square miles (3.68 km²) of water (13.75%).US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990
United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 29, 2014.

Camden borders Collingswood across the Delaware River in Pennsylvania. Just offshore of Camden is Pettys Island, which is part of Pennsauken Township. The Cooper River (New Jersey), Cooper River (popular for boating) flows through Camden, and Newton Creek forms Camden's southern boundary with Gloucester City.

Camden contains the United States' first federally funded planned community for working class residents, Yorkship Village (now called Fairview). The village was designed by Electus Darwin Litchfield, who was influenced by the garden city movement, "garden city" developments popular in England at the time.

Neighborhoods

Camden contains more than 20 generally recognized neighborhoods:

* Ablett Village
* Bergen Square
* Beideman, Camden, Beideman
* Broadway
* Centerville
* Center City/Downtown Camden/Central Business District
* Camden Waterfront, Central Waterfront
* Cooper
* Cooper Grant, Camden, Cooper Grant
* Cooper Point, Camden, Cooper Point
* Cramer Hill, Camden, Cramer Hill
* Dudley
* East Camden
* Fairview, Camden, Fairview
* Gateway, Camden, Gateway
* Kaighn Point
* Lanning Square, Camden, Lanning Square
* Liberty Park
* Marlton
* Morgan Village
* North Camden
* Parkside, Camden, Parkside
* Pavonia
* North Camden, Pyne Point
* Rosedale
* South Camden
* Stockton, Camden, Stockton
* Waterfront South
* Whitman Park, Camden, Walt Whitman Park
* Fairview, Camden, Yorkship

Port

On the Delaware River, with access to the Atlantic Ocean, the Port of Camden handles Break bulk cargo, break bulk, bulk cargo, as well as some containers. Terminals fall under the auspices of the South Jersey Port Corporation as well as private operators such as Holt Logistics/ Holtec International. The port receives hundreds of ships moving international and domestic cargo annually and is one of the USA's largest shipping centers for wood products, cocoa and perishables.

Climate

Camden has a humid subtropical climate (''Cfa'' in the Köppen climate classification) with hot summers and cool to cold winters.

Demographics

2020 census

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''

2010 Census

The city of Camden was 47% Hispanic of any race, 44% non-Hispanic black, 6% non-Hispanic white, and 3% other. Camden is predominately populated by African Americans and Puerto Ricans.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation adjustment, inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $27,027 (with a margin of error of +/− $912) and the median family income was $29,118 (+/− $1,296). Males had a median income of $27,987 (+/− $1,840) versus $26,624 (+/− $1,155) for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,807 (+/− $429). About 33.5% of families and 36.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 50.3% of those under age 18 and 26.2% of those age 65 or over.

As of 2006, 52% of the city's residents lived in poverty, one of the highest rates in the nation. The city had a median household income of $18,007, the lowest of all U.S. communities with populations of more than 65,000 residents. A group of poor Camden residents were the subject of a ''20/20 (US television series), 20/20'' special on poverty in America broadcast on January 26, 2007, in which Diane Sawyer profiled the lives of three young children growing up in Camden. A follow-up was shown on November 9, 2007.

In 2011, Camden's unemployment rate was 19.6%, compared with 10.6% in Camden County as a whole. As of 2009, the unemployment rate in Camden was 19.2%, compared to the 10% overall unemployment rate for Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties and a rate of 8.4% in Philadelphia and the four surrounding counties in Delaware Valley, Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Religion

Camden has religious institutions including many churches and their associated non-profit organizations and community centers such as the Little Rock Baptist Church in the Parkside section of Camden, First Nazarene Baptist Church,
Kaighn Avenue Baptist Church, and the Parkside United Methodist Church. Other congregations that are active now are Newton Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, on Haddon Avenue and Cooper Street and the Masjid at 1231 Mechanic St, Camden, NJ 08104 .

The first Church of Scientology, Scientology church was incorporated in December 1953 in Camden by L. Ron Hubbard, his wife Mary Sue Hubbard, and John Galusha.

Father Michael Doyle, the pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church located in South Camden, has played a large role in Camden's spiritual and social history. In 1971, Doyle was part of the The Camden 28, Camden 28, a group of anti-Vietnam War activists who planned to raid a draft board office in the city. This is noted by many as the start of Doyle's activities as a radical 'Catholic Left'. Following these activities, Monsignor Doyle went on to become the pastor of Sacred Heart Church, remaining known for his poetry and activism. Monsignor Doyle and the Sacred Heart Church's main mission is to form a connection between the primarily white suburban surrounding areas and the inner-city of Camden.

In 1982, Father Mark Aita of Holy Name of Camden founded the St. Luke's Catholic Medical Services. Aita, a medical doctor and a member of the Society of Jesus, created the first medical system in Camden that did not use rotating primary care physicians. Since its conception, St. Luke's has grown to include Patient Education Classes as well as home medical services, aiding over seven thousand Camden residents.

Culture

Camden's role as an industrial city gave rise to distinct neighborhoods and cultural groups that have affected the growth and decline of the city over the course of the 20th century. Camden is also home to historic landmarks detailing its rich history in literature, music, social work, and industry such as the Walt Whitman House, the Walt Whitman Cultural Arts Center, the Rutgers–Camden Center for the Arts and the Camden Children's Garden.

Camden's cultural history has been greatly affected by both its economic and social position over the years. From 1950 to 1970, industry plummeted, resulting in close to 20,000 jobs being lost for Camden residents. This mass unemployment as well as social pressure from neighboring townships caused an exodus of citizens, mostly white. This gap was filled by new African American and Latino citizens and led to a restructuring of Camden's communities. The number of White citizens who left to neighboring towns such as Collingswood

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