Gloucester City is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

in Camden County, in the U.S. state of

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 ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 11,484, an increase of 28 (+0.2%) from the 2010 census count of 11,456, which in turn reflected 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 region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

from

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

and the Port of Philadelphia. 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 ...

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, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

, England. Gloucester City is known for its

Irish American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...

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

House of Orange-Nassau The House of Orange-Nassau (, ), also known as the House of Orange because of the prestige of the princely title of Orange, also referred to as the Fourth House of Orange in comparison with the other noble houses that held the Principality of Or ...

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

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

. The region along the

and its bay was called the Zuyd Rivier and marked the southern flank of the province of New Netherland. From 1638 to 1655 the area was part of

New Sweden New Sweden () was a colony of the Swedish Empire between 1638 and 1655 along the lower reaches of the Delaware River in what is now Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Established during the Thirty Years' War when Sweden was a g ...

, which had been established by Peter Minuit, 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. A ...

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

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

. 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, 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. After the arrival of English

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestantism, Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally ...

on the Delaware, in 1677, a permanent settlement, at first called Axwamus, was established on the site of the present city. This was surveyed and laid out as a town in 1689. In 1868 it was chartered as a city.

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

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, across the

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 11,456 people, 4,248 households, and 2,804 families in the city. 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 4,712 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 90.52% (10,370)

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 ...

, 3.07% (352) Black or African American, 0.14% (16) Native American, 2.68% (307) Asian, 0.00% (0)

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 ...

, 1.82% (209) from other races, and 1.76% (202) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.70% (767) of the population. Of the 4,248 households, 29.4% had children under the age of 18; 42.3% were married couples living together; 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 34.0% were non-families. Of all households, 27.4% were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.31. 24.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 97.0 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 94.4 males. The Census Bureau's 2006–2010

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars)

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two 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 und ...

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 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 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 ...

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

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census there were 11,484 people, 4,213 households, and 2,839 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,604 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.14%

, 0.69%

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 ...

, 0.18% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.03%

, 0.64% from other races, and 0.64% 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 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 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 ePodunk was a website that profiled communities in the United States, Canada, Ireland, and the UK. It provided geocoded information that includes local museums, attractions, parks, colleges, libraries, cemeteries and other features, as well as ...

. 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 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, 14.6% 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 is a former

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

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 Religion, religio ...

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 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 a 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 tha ...

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

Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 28. , the Mayor of Gloucester City is Democrat Dayl R. Baile, whose term of office ends December 31, 2026; he was first elected in November 2021 to serve the balance of the term of office of Dan Spencer, expiring in December 2022.Dayl Baile
Gloucester City. Accessed April 20, 2024. Members of the City Council are Nancy Randolph Baus (D, 2024; Third Ward), George Berglund (D, 2024; First Ward), Ed Cilurso III (D, 2025; At Large - appointed to serve an unexpired term), James "Bowie" Johnson (D, 2024; Second Ward), Robert J. Page (D, 2025) and Derek Timm (D, 2025).Mayor and Common Council
Gloucester City. Accessed April 20, 2024.Official Election Results 2022 General Election November 8, 2022
Camden County, New Jersey, as of November 21, 2022. Accessed January 1, 2023.2021 General Election November 2, 2021 Official Election Results
Camden County, New Jersey, update November 15, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.2020 General Election November 3, 2020 Official Election Results
Camden County, New Jersey, update November 20, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021. In December 2024, the city council appointed Ed Cilurso to the at-large seat expiring December 2025 that had been held by Sam Budesa until he left office; Cilurso will serve until the November 2024 general election, when voters will choose a candidate to serve the balance of the term of office. 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, 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. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey League of Women Voters. Accessed October 30, 2019. The sheriff of Camden County had been Charles H. Billingham, a resident of Gloucester City who had previously served as the city's mayor.

Politics

As of March 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 was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

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

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...

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 statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...

, 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 served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

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 and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

, 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 and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...

received 59.0% of the vote (1,309 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono 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 received 54.8% of the vote here (1,473 ballots cast), ahead of both Republican

with 36.0% (969 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett 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 serve students in pre-kindergarten through

twelfth grade Twelfth Grade (also known as Grade 12, Senior Year, Standard 12, 12th Standard, 12th Class, or Class 12th or Class 12) is the twelfth and final Educational stage, year of Formal education, formal or compulsory education. It is typically the final ...

. 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 Constitution of New Jersey, the state constitution. They were created in 1985 as a resul ...

s statewide that were established pursuant to the decision by the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the supreme court, 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 cha ...

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. Students from Brooklawn attend the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Brooklawn Public School District. As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 2,356 students and 176.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.3:1.District information for Gloucester City Public School District

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data on education in the United States. Established under , it operates within the Institute of Education S ...

. Accessed February 1, 2024. Schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the

) are Cold Springs Elementary School with 842 students in grades PreK-3, Gloucester City Middle School with 779 students in grades 4-8 and Gloucester City High School with 702 students in grades 9-12. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden operates Gloucester Catholic High School, 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 Roman Catholic high school for grades 7-12 that opened in 1928. 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 transport ...

and by the Delaware River Port Authority. Interstate 76 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 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 bus service is available to

on routes 401 (from Salem), 402 (from Pennsville), 408 (from Millville), 410 (from Bridgeton) and 412 (from Sewell), with local service on the 457 route between the Moorestown Mall and Camden. The city is expected to be a stop on the Glassboro–Camden Line, a planned diesel multiple unit (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 (appro ...

program

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

at Rider University (1982–1985), Georgia Tech (1989–2003) and

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

(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 f ...

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

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate is 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 232,225 (2020 figure ...

* Lucinda Florio (1947–2022), teacher and advocate for education and literacy, who, as the wife of former New Jersey Governor

James Florio James Joseph Florio (August 29, 1937 – September 25, 2022) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 49th governor of New Jersey from 1990 to 1994. He was previously the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 1st congressional dist ...

, served as the First Lady of New Jersey * Francis J. Gorman (1924–1987), politician who served seven terms in the

* Patrick T. Harker (born 1958), President of the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially known as UD, UDel, or Delaware) is a Statutory college#Delaware, privately governed, state-assisted Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Newark, Delaware, United States. UD offers f ...

(2007–2015) * Eliza Leslie (1787–1858), author of popular cookbooks during the nineteenth century * Betsy Ross (1752–1836), best known as the creator of the flag that shares her name, the Betsy Ross Flag

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, and 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 African ...

. Bill Haley & His Comets—originally a

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

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 Realism (visual arts), realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and fine arts educator. He is widely acknowledged to be one of the most important American artist ...

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, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) is an List of art museums#North America, 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 ...

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''. Accessed April 16, 2012. Elizabeth is better known as Betsy Ross, 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''—starring Michael Keaton—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 and Luca Bercovici.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 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