Port Norris is an

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 ...

and

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 ...

(CDP) located within Commercial Township, in

Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to: Australia * Cumberland County, New South Wales * the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia Canada *Cumberland County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom * Cumberland, historic county *Cumberl ...

, 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

Vineland ''Vineland'' is a 1990 novel by Thomas Pynchon, a postmodern fiction set in California, United States in 1984, the year of Ronald Reagan's reelection.Knabb 2002 Through flashbacks by its characters, who have lived during the '60s in their youth ...

- Millville- Bridgeton Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area for statistical purposes. As of the 2000 United States Census, the CDP's population was 1,377.DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Port Norris CDP, New Jersey

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 ...

. Accessed November 2, 2012. Legislation was passed in 1911 allowing voters to choose to incorporate Port Norris as a borough, independent from Commercial Township, but it was defeated in a referendum.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 259. Accessed November 17, 2015.

History

On a late night in September 2007, an undercover operation to put a halt to the

drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, mos ...

was commenced, and up to 62 people were caught participating in a major drag race gathering. About 208 summonses were issued and several cars were impounded.

Geography

According to the

, the CDP had a total area of , including of land and of water (7.23%).US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990

. Accessed September 4, 2014. Port Norris is located near the mouth of the

Maurice River The Maurice River (Berkery, Sheri"Do you know how to pronounce these S.J. town names?" ''Courier-Post'', September 5, 2019. Accessed January 26, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Maurice River/Maurice River Township: MAW-ris, instead of More-eece. So ba ...

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 1,377 people, 481 households, and 355 families 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 552 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 66.23% (912)

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 ...

, 26.22% (361) Black or African American, 0.29% (4) Native American, 0.73% (10) 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 ...

, 1.89% (26) from other races, and 4.65% (64) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.32% (87) of the population. Of the 481 households, 29.5% had children under the age of 18; 43.7% were married couples living together; 23.3% had a female householder with no husband present and 26.2% were non-families. Of all households, 20.4% were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.18. 24.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 22.4% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 96.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 94.4 males.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 1,507 people, 514 households, and 380 families residing in the CDP. The

was . There were 596 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 58.26%

, 37.09%

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 ...

, 0.13% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 1.73% from other races, and 2.59% 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 4.64% of the population.DP-1 - Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 from the Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Port Norris CDP, New Jersey
,

. Accessed November 2, 2012. There were 514 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% 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, 18.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.36. In the CDP the population was spread out, with 27.4% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $38,194, and the median income for a family was $42,813. Males had a median income of $36,513 versus $22,176 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 $16,195. About 14.0% of families and 16.1% 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 20.6% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Students are zoned to Commercial Township School District.

Bivalve and Shell Pile

In the Port Norris area are the communities of Bivalve and Shell Pile. They were both centers of the oystering industry, as their names imply. Shell Pile is described in a 1939 excerpt of a WPA Guidebook to New Jersey:

"Shell Pile is named for the great heaps of oyster shells stacked outside the packing sheds. This is a community of about 1,000 Negroes living in wooden barracks erected on stilts over the salt marshes. Negroes here live their own lives in their own way, and present a united and rather hostile front from the rest of the world. Strange whites are not welcomed in Shell Pile."

The oystering industry reached its peak in 1955, declining by 1957 due to oyster pathogen '' Haplosporidium nelsoni'' (MSX) which killed 90% of the oysters. Bivalve and Shell Pile are now mostly ghost towns, with a combined population of less than 50. In ''Cruising the Chesapeake; a Gunkholer's Guide,'' William Shellenberger says:Shellenberger, William
''Cruising the Chesapeake; a Gunkholer's Guide''
p. 442. Third Edition, 2001, International Marine

As the name indicates this is an oystering port, probably the busiest on the Delaware. Don't look for typical pleasure-boat facilities - there aren't any. However, you may be able to find dock space on either shore where you can tie up.

References

{{Cumberland County, New Jersey Census-designated places in Cumberland County, New Jersey Census-designated places in New Jersey Commercial Township, New Jersey Ports and harbors of New Jersey