Stratford is a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

in Camden County, in the

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

. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,981, a decrease of 59 (−0.8%) from the 2010 census count of 7,040, which in turn reflected a decline of 231 (−3.2%) from the 7,271 counted in the 2000 census. Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine is located in Stratford.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.57 square miles (4.07 km²), all of which was land. The borough borders Gloucester Township (north and east), Hi-Nella (north), Laurel Springs (south), Lindenwold (south and west), and Somerdale (west).

History

The earliest colonial settlers concentrated around the White Horse Tavern in the 1740s, around which the small village of White Horse emerged. The only remaining building of this early village is the Stratford Quaker Store. In the 1880s, the Rural Land Improvement Company began developing the area known as "Old Stratford" and renamed the village after

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon (district), Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of Engl ...

, England. The Borough of Stratford was officially formed on February 13, 1925, from portions of Clementon Township, one of seven municipalities carved from the township.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 108. Accessed May 30,2024. In the 1960s, Hunt's farm was sold to developers and the Laurel Mill Farms housing development was formed adjacent to the North Branch of Big Timber Creek.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 7,040 people, 2,641 households, and 1,822 families in the borough. 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 2,761 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 82.37% (5,799)

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 ...

, 8.24% (580) Black or African American, 0.18% (13) Native American, 4.22% (297) Asian, 0.07% (5)

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 ...

, 2.77% (195) from other races, and 2.14% (151) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.49% (457) of the population. Of the 2,641 households, 31.1% had children under the age of 18; 51.8% were married couples living together; 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 31.0% were non-families. Of all households, 25.6% were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.19. 23.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 95.8 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 92.9 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 $64,297 (with a margin of error of +/− $6,575) and the median family income was $86,375 (+/− $11,140). Males had a median income of $63,879 (+/− $4,823) versus $40,243 (+/− $1,924) 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 borough was $32,383 (+/− $3,556). About 4.3% of families and 6.9% 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 9.4% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 U.S. census, there were 7,271 people, 2,736 households, and 1,906 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 2,849 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 88.56%

, 6.60%

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 ...

, 0.12% Native American, 2.38% Asian, 0.01%

, 0.87% from other races, and 1.46% 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 3.81% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Stratford borough, 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 October 12, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Stratford borough, Camden County, New Jersey
,

. Accessed October 12, 2012. There were 2,736 households, out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% 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, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.18. In the borough, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $50,977, and the median income for a family was $57,500. Males had a median income of $42,246 versus $29,153 for females. The

for the borough was $21,748. About 2.5% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the

, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Stratford is governed under the

form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey. The governing body is comprised of a mayor and a borough council, with all positions 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 ...

on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle.''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 borough form of government used by Stratford is a " weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can

veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president (government title), president or monarch vetoes a bill (law), bill to stop it from becoming statutory law, law. In many countries, veto powe ...

ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council. , the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of Stratford is Democrat Linda Hall.Mayor's Desk
Borough of Stratford. Accessed November 21, 2022. Members of the Stratford Borough Council are Council President Stephen C. Gandy (D, 2024), Patrick Gilligan (D, 2023), Linda Hall (D, 2025), James Kelly (D, 2024), Tina Lomanno (D, 2025) and Michael G. Tolomeo (D, 2023).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.Official Election Results 2019 General Election November 5, 2019
Camden County, New Jersey, updated November 15, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020.

Federal, state and county representation

Stratford 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 6th 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.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 4,606 registered voters in Stratford, of which 1,743 (37.8%) were registered as Democrats, 849 (18.4%) were registered as Republicans and 2,013 (43.7%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There was one voter registered to another party. 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 59.0% of the vote (1,911 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 39.6% (1,282 votes), and other candidates with 1.5% (48 votes), among the 3,271 ballots cast by the borough's 4,925 registered voters (30 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 66.4%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 56.8% of the vote (2,006 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 39.9% (1,409 votes), with 3,534 ballots cast among the borough's 4,639 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.2%. 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 54.0% of the vote (1,886 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 44.3% (1,547 votes), with 3,492 ballots cast among the borough's 4,629 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 75.4. 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 67.0% of the vote (1,340 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 31.4% (628 votes), and other candidates with 1.6% (32 votes), among the 2,056 ballots cast by the borough's 4,945 registered voters (56 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 41.6%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 45.9% of the vote (1,005 ballots cast), ahead of both Democrat Jon Corzine with 45.1% (988 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 5.3% (116 votes), with 2,191 ballots cast among the borough's 4,630 registered voters, yielding a 47.3% turnout.

Education

The Stratford School District serves public school students in

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

through eighth grade. Students from Hi-Nella attend the district for Pre-K–8 as part of a sending/receiving relationship, under a five-year transition that started in 2012–13, bringing in an additional 100 students to the district. Students from Laurel Springs also attend the district's schools for grades 7 and 8 as part of a sending/receiving relationship. As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 901 students and 78.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio The student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio refers to the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers or staff in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that ...

of 11.6:1.District information for Stratford 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 Parkview Elementary School with 384 students in pre-kindergarten through third grade and Samuel S. Yellin Elementary School with 507 students in grades 4 through 8. For

ninth grade Ninth grade (also 9th grade or grade 9) is the ninth or tenth Educational stage, year of Formal education, formal or compulsory education in some countries. It is generally part of middle school or secondary school depending on country. Students i ...

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 ...

, public school students attend Sterling High School, a regional high school district that also serves students from

Magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendr ...

and Somerdale, along with the sending districts of Hi-Nella and Laurel Springs. The high school is located in Somerdale. As of the 2022–23 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 894 students and 70.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

of 12.8:1. John Paul II Regional School is an elementary school that operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden, having opened for the 2008–09 school year as the result of the consolidation of Our Lady of Grace, St. Luke and St. Lawrence by the Camden diocese.

Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine The Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine (also known as Rowan-Virtua SOM or SOM) is a public medical school located in Stratford, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1976, Rowan-Virtua SOM is one of two medical schools associat ...

has its campus on Laurel Road in Stratford Borough. It is made up of four buildings including the University Doctors' Pavilion and a Science Center. Rutgers University's Biomedical and Health Sciences school has a campus in Stratford. Stratford Classical Christian Academy, which occupied the site of the former Stratford Military Academy, served students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade until 2015, when it closed.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the borough had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Camden County and 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 ...

U.S. Route 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route of the United States Numbered Highway System, with the highway traveling across the Northern U.S. With a length of , it is the third-longest U.S. Highway, afte ...

(White Horse Pike) runs from Laurel Springs in the borough's southeast corner and heads towards the northern tip of the borough along the border between Stratford to the southwest and Somerdale to the northeast before heading into Somerdale.

Public transportation

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. I ...

bus service between Turnersville and Camden is available on the

403 Year 403 ( CDIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Theodosius and Rumoridus (or, less frequently, year 1156 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 403 fo ...

route, with local service available on the 459 route operatining between

Voorhees Town Center Voorhees Town Center (formerly Echelon Mall) is a regional shopping mall and a residential area located in Voorhees Township, New Jersey. It was built in 1970 and named after Echelon Airfield which was located where the mall stands today. The E ...

and the Avandale Park and Ride in Winslow Township.

Notable people

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

Tamika Catchings Tamika Devonne Catchings (born July 21, 1979) is an American retired professional basketball player who played her entire 15-year career for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Widely considered as one of the ...

(born 1979), professional basketball player who played in the WNBA for the

Indiana Fever The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Fever compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team was founded for ...

* Mike Daniels (born 1989), defensive end for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

Lee DeRamus Lee Collins DeRamus (born August 24, 1972) is an American former professional American football, football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL draft and played two seasons with t ...

(born 1972),

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

who played for two seasons in the NFL with the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

Steven Ferrari Steven Ferrari (born January 25, 1962) is a career US Army officer who retired as a Major general (United States), major general. A native of Camden, New Jersey and longtime member of the New Jersey Army National Guard, he served from 1981 to 2021 ...

(born 1962), US Army major general, lived in Stratford *

Juwan Johnson Juwan Johnson (born September 13, 1996) is an American professional football tight end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and Oregon Ducks and signed with ...

(born 1996),

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

for the

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

* Ken Kelley (born 1960),

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

who played two seasons in the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

with the Philadelphia Stars,

Chicago Blitz The Chicago Blitz was a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League (USFL) in the mid-1980s. They played at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. Team history The Blitz were one of the twelve charter ...

and

Birmingham Stallions The Birmingham Stallions were a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second professional league of American football in the United States in competition with the National Football League. They played their ...

* Brett Laxton (born 1973), former MLB pitcher who played in parts of two seasons for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

and the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

Kelly Ripa Kelly Maria Ripa (; born October 2, 1970) is an American actress and talk show host. Since 2001, she has been the co-host of the syndicated morning talk show '' Live! with Kelly and Mark'' in various formats. Her co-hosts have included Regis ...

(born 1970), actress and talk show host of ''

Live! with Kelly ''Live with Kelly and Mark'' (or simply ''Live'') is an American syndicated morning talk show hosted by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. Executive produced by Michael Gelman, the ''Live with...'' show formula has aired under various hosts sin ...

'' * Julian Talley (born 1989), NFL wide receiver for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

Julian Talley
,

. Accessed October 10, 2015. "Hometown: Stratford, NJ"

References

External links

Official Stratford website
{{Authority control 1925 establishments in New Jersey Borough form of New Jersey government Boroughs in New Jersey Boroughs in Camden County, New Jersey Populated places established in 1925