Ventnor, New Jersey

Ventnor City is a city situated on the Jersey Shore on Absecon Island, within Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, on the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 9,210, a decrease of 1,440 (−13.5%) from the 2010 census count of 10,650, which in turn reflected a decrease of 2,260 (−17.5%) from the 12,910 counted in the 2000 census. The city, and all of Atlantic County, is part of the Atlantic City– Hammonton metropolitan statistical area, which is part of the Philadelphia– Wilmington– Camden, PA–NJ– DE– MD combined statistical area, also known as the Delaware Valley or Philadelphia metropolitan area.

Ventnor City was incorporated as a city by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1903, from portions of Egg Harbor Township.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 71. Accessed May 30, 2024.

History

S. Bartram Richards, the wife of the secretary-treasurer of the Camden and Atlantic Land Company, suggested the name "Ventnor" for the area then being developed by the company south of Atlantic City, having recently visited the English seaside resort on the Isle of Wight with the same name. The name was chosen in January 1889. The city was formally incorporated by the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1903.History
, City of Ventnor City. Accessed December 4, 2011.

Chapter 51 of the laws and Sessions of the State of New Jersey provided the beginning to Ventnor City, stating:

The first meeting was held on April 20, 1903, in the Carisbrooke Inn, which was located behind the present City Hall, on Atlantic Avenue between Cambridge and Sacramento Avenues; Carisbrooke is also a place name taken from the Isle of Wight.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Ventnor City city had a total area of 3.52 square miles (9.13 km²), including 1.96 square miles (5.07 km²) of land and 1.57 square miles (4.06 km²) of water (44.52%).

The city is located on long Absecon Island, along with Atlantic City to the northeast, and Margate City and Longport on the southwest. The boardwalk runs along the entire Ventnor City beach front and is connected to the Atlantic City Boardwalk. It ends at Ventnor City's border with Margate City. The city borders Atlantic City and Margate City.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 10,650 people, 4,592 households, and 2,645 families in the city. The population density was . There were 7,829 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 75.83% (8,076) White, 4.25% (453) Black or African American, 0.47% (50) Native American, 8.68% (924) Asian, 0.05% (5) Pacific Islander, 8.08% (860) from other races, and 2.65% (282) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.05% (1,922) of the population.

Of the 4,592 households, 20.9% had children under the age of 18; 39.3% were married couples living together; 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 42.4% were non-families. Of all households, 34.6% were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 3.00.

18.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 31.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 94.0 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 90.0 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $52,465 (with a margin of error of ±$3,688) and the median family income was $66,467 (±$9,437). Males had a median income of $42,560 (±$12,377) versus $33,693 (±$5,007) for females. The per capita income for the city was $34,790 (±$4,057). About 9.0% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.1% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census there were 12,910 people, 5,480 households, and 3,255 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 8,009 housing units at an average density of 1, 445.0/km² (3,736.6/sq mi). The racial makeup of the city was 77.10% White, 2.94% African American, 0.19% Native American, 7.45% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 9.37% from other races, and 2.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.14% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Ventnor City city, New Jersey
, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 9, 2012.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Ventnor City city, Atlantic County, New Jersey
, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 9, 2012.

The most common ethnic groups reported in the 2000 Census in Ventnor City were Italian (22.8%), Irish (15.5%), German (8.7%), English (6.2%), Russian (4.2%), Polish (3.6%).

There were 5,480 households, out of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city the population was spread out, with 20.0% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,478, and the median income for a family was $52,701. Males had a median income of $31,300 versus $26,788 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,631. About 3.4% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

On September 17, 1968, the existing Mayor-Council form of government was changed to a Commission form of government, under the Walsh Act, one of seven municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form. The governing body is comprised of three Commissioners who are elected at-large to serve four-year terms on a concurrent basis in non-partisan elections held as part of the May municipal election. After each election, the three elected commissioners are each assigned a department to oversee and choose one of their members to serve as Mayor.''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'', Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 12.

, the members of the Ventnor City Board of Commissioners, serving concurrent terms of office ending May 2028, are
Mayor Tim Kriebel (Commissioner of Public Safety),Mayor Tim Kriebel
Ventnor City. Accessed February 23, 2025.
Lance B. Landgraf Jr.(Commissioner of Public Works and Code Enforcement) and
Maria Mento (Commissioner of Revenue and Finance).

Beth Holtzman stepped down as mayor in January 2023 as she was moving out of the city. The next month, Lance Landgraf took office as mayor and administrator Maria Mento was appointed to fill Holtzman's seat as commissioner on an interim basis until the November 2023 general election, when voters will choose a candidate to serve the balance of the term of office.

In the 2016 municipal elections, the Imagine Ventnor slate of Beth Holtzman, Tim Kriebel and Lance Landgraf won election in a field of five candidates, with none of the incumbents running for re-election.

In the May 2012 elections, challengers Mike Bagnell (with 1,213 votes) and Frank Sarno (1,175) won seats on the commission, while incumbent Theresa Kelly won the third seat with 1,164 votes, putting her two votes ahead of Albert Battaglia after provisional ballots were counted.

Michael Advena was sworn into office in November 2011 after winning a special election for the vacant seat that had been held by Stephen Weintrob.

Federal, state and county representation

Ventnor City is located in the 2nd Congressional DistrictPlan Components Report
New Jersey Redistricting Commission, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020. and is part of New Jersey's 2nd 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 6,293 registered voters in Ventnor City, of which 1,636 (26.0% vs. 30.5% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 2,012 (32.0% vs. 25.2%) were registered as Republicans and 2,644 (42.0% vs. 44.3%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There was one voter registered to another party.Voter Registration Summary - Atlantic
New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, March 23, 2011. Accessed December 24, 2014. Among the city's 2010 Census population, 59.1% (vs. 58.8% in Atlantic County) were registered to vote, including 72.5% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 76.6% countywide).

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 2,170 votes (51.8% vs. 57.9% countywide), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 1,965 votes (46.9% vs. 41.1%) and other candidates with 30 votes (0.7% vs. 0.9%), among the 4,192 ballots cast by the city's 6,861 registered voters, for a turnout of 61.1% (vs. 65.8% in Atlantic County). In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 2,372 votes (50.3% vs. 56.5% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 2,257 votes (47.8% vs. 41.6%) and other candidates with 50 votes (1.1% vs. 1.1%), among the 4,718 ballots cast by the city's 7,009 registered voters, for a turnout of 67.3% (vs. 68.1% in Atlantic County). In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 2,493 votes (52.1% vs. 52.0% countywide), ahead of Republican George W. Bush with 2,205 votes (46.1% vs. 46.2%) and other candidates with 32 votes (0.7% vs. 0.8%), among the 4,783 ballots cast by the city's 6,726 registered voters, for a turnout of 71.1% (vs. 69.8% in the whole county).

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,806 votes (66.9% vs. 60.0% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 775 votes (28.7% vs. 34.9%) and other candidates with 40 votes (1.5% vs. 1.3%), among the 2,699 ballots cast by the city's 6,897 registered voters, yielding a 39.1% turnout (vs. 41.5% in the county). In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,548 votes (50.9% vs. 47.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 1,290 votes (42.4% vs. 44.5%), Independent Chris Daggett with 132 votes (4.3% vs. 4.8%) and other candidates with 26 votes (0.9% vs. 1.2%), among the 3,043 ballots cast by the city's 6,549 registered voters, yielding a 46.5% turnout (vs. 44.9% in the county).

Education

The Ventnor City School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 495 students and 71.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 7.0:1.District information for Ventnor City School District
National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024. The Ventnor City School District operates two schools for Pre-K–8 within the Ventnor Educational Community Complex. The Ventnor City School District operates two schools for PreK-8 within the Ventnor Educational Community Complex. Schools in the district (with 2023–24 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are
Ventnor Elementary School with 302 students in grades PreK–5 and >
Ventnor Middle School with 177 students in grades 6–8. The district's board of education consists of seven members who set policy and oversee the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration. As a Type I school district, the board's trustees are appointed by the mayor to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two or three members up for reappointment each year. Of the more than 680 school districts statewide, Ventnor City is one of approximately a dozen districts with appointed school districts.

Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades, along with those from Brigantine and Margate City, attend Atlantic City High School in neighboring Atlantic City, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Atlantic City School District that has existed since 1920. As of the 2023–24 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,699 students and 144.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.7:1. The Ventnor district has considered options for an alternative high school sending relationship.

City public school students are also eligible to attend the Atlantic County Institute of Technology in the Mays Landing section of Hamilton Township or the Charter-Tech High School for the Performing Arts, located in Somers Point.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden operated St. James School, a K–8 school, until 2008, when it merged with Blessed Sacrament School in Margate City into Holy Family Regional School (using the St. James site). By 2011 it had a loss of $172,000 and only had 92 students. The sponsoring churches of Holy Family were Holy Trinity Church in Ventnor and St. Gianna Beretta Church of Northfield. The diocese announced that it would close Holy Family at the end of the 2010–2011 school year, as its enrollment was insufficient to cover the deficit. The building was demolished in 2016.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the city had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality and by the county.

No Interstate, U.S., state or major county highway directly serves Ventnor City. The only numbered roads in Ventnor City are minor county routes, such as County Route 629.

Dorset Avenue Bridge

Dorset Avenue Bridge is a double-leaf bascule drawbridge across the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) Inside Thorofare. Its operation is federally regulated. The bridge serves as a link in County Route 629.

Public transportation

NJ Transit provides bus service in the city to Atlantic City on routes 504 (from Margate City) and 505 (from Longport).

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Ventnor City has a humid subtropical climate (''Cfa'') with hot, moderately humid summers, cool winters and year-around precipitation. Cfa climates are characterized by all months having an average mean temperature above , at least four months with an average mean temperature at or above , at least one month with an average mean temperature at or above and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. During the summer months in Ventnor City, a cooling afternoon sea breeze is present on most days, but episodes of extreme heat and humidity can occur with heat index values at or above . During the winter months, episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values below . The plant hardiness zone at Ventnor City Beach is 7b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of . The average seasonal (November–April) snowfall total is , and the average snowiest month is February which corresponds with the annual peak in nor'easter activity.

Ecology

According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Ventnor City would have a dominant vegetation type of Northern Cordgrass (''73'') with a dominant vegetation form of Coastal Prairie (''20'').U.S. Potential Natural Vegetation, Original Kuchler Types, v2.0 (Spatially Adjusted to Correct Geometric Distortions)
Data Basin. Accessed March 18, 2020.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Ventnor City include:

* Ellen Bass (born 1947), poet and author
* Chris A. Brown (born 1964), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2012 to 2021, representing the 2nd Legislative District
* B. J. Callaghan (born 1981), association football manager of Nashville SC, who was interim head coach of the United States men's national soccer team in 2023
* Wayne Colman (born 1946), linebacker who played for the Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints
* Louise Todd Cope (1930–2020), artist, educator and poet
* Royden B. Davis (1923–2002), Dean of Georgetown College
* Walter Evans Edge (1873–1956), Governor of New Jersey from 1917 to 1919 and again from 1944 to 1947
* Angelo Errichetti (1928–2013), politician who served as Mayor of Camden and in the New Jersey Senate before being convicted during Abscam
* Frank S. Farley (1901–1977), New Jersey State Senator who was a Republican political boss in Atlantic County
* Benjamin Foulois (1879–1967), United States Army general and aviation pioneer
* Robert Geddes (1923–2023), architect who served as dean of the Princeton University School of Architecture
* Roland Greenfield (1919–1997), member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 171st District
* Anne Heche (1969–2022), actress, known for her roles across a variety of genres in film, television and theater
* Pinky Kravitz (1927–2015), radio broadcaster and print journalist
* Frank LoBiondo (born 1946), member of Congress from
* Barry Lubin (born 1952), "Grandma" of the Big Apple Circus
* Siegmund Lubin (1851–1923), German-American motion picture pioneer who founded the Lubin Manufacturing Company
* Sol Metzger (1880–1932), football player and coach
* Charles Henry Parkhurst (1842–1933), clergyman and social reformer who died after sleepwalking off the porch of his Ventnor home
* Greg Roman (born 1972), National Football League assistant coach
* John Roman (born 1952), former professional American football offensive lineman who played seven seasons in the NFL for the New York Jets
* Cathy Rush (born 1947), former women's basketball program head coach at Immaculata University who led the team to three consecutive AIAW national titles from 1972–1974
* Mike Segal (1922–1982), politician and businessman who led the initiative to legalize gambling in Atlantic City
* Vivian B. Smith (1886–1952), architect
* Valerie Solanas (1936–1988), radical feminist author who shot and nearly killed Andy Warhol
* Justin Williams (born 1981), professional ice hockey right winger with the Carolina Hurricanes who brought the Stanley Cup to Ventnor City Hall in 2012Steinberg, Dan
"Justin Williams loved playing for the Flyers; now he loves beating them"
''The Washington Post'', April 18, 2016. Accessed September 14, 2017. "Williams, whose offseason home is in Ventnor, N.J., met his future wife while playing with the Flyers from 2000-2004, and so he married into a family of Flyers fans.... According to the Press of Atlantic City, after retrieving the Cup from the Atlantic City airport, Williams first played street hockey with his friends in Ventnor, then took the Cup onto a pontoon boat and brought it to Ventnor's City Hall."

References

External links

Ventnor City Website

Ventnor Educational Community Complex
*

School Data for the Ventnor City School District
National Center for Education Statistics

''The Downbeach Current''

{{Authority control

1903 establishments in New Jersey
Cities in New Jersey
Cities in Atlantic County, New Jersey
Jersey Shore communities in Atlantic County
Populated places established in 1903
Walsh Act