Commercial Township, New Jersey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Commercial Township, New Jersey
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Township
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| Motto(s):
Small Town Charm, Along the Scenic Maurice River
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Location of Commercial Township in Cumberland County highlighted in red (right). Inset map: Location of Cumberland County in New Jersey highlighted in red (left).
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Census Bureau map of Commercial Township, New Jersey
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 Commercial Township, New Jersey
Location in Cumberland County, New Jersey
Commercial Township, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Commercial Township, New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  New Jersey |
| County | Cumberland |
| Incorporated | February 27, 1874 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Township |
| • Body | Township Committee |
| Area | |
| • Total | 34.41 sq mi (89.13 km2) |
| • Land | 31.91 sq mi (82.66 km2) |
| • Water | 2.50 sq mi (6.47 km2) 7.26% |
| Area rank | 70th of 565 in state 7th of 14 in county |
| Elevation | 13 ft (4 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 4,669 |
| • Estimate
(2023)
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4,643 |
| • Rank | 389th of 565 in state 7th of 14 in county |
| • Density | 146.3/sq mi (56.5/km2) |
| • Density rank | 522nd of 565 in state 8th of 14 in county |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT)) |
| ZIP Code |
08349 – Port Norris
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| Area code(s) | 856 |
| FIPS code | 3401114710 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882062 |
| Website | |
Commercial Township is a township in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Vineland-Bridgeton metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 4,669, a decrease of 509 (−9.8%) from the 2010 census count of 5,178, which in turn reflected a decline of 81 (−1.5%) from the 5,259 counted in the 2000 census.
Commercial Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 27, 1874, from portions of Downe Township. The township was named for its shellfish industry.
Contents
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 34.41 square miles (89.13 km2), including 31.91 square miles (82.66 km2) of land and 2.50 square miles (6.47 km2) of water (7.26%).
Laurel Lake (2010 Census population of 2,989), Port Norris (population of 1,377 as of 2010), and Mauricetown are unincorporated communities and census-designated places (CDPs) located within Commercial Township.
Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Baileytown, Bivalve, Buckshutem, Haleyville, Lores Mill, North Port Norris and Shell Pile.
The township borders Downe Township, Maurice River Township, Millville and the Delaware Bay.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 2,265 | — | |
| 1890 | 2,344 | 3.5% | |
| 1900 | 2,982 | 27.2% | |
| 1910 | 2,604 | −12.7% | |
| 1920 | 2,292 | −12.0% | |
| 1930 | 2,873 | 25.3% | |
| 1940 | 2,822 | −1.8% | |
| 1950 | 3,238 | 14.7% | |
| 1960 | 3,244 | 0.2% | |
| 1970 | 3,667 | 13.0% | |
| 1980 | 4,674 | 27.5% | |
| 1990 | 5,026 | 7.5% | |
| 2000 | 5,259 | 4.6% | |
| 2010 | 5,178 | −1.5% | |
| 2020 | 4,669 | −9.8% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 4,643 | −10.3% | |
| Population sources: 1880–2000 1880–1920 1880–1890 1890–1910 1910–1930 1940–2000 2000 2010 2020 |
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2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 5,178 people, 1,880 households, and 1,337 families in the township. The population density was 161.2 inhabitants per square mile (62.2/km2). There were 2,115 housing units at an average density of 65.8 per square mile (25.4/km2). The racial makeup was 83.72% (4,335) White, 10.24% (530) Black or African American, 0.35% (18) Native American, 0.52% (27) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 1.53% (79) from other races, and 3.65% (189) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.10% (316) of the population.
Of the 1,880 households, 30.6% had children under the age of 18; 42.9% were married couples living together; 18.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 28.9% were non-families. Of all households, 22.4% were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.14.
25.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 98.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 98.0 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $45,323 (with a margin of error of +/− $7,873) and the median family income was $46,790 (+/− $10,373). Males had a median income of $42,297 (+/− $6,069) versus $31,391 (+/− $5,851) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $19,242 (+/− $2,315). About 18.0% of families and 18.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.9% of those under age 18 and 21.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The Commercial Township School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 529 students and 42.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.6:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Haleyville-Mauricetown Elementary School with 368 students in grades Pre-K–5 and Port Norris Middle School with 166 students in grades 6–8.
Students in ninth through twelfth grades for public school attend high school in Millville together with students from Lawrence Township and Maurice River Township, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Millville Public Schools under which students attend Memorial High School for ninth grade and half of the tenth grade and Millville Senior High School for half of the tenth grade through the twelfth grade.
Students are also eligible to attend Cumberland County Technical Education Center in Vineland, serving students from the entire county in its full-time technical training programs, which are offered without charge to students who are county residents.
Transportation
_at_Memorial_Avenue_in_Commercial_Township,_Cumberland_County,_New_Jersey.jpg)
As of May 2010[update], the township had a total of 77.15 miles (124.16 km) of roadways, of which 44.08 miles (70.94 km) were maintained by the municipality and 33.07 miles (53.22 km) by Cumberland County.
County Route 553 is the most significant road serving Commercial Township.
Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Commercial Township include:
- Helen Gandy (1897–1988), secretary to J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, for 54 years
- Elden H. Johnson (1921–1944), United States Army soldier who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in World War II
- Henry C. Loudenslager (1852–1911), represented New Jersey's 1st congressional district from 1893 to 1911
- Larry Milbourne (born 1951), second baseman who played for 11 seasons in Major League Baseball
- Dallas Lore Sharp (1870–1929), author and university professor
Points of interest
