Medford Lakes, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Medford Lakes, New Jersey
Borough
Lower Aetna Lake
Motto(s):  Medford Lakes-in-the-pines, the year round summer playground
Location of Medford Lakes in Burlington County highlighted in red with arrow (right). Inset map: Location of Burlington County in New Jersey highlighted in red (left).
Census Bureau map of Medford Lakes, New Jersey
Medford Lakes, New Jersey Location in Burlington County, New Jersey Show map of Burlington County, New Jersey Medford Lakes, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Medford Lakes, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Burlington
Incorporated	May 17, 1939
Named for	Medford, Massachusetts
Government
• Type	1923 Municipal Manager Law
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	1.27 sq mi (3.29 km2)
• Land	1.14 sq mi (2.95 km2)
• Water	0.13 sq mi (0.34 km2)  10.24%
Area rank	476th of 565 in state 35th of 40 in county
Elevation	62 ft (19 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,264
• Estimate  (2023)	4,291
• Rank	405th of 565 in state 30th of 40 in county
• Density	3,741.2/sq mi (1,444.5/km2)
• Density rank	178th of 565 in state 8th of 40 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	08055
Area code	609 exchanges: 654, 714, 953
FIPS code	3400545210
GNIS feature ID	0885295
Website

Medford Lakes is a borough in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,264, an increase of 118 (+2.8%) from the 2010 census count of 4,146, which in turn reflected a decline of 27 (−0.6%) from the 4,173 counted in the 2000 census. The township, and all of Burlington County, is a part of the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden combined statistical area and the Delaware Valley.

Medford Lakes was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 17, 1939, from portions of Medford Township. The borough was named for Medford Township, which was named by a developer for Medford, Massachusetts.

The borough's 22 lakes and surrounding lake communities are within the boundaries of the New Jersey Pinelands Commission. The Medford Lakes Colony, a community association, manages the lakes and other recreational facilities. More than 10% of the borough's homes are log cabins.

History

Before European colonization, the area now known as Medford Lakes was primarily inhabited by the Lenni-Lenape tribe, who utilized the region’s abundant natural resources, including its water bodies and forests, for survival and shelter.

European influence began in the 17th century when the English took control from the Dutch, but the first permanent European settlement was not established until the 18th century. At that time, the region, characterized by fertile soil and vast forests, was sparsely populated and primarily used for farming and lumbering.

During the American Revolutionary War, Charles Read's Aetna Furnace played a significant role, utilizing local bog iron to manufacture cannonballs for the Continental Army. Additionally, John Haines erected a saw and grist mill, contributing to the early industrial life of what would later become Medford Lakes.

The 19th century saw the area's natural resources fueling the Industrial Revolution, turning Medford Lakes into an industrial center. Extraction of iron ore continued, and forges were established along the waterways. The population increased substantially during this period.

The Medford Lakes Development Company was founded in 1927, and the following year, the Vaughn and Sons Lumber Company built the Colony Club Pavilion on land donated by the Development Company. The company began importing large quantities of cedar logs, which were fashioned into log cabins. These cabins, with their excellent insulation properties, became the architectural hallmark of the community. Paired with sizeable stone fireplaces for the colder months, these cabins expanded the resort season, turning Medford Lakes into a sought-after retreat for Philadelphians and New Yorkers.

In 1931, St. Mary of the Lakes Catholic Church, a single-story log cabin structure, was built and later added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

Medford Lakes was officially incorporated as a borough on May 17, 1939, from portions of Medford Township. Since incorporation, the borough has worked to maintain the community's unique log cabin character, even as it has expanded and modernized.

Throughout the second half of the 20th century, Medford Lakes' population surged, transitioning from a summer resort to a year-round residential community.

On July 12, 2004, the borough suffered substantial damage due to flooding, caused by 7.26 inches of rainfall over 14 hours. This led to the breaking of several dams, including the Quogue Dam and the Lower and Upper Aetna Lake Dams, causing water levels to rise beyond 500-year flood elevations on portions of Ballinger Run.

Since 1931, the Canoe Carnival, an event featuring hand-crafted floats each supported by a maximum of two canoes, has taken place on Lower Aetna Lake during the first week of August. Spectators gather along the lake to view this aquatic spectacle, after which a winner, as well as a king, queen, and court, are announced.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.293 square miles (3.348 km²), including 1.162 square miles (3.008 km²) of which is land and 0.131 square miles (0.340 km²) of which is water (10.15%). The borough is an independent municipality surrounded entirely by Medford Township, making it part one of 21 pairs of "doughnut towns" in the state, where one municipality entirely surrounds another.

Medford Lakes is one of 56 South Jersey municipalities that are included within the New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve, a protected natural area of unique ecology covering 1,100,000 acres (450,000 ha), that has been classified as a United States Biosphere Reserve and established by Congress in 1978 as the nation's first National Reserve. All of the borough is included in the state-designated Pinelands Area, which includes portions of Burlington County, along with areas in Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Ocean counties.

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 4,146 people, 1,483 households, and 1,186 families in the borough. The population density was 3,569.5 per square mile (1,378.2/km²). There were 1,543 housing units at an average density of 1,328.4 per square mile (512.9/km²). The racial makeup was 97.32% (4,035) White, 0.46% (19) Black or African American, 0.17% (7) Native American, 0.96% (40) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.39% (16) from other races, and 0.70% (29) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.69% (70) of the population.

Of the 1,483 households, 36.0% had children under the age of 18; 68.8% were married couples living together; 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present and 20.0% were non-families. Of all households, 16.3% were made up of individuals and 7.1% 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 3.13.

26.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 30.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 96.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 90.9 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006−2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $101,086 (with a margin of error of +/− $8,928) and the median family income was $105,563 (+/− $9,949). Males had a median income of $85,139 (+/− $26,197) versus $66,379 (+/− $13,826) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $48,789 (+/− $6,097). About 5.0% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Education

Students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade are educated by the Medford Lakes School District. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 514 students and 43.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.0:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–2019 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Nokomis School with 151 students in Pre-K to 2nd grade and Neeta School with 363 students in grades 3–8.

Public school students from Medford Lakes in ninth through twelfth grades attend Shawnee High School, located in Medford Township. Shawnee is part of the Lenape Regional High School District, a regional high school district in Burlington County, New Jersey that serves the eight municipalities of Evesham Township, Medford Lakes, Medford Township, Mount Laurel Township, Shamong Township, Southampton Township, Tabernacle Township and Woodland Township. As of the 2018–19 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,597 students and 127.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.6:1.

Students from Medford Lakes, and from all of Burlington County, are eligible to attend the Burlington County Institute of Technology, a countywide public school district that serves the vocational and technical education needs of students at the high school and post-secondary level at its campuses in Medford and Westampton.

Transportation

County Route 532 in Medford Lakes

As of May 2010^[update], the borough had a total of 27.42 miles (44.13 km) of roadways, of which 25.13 miles (40.44 km) were maintained by the municipality and 2.29 miles (3.69 km) by Burlington County.

The main roads serving Medford Lakes are County Route 532 and County Route 541. CR 541 travels north–south, while CR 532 head east from its western terminus at CR 541 within the borough.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Medford Lakes include:

• Brian Earl, former professional basketball player who is the head men's basketball coach at The College of William & Mary
• Dan Earl (born 1974), head men's basketball coach for the VMI Keydets
• George Makris (1920–2005), 18th head coach of the Temple Owls football team
• Gregg Rakoczy (born 1965), NFL football player for the Cleveland Browns
• Liz Tchou (born 1966), former field hockey defender who played on the US women's team that finished fifth at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta

See also

In Spanish: Medford Lakes para niños