Location of Deptford Township in Gloucester County highlighted in red (right). Inset map: Location of Gloucester County in New Jersey highlighted in red (left).
Census Bureau map of Deptford Township, New Jersey
Deptford Township was formed June 1, 1695, and was known initially as Bethlehem. It was incorporated as a township by the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, as one of the state's initial 104 townships formed under the Township Act. Since then, portions of the township were taken to create Washington Township (February 17, 1836), Woodbury Borough (March 27, 1854; now Woodbury), West Deptford Township (March 1, 1871), Wenonah (March 10, 1883), Westville (April 7, 1914), and Woodbury Heights (April 6, 1915).[25]
Deptford is a southeastern suburb of Philadelphia, located on the eastern side of the Walt Whitman Bridge, one of several bridges that join Deptford Township with Philadelphia, the nation's sixth-largest city as of 2020. It is located 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Philadelphia and 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Atlantic City.
Clement Oak in Deptford, an old oak tree estimated to have sprouted between 1555 and 1615, was the site of the first hot air balloon landing in North America when Jean-Pierre Blanchard completed his flight to Deptford from Philadelphia in 1793. During his flight, Blanchard carried a personal letter from George Washington to be delivered to the owner of whatever property Blanchard landed on, making the flight the first airmail delivery in the nation.[29]
Oak Valley, with a 2010 census population of 3,483,[34] is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located in Deptford Township.[35] Other unincorporated communities, localities, and places located partially or completely within the township include Almonesson, Blackwood Terrace, Clements Bridge, Cooper Village, Country Club Estates, Good Intent, Hammond Heights, Jericho, Lake Tract, New Sharon, Oak Valley, Salina, Westcottville, Westville Grove, Woodbury Gardens, Woodbury Park, and Woodbury Terrace.[28][36]
The 2010 United States census counted 30,561 people, 11,689 households, and 7,995 families in the township. The population density was 1,760.3 per square mile (679.7/km2). There were 12,361 housing units at an average density of 712.0 per square mile (274.9/km2). The racial makeup was 78.80% (24,082) White, 12.16% (3,717) Black or African American, 0.24% (73) Native American, 4.45% (1,361) Asian, 0.04% (12) Pacific Islander, 2.04% (622) from other races, and 2.27% (694) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.99% (1,830) of the population.[21]
Of the 11,689 households, 27.8% had children under the age of 18; 50.1% were married couples living together; 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 31.6% were non-families. Of all households, 25.3% were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.11.[21]
21.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.8 years. For every 100 females, the population had 92.8 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 90.0 males.[21]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that, in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars, median household income was $66,833 with a margin of error of +/− $2,897 and median family income was $76,303 (+/− $2,216). Males had a median income of $52,310 (+/− $2,247) versus $46,532 (+/− $4,525) for females. The per capita income for the township was $30,476 (+/− $1,269). About 6.9% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.[48]
2000 census
As of the 2000 U.S. census,[17] there were 26,763 people, 10,013 households, and 7,079 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,529.7 inhabitants per square mile (590.6/km2). There were 10,647 housing units at an average density of 608.6 per square mile (235.0/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 83.44% White, 12.38% Black, 0.21% Native American, 1.53% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.99% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.86% of the population.[23][47]
There were 10,013 households, out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 24.3% of all households 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 2.62 and the average family size was 3.12.[23][47]
In the township, the age distribution of the population showed 23.8% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.[23][47]
The median income for a household in the township was $50,147, and the median income for a family was $56,642. Males had a median income of $40,641 versus $28,986 for females. The per capita income for the township was $21,477. 5.9% of the population and 4.3% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 6.2% of those under the age of 18 and 8.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.[23][47]
Deptford Mall, the largest mall in the South Jersey region of the state with a gross leasable area of 1,069,657 square feet (99,374.4 m2), is located in the township.[49]Macerich purchased the mall in 2007 for $241 million.[50] The mall is surrounded by an eight-screen movie theater, twelve strip malls, bars, restaurants, and stores.
Parks and recreation
Tall Pines State Preserve is a 111-acre (45 ha) nature preserve that is Gloucester County's first state park. Opened in November 2015, the park is located on Deptford Township's border with Mantua Township. Originally a forest that was turned into an asparagus field and then a golf course, the land was preserved through efforts of the South Jersey Land and Water Trust, the Friends of Tall Pines, Gloucester County Nature Club, and the New Jersey Green Acres Program.[51]
Government
Local government
Deptford Township operates under the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the Council-Manager form of municipal government. The township is one of 42 (of the 564) municipalities in New Jersey that uses this form of government.[52] The governing body is comprised of a seven-member Township Council, whose members are elected on an at-large basis in partisan elections to serve four-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either three or four seats coming up for election in odd-numbered years.[8][53] The council then selects a mayor and a deputy mayor to serve two-year terms from among its members during the reorganization meeting in January. There are no term limits for council, mayor or deputy mayor, and elected officials can remain in those offices as long as they continue to be nominated by the council every two years and as long as they win their council elections every four years. The council hires an independent manager to serve as the chief administrative official of the township. The Township Manager is Thomas Newman Jr.[6]
As of 2024[update], members of the Deptford Township Council are Mayor Paul Medany (D, term on committee ends December 31, 2027; term as mayor ends 2025), Deputy Mayor Tom Hufnell (D, term on committee ends 2027; term as deputy mayor ends 2025), Kenneth Barnshaw (D, 2025), Bill Lamb (D, 2025), Brandi Leidy (D, 2027), Wayne Love (D, 2025) and Phillip Schocklin (D, 2025).[4][54][55][56][57]
Gloucester County is governed by a board of county commissioners, whose seven members are elected at-large to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis in partisan elections, with either two or three seats coming up for election each year. At a reorganization meeting held each January, the Board selects a Director and a Deputy Director from among its members. As of 2025[update], Gloucester County's Commissioners are:
As of March 2011, there was a total of 19,449 registered voters in Deptford. Among these, 8,169 (42.0%) were registered as Democrats, 2,740 (14.1%) were registered as Republicans, and 8,523 (43.8%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 17 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.[82]
In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 62.3% of the vote (8,427 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 36.5% (4,938 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (168 votes), among the 13,639 ballots cast by the township's 20,488 registered voters (106 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 66.6%.[83][84] In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 60.4% of the vote (8,655 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 37.1% (5,311 votes) and other candidates with 1.5% (215 votes), among the 14,332 ballots cast by the township's 20,166 registered voters, for a turnout of 71.1%.[85] In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 58.0% of the vote (7,426 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 40.8% (5,220 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (104 votes), among the 12,806 ballots cast by the township's 17,725 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 72.2.[86]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 60.9% of the vote (4,794 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 37.7% (2,969 votes), and other candidates with 1.4% (111 votes), among the 8,093 ballots cast by the township's 20,145 registered voters (219 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 40.2%.[87][88] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 48.9% of the vote (4,158 ballots cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 41.0% (3,487 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 7.3% (622 votes) and other candidates with 0.8% (65 votes), among the 8,500 ballots cast by the township's 19,678 registered voters, yielding a 43.2% turnout.[89]
Public school students in the township are served by Deptford Township Schools, a public school district that includes eight schools for students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.[90] As of the 2020–21 school year, the district had an enrollment of 3,942 students and 329.8 classroom teachers on an FTE basis for a student–teacher ratio of 12.0:1.[91] Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics,[92]) are
Central Early Childhood Center[93] with 489 students in grades Pre-K–1, Pine Acres Early Childhood Center[94] with 240 students in grades Pre-K–1, Good Intent School[95] with 334 students in grades 2–6, Lake Tract School[96] with 382 students in grades 2–6, Oak Valley School[97] with 354 students in grades 2–6, Shady Lane School[98] with 361 students in grades 2–6, Monongahela Middle School[99] with 704 students in grades 7–8, Deptford Township High School[100] with 1,009 students in grades 9–12, and Deptford Transitional Learning Academy,[101] which assists students with developmental or cognitive disabilities ages 14 to 21 learn life and career skills.[102][103][104][105][106]
Gloucester County students are eligible to apply to attend Gloucester County Institute of Technology, a four-year high school in Deptford Township that provides technical and vocational education. As a public school, students do not pay tuition to attend the school.[107]
Gloucester County College, now part of Rowan College of South Jersey, opened in Deptford Township in 1968, with classes held at Monongahela Junior High School and Deptford Township High School.[110][111]
Shaun T (born 1978), motivational speaker, fitness trainer and choreographer best known for his home fitness programs T25, Insanity and Hip-Hop Abs[135]
^Kuperinsky, Amy. "'The Jewel of the Meadowlands'?: N.J.'s best, worst and weirdest town slogans", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 22, 2015. Accessed July 12, 2016. "Deptford, in Gloucester County, has '1st Flight in America' emblazoned on its water tower, referring to the first hot-air balloon landing in North America, all the way back in 1793."
^ abTownship History, Deptford Township. Accessed November 7, 2019. "The old township, incorporated in 1695, comprised some 106 square miles and included what today is West Deptford, Washington Township, Monroe, Westville, Woodbury and Woodbury Heights.... It was settled in 1623 by the Dutch under Cornelius Jacobse Mey and was later claimed by the Swedes and the Finns before coming under British control.... Today, Deptford is comprised of many sections, including Almonesson, Jericho, New Sharon, Oak Valley, Westville Grove, Cooper Village, Blackwood Terrace, Hammond Heights, Lake Tract, Woodbury Terrace, Woodbury Gardens, Country Club Estates and Good Intent."
^Gray, Matt. "N.J. weather: As rare EF-3 tornado hit, woman 'was sucked through her house.' Residents recount twister's fury.", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, September 10, 2021. Accessed January 21, 2022. "The EF-3 tornado that blasted Gloucester County with winds of up to 150 mph on Wednesday, obliterating homes and toppling farm silos, tore a more than 12-mile path from Harrisonville to Deptford Township over the course of 20 minutes, first touching down at 6:10 p.m., the National Weather Service reported."
^Gray, Matt. "Costs exceed $64M for mega tornado that ripped through N.J. county during Ida", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, October 29, 2021. Accessed January 21, 2022. "Dozens of homes were destroyed and nearly 100 more suffered major damage, according to figures compiled by the county. Wenonah reported the highest number of properties with some sort of damage at 204, while Harrison Township reported 155, Deptford Township reported 101, Mantua Township had 51 and Woodbury Heights reported 40."
^Raum, John O. The History of New Jersey: From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time, Volume 1, p. 256, J. E. Potter and company, 1877. Accessed October 8, 2013. "Deptford contained a population in 1850 of 3,355; in 1860, 4,213; and in 1870, 4,663. West Deptford township was formed from Deptford in 1871." Deptford's population of 4,663 for 1870 includes population of Woodbury of 1,965, which is listed separately, but not subtracted out in this count.
^Staff. "Deptford Mall sold for $241M", Philadelphia Business Journal, January 9, 2007. Accessed May 7, 2012. "A California company said Tuesday it will pay $241 million for the Deptford Mall in South Jersey. The buyer is Macerich Partnership LP, the operating partnership of Santa Monica-based Macerich Co. (NYSE:MAC).... Deptford Mall, which is 1 million square feet, is anchored by JC Penney, Sears, Macy's and Boscov's. "
^"Tall Pines State Preserve; Gloucester County's First State Park"Archived 2016-04-14 at the Wayback Machine, Natural Awakenings: South Jersey Edition. Accessed May 19, 2016. "This 111-acre parcel of land that straddles Mantua and Deptford townships was originally forested woodlands, then an asparagus field before it became a golf course named Tall Pines in the early 1950s."
^Full Biography, Congressman Donald Norcross. Accessed January 3, 2019. "Donald and his wife Andrea live in Camden City and are the proud parents of three grown children and grandparents of two."
^Identification, Deptford Township Schools. Accessed January 26, 2020. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through twelve in the Deptford Township School District. Composition: The Deptford Township School District is comprised of all the area within Deptford Township, within the County of Gloucester."
^Deangelis, Danielle. "Deptford school district prepares for 2022; Spartan Improvement Plan to play a major role", Gloucester County News, January 3, 2022. Accessed June 2, 2022. "Other renovations will be made at the high school's media center. The updates are necessary since the center is used by the Deptford Transitional Learning Academy, a special-education program that prepares students from 14 to 21 with the proper life and career skills they will need to graduate."
^Our Schools, Deptford Township Schools. Accessed June 2, 2022.
^Admissions, Gloucester County Institute of Technology. Accessed November 7, 2019. "There is no charge to attend. GCIT is a public school.... GCIT is the vocational-technical school for Gloucester County residents. You must live in Gloucester County to apply and attend."
^Contact Information, Guardian Angels Regional School. Accessed February 20, 2023. "Conveniently located just minutes off of 295 in Gloucester County, Guardian Angels Regional School serves families who reside in Gibbstown, Paulsboro, West Deptford, Deptford, Woodbury, National Park, East Greenwich, Mantua, Mickleton, Clarksboro, Mt. Royal, Mullica Hill, Swedesboro, Woolwich, Logan Twp. and families in Salem County who reside in Carneys Point, Salem, Pennsville and Penns Grove."
^Schools, South Jersey Catholic Schools. Accessed February 20, 2023.
^Driscoll, Jessica. "Gloucester County College graduates have unique stories to tell", Gloucester County Times, May 19, 2012. Accessed August 21, 2022. "Deptford Twp.— Joseph Zwaan began attending Gloucester County College in 1968 when classes were held at Monongahela Middle School, but he was quickly drafted into the U.S. Army — never finishing his degree when he returned from service."
^College Overview: History, Gloucester County College, backed up by the Internet Archive as of October 6, 2011. Accessed August 21, 2022. "Some 600-charter students were enrolled in September 1968, attending classes at Deptford High School and Monongahela Junior High School."
^"Arts: It was a rocky road in 2006", Courier-Post, December 31, 2006. Accessed January 26, 2020. "Tenor Enrico di Giuseppe, a Metropolitan Opera star who lived in Deptford, died on New Year's eve."
^Eskenazi, Gerald. "Joe Fields: Diligent Leader of Jets' Line", The New York Times, January 7, 1983. Accessed June 2, 2022. "But when Fields was drafted, he knew he would have to work on his snap. But where? And how? He and his wife lived in an apartment. So he went to his family's home in Deptford, N.J."
^Joe Fields, NJSports.com. Accessed June 2, 2022. "Joseph Charles Fields Jr. was born November 14, 1953 in Woodbury and grew up in Deptford."
^Wood, Sam. "Kenneth Gewertz, 72, 'Mr. Deptford'", Gloucester City News, December 15, 2006. Accessed June 2, 2022. "Kenneth Gewertz, 72, a bigger-than-life Gloucester County politician known as 'Mr. Deptford,' died in his sleep Tuesday night December 12, at his winter home in Orlando, Fla., from a heart attack."
^Bulletin Article - September 2005Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, Historical Society of Haddonfield, accessed April 17, 2007. "In the city, she boarded with the family of Isaac Hopper whose ancestors had lived in what is now Deptford, New Jersey."
^Staff. "Deptford selects Hall of Fame class", The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 8, 2009. Accessed February 8, 2011. "Deptford has selected a group that will make up its first athletic Hall of Fame class. The inaugural class will be inducted April 27 at Auletto Caterers in Deptford. Dave Rowe, a starter for the 1977 Super Bowl champion Oakland Raiders, will be one of seven athletes to be inducted."
^Dave Rowe, NJSports.com. Accessed June 2, 2022. "David Homeyer Rowe was born June 20, 1945 in Neptune City. His family moved to Deptford in South Jersey when he was a boy."
^Kuperinsky, Amy. "How celebrity trainer Shaun T went from Camden survivor to fitness superstar", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, August 8, 2016, updated July 21, 2017. Accessed September 27, 2018. "Shaun Thompson was born in Camden and spent his early years with his mother and brother in Philadelphia. Feeling trapped by what he describes as four years of sexual abuse by a family member, he took refuge with his grandparents in Deptford.... At Deptford High School, Blokker was a natural at track and field, but he really wanted to be the next Anderson Cooper."
^Anastatsia, Phil. "A champion to remember Mel Sheppard won the first of his 4 Olympic golds 100 years ago.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 14, 2008. Accessed December 27, 2013. "Sheppard was born in 1883 in Almonesson, a section of Deptford Township in Gloucester County. He lived there, in a twin house, for the first nine years of his life.... At age 9, Sheppard moved with his family to Clayton, and got a job 'rolling jars' in a glass factory for $9 a month. His family moved to Haddonfield a few years later, then to the Grays Ferry section of Philadelphia when Sheppard was about 15."
^Jackson, James. "How the community helped a Deptford house become a landmark", Deptford News, April 24, 2021. "George and Lillian Willoughby moved to Deptford in 1954 with hopes of building a Quaker community. But even with the township's 32 acres, it was not to be."
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