Lower Alloways Creek Township, New Jersey
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Lower Alloways Creek Township is a township in Salem County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 1,717,<ref name=LWD2020/> a decrease of 53 (−3.0%) from the 2010 census count of 1,770,<ref name=Census2010/><ref name=LWD2010/> which in turn reflected a decline of 81 (−4.4%) from the 1,851 counted in the 2000 census.<ref>Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.</ref>
PSE&G operates three nuclear reactors in Lower Alloways Creek Township. Salem 1 and Salem 2 are pressurized water reactors at the Salem Nuclear Power Plant and the Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station has one boiling water reactor.<ref>PSEG Nuclear, Public Service Enterprise Group. Accessed January 11, 2018. "PSEG Nuclear operates the Salem and Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Stations in Lower Alloways Creek, NJ and is a part owner of the Peach Bottom Nuclear generation station in Delta, PA."</ref> Lower Alloways Creek Township is a dry town where alcohol cannot be sold legally.<ref>New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control. New Jersey ABC list of dry towns (May 1, 2013)</ref><ref>Giordano, Rita. "More towns catching liquor-license buzz; Moorestown considers ending its dry spell", The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 24, 2007. Accessed February 16, 2014.</ref>
History
[edit]Lower Alloways Creek Township was formed on June 17, 1767, when Alloways Creek Township was subdivided and Upper Alloways Creek Township (now Alloway Township) was also formed. The township was incorporated by the New Jersey Legislature's Township Act of 1798 on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's original group of 104 townships.<ref name="Story">Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 215. Accessed May 29, 2024.</ref> The name Alloway is derivative of Allowas, a local Native American chief.<ref>Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed August 30, 2015.</ref><ref>Pierce, Arthur Dudley. Smugglers' Woods: Jaunts and Journeys in Colonial and Revolutionary New Jersey, p. 87. Rutgers University Press, 1960. Template:ISBN. Accessed September 3, 2015.</ref><ref>Gannett, Henry. The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, p. 21. United States Government Printing Office, 1905. Accessed December 23, 2014.</ref><ref>Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed August 26, 2015.</ref>
Geography
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According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 72.53 square miles (187.84 km2), including 45.31 square miles (117.35 km2) of land and 27.22 square miles (70.49 km2) of water (37.53%).<ref name=CensusArea/><ref name=GR1 />
Hancock's Bridge (with a 2010 Census population of 254<ref>DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Hancocks Bridge CDP, New Jersey Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 18, 2013.</ref>) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Lower Alloways Creek Township, and home to the township's municipal building, police station and a post office.<ref>GCT-PH1 - Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County -- County Subdivision and Place from the 2010 Census Summary File 1 for Salem County, New Jersey Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 18, 2013.</ref><ref>2006-2010 American Community Survey Geography for New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 18, 2013.</ref><ref name=CPH232>New Jersey: 2010 - Population and Housing Unit Counts - 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32), United States Census Bureau, August 2012. Accessed January 18, 2013.</ref>
The township includes the great majority of Artificial Island, the northern tip of which is crossed east-westward by the New Jersey-Delaware state line, so it borders a tiny portion of New Castle County, Delaware, which is one of two areas of land of Delaware (and New Castle County) that is east of the Delaware River, the other being Finns Point, also part of New Castle County, DE, adjacent to Pennsville Township.<ref>Schoonejongen, John. "How Delaware got on Jersey's side of the river", Asbury Park Press, September 10, 2010. Accessed September 17, 2015. "Over the years, dumping grounds for dredge spoils have actually expanded the land mass in New Jersey, but the old border holds fast, meaning that in areas of Salem County, for example, someone can walk from New Jersey to Delaware without getting his or her feet wet. A part of Lower Alloways Creek's Artificial Island, upon which three nuclear generators sit, is one of those areas. Killcohook, in Pennsville Township, is another."</ref>
Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Alder Cove, Arnold Point, Canton, Cumberland, Harmersville, Haskells Mills, Maskellers Mill, New Bridge and Woods Landing.<ref>Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed May 2, 2015.</ref>
The township borders the Salem County municipalities of Elsinboro Township, Quinton Township and Salem. Lower Alloways Creek Township also borders the Delaware Bay, Cumberland County and a small point of land that is located within Delaware's Twelve-Mile Circle.<ref>Salem County Map, Coalition for a Healthy NJ. Accessed February 26, 2020.</ref><ref>New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.</ref>
Demographics
[edit]2010 census
[edit]The 2010 United States census counted 1,770 people, 679 households, and 503 families in the township. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 727 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup was 96.95% (1,716) White, 1.36% (24) Black or African American, 0.28% (5) Native American, 0.17% (3) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.11% (2) from other races, and 1.13% (20) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.53% (27) of the population.<ref name=Census2010/>
Of the 679 households, 27.4% had children under the age of 18; 62.2% were married couples living together; 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 25.9% were non-families. Of all households, 20.8% were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.03.<ref name=Census2010/>
21.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 31.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 96.0 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 94.7 males.<ref name=Census2010/>
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $66,384 (with a margin of error of +/− $3,808) and the median family income was $72,969 (+/− $7,867). Males had a median income of $46,964 (+/− $6,435) versus $43,083 (+/− $8,815) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $27,325 (+/− $2,057). About none of families and 1.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.<ref>DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for Lower Alloways Creek township, Salem County, New Jersey Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 17, 2013.</ref>
2000 census
[edit]As of the 2000 United States census<ref name="GR2" /> there were 1,851 people, 693 households, and 537 families residing in the township. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 730 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the township was 96.38% White, 2.16% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.49% of the population.<ref name=Census2000>Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Lower Alloways Creek township, Salem County, New JerseyTemplate:Dead link, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 17, 2013.</ref><ref name=Census2000SF1>DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Lower Alloways Creek township, Salem County, New Jersey Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 17, 2013.</ref>
There were 693 households, out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.7% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.4% were non-families. 18.2% 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 2.67 and the average family size was 3.00.<ref name=Census2000/><ref name=Census2000SF1/>
In the township the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.2 males.<ref name=Census2000/><ref name=Census2000SF1/>
The median income for a household in the township was $55,078, and the median income for a family was $59,653. Males had a median income of $44,081 versus $30,313 for females. The per capita income for the township was $21,962. About 4.2% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.7% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.<ref name=Census2000/><ref name=Census2000SF1/>
Government
[edit]Local government
[edit]Lower Alloways Creek Township is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state.<ref>Inventory of Municipal Forms of Government in New Jersey, Rutgers University Center for Government Studies, July 1, 2011. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref> The Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle.<ref name=DataBook>2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2006, p. 19.</ref><ref>"Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey", p. 7. Rutgers University Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref> At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as mayor and another as deputy mayor.
Template:As of members of the Lower Alloways Creek Township Committee are Mayor Paul M. Collier (R, 2025, term as mayor ends 2024), Deputy Mayor Timothy W. Bradway (R, 2024; term as deputy mayor ends 2024), Laura Tice Crane (R, 2024), Jeffrey P. Palombo (R, 2025) and Richard W. Venable Sr. (R, 2026).<ref name=TownshipCommittee>Township Committee, Lower Alloways Creek Township. Accessed August 16, 2022.</ref><ref>"Township Committee Reorganizes for 2022", Lower Alloways Creek Township, January 1, 2022. Accessed August 16, 2022."Mrs. Crane and Mr. Bradway were sworn-in for three-years terms. Mr. Bradway was chosen by the Township Committee to be the Mayor for 2022."</ref><ref>2022 Municipal Data Sheet, Lower Alloways Creek Township. Accessed August 16, 2022.</ref><ref name=Salem2021>Election Summary Report General Election Salem County November 2, 2021 Official Results Report, Salem County, New Jersey, updated November 15, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.</ref><ref name=Salem2020>Election Summary Report Salem County NJ General Election November 3, 2020 Official Report, Salem County, New Jersey, updated November 25, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.</ref><ref name=Salem2019>November 5, 2019 Summary Report Salem County, NJ Official Results, Salem County, New Jersey Clerk, updated November 18, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020.</ref>
In 2018, the township had an average property tax bill of $2,157, the lowest in the county, compared to an average bill of $5,711 in Salem County and $8,767 statewide.<ref>2018 Property Tax Information, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, updated January 16, 2019. Accessed November 7, 2019.</ref><ref>Marcus, Samantha. "These are the towns with the lowest property taxes in each of N.J.’s 21 counties", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, April 30, 2019. Accessed November 7, 2019. "New Jersey’s average property tax bill may have hit $8,767 last year — a new record — but taxpayers in some parts of the state pay just a fraction of that.... The average property tax bill in Lower Alloways Creek Township was $2,157 in 2018, the lowest in Salem County."</ref>
Federal, state and county representation
[edit]Lower Alloways Creek Township is located in the 2nd Congressional District<ref name=PCR2012>Plan Components Report, New Jersey Redistricting Commission, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020.</ref> and is part of New Jersey's 3rd state legislative district.<ref name=Districts2011>Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District, New Jersey Department of State. Accessed February 1, 2020.</ref><ref name=LWV2019>2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters. Accessed October 30, 2019.</ref><ref>Districts by Number for 2011-2020, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 6, 2013.</ref>
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Politics
[edit]As of March 2011, there were a total of 1,302 registered voters in Lower Alloways Creek Township, of which 461 (35.4% vs. 30.6% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 337 (25.9% vs. 21.0%) were registered as Republicans and 503 (38.6% vs. 48.4%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There was one voter registered to another party.<ref name=VoterRegistration>Voter Registration Summary - Salem, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, March 23, 2011. Accessed January 17, 2013.</ref> Among the township's 2010 Census population, 73.6% (vs. 64.6% in Salem County) were registered to vote, including 94.1% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 84.4% countywide).<ref name=VoterRegistration/><ref>GCT-P7: Selected Age Groups: 2010 - State -- County Subdivision; 2010 Census Summary File 1 for New Jersey Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 17, 2013.</ref>
In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 65.7% of the vote (620 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 33.2% (313 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (11 votes), among the 1,153 ballots cast by the township's 1,313 registered voters (209 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 87.8%.<ref name=2012Elections>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=2012VoterReg>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 657 votes (65.2% vs. 46.6% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 316 votes (31.4% vs. 50.4%) and other candidates with 23 votes (2.3% vs. 1.6%), among the 1,007 ballots cast by the township's 1,323 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.1% (vs. 71.8% in Salem County).<ref>2008 Presidential General Election Results: Salem County, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 23, 2008. Accessed January 17, 2013.</ref> In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 761 votes (70.0% vs. 52.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 313 votes (28.8% vs. 45.9%) and other candidates with 9 votes (0.8% vs. 1.0%), among the 1,087 ballots cast by the township's 1,358 registered voters, for a turnout of 80.0% (vs. 71.0% in the whole county).<ref>2004 Presidential Election: Salem County, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 13, 2004. Accessed January 17, 2013.</ref>
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In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 78.9% of the vote (597 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 19.8% (150 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (10 votes), among the 772 ballots cast by the township's 1,330 registered voters (15 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 58.0%.<ref name=2013Elections>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=2013VoterReg>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 438 votes (53.5% vs. 46.1% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 248 votes (30.3% vs. 39.9%), Independent Chris Daggett with 95 votes (11.6% vs. 9.7%) and other candidates with 19 votes (2.3% vs. 2.0%), among the 819 ballots cast by the township's 1,328 registered voters, yielding a 61.7% turnout (vs. 47.3% in the county).<ref>2009 Governor: Salem County Template:Webarchive, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 31, 2009. Accessed January 17, 2013.</ref>
Education
[edit]The Lower Alloways Creek Township School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade at Lower Alloways Creek Elementary School.<ref>School Performance Reports for the Lower Alloways Creek School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 10, 2023.</ref> As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 143 students and 19.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 7.3:1.<ref name=NCES>District information for The Lower Alloways Creek School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.</ref> In the 2016–17 school year, Lower Alloways Creek Township had the 32nd smallest enrollment of any school district in the state, with 159 students.<ref>Guion, Payton. "These 43 N.J. school districts have fewer than 200 students", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, September 2017. Accessed January 30, 2020. "Based on data from the state Department of Education from the last school year and the Census Bureau, NJ Advance Media made a list of the smallest of the small school districts in the state, excluding charter schools and specialty institutions.... 32. Lower Alloways Creek Township; Enrollment: 159; Grades: Pre-K-8; County: Salem; Town population: 1,770"</ref>
Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Salem High School in Salem City, together with students from Elsinboro Township, Mannington Township and Quinton Township, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Salem City School District.<ref>Our Sending Districts, Salem City School District (New Jersey). Accessed January 24, 2017. "Salem High School welcomes students from: Elsinboro Township School; Lower Alloways Creek School; Mannington Township School; Quinton Township School"</ref><ref>Shott, Meghan. "Salem High School", SouthJersey.com. Accessed January 24, 2017. "Students from Elsinboro, Lower Alloways Creek Township, Mannington Township and Quinton Township attend the high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship, according to the school's 2010 Report Card from the NJ Department of Education."</ref><ref>Bumpus, Robert L. Salem County Report on Consolidation and Regionalization, Salem County, New Jersey Executive County Superintendent, March 15, 2010. "In this area of Salem County four P-8 districts, Lower Alloway Creek, Quinton, Elsinboro, and Mannington Townships have a send/receive agreement with neighboring Salem City to send their students to Salem High School."</ref> As of the 2021–22 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 399 students and 39.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.2:1.<ref>School data for Salem High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.</ref>
Transportation
[edit]_just_south_of_Church_Road_in_Lower_Alloways_Creek_Township,_Salem_County,_New_Jersey.jpg){kind=link}
Template:As of, the township had a total of Template:Convert of roadways, of which Template:Convert were maintained by the municipality and Template:Convert by Salem County.<ref>Salem County Mileage by Municipality and Jurisdiction, New Jersey Department of Transportation, May 2010. Accessed July 18, 2014.</ref>
No Interstate, U.S., state or major county highways pass through Lower Alloways Creek Township. The only numbered roads are minor county routes, such as County Route 623.
Route 45 and Route 49 are the closest state highways, and are accessible in neighboring municipalities. The closest limited access roads, Interstate 295 and the New Jersey Turnpike, are accessible two towns away in Pennsville Township.
Notable people
[edit]Template:Category see also People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Lower Alloways Creek Township include:
- William Hancock, judges. Hancock Sr. commissioned Hancock House in 1734. Hancock Jr. was killed in 1778 in the Hancock's Bridge massacre<ref>Tomlinson, Phillip. "Salem County's Revolutionary War massacre at Hancock House relived", South Jersey Times, March 23, 2014. Accessed May 2, 2015. "Lower Alloways Creek Twp. — A dark chapter in South Jersey's rich Revolutionary War history was relived this weekend with the commemoration of the massacre of local patriots by the British at Hancocks Bridge.... On March 21, 1778 a band of British loyalists bayoneted a company American militiamen to death, along with Judge William Hancock — purportedly a loyalist himself — and members of his household.The house where the sleeping patriots were slain was built by Hancock's father, who was also William and also a judge, in 1734 and still stands overlooking the bridge that spans Alloways Creek."</ref>
- Thomas Jones Yorke (1801–1882), Whig Party politician who served two terms in the United States House of Representatives<ref>"Yorke, Thomas Jones, (1801 - 1882)", 'Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed May 2, 2015.</ref>
References
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External links
[edit]- Lower Alloways Creek Township official website
- Lower Alloways Creek Elementary School
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- School Data for the Lower Alloways Creek Elementary School, National Center for Education Statistics