Merchantville, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Merchantville is a borough
Borough (New Jersey)
A borough in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....

 in Camden County
Camden County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census the population of Camden County was 60.28% Non-Hispanic white, 18.45% Non-Hispanic black, 1.12% Hispanic blacks, 0.17% Non-Hispanic Native American, 0.15% Hispanic Native Americans, 5.07% Non-Hispanic Asian, and 0.14% non-Hispanics reporting some other race...

, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 3,821.

Merchantville was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature
New Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...

 on March 3, 1874, from portions of Delaware Township (now Cherry Hill Township) and Stockton Township
Stockton Township, New Jersey
Stockton Township was a township that existed in Camden County, New Jersey, United States, from 1859 until its dissolution in 1899.Stockton Township was incorporated by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 23, 1859, from portions of Delaware Township .On March 3, 1874, the borough of...

.

Geography

Merchantville is located at 39.949979°N 75.050248°W (39.949979, -75.050248).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the borough has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), all of it land.

Merchantville borders Pennsauken
Pennsauken Township, New Jersey
Pennsauken Township is a township in Camden County, New Jersey, USA, and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 census, the township population was 35,885....

 and Cherry Hill.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 3,801 people, 1,524 households, and 946 families residing in the borough. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 6,317.2 people per square mile (2,446.0/km²). There were 1,607 housing units at an average density of 2,670.8 per square mile (1,034.1/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 85.90% White, 7.42% African American, 0.29% Native American, 2.10% Asian, 2.84% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 1.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.47% of the population.

There were 1,524 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the borough the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $49,392, and the median income for a family was $60,652. Males had a median income of $43,375 versus $30,771 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the borough was $25,589. About 5.8% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.4% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.

Local government

Merchantville is governed under the borough
Borough (New Jersey)
A borough in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....

 form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. The mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.

The Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of Merchantville Borough is Frank M. North. Members of the Borough Council are John Alloway, Patricia Fields, Mark Brunton, Ted Brennan, Shawn Waldron and Anthony Perno.

Federal, state and county representation

Merchantville is in the 1st Congressional district.

Merchantville is in the

Education

Students in public school for Kindergarten through eighth grade attend the Merchantville School District
Merchantville School District
The Merchantville School District is a community public school district that serves students in Pre-K through eighth grade from Merchantville, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States....

, which served a total of 391 students at Merchantville Elementary School as of the 2005-06 school year.

For grades 9 - 12, public school students attend Pennsauken High School
Pennsauken High School
Pennsauken High School is a four-year comprehensive regional public high school that serves students Pennsauken Township, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Pennsauken Public Schools....

, as part of a sending/receiving relationship
Sending/receiving relationship
A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts have grown as part of a historical relationship...

 with the Pennsauken Public Schools
Pennsauken Public Schools
The Pennsauken Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district serving students in prekindergarten through twelfth grade from Pennsauken Township, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States....

 in Pennsauken Township
Pennsauken Township, New Jersey
Pennsauken Township is a township in Camden County, New Jersey, USA, and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 census, the township population was 35,885....

.

St. Peter School is an elementary school that operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden
Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden is a particular church or diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, located in New Jersey, United States, and presides over Roman Catholic parishes and schools in the six southern New Jersey counties of Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland,...

. It is the only catholic school in Merchantville.

Transportation

New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...

 offers bus service to Philadelphia on the 404, 405  and 407 routes.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Merchantville include:
  • Al Besselink
    Al Besselink
    Albert Cornelius Besselink is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1950s and 1960s.Besselink grew up in Merchantville, New Jersey. He attended the University of Miami and was the first UM golfer to win a national tournament. He won the Southern Invitational...

     (born 1922), professional golfer
    Professional golfer
    In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...

     who played on the PGA Tour
    PGA Tour
    The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...

     in the 1950s and 1960s.
  • William Joseph Fallon (born 1944), United States Navy
    United States Navy
    The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

     Admiral
    Admiral (United States)
    In the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, admiral is a four-star flag officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. Admiral ranks above vice admiral and below Fleet Admiral in the Navy; the Coast Guard and the Public Health...

     who is the current Commander of United States Central Command
    United States Central Command
    The United States Central Command is a theater-level Unified Combatant Command unit of the U.S. armed forces, established in 1983 under the operational control of the U.S. Secretary of Defense...

    .
  • Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker
    Wyatt Tee Walker
    Wyatt Tee Walker is a United States black pastor, national civil rights leader, theologian, and cultural historian. He was a Chief of Staff for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and in 1958 became an early board member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference . He helped found the Congress for...

     (1929- ), leader in the Civil Rights Movement
    Civil rights movement
    The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...

     and longtime pastor of Canaan Baptist Church, Harlem, New York. Executive Director of Southern Christian Leadership Conference
    Southern Christian Leadership Conference
    The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is an African-American civil rights organization. SCLC was closely associated with its first president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...

     (1960–1964); and chair of Central Harlem Local Development Corporation.
  • Don Evans
    Don Evans
    Donald Thomas "Don" Evans was a noted African-American playwright, theatre director, actor and educator.-Early life and education:...

     (1938–2003), noted African-American playwright
    Playwright
    A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...

    , director, actor
    Actor
    An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

     and educator.
  • James Kelleher or Jimmy Luxury
    Jimmy luxury
    Jimmy Luxury, also known as Jimmy Luxury and the Tommy Rome Orchestra, is a two-man swing-hop group from Massachusetts in the United States....

     (1973- ), innovative rapper and performance artist who gained notoriety in the late 1990s. Kelleher's music can be heard in the films Go
    Go (1999 film)
    Go is a 1999 comedy thriller film written by John August and directed by Doug Liman, with three intertwining plots that happen to involve one drug deal. The film stars William Fichtner, Katie Holmes, Jay Mohr, Sarah Polley and Scott Wolf and features Taye Diggs, Breckin Meyer, Timothy Olyphant,...

    and Ocean's Eleven
    Ocean's Eleven (2001 film)
    Ocean's Eleven is a 2001 American comedy-crime caper and remake of the 1960 Rat Pack caper film of the same name. The 2001 film was directed by Steven Soderbergh and features an ensemble cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy García, and Julia Roberts. The film was...

    .

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK