Location of Burlington Township in Burlington County highlighted in red (right). Inset map: Location of Burlington County in New Jersey highlighted in red (left).
Census Bureau map of Burlington Township, New Jersey
Burlington was formed as a towne by the West Jersey proprietors and was interrelated to Burlington City during its early days. It was incorporated on February 21, 1798 by the Township Act of 1798, enacted by the New Jersey Legislature, as one of the initial group of 104 townships incorporated in New Jersey. Burlington City was reincorporated within the township as of March 14, 1851, at which time a portion of the township was annexed to the city.[24] The township's name is a corruption of the English town of Bridlington.[25][26]
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Burlington township had a total area of 14.02 square miles (36.32 km2), including 13.45 square miles (34.83 km2) of land and 0.58 square miles (1.49 km2) of water (4.10%).[2][3]Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Deacons, Fountain Woods, Springside and Stevens.[27]
The 2010 United States census counted 22,594 people, 7,797 households, and 5,746 families in the township. The population density was 1,684.2 per square mile (650.3/km2). There were 8,105 housing units at an average density of 604.2 per square mile (233.3/km2). The racial makeup was 59.00% (13,331) White, 27.98% (6,322) Black or African American, 0.15% (35) Native American, 7.04% (1,590) Asian, 0.04% (9) Pacific Islander, 2.41% (544) from other races, and 3.38% (763) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.05% (1,593) of the population.[20]
Of the 7,797 households, 39.1% had children under the age of 18; 57.2% were married couples living together; 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present and 26.3% were non-families. Of all households, 21.6% were made up of individuals and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.32.[20]
26.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 28.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 90.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 88.1 males.[20]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $83,291 (with a margin of error of +/− $4,419) and the median family income was $101,967 (+/− $6,626). Males had a median income of $60,587 (+/− $3,161) versus $50,078 (+/− $3,792) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $32,122 (+/− $1,352). About 3.0% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.[42]
2000 census
As of the 2000 census,[17] there were 20,294 people, 7,112 households, and 5,277 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,506.2 inhabitants per square mile (581.5/km2). There were 7,348 housing units at an average density of 545.4 per square mile (210.6/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 67.71% White, 24.49% African American, 0.16% Native American, 3.73% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.46% from other races, and 2.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.01% of the population.[40][41]
There were 7,112 households, out of which 40.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.18.[40][41]
In the township, the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.[40][41]
The median income for a household in the township was $61,663, and the median income for a family was $70,958. Males had a median income of $49,290 versus $35,510 for females. The per capita income for the township was $24,754. About 3.4% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.[40][41]
The Marketplace at Burlington, formerly an indoor mall known as the Burlington Center Mall, offered a gross leasable area of 670,000 square feet (62,000 m2), with plans to convert to an open-air format with 1,500,000 square feet (140,000 m2) of leasable space.[45][46] The mall closed its doors on January 8, 2018, though Sears remained while the rest of the mall was closed because it owned a section of mall property.[47] Sears closed on September 2, 2018.[48] It has since been torn down and distribution warehouses have replaced it.
The township's businesses and shopping destinations cause the daytime population to rise to as much as 35,000, a jump of 50% from the resident population of almost 23,000.[49]
Government
Local government
Burlington Township is governed within the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the Mayor-Council (Plan E) form of municipal government, implemented based on the recommendations of a Charter Study Commission as of January 1, 1975.[50] The township is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government.[51] The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the seven-member Township Council, all of whom are elected at-large in partisan elections to four-year terms in office on a staggered basis as part of the November general election. Either three or four council seats are up for vote in even-numbered years, with the mayoral seat up for vote during the same election where three council seats are on the ballot.[8][52]
As of 2024[update], the Mayor of Burlington Township is Democrat E.L. "Pete" Green, who was appointed to serve an unexpired term of office ending December 31, 2026. Members of the Burlington Township Council are Council President Robert W. Jung (D, 2024), President Pro Tem Prabhdeep "Pavi" Pandher (D, 2024; elected to fill an unexpired term), Daniel Carducci (D, 2026), Joyce R. Howell (D, 2026), George M. Kozub (D, 2026), Carl M. Schoenborn (D, 2024) and Patricia "Trish" Siboczy (D, 2024).[4][53][54][55]
In December 2021, the Township Council appointed Daniel Carducci to fill the seat expiring in December 2022 that became vacant following the resignation of Michael K. Cantwell earlier that month. In January 2022, the Township Council appointed E.L. "Pete" Green to fill the mayoral seat expiring in December 2022 that had been held by Brian J. Carlin until he resigned from office the previous month to take a seat as the Burlington CountySurrogate, while Prabhdeep "Pavi" Pandher was appointed to fill Green's Township Council seat expiring in 2024.[56] Pandher served on an interim basis until the November 2022 general election, when he was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.[54]
Federal, state, and county representation
Burlington Township is located in the 3rd Congressional District[57] and is part of New Jersey's 7th state legislative district.[58][59][60]
Burlington County's Constitutional Officers are:
Clerk Joanne Schwartz (D, Southampton Township, 2028)[76][77]
Sheriff James H. Kostoplis (D, Bordentown, 2025)[78][79] and
Surrogate Brian J. Carlin (D, Burlington Township, 2026).[80][81]
Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 13,214 registered voters in Burlington Township, of which 5,382 (40.7% vs. 33.3% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 2,160 (16.3% vs. 23.9%) were registered as Republicans and 5,664 (42.9% vs. 42.8%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 8 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.[82] Among the township's 2010 Census population, 58.5% (vs. 61.7% in Burlington County) were registered to vote, including 79.8% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 80.3% countywide).[82][83]
In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 7,345 votes (68.4% vs. 58.1% countywide), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 3,229 votes (30.1% vs. 40.2%) and other candidates with 103 votes (1.0% vs. 1.0%), among the 10,744 ballots cast by the township's 14,146 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.0% (vs. 74.5% in Burlington County).[84][85] In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 7,266 votes (65.3% vs. 58.4% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 3,692 votes (33.2% vs. 39.9%) and other candidates with 99 votes (0.9% vs. 1.0%), among the 11,127 ballots cast by the township's 13,570 registered voters, for a turnout of 82.0% (vs. 80.0% in Burlington County).[86] In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 5,696 votes (57.4% vs. 52.9% countywide), ahead of Republican George W. Bush with 4,086 votes (41.1% vs. 46.0%) and other candidates with 72 votes (0.7% vs. 0.8%), among the 9,931 ballots cast by the township's 12,351 registered voters, for a turnout of 80.4% (vs. 78.8% in the whole county).[87]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 3,486 votes (53.1% vs. 61.4% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 2,874 votes (43.7% vs. 35.8%) and other candidates with 76 votes (1.2% vs. 1.2%), among the 6,570 ballots cast by the township's 14,162 registered voters, yielding a 46.4% turnout (vs. 44.5% in the county).[88][89] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 3,483 ballots cast (52.9% vs. 44.5% countywide), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 2,669 votes (40.6% vs. 47.7%), Independent Chris Daggett with 283 votes (4.3% vs. 4.8%) and other candidates with 90 votes (1.4% vs. 1.2%), among the 6,578 ballots cast by the township's 13,512 registered voters, yielding a 48.7% turnout (vs. 44.9% in the county).[90]
Burlington Township School District received notice in 2009 after a video posted on YouTube by a parent without school approval showed more than a dozen children at B. Bernice Young Elementary School singing a song praising President Barack Obama, which Conservative groups cited as a means of indoctrinating students to support the President. At the conclusion of the song, the children pump their fists and chant "hip, hip, hooray!" The song had been performed in conjunction with Black History Month activities and when the author of the book I Am Barack Obama visited the school the next month[101]
Students from Burlington Township, 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 Township.[102]
Sports
In 2017, the 10U Cal Ripken baseball team from Burlington Township represented the Mid-Atlantic Region in the 10U Cal Ripken World Series, held in Hammond, Indiana.[103]
Transportation
Roads and highways
As of May 2010[update], the township had a total of 100.69 miles (162.04 km) of roadways, of which 78.65 miles (126.57 km) were maintained by the municipality, 15.03 miles (24.19 km) by Burlington County and 5.36 miles (8.63 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 1.65 miles (2.66 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.[104]
The New Jersey Turnpike, including the Pennsylvania Extension (Interstate 95) and the Delaware River Bridge, pass through the township for 0.8 miles (1.3 km) from the river to Florence Township.[105] While there is no turnpike interchange within the township's borders, it is accessible in neighboring Florence Township (at Exit 6A on the Pennsylvania Extension) and Westampton Township (at Interchange 5, which is signed for Burlington-Mount Holly).[106]
Sybilla Righton Masters (c. 1676–1720), inventor who was the first person residing in the American colonies to be given an English patent, which was issued in 1715 in her husband's name, as women were not allowed to have their own patents[117]
^Weintraub, Karen. "Burlington Coat Factory To Add Offices, Workers", The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 24, 1990, backed up by the Internet Archive as of December 26, 2014. Accessed October 23, 2017. "Burlington Coat Factory moved its corporate offices two years ago to Burlington Township from Burlington City, where it had headquarters since the company was founded in 1972."
^Available Space DetailsArchived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, International Council of Shopping Centers. Accessed July 28, 2014. "GLA: 670,000 sq ft (Including Anchors)... We are delighted to announce the redevelopment of The New Marketplace at Burlington (previously Burlington Center Mall). With up to 1.5 million of leasable square feet of space, the Marketplace can accommodate almost any Tenant's requirements."
^DeSisto, Danielle. "Burlington Center Mall closed after water pipes burst; Sears still open"Archived October 16, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, Burlington County Times, January 9, 2018. Accessed October 16, 2019. "The Burlington Center Mall is currently closed after several water pipes burst Monday night, causing damage to the mall's fire suppression, heating and electrical system.... Sears, the mall's sole remaining anchor, remains open because the company owns its section of mall property."
^"Sears store in Burlington Township to close", Courier-Post, May 31, 2018. Accessed September 11, 2019. "And then there were none. The Sears store at the former Burlington Center Mall site is closing, the company announced Thursday.... The Sears Auto Center will close in late June and the rest of the department store will shut its doors in early September, the company said."
^History, Burlington Township. Accessed November 10, 2019. "Burlington Township is comprised of 14.23 square miles and is one of the most rapidly growing communities within New Jersey. Our town's population according to the 2010 Census was 22,594. Our daytime population swells to approximately 35,000 people due to the large business community that consists of several shopping centers, a shopping mall, a 20-screen movie theater, dining establishments, along with business and industrial parks."
^Press Release: Mayor and Councilmembers, Burlington Township, dated January 25, 2022. "Burlington Township would like to welcome its new Mayor E.L. 'Pete' Green, Councilman since 1994 Council President; 2007, 2012 and President Pro Tem; 1999, the Mayor was appointed on December 14, 2021 in a special meeting of Burlington Township Council after the resignation of long time Mayor Brian J. Carlin who was elected Burlington County Surrogate in the November 2021 election. At a special meeting of Township Council Mayor E.L 'Pete' Green's vacant seat as Councilman was filled by Prabhdeep 'Pavi' Pandher, former BOE Committee Member: Finance, Foundation Committee Liaison and Burlington Township Resident since 2004. Burlington Township would also like to congratulate Councilman Michael K. Cantwell who retired effective December 3, 2021. At a special meeting of the Township Council on December 14, 2021 his vacant seat was filled by our new Councilman Daniel Carducci, a Burlington Township Resident for over 38 years."
^Kates, Brian. "Conservatives plan protest over pro-Obama song at New Jersey's B. Bernice Young School", New York Daily News, October 12, 2009. Accessed July 1, 2011. "The songs drew national attention when their performances at the B. Bernice Young School in Burlington Township were posted on YouTube last month. In it, second graders sing: 'Mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack Hussein Obama/He said that all must lend a hand/ To make this country strong again.' ... Conservatives say the songs show children being indoctrinated to idolize Obama. School officials deny the allegation."
^Derfner, James. "Daniel Breland ’13 Visits Peddie", The Peddie News, October 27, 2022. Accessed December 18, 2022. "In the midst of a whirlwind tour for his highly anticipated debut album, Cross Country, Daniel Breland ’13 returned to the Peddie campus in September to surprise current seniors with a meet and greet.... This marks the Burlington, New Jersey native's second visit to campus after his now-platinum single, 'My Truck,' exploded on TikTok in 2019 and turned Breland into an overnight sensation."
^Peter Hill Tall Case Clock, National Museum of American History. Accessed June 11, 2020. "Peter Hill (1767-1820) is one of the few African American professional clockmakers known to have worked in antebellum America. A freed slave, he had a shop first in Burlington Township and then in Mount Holly, New Jersey--two small, predominantly Quaker communities near Philadelphia."
^Demovsky, Rob. "Ka'dar Hollman: From unpacking Dunkin' Donuts trucks to the Packers", ESPN, May 14, 2019. Accessed February 3, 2020. "Ka’dar Hollman sent his old high school coach, Tom Maderia, a message shortly after last month's NFL draft -- a simple thank-you note for what Maderia did for Hollman back at Burlington Township in New Jersey."
^Sybilla Righton Masters, New Jersey Women's History. Accessed February 3, 2020. "Sybilla Righton Masters (unknown -1720) of Burlington Township obtained, under her husband's name, a British patent related to a new method of reducing corn into cornmeal."
^Hoover, Amanda. "Sikh candidate defeated incumbents despite racist, 'fear-mongering' ads", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 9, 2017. Accessed December 3, 2017. "A Democratic challenger will become the first Sikh to hold a countywide seat in the state after upsetting Republican incumbents in Tuesday's election.Balvir Singh, a 32-year-old math teacher at Burlington City High School and school board member in Burlington Township, ran as the first Burlington County-wide Asian candidate Tuesday."