Haddonfield, New Jersey
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Haddonfield is a borough located in Camden County, New Jersey. As of the 2000 census, the borough had a total population of 11,659.
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Geography
Downtown_Haddonfield,_New_Jersey.jpg
Haddonfield is located at Template:Coor dms1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 7.4 km² (2.9 mi²). 7.3 km² (2.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.05% water.
Cooper River forms the border between Haddonfield and Cherry Hill. On land, Haddonfield borders Haddon Township, Haddon Heights, Barrington, and Tavistock.
Transportation
Haddonfield has a PATCO Hi-Speedline station that links it directly in Philadelphia, PA and other towns in Camden County. New Jersey Transit runs several bus lines through Haddonfield, most of which stop at the PATCO station.
History
Haddonfield was founded by Elizabeth Haddon (1680-1762), whose Quaker father, John Haddon, bought a 500 acre (2 km²) tract of land in the English colony of West Jersey to escape religious persecution. Elizabeth set sail alone from Southwark, England to the New World in 1701. Shortly after her arrival, she made a marriage proposal to John Estaugh, a Quaker minister, and they were married in 1702.
In 1838, William Estaugh Hopkins was digging in a marl pit when he uncovered large bones. He had the bones on display at his home, Birdwood. In 1858 these bones sparked the interest of a visitor, William Foulke. Hadrosaurus foulkii, the first full skeleton of a dinosaur found in North America, was dug out from the marl pit in 1858 by Foulke. The entire skeleton was completely assembled in 1868 and was put on display at Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, where it remains available for public viewing.
The Jersey Devil allegedly terrorized Haddonfield in 1859.
Haddonfield native Debra Hill was the co-writer & producer for the film Halloween which is set in the fictional place of Haddonfield, Illinois. Steven Spielberg grew up in Haddonfield, and there are references to Haddonfield in many of his movies. In A.I., when the boy and the robots are fleeing, they mention being near the border of Haddonfield.
Aside from having one of the world's most significant paleontology sites, Haddonfield is also famous for its historic homes, quaint shops and legions of lawyers. A major legal center for the southern half of the state, the town houses the offices of more than 390 attorneys.
Politics
The Borough of Haddonfield is governed under the Walsh Act by three non-partisan commissioners that are elected for 4 year non-staggered, concurrent terms. The current commissioners are Tish Colombi (Mayor / Director of Public Works, Parks, and Property), Ed Borden (Commissioner / Director of Public Affairs & Public Safety), and Neal Rochford (Commissioner / Director of Revenue & Finance). Though the commission is technically non-partisan, Colombi is active in the local Republican organization, while Borden is a former county prosecutor in Democrat-controlled Camden County.
Haddonfield was the second municipality in New Jersey (after Cape May) to set up a historical preservation district. In keeping with the historic appearance of the borough, some candidates for commissioner give out colored ribbons to their supporters in lieu of the more common yard signs. The next election for borough commission is in May 2009.
From prohibition to the present day, the borough has not issued any liquor licenses. Ironically, it was at the Indian King Tavern of Haddonfield in the winter of 1777 the New Jersey Assembly met and declared that New Jersey was a free and independent state.
New Jersey Governor Alfred E. Driscoll (1947-1954) spent most of his life in the historic Birdwood home built by John Estaugh Hopkins on Hopkins Lane. Haddonfield was also home to Governor William T. Cahill (1970-1974).
On the liberal side, anti-war activist I.F. Stone has Haddonfield roots.
The Borough presently has a traffic campaign using the slogan Haddonfield Drives 25 stating the only speed limit in the borough is 25 mph. This is technically incorrect because both the New Jersey Turnpike and Interstate 295 pass through the southernmost edge of Haddonfield. The New Jersey Turnpike has a speed limit of 65 mph, and Interstate 295 has a speed limit of 55 mph.
Education
Public Schools
The Haddonfield Board of Education has one public high school (Haddonfield Memorial High School, 9th-12th), one public middle school (Haddonfield Middle School, 6th-8th), and three public elementary schools (Central, Elizabeth Haddon, and J.F. Tatem, K-5). The highly ranked school district serves the Boroughs of Haddonfield and Tavistock with funds mostly obtained through local property taxes. While most students are residents, a small number of students are taken on a tuition or voucher basis.
The Haddonfield Board of Education has nine uncompensated members who serve three year staggered terms. The next non-partisan Board of Education election is in April 2006. The following people are members of the board:
Term Expiring 2008
Patricia Haines (President), Lawrence Berger, Kathy Burmaster
Term Expiring 2006
Kathleen Freeman, Karen Ressler
Term Expiring 2007
Steve Weinstein (Vice President), Joseph Ehrhardt, Cheryl Laney
Non-Voting Student Representatives – Term Expiring 2005
David McElroy, Kelly Perkins, Brendan Stuart
Non-Voting Administration Representatitves
Dr. Barry Ersek (Superintendent), Walter Pudelko (Business Administrator & Board Secretary)
Though the school board is non-partisan, many of the members are politically or professionally connected to organized labor, the Republican party, the Democratic party, or the politically powerful Commerce National Insurance and its parent company Commerce Bancorp. On one occasion, Board President and Commerce National employee Pat Haines failed to recuse herself, and instead voted in favor of giving Commerce Bancorp a School Board contract.
Private schools
Haddonfield is also home to Haddonfield Friends School (Quaker, K-6), Kingsway Learning Center (special education, ages 5 to 16) and Christ the King (Catholic, K-8). Bancroft NeuroHealth is headquartered in Haddonfield and operates an adjacent special education school and psychiatric facility.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 11,659 people, 4,496 households, and 3,255 families residing in the borough. The population density is 1,590.7/km² (4,124.7/mi²). There are 4,620 housing units at an average density of 630.3/km² (1,634.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough is 96.47% White, 1.27% African American, 0.13% Native American, 1.12% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 1.46% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 4,496 households out of which 35.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% are married couples living together, 7.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% are non-families. 24.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.57 and the average family size is 3.09.
In the borough the population is spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 41 years. For every 100 females there are 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.1 males.
The median income for a household in the borough is $86,872, and the median income for a family is $103,597. Males have a median income of $73,646 versus $44,968 for females. The per capita income for the borough is $43,170. 2.2% of the population and 1.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 2.0% of those under the age of 18 and 3.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
External links
General links
- HaddonfieldOnline.com: News, views, information, events, and shopping for Haddonfield (http://www.HaddonfieldOnline.com)
- Partnership for Haddonfield and Borough of Haddonfield joint website (http://www.haddonfieldnj.org)
- 08033.com A directory style website for Haddonfield (http://08033.com/)
History links
- Indian King Tavern Museum (http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/historic/indianking/)
- Hadrosaurus Website (http://www.hadrosaurus.com)
- Academy of Natural Sciences Dinosaur Hall (http://www.acnatsci.org/museum/dinohall/index.html)
- Stories of Haddonfield's Past (http://dayhikes.org/Days_of_Yore/index.html)
- Historical Society of Haddonfield (http://historicalsocietyofhaddonfield.org)
Education links
- Haddonfield Board of Education (http://www.haddonfield.k12.nj.us)
- Bancroft NeuroHealth (http://www.bancroft.org/)
- Haddonfield Friends School (http://www.haddonfieldfriends.org/)
- Kingsway Learning Center (http://www.kingswaylc.com/)
- Christ the King (http://www.ckrs.org/index.html)
- Haddonfield Memorial High School (http://www.haddonfield.k12.nj.us/hmhs/Default.htm)