Hammonton

Hammonton was settled in 1812 and was named for John Hammond Coffin, a son of one of the community's earliest settlers, William Coffin. It was incorporated as a town by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 5, 1866, from portions of Hamilton Township and Mullica Township. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 14,791, reflecting an increase of 2,187 (+17.4%) from the 12,604 counted in the 2000 Census. It is located directly between Philadelphia and the resort town of Atlantic City, along a former route of the Pennsylvania Railroad with Hammonton station directly in the downtown area. The town was briefly host to a major racetrack, Atlantic City Speedway, from 1926 to 1928. The track was complete with a direct connection with a rail connection with the town of Hammonton, but it was never used for racing. Hammonton was briefly a major host to major races, including the Atlantic City Races, which were held from 1926-1928 on the wooden track, with a track that is now used by NJ Transit's Atlantic City Line. It has been known as the "Blueberry Capital of the World" for its blueberry crop and popularity as a destination for blueberry farmers. It also has a reputation for being one of New Jersey's most beautiful beaches, with views of the Asbury Park skyline and the Statue of Liberty in the distance. The city is located on the banks of the Hackensack River.

History

Hammonton is the primary city name, but also Batsto, Blue Anchor, Mullica are acceptable city names or spellings, Ancora, Braddock, Elm, Folsom, Nesco, Rosedale, Sweetwater on the other hand no longer accepted or obsolete and are no longer used as a designation. The official name is Town of Hammonton. Little is known of the area of Hammonton before European contact. At the time of European contact, the general area was inhabited by the Unalachtigo Lenape. The West Jersey Society was granted rights over a large tract of land in the English Province of New Jersey to parcel out in 1748. William Coffin and his family came to the land in 1812 to build a home and operate a sawmill for John R. Coates; Coffin purchased the land and mill outright in 1814. In 1817, Coffin opened a glass factory in the area, as the glass industry was a major South Jersey industry at the time due to the availability of cheap timber and bog iron. The Camden and Atlantic Railroad began service in 1854, running to the west of Old Hammonton. Hammonton was directly incorporated by act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 5, 1866 as a "Town", an unusual form of government of which Hammonton is the only example in Atlantic County. A census taken at time of incorporation counted 1422 inhabitants of the town. The first Hammonton Blueberry Festival was held in 1953, embracing the town's identity as a grower of blueberries. The town was briefly host to a major racing track, the Atlantic City Speedway. The track served as a test track for Studebaker from 1928 to 1933 before it was demolished and the timber used to build it repurposed for other buildings. It was initially called "Hammondton" after Coffin's son John Hammond Coffin; later town governments would drop the "d", leading to the modern name of Ham Edmonton.

Geography

Hammonton lies in the northern reaches of the humid subtropical climate zone. The town is one of 56 South Jersey municipalities that are included within the New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve. The Mullica River Fire consumed more than 15,000 acres of protected land and became the largest wildfire in the state in 15 years in June 2022. Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located completely or partially within the town include Barnard, Bellhurst, Caldwell Crossing, Dacosta, Dutchtown, Great Swamp, Murphy, Rockford, Rockwood, Rosedale and West Mills. Hammonton is located in the Pine Barrens, a protected natural area of unique ecology that has been classified as a United States Biosphere Reserve and established by Congress in 1978. All of the town is included in state-designated Pinelanded Area, which includes portions of Atlantic County, along with areas in Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Ocean counties. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Hammonton's climate is abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. On June 19, 2022 a fire broke out in the Wharton State Forest in a remote area in a northern part of Hammonton. The cause of the fire is believed to be caused by an illegal campfire. It is located almost exactly halfway between Philadelphia and Atlantic City. The soil is largely sandy, making it ideal for growing blueberries. Low, marshy areas are also used for cranberry cultivation.

Demographics

The 2010 United States census counted 14,791 people, 5,408 households, and 3,759 families in the town. As of the 2000 Census, 45.9% of town residents were of Italian ancestry, the second-highest percentage of any municipality in the United States (behind Johnston, Rhode Island, at 46.7%) News reports have said Hammonton leads the nation in Italian-Americans per capita. The median household income was $59,085 (with a margin of error of +/ $3,242) and the median family Income was $62,354 (+/$3,893) in 2010. The per capita income for the borough was $25,292 (+/ $1,528). About 8.4% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.1% of those under age 18 and 9.2%) in the 2010 Census. In the town, the average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.19. The racial makeup of the town was 87.85% White, 1.74% African American, 0.14% Native American, 1,14% Asian,0.02% Pacific Islander, 7.83% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household incomes were $59.085 and $62.354.

Arts and culture

Musical groups from the town include the rock band The Early November. The town is known for its art, music, and culture. It is also known as a popular destination for tourists to the U.S. and Canada. The city is home to a number of cultural institutions, including a museum and an art gallery. It also has its own version of the National Museum of American Art, which was established in 1881. The museum is located in the town's downtown area and is open to the public on weekdays and weekends.

Sports

Gabriel Donio proposed a minor-league baseball team called the Hammonton Blueberries in 1997. In 1999, the Northern League announced that they would form a six-team developmental circuit and include Hammonton as one of the clubs. This did not happen, and the proposed ballpark was not built, putting an end to the Blueberries. Since Hammonton is less than 75 miles from Philadelphia, any pro baseball team there would either need permission from the Phillies or play in an independent league, outside of MLB's jurisdiction. The Hammonton Gazette published a team logo and a prototype uniform, as well as purchasing a 20-acre tract of land for $200,000. Donio planned to build on the site a 3,500-seat, six-million-dollar ballpark, which he described as "a rough miniature of the Brooklyn Dodgers' Ebbets Field" The Blueberries have never played a game in Hammonton, nor have they ever won a league championship. They have played in the Canadian Baseball League, which was formed in 1998. The team has never won a championship, and has only played in one game in the league's first two seasons. The club has never played in a post-season game, nor has it won a playoff game. It has never scored a run in a major league game, or won a World Series game in any of its three seasons. It is the only team in Canada that has ever won more than one league championship, with the exception of the Toronto Blue Jays, who won two.

Government

Hammonton is governed under the Town form of New Jersey municipal government. The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the Town Council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. The mayor and council members are affiliated with Hammonton First, an independent political organization that was established in 2005 and swept that November's elections, winning the mayoral seat and all three council seats. As of 2022, the Mayor of Hammonton is Independent Steve DiDonato, whose term of office ends December 31, 2025. Atlantic County is governed by a directly elected county executive and a nine-member Board of County Commissioners, responsible for legislation. The executive serves a four-year term and the commissioners are elected to staggered three-year terms, of which four are elected from the county on an at- Large basis and five of the commissioners represent equally populated districts. The county's constitutional officers are:  County Clerk Joesph J. Giralo (R, 2026, Hammonton), Sheriff Eric Scheffler (D, 2024) and  Surrogate James Curcio (R, 2025) The town is located in New Jersey's 2nd Congressional District and is part of its 8th state legislative district. For the 117th United States Congress, New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027) and Bob Menendez (Harrison, term end 2025).

Education

As of the 201819 school year, the district, comprised of four schools, had an enrollment of 3,566 students and 249.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a studentteacher ratio of 14.3:1. Schools in the district (with 201819 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Early Childhood Education Center, Warren E. Sooy Elementary School, Hammonton Middle School, and St. Joseph High School. Hammonton is home to the Catholic schools St.Joseph Regional Elementary School (for Pre-K8) and Hammonton High School (for grades 912) which operate under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Camden. Despite its status as a football powerhouse, St. Joseph Regional Elementary was one of five Catholic schools in New Jersey which would close permanently at the end of the school year on June 30, 2020. Borough public school students are also eligible to attend the Atlantic County Institute of Technology in the Mays Landing section of Hamilton Township or the Charter-Tech High School for the Performing Arts, located in Somers Point. The Hammonton Public Schools are part of the New Jersey Department of Education's Camden County Public School System. The district is one of the largest in the state, with more than 3,000 students in grades 1-12. It is also home to a number of non-public schools, including Folsom Borough School District and Waterford Township School District.

Transportation

Hammonton Municipal Airport is located 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of the central business district. The Hammonton station of NJ Transit provides passenger rail service between the Atlantic City Rail Terminal in Atlantic City and 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. As of 2010, the town had a total of 126.50 miles (203.58 km) of roadways, of which 77.04 miles (123.98 km) were maintained by the municipality, 30.61 miles (49.26 km) by Atlantic County and 14.65 miles (23.58km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.NJ Transit provides bus service in Hammonton on the 554 route between Lindenwold station and Atlantic City. The town is home to the Hammonton High School, which was founded in 1903. The school was the first in the state to open in the 19th century. It is located in the town of Hammonton, New Jersey, near the town's southern border with New York City. Hammonton is also home to a number of county roads, including County Routes 536, 542, 559, 561 and 561. It also has an airport, which is located about 3 miles from the town center. The airport is currently equipped with a single-engine air-conditioning system that can handle up to 100,000 passengers a day. It was built in the 1950s and is the only airport in New Jersey to have such a system.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Hammonton, Atlantic County, New Jersey = 44.8. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 13. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Hammonton = 4 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 6,844 individuals with a median age of 40.3 age the population grows by 8.19% in Hammonton, Atlantic County, New Jersey population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 361.0 residents per square mile of area (139.4/km²). There are average 2.6 people per household in the 5,102 households with an average household income of $51,413 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 12.70% of the available work force and has dropped -2.85% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 21.60%. The number of physicians in Hammonton per 100,000 population = 218.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Hammonton = 44.2 inches and the annual snowfall = 12.5 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 110. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 207. 88 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 21.7 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 46, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Hammonton, Atlantic County, New Jersey which are owned by the occupant = 67.04%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 46 years with median home cost = $200,380 and home appreciation of -0.94%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $23.44 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $6,713 per student. There are 15.1 students for each teacher in the school. 11093.44% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 11.30% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 4.58% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).