Location of Woodlynne in
Camden County highlighted and circled in red (right). Inset map: Location of Camden County in
New Jersey highlighted in red (left).
Woodlynne had the highest property tax rate in New Jersey, with an equalized rate of 7.384% in 2020, compared to a statewide average of 2.279% and 3.470% in Camden County.[24] As of the 2010 census, Woodlynne was also home to the highest percentage of
Vietnamese residents in New Jersey, at 6.9%.[25]
History
First settled by Europeans in 1681, a property owned by Mark Newbie was called Lynnewood,[26] named for the linden trees in the area.[27] The name was changed from Lynnewood to Woodlynne in 1892, due to conflicts with the name of another municipality.[28]
Woodlynne Amusement Park, which encompassed Woodlynne Lake (no longer in existence), operated between the years 1895 and 1914 in the area that now comprises the town of Woodlynne. The New Camden Land Improvement Company commissioned the creation of Woodlynne Amusement Park on the estate of Charles M. Cooper in 1892. Homes built over the old lake tend to flood in the basements during heavy rainstorms.
The Camden and Suburban Railway Company, formed in 1896, established a housing development in a section of Woodlynne Amusement Park, which contributed to its incorporation as Woodlynne Borough in 1901.[29]
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 0.23 square miles (0.58 km2), including 0.22 square miles (0.56 km2) of land and 0.01 square miles (0.02 km2) of water (3.04%).[1][2]
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification system, Woodlynne has a
humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[33]
Of the 917 households, 42.5% had children under the age of 18; 37.6% were married couples living together; 31.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 23.7% were non-families. Of all households, 18.6% were made up of individuals and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.25 and the average family size was 3.67.[17]
30.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 12.9% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 6.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 97.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 90.6 males.[17]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010
American Community Survey showed that (in 2010
inflation-adjusted dollars)
median household income was $41,516 (with a margin of error of +/− $6,233) and the median family income was $45,313 (+/− $17,965). Males had a median income of $39,020 (+/− $7,398) versus $32,688 (+/− $8,474) for females. The
per capita income for the borough was $18,210 (+/− $2,557). About 14.8% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 20.9% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.[41]
2000 census
As of the
2000 United States census[2] there were 2,796 people, 912 households, and 684 families residing in the borough. The population density was 12,939.4 inhabitants per square mile (4,995.9/km2). There were 1,012 housing units at an average density of 4,683.4 per square mile (1,808.3/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 48.43%
White, 22.71%
African American, 0.57%
Native American, 12.27%
Asian, 11.59% from
other races, and 4.43% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 20.60% of the population.[39][40]
There were 912 households, out of which 42.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.1% were
married couples living together, 25.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.07 and the average family size was 3.52.[39][40]
In the borough the population was spread out, with 32.4% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.[39][40]
The median income for a household in the borough was $39,138, and the median income for a family was $39,669. Males had a median income of $33,520 versus $26,885 for females. The
per capita income for the borough was $14,757. About 11.7% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 21.5% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.[39][40]
Government
Local government
Woodlynne is governed under the
borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey.[42] The governing body is comprised of a mayor and a borough council, with all positions elected
at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council is comprised of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle.[6] The borough form of government used by Woodlynne is a "
weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can
veto ordinances subject to an
override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.[43][44]
As of 2023[update], the mayor of Woodlynne Borough is
Democrat Joseph Chukwueke, whose term of office ends December 31, 2023.[3] Members of the Woodlynne Borough Council are Council President Sharon Earley (D, 2024), Lavar Edwards (D, 2023), Shana K. Feliciano (D, 2025), Edwin Fontanez (D, 2025), Pablo Fuentes (D, 2023) and Wilfredo Rodriguez (D, 2024).[45][5][46][47][48][49]
After a four-year period in which police officers from Collingswood patrolled the borough's streets, Woodlynne re-established its police department in September 2010.[50]
Federal, state and county representation
Woodlynne is located in the 1st Congressional District[51] and is part of New Jersey's 5th state legislative district.[52][53][54]
Camden County is governed by a
Board of County Commissioners comprised of seven members chosen
at-large in partisan elections for three-year terms on a staggered basis by the residents of the county, with either two or three seats up for election each year as part of the November general election. At a reorganization meeting held in January after each election, the newly constituted Board of Commissioners selects one member to serve as Director and another as Deputy Director, each serving a one-year term in that role.[61] As of 2024[update], Camden County's Commissioners are:
Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. (
D,
Collingswood, 2026),[62]
Commissioner Deputy Director Edward T. McDonnell (D,
Pennsauken Township, 2025),[63]
Virginia Ruiz Betteridge (D,
Runnemede, 2025),[64]
Almar Dyer (D, Pennsauken Township, 2024),[65]
Melinda Kane (D,
Cherry Hill, 2024),[66]
Jeffrey L. Nash (D,
Winslow Township, 2024),[67] and
Jonathan L. Young Sr. (D,
Berlin Township, 2026).[68][61][69][70][71]
As of March 2011, there were a total of 1,553 registered voters in Woodlynne, of which 661 (42.6%) were registered as
Democrats, 85 (5.5%) were registered as
Republicans and 804 (51.8%) were registered as
Unaffiliated. There were 3 voters registered as
Libertarians or
Greens.[79]
In the
2012 presidential election, Democrat
Barack Obama received 86.8% of the vote (826 cast), ahead of Republican
Mitt Romney with 12.6% (120 votes), and other candidates with 0.6% (6 votes), among the 959 ballots cast by the borough's 1,714 registered voters (7 ballots were
spoiled), for a turnout of 56.0%.[80][81] In the
2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 79.4% of the vote (786 cast), ahead of Republican
John McCain, who received around 16.6% (164 votes), with 990 ballots cast among the borough's 1,531 registered voters, for a turnout of 64.7%.[82] In the
2004 presidential election, Democrat
John Kerry received 71.5% of the vote (639 ballots cast), outpolling Republican
George W. Bush, who received around 27.2% (243 votes), with 894 ballots cast among the borough's 1,465 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 61.0.[83]
In the
2013 gubernatorial election, Democrat
Barbara Buono received 62.8% of the vote (240 cast), ahead of Republican
Chris Christie with 36.6% (140 votes), and other candidates with 0.5% (2 votes), among the 394 ballots cast by the borough's 1,697 registered voters (12 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 23.2%.[84][85] In the
2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat
Jon Corzine received 68.1% of the vote (305 ballots cast), ahead of both Republican
Chris Christie with 23.4% (105 votes) and Independent
Chris Daggett with 3.1% (14 votes), with 448 ballots cast among the borough's 1,530 registered voters, yielding a 29.3% turnout.[86]
As of May 2010[update], the borough had a total of 5.69 miles (9.16 km) of roadways, of which 5.20 miles (8.37 km) were maintained by the municipality, 0.30 miles (0.48 km) by Camden County and 0.19 miles (0.31 km) by the
New Jersey Department of Transportation.[92]
New Jersey Route 168[93] and
U.S. Route 130 are the main highways serving Woodlynne. Route 168 skims the western border of Woodlynne, while US 130 brushes the eastern edge of the borough.
^Astudillo, Carla.
"The 10 tiniest towns in New Jersey (they're really small)", NJ Advance Media for
NJ.com, November 1, 2016, updated May 16, 2019. Accessed March 5, 2020. "We used square mile data from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to rank the ten municipalities with the smallest area size.... 8. Woodlynne Boro... Woodlynne Borough (141.72 acres) may have once been an amusement park, but today, the whole borough can fit inside Six Flags Great Adventure and Safari (519 acres) about 3.6 times."
^"Here are the 30 N.J. towns with the highest property tax rates", NJ Advance Media for
NJ.com, March 15, 2021. Accessed January 19, 2022. "The average equalized tax rate in New Jersey was 2.279 in 2020, according to data from the Department of Community Affairs. Here is the list of 30 New Jersey towns with the highest property tax rates.... 1. Woodlynne Borough Equalized tax rate in Woodlynne Borough, Camden County, was: 7.384 in 2020; Average equalized tax rate in Camden County: 3.470"
^Staff.
"Woodlynne: A growing community of immigrants", Courier-Post, October 19, 2006. Accessed November 5, 2015. "In 1892, Woodlynne was known as Lynnewood, but town officials reversed the elements after discovering that the name was already in use elsewhere.... Some of the Linden trees that helped give the town earn its name still stand behind 167 Evergreen Ave."
^Dorwart, Jeffrey M. (2001). Camden County, New Jersey: The Making of a Metropolitan Community, 1626-2000. Camden County, New Jersey:
Rutgers University Press. p. 102.
ISBN0-8135-2958-1.
^Staff.
"After Four Years, Woodlynne Police Back On Duty",
KYW-TV, September 27, 2010. Accessed October 13, 2012. "At the stroke of midnight, October 3rd Woodlynne Borough will take back its streets, the 0.2 square mile Camden County Borough is re-instating the police department it abolished four years ago.... As part of the reconstruction of the police force, Collingswood will end its four year contract to patrol Woodlynne."
^Full Biography, Congressman Donald Norcross. Accessed January 3, 2019. "Donald and his wife Andrea live in Camden City and are the proud parents of three grown children and grandparents of two."
^Biography of Bob Menendez,
United States Senate, January 26, 2015. "Menendez, who started his political career in Union City, moved in September from Paramus to one of Harrison's new apartment buildings near the town's PATH station.."
^Staff.
"Collingswood High School", South Jersey magazine. Accessed November 18, 2014. "Collingswood High School serves about 850 students in grades nine through twelve from the Collingswood, Oaklyn, and Woodlynne school districts."