Mullica Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the
New Jersey Legislature on March 13, 1838, from the western section of
Galloway Township.
Egg Harbor City was created from portions of the township on June 14, 1858, while the Town of
Hammonton was created and split off on March 5, 1866.[21]
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 56.84 square miles (147.22 km2), including 56.38 square miles (146.01 km2) of land and 0.47 square miles (1.21 km2) of water (0.82%).[1][2]
Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Amatol, Colwell, Da Costa, Devonshire, East Hammonton, Indian Cabin,
Nesco, New Columbia, Pleasant Mills, Speedway,
Sweetwater, Weekstown, Wescoatville, West Egg Harbor and Woodland.[28][29] Unincorporated communities in Mullica Township are largely identified by landmarks such as the Elwood Deli, the
Sweetwater Casino, or the Weekstown Firehouse. The small unincorporated communities within the township engender a particularly high level of pride, and many Mullica Township residents refer to themselves as residents of their unincorporated community, before referring to themselves as residents of Mullica Township.
The township is one of 56 South Jersey municipalities that are included within the
New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve, a protected natural area of unique ecology covering 1,100,000 acres (450,000 ha), that has been classified as a United States Biosphere Reserve and established by Congress in 1978 as the nation's first National Reserve.[33] All of the township is included in the state-designated Pinelands Area, which includes portions of Atlantic County, along with areas in
Burlington,
Camden,
Cape May,
Cumberland,
Gloucester and
Ocean counties.[34]
Of the 2,154 households, 30.5% had children under the age of 18; 57.4% were married couples living together; 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present and 24.3% were non-families. Of all households, 18.4% were made up of individuals and 8.4% 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 3.19.[17]
23.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 31.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 100.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 100.1 males.[17]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010
American Community Survey showed that (in 2010
inflation-adjusted dollars)
median household income was $54,730 (with a margin of error of +/− $11,733) and the median family income was $62,000 (+/− $10,758). Males had a median income of $42,931 (+/− $9,882) versus $41,716 (+/− $5,514) for females. The
per capita income for the township was $26,217 (+/− $3,264). About 3.6% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 8.1% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.[47]
2000 census
As of the
2000 United States census[14] there were 5,912 people, 2,044 households, and 1,537 families residing in the township. The population density was 104.5 inhabitants per square mile (40.3/km2). There were 2,176 housing units at an average density of 38.5 per square mile (14.9/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 80.58%
White, 6.28%
African American, 0.27%
Native American, 0.83%
Asian, 0.12%
Pacific Islander, 8.61% from
other races, and 3.32% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 16.49% of the population.[45][46]
There were 2,044 households, out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% were
married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.30.[45][46]
In the township the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.1 males.[45][46]
The median income for a household in the township was $50,417, and the median income for a family was $55,143. Males had a median income of $40,033 versus $29,965 for females. The
per capita income for the township was $19,764. About 5.7% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.[45][46]
Government
Local government
Mullica Township is governed under the
Township form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state.[48] The Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the voters
at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle.[6][22][49] The mayor and deputy mayor are selected at an annual reorganization meeting by the Committee from among its members to serve terms of one year. The mayor presides over Township Committee meetings.[50]
As of 2023[update], members of the Mullica Township Committee are
Mayor Bruce D. Crowe (
R, term on committee ends December 31, 2024; term as mayor ends 2023),
Deputy Mayor Lawrence E. Riffle Jr. (R, term on committee ends 2025; term as deputy mayor ends 2022), Deanna DeMarco (R, 2025), Ed Hagaman (R, 2024; appointed to serve an unexpired term) and Christopher Silva (R, 2023).[3][51][52][53][54][55]
In June 2019, the Township Committee selected Bruce Crowe from a list of three names nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2021 that had been held by William Cornell until he resigned from office the previous month.[56] In the November 2019 general election, Crowe was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.[57]
Federal, state and county representation
Mullica Township is located in the 2nd Congressional District[58] and is part of New Jersey's 8th state legislative district.[59]
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.[65][66] As of 2024[update], Atlantic County's Executive is Dennis Levinson (
R,
Northfield), whose term of office ends December 31, 2027.[67] Members of the Board of County Commissioners are:
Atlantic County's constitutional officers are:
Clerk Joesph J. Giralo (R, 2026, Hammonton),[78][79]
Sheriff Joe O'Donoghue (R, 2026, Egg Harbor Township)[80][81] and
Surrogate James Curcio (R, 2025, Hammonton).[82][83][84]
Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 4,077 registered voters in Mullica Township, of which 917 (22.5% vs. 30.5% countywide) were registered as
Democrats, 1,336 (32.8% vs. 25.2%) were registered as
Republicans and 1,821 (44.7% vs. 44.3%) were registered as
Unaffiliated. There were 3 voters registered as
Libertarians or
Greens.[85] Among the township's 2010 Census population, 66.3% (vs. 58.8% in Atlantic County) were registered to vote, including 86.3% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 76.6% countywide).[85][86]
In the
2012 presidential election, Republican
Mitt Romney received 1,439 votes (49.1% vs. 41.1% countywide), ahead of Democrat
Barack Obama with 1,430 votes (48.8% vs. 57.9%) and other candidates with 41 votes (1.4% vs. 0.9%), among the 2,933 ballots cast by the township's 4,249 registered voters, for a turnout of 69.0% (vs. 65.8% in Atlantic County).[88][89] In the
2008 presidential election, Republican
John McCain received 1,512 votes (49.5% vs. 41.6% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 1,467 votes (48.0% vs. 56.5%) and other candidates with 43 votes (1.4% vs. 1.1%), among the 3,057 ballots cast by the township's 4,278 registered voters, for a turnout of 71.5% (vs. 68.1% in Atlantic County).[90] In the
2004 presidential election, Republican
George W. Bush received 1,487 votes (53.5% vs. 46.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat
John Kerry with 1,244 votes (44.8% vs. 52.0%) and other candidates with 24 votes (0.9% vs. 0.8%), among the 2,778 ballots cast by the township's 3,811 registered voters, for a turnout of 72.9% (vs. 69.8% in the whole county).[91]
In the
2013 gubernatorial election, Republican
Chris Christie received 1,315 votes (67.8% vs. 60.0% countywide), ahead of Democrat
Barbara Buono with 553 votes (28.5% vs. 34.9%) and other candidates with 34 votes (1.8% vs. 1.3%), among the 1,939 ballots cast by the township's 4,288 registered voters, yielding a 45.2% turnout (vs. 41.5% in the county).[92][93] In the
2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,131 votes (53.4% vs. 47.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat
Jon Corzine with 801 votes (37.8% vs. 44.5%), Independent
Chris Daggett with 102 votes (4.8% vs. 4.8%) and other candidates with 35 votes (1.7% vs. 1.2%), among the 2,117 ballots cast by the township's 4,111 registered voters, yielding a 51.5% turnout (vs. 44.9% in the county).[94]
As of May 2010[update], the township had a total of 106.24 miles (170.98 km) of roadways, of which 59.91 miles (96.42 km) were maintained by the municipality, 38.26 miles (61.57 km) by Atlantic County and 8.07 miles (12.99 km) by the
New Jersey Department of Transportation.[111]
U.S. Route 30 (
White Horse Pike) passes through Mullica Township.[112] Many of the street names in Mullica Township are used on multiple, sometimes intersecting roads within the township, or reused from adjacent municipalities. Examples are Elwood Rd, Weekstown Road, Pleasant Mills Road, and Columbia Road. In fact, 7th Ave has two major intersections, one with County Road 612 and the other with County Road 643. Both of the county roads are named Weekstown Road at the point where they intersect with 7th Ave, approximately 2.5 miles away from each other.
^
abTownship Committee, Mullica Township. Accessed June 6, 2023. "The Township of Mullica is organized as a Township form of municipal government as set forth under N.J.S.A. 40A:63-1 et. seq. The Township Committee, the governing body of the municipality consists of five members. The members serve three-year staggered terms. The terms of office begin on January 1st following the preceding general election. Since Mullica Township is not divided into wards, the five members of the governing body serve at large."
^Local Government Budget Review: Township of Mullica,
New Jersey Department of Treasury, January 2002. Accessed September 19, 2012. "Mullica Township was incorporated in 1838. It is located in southern New Jersey within the western sections of Atlantic County along Route 30, or what is more commonly known as the White Horse Pike. It includes various communities, such as Sweetwater, Nesco, Elwood, Devonshire, Dacosta, and Weekstown."
^Raum, John O.
The History of New Jersey: From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time, Volume 1, p. 273, J. E. Potter and company, 1877. Accessed October 24, 2013. "Mullica contained in 1850 a population of 2,933; in 1860, 1,600; and in 1870, 2,265." Population listed here conflicts with the 918 listed for 1850 (the 2,015 for Hamilton Township is included here) and 861 for 1870 (the data here includes the 1,404 for Hammonton).
^About Us, Township of Mullica. Accessed April 17, 2022. "The form of government in the Township of Mullica has been established as the Committee Form. The Township is governed by a committee consisting of five elected members – each of whom serves a three-year term. The mayor is selected each year by the Committee, and presides over the meetings."
^Regular Meeting Minutes for June 11, 2019, Mullica Township. Accessed September 26, 2019. "Selection of Township Committee Member: Mayor reported three names were submitted to the Governing Body by the Republic County Committee. Mayor entertained a motion. Mr. Riffle moved to consider former Committeeperson Bruce Crowe seconded by Ms. Hanselmann. RCV: Yeas: All voted yes. Oath of Office to Committee Member Bruce Crowe: Ms. Johnson administered Oath of Office."
^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.."
^Mullica Township Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Mullica Township Schools. Accessed March 9, 2020. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through eight in the Mullica Township School District. Composition: The Mullica Township School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Mullica Township."
^Home Page,
Washington Township School District (Burlington County, New Jersey). Accessed March 9, 2020. "Effective July 1, 2016, the Washington Township Board of Education has voted to make the school district a send/receive non-operating school district beginning with the 2016/2017 school year. All students will be attending the Mullica School District."
^Cedar Creek High School 2013 Report Card Narrative,
New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 18, 2020. "Cedar Creek High School opened its doors for the first time September 7, 2010 with only 9th and 10th grade students. For the 2011/2012 school year, we grew to include grades 9 through 11. Serving students from six communities within the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District, Cedar Creek graduated its first class at the conclusion of the 2012/2013 school year."
^Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District 2016 Report Card NarrativeArchived September 27, 2017, at the
Wayback Machine,
New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 18, 2020. "The Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District serves the communities of Galloway Township, Hamilton Township, Egg Harbor City, Mullica Township and participates in receiving relationships with Port Republic and Washington Township. The geographic area of the district is the largest in the state, covering 324 square miles. The student body of each of the district's three comprehensive high schools, Absegami High School, Cedar Creek High School, and Oakcrest High School, reflects the socioeconomic and ethnic diversity of this geographic area."
^Student PopulationArchived October 29, 2013, at the
Wayback Machine, Cedar Creek High School. Accessed November 30, 2014. "We will serve as the high school for the communities of Mullica Township, Egg Harbor City, Port Republic, and the Green Bank area of Washington Township. Students from specific geographic areas of Galloway and Hamilton Townships (School of Choice Program) and the entirety of Galloway and Hamilton Townships through the Magnet Programs (Engineering and Environmental Sciences) will have the option of attending CCHS."
^Greater Egg Harbor Regional Board of Education District Policy 5120 - Assignment of Pupils, Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District. Accessed June 18, 2020. "Pupils shall attend the school located in the attendance area of their residence. The attendance areas for the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District shall be as follows: 1. Pupils who reside in Egg Harbor City shall attend Cedar Creek High School. 2. Pupils who reside in Galloway Township shall attend Absegami High School. 3. Pupils who reside in Hamilton Township shall attend Oakcrest High School 4. Pupils who reside in Mullica Township shall attend Cedar Creek High School 5. Pupils who reside in Port Republic and Washington Township shall attend Cedar Creek High School."
^Frequently Asked Questions,
Atlantic County Institute of Technology. Accessed July 20, 2022. "What does it cost to attend ACIT? As a public school, there is no cost to Atlantic County residents of high school age. New Jersey Title 18A:54-20.1 entitles students the right to choose ACIT for their high school education."
^Schwartz, David.
"Sweet Storm", Casino Connection, May 22, 2007. Accessed September 14, 2016. "Fralinger, born in Sweetwater, Atlantic County in 1848, started off as a glass blower but later moved to Philadelphia, where he ran a fish market before managing several baseball clubs."
^Fleming, Michael.
"Miss America Finalist From Mullica Finds Success In Guam Discotheque", The Press of Atlantic City, November 15, 1990. Accessed September 2, 2019. "Lipford, who grew up in the Elwood section of Mullica Township, was a 1974 Miss Atlantic City and was Miss Delaware in 1976.... Lipman [sic], a 1973 Oakcrest High School graduate who studied theater at the University of Delaware, also formed Headhunters, an employment service company..."
^Annual Report, Volume 15, p. 365. New Jersey Board of Agriculture, 1888. Accessed July 8, 2015. "Like my predecessor Mr. Hoffman, I must make complaint that but very few of the many to whom I sent the circulars of the State Board have returned them with answers; and I am able to tender my thanks only to Captain Charles D. Saalmann of Mullica township; Hermann Henschel and Hermann Keyser, of Galloway township."