Blackwood is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Gloucester Township, in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 census, Blackwood had a population of 4,622. It is located from the city of Camden and away from Philadelphia in the South Jersey region of the state.
Blackwood is the home of the main campus of Camden County College. Blackwood is home to Camden County College's radio station WDBK, which has been broadcasting on 91.5 FM since 1977.
History
thumb|upright=1.1|[[Solomon Wesley United Methodist Church, listed on the National Register of Historic Places]]
Blackwood, originally known as Blackwoodtown, was settled about 1750 by John Blackwood in an area then known as "head of Timber Creek." Blackwood was a fuller who immigrated from Scotland and established mills in Blackwoodtown. The area was a crossroads village along the Black Horse Pike well into the nineteenth century, that served as a local government and transportation center by the 1830s, when Uriah Norcross established a stage coach line between Camden and Woodbury with a stop at a tavern in Blackwoodtown. The arrival of the Camden County Railroad in 1891 led to further development.
Blackwood Lake operated as a summer resort from 1891 until 1932.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Blackwood had a total area of , including of land and of water (0.72%).
- Kiwanis's Baseball Fields (Marshall & Railroad Ave)
- Al Raw's Field (Lincoln Drive)
- Harwan Park (Black Horse Pike)<br>1950 1960 1970<br> 1980 1990 2000<br> 2010 2020
!Pop 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|White alone (NH)
|4,232
|3,887
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,427
|90.20%
|85.52%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |74.15%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|172
|211
|style='background: #ffffe6; |360
|3.67%
|4.64%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7.79%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|3
|2
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2
|0.06%
|0.04%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.04%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|99
|115
|style='background: #ffffe6; |178
|2.11%
|2.53%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.85%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|3
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.06%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|1
|3
|style='background: #ffffe6; |18
|0.02%
|0.07%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.39%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|34
|57
|style='background: #ffffe6; |154
|0.72%
|1.25%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.33%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|148
|270
|style='background: #ffffe6; |483
|3.15%
|5.94%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |10.45%
|-
|Total
|4,692
|4,545
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,622
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Blackwood had a population of 4,622. The median age was 38.5 years. 21.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.7 males age 18 and over.
There were 1,724 households in Blackwood, of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.9% were married-couple households, 18.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Of the 1,687 households, 29.8% had children under the age of 18; 52.2% were married couples living together; 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present and 28.3% were non-families. Of all households, 23.8% were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.19.
There were 1,721 households, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.16.
| designated_other1_name = New Jersey Register of Historic Places
| designated_other1_abbr = NJRHP
| designated_other1_link = New Jersey Register of Historic Places
| designated_other1_date = June 20, 1989
| designated_other1_number = 956
| designated_other1_num_position = bottom
| designated_other1_color = #ffc94b
The Blackwood Historic District is a national historic district along the Black Horse Pike, Baptist Lane, Church and Elm streets, Central and East Railroad avenues in the community. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 27, 1989, for its significance in commerce and community development. The district includes 87 contributing buildings, 3 contributing structures, and 3 contributing sites. The Blackwood First Methodist Episcopal Church was built in 1856 with Greek Revival/Italianate style.
Education
Public schools, that are part of the Gloucester Township Public Schools district, include
Blackwood Elementary School,
Gloucester Township Elementary School as well as
Charles W. Lewis Middle School Highland Regional High School is part of the Black Horse Pike Regional School District.
The Kingdom Charter School of Leadership is a charter school that serves students in Kindergarten through sixth grade residing in Gloucester Township, who are accepted by lottery on a space-available basis.
Our Lady of Hope Regional School is a Roman Catholic elementary school that operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden. Our Lady of Hope Regional School was renamed following the 2008 merger of St. Jude's Regional School with St. Agnes School.
Higher education in Blackwood includes Pennco Tech and Camden County College.
Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Blackwood include:
- Jersey Bakley (1864–1915) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who was 19 years old when he broke into the big leagues in 1883 with the Philadelphia Athletics.
- Nick Comoroto (born 1991) professional wrestler known for his appearances with the professional wrestling promotions WWE and All Elite Wrestling.
- Mike Daniels (born 1989), defensive end for the Cincinnati Bengals.
- John A. Dramesi (1933–2017), prisoner of war who had been held by the Viet Cong in the Hanoi Hilton.
- David R. Mayer (born 1967), who represented the 4th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2002 to 2008 and served on the Gloucester Township Council from 2002 to 2003 and as mayor of Gloucester Township.
- Erik Menendez (born 1970), convicted murderer.
- Joseph Menna (born 1970), sculptor.
- Gabriela Mosquera (born 1977), politician, who has served in the New Jersey General Assembly since 2012, where she represents the 4th Legislative District.
- Billy Paul (1934–2016), Grammy Award-winning soul singer.
- Joe Vitt (born 1954), interim head coach of the New Orleans Saints.