Haddon Heights, New Jersey

Haddon Heights is a borough in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,495,

Haddon Heights was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 2, 1904, from portions of the now-defunct Centre Township and parts of Haddon Township. The borough was named for Elizabeth Haddon, an early settler of the area. Haddon Heights is a dry town where alcohol cannot be sold. A November 2024 non-binding referendum asking voters to allow liquor sales at restaurants and bars in the borough passed by a 2–1 margin; the borough council would have to approve an ordinance allowing for the sale of liquor licenses.

New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Haddon Heights as the 98th best place to live in New Jersey in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey, and the borough has also been listed among its "Classic Towns of Greater Philadelphia" by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. In 2011, New Jersey Monthly named Haddon Heights the second best town to live in Southern New Jersey, after Moorestown Township.

History

left|thumb|upright|Joseph Bloomfield

The land that was to become Haddon Heights was settled in 1699 by John Hinchman. In 1713, John Siddon built a farmhouse near Hinchman's property. John Thorn Glover dammed King's Run and constructed a mill race and fulling mill on this property before 1776. Jacob Hinchman built a frame dwelling no later than 1720 that was later enlarged by American Revolutionary War hero Col. Joseph Ellis. It is currently referred to as the Col. Joseph Ellis House. New Jersey governor Joseph Bloomfield later purchased this property.

thumb|Col. Joseph Ellis House

In 1890, Benjamin A. Lippincott constructed a passenger station in the center of his land for the Atlantic City Railroad. Then Lippincott, with Charles Hillman, filed a grid street plan with Camden County to develop a community. They named it Haddon Heights because of its proximity to Haddonfield and its high elevation. Large houses were built in Colonial Revival, Queen Anne or Foursquare style that appealed to prosperous middle-class families moving from the cities. In 1904, Haddon Heights was incorporated as a borough and Lippincott was elected mayor. A small downtown grew near the railroad and the White Horse Pike and eight churches and a synagogue were built. An area of old Centre Township, known as Fairfield Estates, voted in 1926 to become part of Haddon Heights. This land was developed for more single-family housing through the 1940s and 1950s. Even though rail passenger service was suspended in July 1965, Haddon Heights remains a typical turn-of-the-twentieth-century railroad suburb with tree-shaded streets and comfortable homes.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Haddon Heights had a population of 7,495. The median age was 43.0 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.4 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 3,009 households in Haddon Heights, of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 55.1% were married-couple households, 13.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census

There were 3,039 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.09. Dating back to 1902, there was a Haddon Heights Library Association. The current library building was constructed in 1965.

Government

Local government

Haddon Heights 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. 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 has 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. The borough form of government used by Haddon Heights 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.

The reorganization meeting of the governing body is held on the first Saturday in January. At this meeting, the newly elected council members take the oath of office and a council president, who serves as acting mayor when the mayor is absent, is elected by the council. Appointments for the coming year are announced by the mayor and confirmed by the council when required by law.

, the mayor of Haddon Heights is Democrat Zachary Houck, whose term of office ends December 31, 2023. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Christopher Morgan (D, 2024), Trisha D. Egbert (D, 2023), Tom Ottoson (D, 2025), Matthew Pagan (D, 2025), Regina M. Philipps (D, 2023) and Kate Russo (D, 2024).

At the January 2022 reorganization meeting Scott Schreiber was appointed to fill the seat expiring in December 2022 that had been vacated by Asiyah Kurtz.

In March 2016, the borough council selected Vincent Ceroli from three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2016 that had been held by Earl R. Miller Jr. until he resigned from office.

Federal, state and county representation

Haddon Heights is located in the 1st Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 5th state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 5,754 registered voters in Haddon Heights, of which 2,137 (37.1%) were registered as Democrats, 1,310 (22.8%) were registered as Republicans and 2,300 (40.0%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 7 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 54.8% of the vote (2,352 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 44.0% (1,891 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (51 votes), among the 4,326 ballots cast by the borough's 6,019 registered voters (32 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 71.9%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 55.8% of the vote (2,548 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain, who received around 41.4% (1,893 votes), with 4,568 ballots cast among the borough's 5,586 registered voters, for a turnout of 81.8%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 53.2% of the vote (2,411 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush, who received around 45.1% (2,045 votes), with 4,534 ballots cast among the borough's 5,562 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 81.5.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 65.2% of the vote (1,821 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 33.2% (928 votes), and other candidates with 1.5% (43 votes), among the 2,859 ballots cast by the borough's 6,010 registered voters (67 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 47.6%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 47.4% of the vote (1,450 ballots cast), ahead of both Democrat Jon Corzine with 43.7% (1,338 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 6.4% (195 votes), with 3,059 ballots cast among the borough's 5,680 registered voters, yielding a 53.9% turnout.

Education

The Haddon Heights School District serves public school students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2024–25 school year, the district, comprised of four schools, had an enrollment of 1,556 students and 135.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.5:1. Schools in the district (with 2024–25 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are

Atlantic Avenue Elementary School with 125 students in grades PreK–2,

Glenview Elementary School with 261 students in grades K–6,

Seventh Avenue Elementary School with 145 students in grades 3–6 and

Haddon Heights Junior/Senior High School with 926 students in grades 7–12. The districts' high school also serves students from the neighboring communities of Barrington and Lawnside who attend the high school for grades 9–12 as part of sending/receiving relationships with the three respective school districts.

St. Rose of Lima School, founded in 1921, is a K–8 elementary school that operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden.

Baptist Regional School is a private, co-educational K–12 college-preparatory school governed by a board of directors in association with Haddon Heights Baptist Church (GARBC). The school offers an integrated curriculum with a conservative Christian worldview.

Transportation

thumb|right|[[Interstate 295 (Delaware–Pennsylvania)|Interstate 295 northbound in Haddon Heights]]

Roads and highways

, the borough had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Camden County and by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Interstate 295 follows the southern border of the borough, while Route 168 (Black Horse Pike) straddles the western border and Route 41 follows the eastern border.

Public transportation

NJ Transit local bus service between the borough and Philadelphia is provided on the 400 and 403 routes, with local service available on the 455 and 457 routes.

Commuter train service to Philadelphia is available using the PATCO Speedline. The closest stops are Westmont and Haddonfield.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Haddon Heights include:

Rob Andrews (born 1957), Congressman
Tommy Avallone (born ), film director and producer
Andrew Bailey (born 1984), Major League Baseball player, two time MLB All-Star, and 2009 AL Rookie of the Year for the Oakland Athletics
Edward Clyde Benfold (1931–1952), United States Navy Hospital Corpsman Third Class who was killed in action and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor
Erwin Bergdoll (1890–1965), racing driver during the formative years of auto racing, who had been imprisoned for dodging the draft during World War I
Matt Brady (born 1965), Division I college basketball head coach at James Madison University
Mary Chalmers (born 1927), author and illustrator who wrote children's books frequently featuring cats
DyAnne DiSalvo, illustrator
Bessie Mecklem Hackenberger (1876–1942), one of the earliest American-born saxophone soloists and an active participant and trustee in the Haddon Heights Woman's Club
Patrick T. Harker (born 1958), President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and former president of the University of Delaware
Steve Israel (born 1969), former NFL cornerback who played for the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers
Fredric Jameson (1934–2024), Marxist thinker and literary critic
Jeff Jones (born 1957), baseball player who played in MLB for the Cincinnati Reds
Herb Kelleher (1931–2019), founder/Chairman and former CEO of Southwest Airlines
Billy Lange (born 1972), head men's basketball coach at the United States Naval Academy started his coaching career at Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in 1995–1996
Willie Mosconi (1913–1993), billiards world champion
Blaine Neal (born 1978), Major League Baseball player and Olympic bronze medalist 2008
Kevin F. O'Toole (born 1950), casino gaming regulator
George A. Palmer (1895–1981), Protestant clergyman who was pastor at Haddon Heights Baptist Church and started the long-running Morning Cheer radio broadcast in 1932 from his home in Haddon Heights
Haason Reddick (born 1994), American football linebacker who has played in the NFL for the Arizona Cardinals
Lee Solomon (born 1954), Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey
Steven Spielberg (born 1946), film director and producer
Eric Stokes (1930–1999), composer at the University of Minnesota