Lindenwold, New Jersey

Lindenwold 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 21,641,

As of 2020, Lindenwold had the 10th-highest property tax rate in New Jersey with an equalized rate of 4.810% compared to 3.470% in the county as a whole and a statewide average of 2.279%. The borough is part of the South Jersey region of the state.

History

Lindenwold was created on April 23, 1929, from Clementon Township, one of seven municipalities created from the now-defunct township, and one of five new municipalities created on that same date: Hi-Nella, Pine Hill, Pine Valley (since merged with Pine Hill), and Somerdale. The borough's first official meeting was held on the following May 31 in the old Fire Hall at Linden Avenue and Berlin Road. The name "Lindenwold" (German for "linden forest") was suggested by Wimer Bedford, a local resident who had been reading a German book that included the word. Bedford sought to have linden trees planted along the borough's streets, but local officials chose cheaper trees as an alternative.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 3.94 square miles (10.21 km2), including 3.90 square miles (10.11 km2) of land and 0.04 square miles (0.11 km2) of water (1.07%).

Lindenwold borders the Camden County municipalities of Berlin Borough, Berlin Township, Clementon Borough, Gibbsboro, Gloucester Township, Laurel Springs, Pine Hill, Somerdale, Stratford, and Voorhees Township.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Lindenwold had a population of 21,641. The median age was 34.0 years. 24.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 11.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 89.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 84.8 males age 18 and over.

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

There were 9,134 households in Lindenwold, of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 27.2% were married-couple households, 22.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 38.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 6,590 || 30.5%

| Black or African American || 7,428 || 34.3%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 183 || 0.8%

| Asian || 543 || 2.5%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 8 || 0.0%

| Some other race || 4,735 || 21.9%

| Two or more races || 2,154 || 10.0%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 7,125 || 32.9%

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 17,613 people, 7,426 households, and 4,211 families in the borough. The population density was . There were 8,251 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 48.08% (8,469) White, 34.66% (6,104) Black or African American, 0.44% (78) Native American, 2.80% (493) Asian, 0.02% (4) Pacific Islander, 10.34% (1,822) from other races, and 3.65% (643) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.85% (3,673) of the population.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census,

There were 7,465 households, out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.0% were married couples living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.4% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 3.00. The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the 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 Lindenwold 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.

In the November 2021 general election, Walter F. Lenkowski was elected to fill the seat expiring in December 2022 that had been held by Joseph C. Strippoli until he resigned from office in July 2021.

The borough of Lindenwold is serviced by Ambulnz (formally Jefferson Health) EMS 24/7. EMS is staffed with two NJ State Certified EMTs who operate as BLS 63 daily. EMS also covers the neighboring borough Clementon.

Federal, state, and county representation

Lindenwold is located in the 1st Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 6th state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 9,970 registered voters in Lindenwood, of which 4,510 (45.2%) were registered as Democrats, 714 (7.2%) were registered as Republicans and 4,742 (47.6%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 4 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 80.2% of the vote (4,936 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 18.7% (1,152 votes), and other candidates with 1.1% (67 votes), among the 6,206 ballots cast by the borough's 10,991 registered voters (51 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 56.5%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 76.4% of the vote (5,208 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain, who received around 20.5% (1,400 votes), with 6,813 ballots cast among the borough's 9,556 registered voters, for a turnout of 71.3%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 71.1% of the vote (4,295 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush, who received around 27.3% (1,650 votes), with 6,042 ballots cast among the borough's 9,306 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 64.9.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Democrat Barbara Buono received 52.6% of the vote (1,406 cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 45.7% (1,221 votes), and other candidates with 1.7% (46 votes), among the 2,744 ballots cast by the borough's 11,121 registered voters (71 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 24.7%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 61.8% of the vote (1,871 ballots cast), ahead of both Republican Chris Christie with 30.6% (927 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 4.5% (135 votes), with 3,027 ballots cast among the borough's 9,848 registered voters, yielding a 30.7% turnout.

Education

The Lindenwold Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of five schools, had an enrollment of 3,100 students and 255.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.1:1. Schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are

Lindenwold Preschool with 171 students in PreK,

Lindenwold School 4 with 593 students in grades K-4,

Lindenwold School 5 with 656 students in grades K-4,

Lindenwold Middle School with 911 students in grades 5-8 and

Lindenwold High School with 727 students in grades 9-12.

At the end of the 2007–08 school year, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden closed Saint Lawrence Regional School and merged it together with schools in Somerdale and Stratford to create John Paul II Regional School.

Transportation

thumb|upright=1.1|[[U.S. Route 30 eastbound in Lindenwold]]

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.

U.S. Route 30 is the main highway serving Lindenwold.

Public transportation

thumb|upright=1.1|Lindenwold station, which is served by NJ Transit's Atlantic City Line and the PATCO Speedline

The Lindenwold station is home to the eastern terminus and main operations facility for the PATCO Speedline. It is also a stop on NJ Transit's Atlantic City Line, which runs from 30th Street Station in Philadelphia to the Atlantic City Rail Terminal.

NJ Transit offers bus service between the borough and Camden on the 403 route, with local service on the 451 and 459 routes, and service to Atlantic City on the 554.

Notable people

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

Earl Harrison (born 1961), former professional basketball player
Suzy Hotrod (born 1980), roller derby skater
Carlton R. Rouh (1919–1977), Medal of Honor recipient
Jimmy Woode (1926–2005), jazz bassist

References

External links

Lindenwold Borough municipal website
Lindenwold Public Schools
School Data for the Lindenwold Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics