Oldmans Township is a township in Salem County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 1,910,

Oldmans Township was incorporated on February 7, 1881, from portions of Upper Penns Neck Township (now Carneys Point Township). The township's name is a corruption of "Alderman's".

It is a dry town, where alcohol cannot be sold legally, though alcohol is available at the winery in the township.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Oldmans township had a total area of 20.69 square miles (53.58&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), including 19.51 square miles (50.53&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of land and 1.18 square miles (3.05&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of water (5.70%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Dolbows Landing, Jumbo, Magnolia, Oldmans Point, Parkertown and Perkintown.

The township borders Carneys Point Township and Pilesgrove Township in Salem County; and borders the Delaware River and Oldmans Creek, which serves as its border with Logan Township and Woolwich Township in Gloucester County.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 1,773 people, 652 households, and 502 families in the township. The population density was . There were 699 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 87.48% (1,551) White, 7.73% (137) Black or African American, 0.23% (4) Native American, 0.90% (16) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 2.31% (41) from other races, and 1.35% (24) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.99% (124) of the population.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census

There were 654 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.9% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.9% were non-families. 17.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.07. The governing body is comprised of a three-member Township Committee, whose members are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one seat coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle. At an annual reorganization meeting, the council selects one of its members to serves as mayor and another as deputy mayor.

Federal, state and county representation

Oldmans Township is located in the 2nd Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 3rd state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 1,251 registered voters in Oldmans Township, of which 321 (25.7% vs. 30.6% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 385 (30.8% vs. 21.0%) were registered as Republicans and 545 (43.6% vs. 48.4%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties. Among the township's 2010 Census population, 70.6% (vs. 64.6% in Salem County) were registered to vote, including 91.8% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 84.4% countywide).

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In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 51.0% of the vote (477 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 47.9% (448 votes), and other candidates with 1.2% (11 votes), among the 941 ballots cast by the township's 1,320 registered voters (5 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 71.3%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 501 votes (51.6% vs. 46.6% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 440 votes (45.4% vs. 50.4%) and other candidates with 12 votes (1.2% vs. 1.6%), among the 970 ballots cast by the township's 1,263 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.8% (vs. 71.8% in Salem County). In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 516 votes (56.1% vs. 52.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 396 votes (43.0% vs. 45.9%) and other candidates with 6 votes (0.7% vs. 1.0%), among the 920 ballots cast by the township's 1,228 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.9% (vs. 71.0% in the whole county).

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In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 69.0% of the vote (432 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 28.1% (176 votes), and other candidates with 2.9% (18 votes), among the 633 ballots cast by the township's 1,338 registered voters (7 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 47.3%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 337 votes (51.4% vs. 46.1% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 226 votes (34.5% vs. 39.9%), Independent Chris Daggett with 77 votes (11.7% vs. 9.7%) and other candidates with 10 votes (1.5% vs. 2.0%), among the 656 ballots cast by the township's 1,246 registered voters, yielding a 52.6% turnout (vs. 47.3% in the county).

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Education

The Oldmans Township School District serves public school students in kindergarten through eighth grade at Oldmans Township School. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 290 students and 22.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.9:1.

A majority of public school students in ninth through twelfth grades from Oldmans Township (more than 70% in 2018) attend Penns Grove High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional School District, with the balance (the remaining 30%) attending Woodstown High School in the Woodstown-Pilesgrove Regional School District, which also serves students from Alloway Township and Upper Pittsgrove Township. Students from Oldmans Township living west of Interstate 295 are sent to Penns Grove, while those east of the highway are sent to Woodstown. As of the 2018–19 school year, Penns Grove High School had an enrollment of 508 students and 50.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.2:1, while Woodstown High School had an enrollment of 603 students and 48.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.4:1.

In 2016, the district commissioned a study by the Southern Regional Institute and Educational Technology Training Center at Stockton University to consider sending all students in grades 9–12 to Woodstown High School. The study concluded that Woodstown has the capacity to handle all of the students from Oldmans Township, but noted that the withdrawal from Penns Grove would results in a small decrease in the number of white students in that district's high school. In 2018, the Oldmans Township district sought permission from the Commissioner of Education to send all students to Woodstown, which has been opposed by the Penns Grove district based on the financial impact caused by the loss of tuition.

U.S. Route 130 passes through the northwestern part of the municipality while Interstate 295 travels through the center of the township and includes exit 7.

The New Jersey Turnpike passes through southern Oldmans. Two of the turnpike's service areas, named for people who lived or worked in New Jersey, are located in the township. From south to north, these are the Clara Barton Service Area (named for Clara Barton): southbound, milepost 5.4, and the John Fenwick Service Area (named for John Fenwick; northbound, milepost 5.4).

Public transportation

NJ Transit provides bus service between Pennsville Township and Philadelphia on the 402 route.

The Spitfire Aerodrome is a small municipal airport located in the township, and is the only one of its kind in Salem County.

Notable people

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

  • Robert W. Camac (1940–2001), thoroughbred horse trainer
  • Johnny Gaudreau (1993–2024), hockey player who played in the NHL for the Calgary Flames and the Columbus Blue Jackets
  • Jim Leonard (1910–1993), American football running back who played in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles

References

  • Oldmans Township web site
  • Oldmans Township School District
  • School Data for the Oldmans Township School, National Center for Education Statistics
  • Pedricktown Website
  • Woodstown High School
  • Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional School District
  • Penns Grove High School
  • AirNav Info on Spitfire Aerodrome