Port Republic, New Jersey

Port Republic is a city on the Mullica River, located in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 1,101,

It is a dry town, where alcohol is not permitted to be sold by law.

Geographically, the city, and all of Atlantic County, is part of the South Jersey region of the state and of the Atlantic City-Hammonton metropolitan statistical area, which in turn is included in the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden combined statistical area and the Delaware Valley.

History

In 1774, Evi Smith, Hugh McCullum, and Richard Wescoat applied for a Royal charter to build a dam, sawmill, and gristmill on their land along Nacote Creek. While it has been claimed that Chestnut Neck was settled as early as 1637, no evidence to support this claim has been presented.

In its early days, Port Republic was known as Wrangleboro. During the American Revolutionary War, Port Republic provided refuge to the residents of the nearby community of Chestnut Neck when the British Army, arriving by ship, sacked their town on October 6, 1778. It had been used as a base by privateers who were capturing goods intended for British forces. Among the refugees was Daniel Mathis, a tavernkeeper who built the Franklin Inn in Port Republic, which is used as a private house today. Some of the British ships were trapped in the creek by the ebb tides.

In 1842, an effort was made to rename the area from Wrangleborough to Unionville, with a post office to be established under that name. As another Unionville existed in the state, the name "Port Republic" was chosen.

Port Republic was incorporated as a city by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 1, 1905, from portions of Galloway Township. The city's name derives from the "U.S. Republic".

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Port Republic city had a total area of 8.55 square miles (22.14 km2), including 7.46 square miles (19.33 km2) of land and 1.09 square miles (2.81 km2) of water (12.70%).

The city borders the township of Galloway in Atlantic County, and both Bass River and Washington townships in Burlington County.

The city 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 , that has been classified as a United States Biosphere Reserve and established by Congress in 1978 as the nation's first National Reserve. Part of the city 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.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 1,115 people, 415 households, and 320 families in the city. The population density was . There were 444 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 95.78% (1,068) White, 0.63% (7) Black or African American, 0.45% (5) Native American, 0.90% (10) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.72% (8) from other races, and 1.52% (17) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.96% (33) of the population.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census

There were 365 households, out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.9% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.8% were non-families. 16.7% 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 2.82 and the average family size was 3.17. The governing body is comprised of a mayor and a city council who are chosen in partisan elections held as part of the November general election. The mayor serves a four-year term of office. The City Council is comprised of seven members, with one member elected at-large to a four-year term in office and six who are elected from wards to three-year terms on a staggered basis with two seats up for election each year.

, the Mayor of the City of Port Republic is Republican Monica "Niki" Giberson, whose term of office ends December 31, 2025. Members of the City Council are Council President Roger Giberson (R, 2024; At Large), Steve Allgeyer (R, 2024; Ward I), Doris A. Bugdon (R, 2024; Ward II), Eugene F. Hawn (R, 2025; Ward I), Jacob Nass (R, 2023; Ward II), Donna Lee Riegel (R, 2025; Ward II) and Michael J. Turner (R, 2023; Ward I - elected to serve an unexpired term).

In June 2018, the City Council selected Tom Kurtz to fill the Ward I seat expiring in December 2020 that had become vacant following the resignation of Nicholas Capille the previous month. In the November 2018 general election, Kurtz was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.

In March 2017, the City Council swore in Stanley Kozlowski to fill the vacant Ward II seat expiring in December 2019 that was won by John Bonthron in the November 2016 general election. Kozlowski served on an interim basis until the November 2017 general election when he was chosen to serve the remainder of the term of office.

After Council President Craig J. Rummler's resignation letter was accepted in May 2016, Steven Allgeyer was selected from three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee and sworn in to fill the vacant Ward I seat. In the November 2016, general election, Allgeyer won the remaining two years of the seat.

Federal, state and county representation

Port Republic is located in the 2nd Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 2nd state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 855 registered voters in Port Republic, of which 164 (19.2% vs. 30.5% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 401 (46.9% vs. 25.2%) were registered as Republicans and 289 (33.8% vs. 44.3%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There was one voter registered to another party. Among the city's 2010 Census population, 76.7% (vs. 58.8% in Atlantic County) were registered to vote, including 98.6% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 76.6% countywide).

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 390 votes (57.5% vs. 41.1% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 274 votes (40.4% vs. 57.9%) and other candidates with 10 votes (1.5% vs. 0.9%), among the 678 ballots cast by the city's 896 registered voters, for a turnout of 75.7% (vs. 65.8% in Atlantic County). In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 403 votes (58.5% vs. 41.6% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 270 votes (39.2% vs. 56.5%) and other candidates with 12 votes (1.7% vs. 1.1%), among the 689 ballots cast by the city's 872 registered voters, for a turnout of 79.0% (vs. 68.1% in Atlantic County). In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 390 votes (61.7% vs. 46.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 228 votes (36.1% vs. 52.0%) and other candidates with 6 votes (0.9% vs. 0.8%), among the 632 ballots cast by the city's 782 registered voters, for a turnout of 80.8% (vs. 69.8% in the whole county).

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; font-size:95%;"

|+ Presidential elections results

|- bgcolor=lightgrey

! Year

!Republican

!Democratic

!Third Parties

| style="text-align:center;" |2024

| style="text-align:center;" |64.2% 479

| style="text-align:center;" |35.1% 262

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |0.7% 5

| style="text-align:center;" |2020

| style="text-align:center;" |60.5% 465

| style="text-align:center;" |37.2% 286

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |2.3% 18

| style="text-align:center;" |2016

| style="text-align:center;" |59.5% 381

| style="text-align:center;" |35.2% 225

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |5.3% 34

| style="text-align:center;" |2012

| style="text-align:center;" |57.5% 390

| style="text-align:center;" |40.4% 274

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |1.5% 10

| style="text-align:center;" |2008

| style="text-align:center;" |58.5% 403

| style="text-align:center;" |39.2% 270

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |1.7% 12

| style="text-align:center;" |2004

| style="text-align:center;" |61.7% 390

| style="text-align:center;" |36.1% 228

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |0.9% 6

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 317 votes (68.6% vs. 60.0% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 126 votes (27.3% vs. 34.9%) and other candidates with 11 votes (2.4% vs. 1.3%), among the 462 ballots cast by the city's 899 registered voters, yielding a 51.4% turnout (vs. 41.5% in the county). In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 294 votes (60.5% vs. 47.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 161 votes (33.1% vs. 44.5%), Independent Chris Daggett with 26 votes (5.3% vs. 4.8%) and other candidates with 3 votes (0.6% vs. 1.2%), among the 486 ballots cast by the city's 845 registered voters, yielding a 57.5% turnout (vs. 44.9% in the county).

Education

Students in public school from kindergarten through eighth grade are educated by the Port Republic School District at Port Republic Elementary School. As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 115 students and 11.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.1:1. During the 2016–17 school year, Port Republic was the 12th-smallest enrollment of any school district in the state, with 118 students.

Students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Cedar Creek High School, which is located in the northern section of Egg Harbor City and opened to students in September 2010. The school is one of three high schools operated as part of the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District, which also includes the constituent municipalities of Egg Harbor City, Galloway Township, Hamilton Township, and Mullica Township, and participates in sending/receiving relationships with Port Republic and Washington Township (Burlington County). Cedar Creek High School is zoned to serve students from Egg Harbor City, Mullica Township, Port Republic, and Washington Township. Students in portions of Galloway and Hamilton townships have the opportunity to attend Cedar Creek through the school of choice program or through attendance in magnet programs offered at Cedar Creek. As of the 2023–24 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 942 students and 78.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.0:1.

City public school students are also eligible to attend the Atlantic County Institute of Technology in the Mays Landing section of Hamilton Township or the Charter-Tech High School for the Performing Arts, located in Somers Point.

Transportation

thumb|right|The southbound [[Garden State Parkway past the exit for U.S. Route 9 in Port Republic]]

Roads and highways

, the city had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Atlantic County and by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

The Garden State Parkway passes through the city and is accessible at Interchange 48. U.S. Route 9 passes through Port Republic, as do County Route 575 and County Route 561 Alternate. A small piece of Route 167 is in the city.

The bridge across Nacote Creek in Port Republic is the oldest bridge in Atlantic County, built in 1904, and is on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places. It was in need of repair, and its reconstruction was planned as part of the county's plan to repair several older bridges throughout the county. In early 2021, the county commissioners awarded a contract for its replacement, with work scheduled to begin around July 1 of that year. The $12.5 million project repiring the crossing and access roads was completed and the bridge was reopened in September 2023.

Public transportation

NJ Transit provides bus services on the 559 route between Lakewood Township and Atlantic City.

Historic sites

Locations in Port Republic listed on the National Register of Historic Places include the Amanda Blake Store located at 104 Main Street (added January 25, 1979, as building #79001469), and the Port Republic Historic District (added May 16, 1991 as district #91000596), which is roughly bounded by Mill Street, Clark's Landing Road, Adams Avenue, Port Republic-Smithville Road and Riverside Drive.

Notable people

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

Stephen Dunn (1939–2021), poet and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry

References

External links

Official website
Port Republic School District
School Data for the Port Republic School District, National Center for Education Statistics
Oakcrest High School website
Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District
The Current of Port Republic Local community newspaper