Somerdale, New Jersey

Somerdale 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 5,566,

Somerdale was created on April 23, 1929, from portions of Clementon Township, one of seven municipalities created from the now-defunct township, and one of five new municipalities created on the same date: Hi-Nella, Lindenwold, Pine Hill and Pine Valley.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Somerdale had a total area of 1.39 square miles (3.61 km<sup>2</sup>), all of which was land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Somerdale had a population of 5,566. The median age was 39.9 years. 18.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.3 males age 18 and over.

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

There were 2,290 households in Somerdale, of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.4% were married-couple households, 22.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

2000 census

As of the 2000 U.S. census,

There were 2,068 households, out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.11. 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 includes six members, who are 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 Somerdale 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 mayor of Somerdale is Democrat Gary J. Passanante, whose term of office ends December 31, 2023. Members of the Borough Council are Council President George Badey (D, 2024), David A. Alexander (D, 2025), George C. Ehrmann (D, 2024), Barbara Kane (D, 2025), James J. Perry (D, 2023) and Lawrence R. "Larry" Sefchick (D, 2023).

Federal, state, and county representation

Somerdale 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 3,457 registered voters in Somerdale, of which 1,919 (55.5%) were registered as Democrats, 318 (9.2%) were registered as Republicans and 1,215 (35.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 5 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 72.4% of the vote (1,718 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 26.8% (635 votes), and other candidates with 0.8% (19 votes), among the 2,383 ballots cast by the borough's 3,747 registered voters (11 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 63.6%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 68.3% of the vote (1,758 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain, who received around 28.5% (734 votes), with 2,573 ballots cast among the borough's 3,437 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.9%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 65.2% of the vote (1,653 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush, who received around 33.0% (836 votes), with 2,535 ballots cast among the borough's 3,444 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 73.6.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 49.2% of the vote (606 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 49.1% (604 votes), and other candidates with 1.7% (21 votes), among the 1,259 ballots cast by the borough's 3,753 registered voters (28 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 33.5%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 58.8% of the vote (842 ballots cast), ahead of both Republican Chris Christie with 33.6% (481 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 4.8% (69 votes), with 1,433 ballots cast among the borough's 3,469 registered voters, yielding a 41.3% turnout.

Education

Somerdale School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade at Somerdale Park School. As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 447 students and 43.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.3:1.

For ninth grade through twelfth grade, public school students attend Sterling High School, a regional high school district that also serves students from Magnolia and Stratford, along with the sending districts of Hi-Nella and Laurel Springs. The high school is located in Somerdale. As of the 2022–23 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 894 students and 70.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.8:1. Seats on the district's board of education are allocated based on the population of the constituent municipalities, with three seats assigned to Somerdale.

Our Lady of Grace was a K–8 elementary school that operated under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden. As part of the reorganization by the Camden Diocese, Our Lady of Grace School and the associated church were both closed, after a November 2009 announcement from the Camden Diocese that the Somerdale church would be one of three churches that would be closed and combined to create Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Lindenwold.

Transportation

thumb|upright=1.1|[[U.S. Route 30 in New Jersey|U.S. Route 30 westbound in Somerdale]]

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 traverses the borough, from the border with Magnolia to the north and to Stratford to the south.

Public transportation

NJ Transit bus service between the borough and Philadelphia is available on the 403 route (from Turnersville to Camden), with local service available on the 451.

Notable people

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

Jason Cook (born 1980), television actor and director
Darryl Dawkins (born 1957), former NBA basketball player
Zac Gallen (born 1995), MLB baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks
April Holmes (born 1973), paralympic runner who holds the world records at 100, 200 and 400 meters
Hugh A. Kelly Jr. (1923–1999), politician who served in the New Jersey Senate for a single term representing District 3B
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (born 1993), professional basketball player with the Charlotte Hornets
Sophia A. Nelson (born 1967), author, political strategist, opinion writer and attorney
Tim Saunders (born 1962), Philadelphia-based broadcaster, who is the radio announcer for the Philadelphia Flyers

References

External links

Somerdale municipal website
Somerdale Park School
School Data for the Somerdale School District, National Center for Education Statistics
Sterling High School