Springfield Township is a township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 3,245, The township, and all of Burlington County, is a part of the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden combined statistical area and the Delaware Valley.

History

Springfield was originally formed on November 6, 1688, and reformed by Royal charter on January 13, 1713. Springfield Township was incorporated by the Township Act of 1798 of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships. Portions of the township were taken on December 2, 1723, to form New Hanover Township. The township's name derives from springs and brooks in the area.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 29.57 square miles (76.58&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), including 29.51 square miles (76.44&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of land and 0.06 square miles (0.15&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of water (0.19%).) is a CDP located in parts of Springfield Township, New Hanover Township and Pemberton Township.

Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Arneys Mount, Chambers Corner, Ellis, Folwell, Jacksonville, Pine Lane and Powell.

The township borders the Burlington County municipalities of Burlington Township, Chesterfield Township, Eastampton Township, Florence Township, Mansfield Township, North Hanover Township, Pemberton Township and Wrightstown.

The township 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 township is included in the state-designated Pinelands Area, which includes portions of Burlington County, along with areas in Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Ocean counties.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 3,414 people, 1,162 households, and 941 families in the township. The population density was . There were 1,217 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 90.60% (3,093) White, 3.81% (130) Black or African American, 0.21% (7) Native American, 2.55% (87) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 1.20% (41) from other races, and 1.64% (56) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.72% (127) of the population.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census

There were 1,098 households, out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.4% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.4% were non-families. 13.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.22.

Government

Local government

Springfield Township operates within the Faulkner Act (formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law) under the Council-Manager form of municipal government, implemented by direct petition as of January 1, 2001, having been approved by voters in a November 1999 referendum. The township is one of 42 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government. The Township Council is comprised of five members elected at-large in a partisan vote to four-year terms on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats coming up for election in even-numbered years as part of the November general election. At a reorganization meeting held during the first week of January following each election, the council selects a mayor and deputy mayor from among its members to serve two-year terms of office.

, members of the Springfield Township Council are Mayor David Frank (R, term on council ends December 31, 2024; term as mayor ends 2023), Deputy Mayor Andrew Eaton (R, term on council ends 2024; term as deputy mayor ends 2023), Patrick Hermesmann (R, 2026), Denis McDaniel (R, 2026) and Peter Sobotka (R, 2026).

Federal, state and county representation

Springfield Township is located in the 3rd Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 8th state legislative district. Prior to the 2010 Census, Springfield Township had been part of the , a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.

Politics

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As of March 2011, there were a total of 2,380 registered voters in Springfield Township, of which 403 (16.9% vs. 33.3% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,268 (53.3% vs. 23.9%) were registered as Republicans and 707 (29.7% vs. 42.8%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 2 voters registered as either Libertarians or Greens. Among the township's 2010 Census population, 69.7% (vs. 61.7% in Burlington County) were registered to vote, including 90.5% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 80.3% countywide).

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 1,071 votes here (57.5% vs. 40.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 743 votes (39.9% vs. 58.1%) and other candidates with 35 votes (1.9% vs. 1.0%), among the 1,864 ballots cast by the township's 2,453 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.0% (vs. 74.5% in Burlington County). In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 1,086 votes here (56.7% vs. 39.9% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 773 votes (40.4% vs. 58.4%) and other candidates with 33 votes (1.7% vs. 1.0%), among the 1,914 ballots cast by the township's 2,371 registered voters, for a turnout of 80.7% (vs. 80.0% in Burlington County). In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 1,083 votes here (60.5% vs. 46.0% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 656 votes (36.6% vs. 52.9%) and other candidates with 30 votes (1.7% vs. 0.8%), among the 1,791 ballots cast by the township's 2,199 registered voters, for a turnout of 81.4% (vs. 78.8% in the whole county).

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In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 932 votes here (72.9% vs. 61.4% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 299 votes (23.4% vs. 35.8%) and other candidates with 23 votes (1.8% vs. 1.2%), among the 1,279 ballots cast by the township's 2,408 registered voters, yielding a 53.1% turnout (vs. 44.5% in the county). In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 960 votes here (63.1% vs. 47.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 422 votes (27.7% vs. 44.5%), Independent Chris Daggett with 80 votes (5.3% vs. 4.8%) and other candidates with 25 votes (1.6% vs. 1.2%), among the 1,522 ballots cast by the township's 2,412 registered voters, yielding a 63.1% turnout (vs. 44.9% in the county).

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Education

The Springfield Township School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade at Springfield Township School. As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 289 students and 22.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.2:1.

Public school students in seventh through twelfth grades attend the schools of the Northern Burlington County Regional School District, which also serves students from Chesterfield Township, Mansfield Township, North Hanover Township, along with children of military personnel based at Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst. As of the 2023–24 school year, the regional high school district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 2,135 students and 173.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.3:1. The schools in the district (with 2023–24 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are

Northern Burlington County Regional Middle School with 718 students in grades 7–8 and

Northern Burlington County Regional High School with 1,381 students in grades 9–12. Both schools are in the Columbus section of Mansfield Township. Using a formula that reflects the population and the value of the assessed property in each of the constituent municipalities, taxpayers in Springfield Township pay 17.7% of the district's tax levy. The 7–12 district's board of education has nine members, who are elected directly by voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with three seats up for election each year. The nine seats on the regional district's board of education are allocated based on the population of the constituent municipalities, with one seat assigned to Springfield Township.

Students from Springfield Township, and from all of Burlington County, are eligible to attend the Burlington County Institute of Technology, a countywide public school district that serves the vocational and technical education needs of students at the high school and post-secondary level at its campuses in Medford and Westampton.

Transportation

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

The major limited access roads that traverse are the New Jersey Turnpike and Interstate 295, both in the western part of the township. No interchanges along these highways are located in the township, with the closest interchanges that are accessible are Exit 47 (along I-295) in neighboring Burlington Township and Exits 5, 6A and 6 (along the Turnpike) in neighboring Westampton, Florence and Mansfield townships, respectively.

State and U.S. routes include U.S. Route 206 that runs through the center and Route 68 in the eastern section. The major county routes that pass through are County Route 537 in the eastern part and County Route 545 also in the eastern part briefly.

There is no public transportation available in the township.

Points of interest

  • Old Upper Springfield Friends Burying Ground – The cemetery and the accompanying meeting house were placed on both the New Jersey (state ID # 875) and the National Register of Historic Places (Reference # 79001479) in 1979.
  • Columbus Farmers Market, on Route 206, is a regional commercial center.
  • Pandora Diner (original location, and formerly the Esquire Diner) at the intersection of Route 206 and County Route 537. The diner opened in 2017, and now has locations in Cinnaminson Township and Williamstown.

Notable people

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

  • Reading Wood Black (1830–1867), founder of Uvalde County, Texas and the city of Uvalde, Texas
  • Irving Fryar (born 1962), former NFL wide receiver
  • Phil Haines (born 1950), New Jersey Superior Court judge who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2008 to 2010
  • Reuben Moon (1847–1919), Congressman who represented
  • Thomas Newbold (1760–1823), member of the United States House of Representatives for New Jersey from 1807 to 1813
  • Joe Ohl (1888–1951), MLB pitcher who played for the Washington Senators
  • Daniel Trotter (1747–1800), furniture maker from Philadelphia, bought 12 acres of land in Springfield Township in 1781
  • Barclay White (1821–1906), Superintendent of Indian Affairs during the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant
  • Walter Livingston Wright (1872–1946), professor of mathematics and president of Lincoln University.

References

  • Springfield Township website