Stratford, New Jersey

Stratford 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 6,981, Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine is located in Stratford.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.57 square miles (4.07 km2), all of which was land.

History

The earliest colonial settlers concentrated around the White Horse Tavern in the 1740s, around which the small village of White Horse emerged. The only remaining building of this early village is the Stratford Quaker Store.

In the 1880s, the Rural Land Improvement Company began developing the area known as "Old Stratford" and renamed the village after Stratford-upon-Avon, England.

The Borough of Stratford was officially formed on February 13, 1925, from portions of Clementon Township, one of seven municipalities carved from the township.

In the 1960s, Hunt's farm was sold to developers and the Laurel Mill Farms housing development was formed adjacent to the North Branch of Big Timber Creek.

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the borough had a population of 6,981. The median age was 40.7 years. 21.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.7% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 96.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.

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

There were 2,680 households in the borough, of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.4% were married-couple households, 16.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

2000 census

As of the 2000 U.S. census,

There were 2,736 households, out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.18. The governing body is comprised of a mayor and a 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 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 Stratford 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 Stratford is Democrat Linda Hall. Members of the Stratford Borough Council are Council President Stephen C. Gandy (D, 2024), Patrick Gilligan (D, 2023), Linda Hall (D, 2025), James Kelly (D, 2024), Tina Lomanno (D, 2025) and Michael G. Tolomeo (D, 2023).

Federal, state and county representation

Stratford 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 4,606 registered voters in Stratford, of which 1,743 (37.8%) were registered as Democrats, 849 (18.4%) were registered as Republicans and 2,013 (43.7%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There was one voter registered to another party.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 59.0% of the vote (1,911 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 39.6% (1,282 votes), and other candidates with 1.5% (48 votes), among the 3,271 ballots cast by the borough's 4,925 registered voters (30 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 66.4%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 56.8% of the vote (2,006 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain, who received around 39.9% (1,409 votes), with 3,534 ballots cast among the borough's 4,639 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.2%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 54.0% of the vote (1,886 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush, who received around 44.3% (1,547 votes), with 3,492 ballots cast among the borough's 4,629 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 75.4.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 67.0% of the vote (1,340 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 31.4% (628 votes), and other candidates with 1.6% (32 votes), among the 2,056 ballots cast by the borough's 4,945 registered voters (56 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 41.6%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 45.9% of the vote (1,005 ballots cast), ahead of both Democrat Jon Corzine with 45.1% (988 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 5.3% (116 votes), with 2,191 ballots cast among the borough's 4,630 registered voters, yielding a 47.3% turnout.

Education

The Stratford School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. Students from Hi-Nella attend the district for Pre-K–8 as part of a sending/receiving relationship, under a five-year transition that started in 2012–13, bringing in an additional 100 students to the district. Students from Laurel Springs also attend the district's schools for grades 7 and 8 as part of a sending/receiving relationship. As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 901 students and 78.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.6:1. Schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are

Parkview Elementary School with 384 students in pre-kindergarten through third grade and

Samuel S. Yellin Elementary School with 507 students in grades 4 through 8.

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 Somerdale, 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.

John Paul II Regional School is an elementary school that operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden, having opened for the 2008–09 school year as the result of the consolidation of Our Lady of Grace, St. Luke and St. Lawrence by the Camden diocese.

The Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine has its campus on Laurel Road in Stratford Borough. It is made up of four buildings including the University Doctors' Pavilion and a Science Center.

Rutgers University's Biomedical and Health Sciences school has a campus in Stratford.

Stratford Classical Christian Academy, which occupied the site of the former Stratford Military Academy, served students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade until 2015, when it closed.

Transportation

thumb|upright=1.1|[[U.S. Route 30 in New Jersey|U.S. Route 30 eastbound in Stratford]]

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 (White Horse Pike) runs from Laurel Springs in the borough's southeast corner and heads towards the northern tip of the borough along the border between Stratford to the southwest and Somerdale to the northeast before heading into Somerdale.

Public transportation

NJ Transit bus service between Turnersville and Camden is available on the 403 route, with local service available on the 459 route operatining between Voorhees Town Center and the Avandale Park and Ride in Winslow Township.

Notable people

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

Tamika Catchings (born 1979), professional basketball player who played in the WNBA for the Indiana Fever
Mike Daniels (born 1989), defensive end for the Green Bay Packers
Lee DeRamus (born 1972), wide receiver who played for two seasons in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints
Steven Ferrari (born 1962), US Army major general, lived in Stratford
Juwan Johnson (born 1996), American football wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League
Ken Kelley (born 1960), American football linebacker who played two seasons in the United States Football League with the Philadelphia Stars, Chicago Blitz and Birmingham Stallions
Brett Laxton (born 1973), former MLB pitcher who played in parts of two seasons for the Oakland Athletics and the Kansas City Royals
Kelly Ripa (born 1970), actress and talk show host of Live! with Kelly
Julian Talley (born 1989), NFL wide receiver for the New York Giants

References

External links

Official Stratford website