Lawnside, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Lawnside is a Borough
in Camden County
, New Jersey
, United States
. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 2,945.
The land that became Lawnside was purchased by Abolitionists for freed and escaped slaves, as well as other African American
s, in 1840.
On April 20, 1926, an "Official Special Election" was held in the Borough of Lawnside. Just one month earlier, on March 24, 1926, Governor of New Jersey
A. Harry Moore
signed into law New Jersey General Assembly
Bill 561, dissolving Centre Township
, of which Lawnside was a part, and incorporating the Borough of Lawnside, which also included portions of the borough of Barrington
. With its first election, Lawnside became the first independent self-governing African American community north of the Mason-Dixon line
.
Lawnside is home to a massive United Parcel Service
depot.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the borough has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), all of it land.
Lawnside borders Barrington
, Cherry Hill, Magnolia
, Somerdale
, and Tavistock
.
of 2000, there were 2,692 people, 1,026 households, and 700 families residing in the borough. The population density
was 1,919.7 people per square mile (742.4/km2). There were 1,110 housing units at an average density of 791.6 per square mile (306.1/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 93.61% African American, 1.75% White, 1.00% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races
, and 2.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.38% of the population.
There were 1,026 households out of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.1% were married couples
living together, 22.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the borough the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 83.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.4 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $45,192, and the median income for a family was $55,197. Males had a median income of $34,881 versus $31,331 for females. The per capita income
for the borough was $18,831. About 10.3% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.
As part of the 2000 Census, 93.61% of Lawnside's residents identified themselves as being African American
. This was the 30th highest percentage of African American people in any place in the United States with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry and the highest in the Northeastern United States
.
form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.
The Mayor
of Lawnside Borough is Mark K. Bryant. Members of the Lawnside Borough Council are Council President Mary Ann Wardlow, Council Vice-President Walter A. Lacey, Juanita Johnson-Clark, Stephen C. Moore, Junious R. Stanton and Clifford L. Still, Sr.
Lawnside is in the
serves public school students in pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade. Lawnside Public School served an enrollment of 330 students in the 2005-06 school year.
For grades 9-12, public school students attend Haddon Heights High School
, which serves Haddon Heights, and students from the neighboring communities of Barrington
and Lawnside who attend the high school for grades 9-12 as part of sending/receiving relationship
s with the Haddon Heights School District
.
offers bus service to Philadelphia on the 403 route, with local service on the 451.
Sherron Rolax, who made his home on Oak Avenue in Lawnside before going to prison. Rolax achieved public fame when his civil rights were allegedly violated by then New Jersey
Governor Christine Todd Whitman
in 1996. The Governor was riding along in a police patrol car when the police officers stopped Rolax for suspicious activity in Camden, New Jersey
; they frisked him, but found nothing. Whitman then also frisked the suspect while a state trooper photographed her, and the image of the smiling governor frisking the suspect was published in newspapers statewide. The photo drew fire from civil rights leaders who saw this as a violation of Rolax's civil rights
and an endorsement of racial profiling
by the Governor.
Borough (New Jersey)
A borough in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....
in Camden County
Camden County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census the population of Camden County was 60.28% Non-Hispanic white, 18.45% Non-Hispanic black, 1.12% Hispanic blacks, 0.17% Non-Hispanic Native American, 0.15% Hispanic Native Americans, 5.07% Non-Hispanic Asian, and 0.14% non-Hispanics reporting some other race...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 2,945.
The land that became Lawnside was purchased by Abolitionists for freed and escaped slaves, as well as other African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s, in 1840.
On April 20, 1926, an "Official Special Election" was held in the Borough of Lawnside. Just one month earlier, on March 24, 1926, Governor of New Jersey
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
A. Harry Moore
A. Harry Moore
Arthur Harry Moore was a Democrat who was the 39th Governors of New Jersey, serving three terms between 1926 and 1941. He was the longest-serving New Jersey Governor in the 20th century and the only New Jersey Governor elected to serve three separate non-consecutive terms...
signed into law New Jersey General Assembly
New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...
Bill 561, dissolving Centre Township
Centre Township, New Jersey
Centre Township was a township that existed in Camden County, New Jersey, United States, from 1855 through 1926.Centre Township was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 6, 1855, from portions of the now-defunct Union Township: Over the years, portions of...
, of which Lawnside was a part, and incorporating the Borough of Lawnside, which also included portions of the borough of Barrington
Barrington, New Jersey
Barrington is a Borough in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 6,983.Barrington was incorporated as a borough on March 27, 1917, from portions of the now-defunct Centre Township, based on the results of a referendum held on April...
. With its first election, Lawnside became the first independent self-governing African American community north of the Mason-Dixon line
Mason-Dixon line
The Mason–Dixon Line was surveyed between 1763 and 1767 by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in the resolution of a border dispute between British colonies in Colonial America. It forms a demarcation line among four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and...
.
Lawnside is home to a massive United Parcel Service
United Parcel Service
United Parcel Service, Inc. , typically referred to by the acronym UPS, is a package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries and territories around the...
depot.
Geography
Lawnside is located at 39.866513°N 75.031977°W (39.866513, -75.031977).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the borough has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), all of it land.
Lawnside borders Barrington
Barrington, New Jersey
Barrington is a Borough in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 6,983.Barrington was incorporated as a borough on March 27, 1917, from portions of the now-defunct Centre Township, based on the results of a referendum held on April...
, Cherry Hill, Magnolia
Magnolia, New Jersey
Magnolia is a Borough in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 4,341.Magnolia was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 14, 1915, from portions of the now-defunct Centre Township, and parts of...
, Somerdale
Somerdale, New Jersey
Somerdale is a Borough in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 5,192.The Borough of Somerdale was created on April 23, 1929, from Clementon Township, one of seven municipalities created from the now-defunct township, and one of...
, and Tavistock
Tavistock, New Jersey
Tavistock is a borough in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the population was only five people, making it the smallest municipality by population in New Jersey, with just seven fewer residents than nearby Pine Valley, which has 12.Tavistock was incorporated as a...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,692 people, 1,026 households, and 700 families residing in the borough. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,919.7 people per square mile (742.4/km2). There were 1,110 housing units at an average density of 791.6 per square mile (306.1/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 93.61% African American, 1.75% White, 1.00% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.38% of the population.
There were 1,026 households out of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 22.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the borough the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 83.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.4 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $45,192, and the median income for a family was $55,197. Males had a median income of $34,881 versus $31,331 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the borough was $18,831. About 10.3% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.
As part of the 2000 Census, 93.61% of Lawnside's residents identified themselves as being African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
. This was the 30th highest percentage of African American people in any place in the United States with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry and the highest in the Northeastern United States
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
.
Local government
Lawnside is governed under the BoroughBorough (New Jersey)
A borough in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....
form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.
The Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Lawnside Borough is Mark K. Bryant. Members of the Lawnside Borough Council are Council President Mary Ann Wardlow, Council Vice-President Walter A. Lacey, Juanita Johnson-Clark, Stephen C. Moore, Junious R. Stanton and Clifford L. Still, Sr.
Federal, state and county representation
Lawnside is in the 1st Congressional district.Lawnside is in the
Education
The Lawnside School DistrictLawnside School District
The Lawnside School District is a community public school district that serves students in pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade from Lawnside, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States....
serves public school students in pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade. Lawnside Public School served an enrollment of 330 students in the 2005-06 school year.
For grades 9-12, public school students attend Haddon Heights High School
Haddon Heights High School
Haddon Heights Jr. Sr. High School is a six-year comprehensive junior high school / public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grade from Haddon Heights, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Haddon Heights School District.Haddon Heights High School...
, which serves Haddon Heights, and students from the neighboring communities of Barrington
Barrington, New Jersey
Barrington is a Borough in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 6,983.Barrington was incorporated as a borough on March 27, 1917, from portions of the now-defunct Centre Township, based on the results of a referendum held on April...
and Lawnside who attend the high school for grades 9-12 as part of sending/receiving relationship
Sending/receiving relationship
A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts have grown as part of a historical relationship...
s with the Haddon Heights School District
Haddon Heights School District
The Haddon Heights School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade from Haddon Heights, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States....
.
Transportation
New Jersey TransitNew Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...
offers bus service to Philadelphia on the 403 route, with local service on the 451.
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Lawnside include:Sherron Rolax, who made his home on Oak Avenue in Lawnside before going to prison. Rolax achieved public fame when his civil rights were allegedly violated by then New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
Governor Christine Todd Whitman
Christine Todd Whitman
Christine Todd "Christie" Whitman is an American Republican politician and author who served as the 50th Governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001, and was the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the administration of President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003. She was New...
in 1996. The Governor was riding along in a police patrol car when the police officers stopped Rolax for suspicious activity in Camden, New Jersey
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
; they frisked him, but found nothing. Whitman then also frisked the suspect while a state trooper photographed her, and the image of the smiling governor frisking the suspect was published in newspapers statewide. The photo drew fire from civil rights leaders who saw this as a violation of Rolax's civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
and an endorsement of racial profiling
Racial profiling
Racial profiling refers to the use of an individual’s race or ethnicity by law enforcement personnel as a key factor in deciding whether to engage in enforcement...
by the Governor.
External links
- Lawnside Borough website
- Lawnside Public School
- Data for the Lawnside Public School, National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...