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Camden, New Jersey

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The City of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey in the United States. It is located just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 79,904.

Camden is the home of Rutgers-Camden, one of Rutgers' three campuses, with the other two being in New Brunswick, and Newark. Rutgers is the State University of New Jersey.

The USS New Jersey is preserved as a museum on Camden's Delaware River waterfront. Along with the Adventure Aquarium, the Tweeter Center, and Campbell's Field, it is part of the Camden Waterfront. Campbell's Field is the home of the Camden Riversharks minor league baseball team. Riverfront State Prison is immediately adjacent to the ballpark on the other side of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.

Camden may be best-known as the former home of the once vast RCA Victor manufacturing complex, from 1901 through 1986, and the Campbell Soup Company. While Campbell's corporate offices have been in Camden for decades, its Camden plant closed in 1996.

The Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA), a bi-state agency that maintains its main offices in Camden, owns the Benjamin Franklin Bridge that connects Camden to Philadelphia, the PATCO Hi-Speedline's three Camden stations, the RiverLink ferry to Penn's Landing in Philadelphia, and numerous area port facilities.

New Jersey Transit's Walter Rand Transportation Center is located at Broadway & Mickle Blvd. Besides being a major hub for New Jersey Transit buses and Greyhound Lines, the Walter Rand Transportation Center is also a PATCO and River LINE light rail station.

In 2004, Camden was declared "America's Most Dangerous City" by the Morgan Quitno Corporation [1], up from third place in 2003 and topping the 354 cities studied. The city was named "Most Dangerous" again in 2005 out of 369 cities ranked nationwide[2], with Detroit, Michigan and St. Louis, Missouri in second and third place respectively. In the 2006 survey, Camden dropped down to the fifth spot — behind St. Louis, Detroit, Flint, Michigan and Compton, California — out of 371 cities included nationwide in the 13th annual Morgan Quitno survey.[3]

Based on 2006 data from the United States Census Bureau, 44% of the city's residents live in poverty, the highest rate in the nation. The city had a median household income of $18,007, the lowest of all U.S. communities with populations of more than 65,000 residents, making it America's poorest city[4].

History

For over 150 years, Camden served as a secondary economic and transportation hub for the Philadelphia area. Originally a suburban town with ferry service to 'the city,' Camden prospered during strong periods of manufacturing demand and faced distress during periods of economic dislocation. [1] Indeed Camden used to be the corporation capital of the United States. Seeing an opportunity to raise revenue, a New Jersey governor raised taxes on the corporations who then moved to Delaware to escape the taxes.[citation needed] The governor lowered the taxes but by then it was too late, and Delaware today remains the corporation capital of the United States. Currently, government, education, and healthcare are the three biggest employers in Camden; however, most employees commute to Camden and live in nearby suburbs such as Cherry Hill.

village built by the Federal government during World War I to house New York Shipbuilding Corporation workers.

Walt Whitman

==Industrial History==

From 1901 through 1929, Camden was headquarters of the Victor Talking Machine Company, and thereafter to its successor RCA Victor, the world's largest manufacturer of phonographs and phonograph records for the first two-thirds of the 20th century. RCA Victor contained one of the first commercial recording studios in the United States, where Enrico Caruso, among others, recorded. The RCA plant was also the site where the first color television was manufactured. The General Electric Company acquired RCA in 1986. In 1992, the State of New Jersey under the Florio Administration made an agreement with GE to ensure that GE would not close the Camden site. The state of New Jersey would build a new high tech facility on the site of the old Campbell Soup factory and trade these new buildings to GE for the existing old RCA-Victor Buildings. Later, the new high tech buildings would be sold to Martin Marietta. In 1994, Martin Marietta merged with Lockheed to become Lockheed Martin. In 1997, Lockheed Martin divested the Camden Plant as part of the birth of L-3 Communications. The famous "Nipper Building" depicting RCA's famous "His Master's Voice" trademark in its tower windows has since been renovated into a luxury apartment building called "The Victor." Another older building, Victor Building No. 2, is used to this day to house the Camden City Department of Education.

Walt Whitman lived his last years in Camden and is buried in Harleigh Cemetery on Haddon Avenue.

Camden is the place where the first drive-in theater opened, invented by Richard Hollingshead, on June 6, 1933.

From 1899 to 1967, Camden was the home of New York Shipbuilding Corporation, which at its World War II peak was the largest and most productive shipyard in the world. Notable naval vessels built at New York Ship include the ill-fated cruiser USS Indianapolis and the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk. In 1962, the first commercial nuclear-powered ship, the NS Savannah, was launched in Camden[5]. The Fairview section of Camden was a planned European-style garden

On September 6, 1949, mass murderer Howard Unruh went on a killing spree in his Camden neighborhood. Thirteen people died as a result. Unruh remains confined in a state psychiatric facility.

By 1969, Camden had been losing jobs and residents for a quarter century due in large part to urban decay, highway construction, and racial tensions. The worst racial riots occurred when a Puerto Rican motorist was beaten by city police and died in August 1971. Sections of downtown were looted and torched.

In 1996, Governor of New Jersey Christine Todd Whitman frisked Sherron Rolax in Camden, which many alleged violated Rolax's civil rights.

The city is mentioned by name in Fountains of Wayne's song, "Places".

High crime rate

Based on statistics reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Camden was the third-most dangerous city in the United States during 2002, and has been ranked the nation's most dangerous city in 2004 and 2005 [2]. "Most dangerous city" is based on crime statistics in six categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and auto theft.

City Councilman Ali Sloan-El, responding to 2004 news about the 2003 statistics, cites Camden's poverty as an important contributing factor to its high crime rate. The demographic data from the Census indicates about a third of the city's residents live below the poverty line.

However, in 2005, homicides in Camden dropped sharply, to 34 — fifteen fewer murders than were reported in 2004[6]. Though Camden's murder rate is still much higher than the national average, the reduction in 2005 was a drop of over thirty percent.

Former mayor Milton Milan was infamous for his connections to organized crime. On June 15, 2001, Milan was sentenced to serve seven years in prison on 14 counts of corruption, including accepting mob payoffs and concealing a $65,000 loan from a drug kingpin.[7].

In 2006, Camden dropped to fifth place on the list of "Most Dangerous Cities" as reported by Morgan Quitno, after spending 2004 and 2005 as the "Most Dangerous City" in the United States.


Tragedy In Camden

On June 22, 2005 three young boys, Anibal Cruz 11, Daniel Agosto 6, and Jesstin Pagan 5 were spraying eachother down with a hose in Cruz's yard in the Cramer Hill section of Camden. Mrs. Pagan and Mrs. Cruz, who had been watching the children, went inside to check on dinner that was in Mrs. Cruz's oven. Upon their return to the porch they noticed the children were no longer there. They suspected the children were playing a game of hide and seek. It wasn't until a while later that the mothers became suspicious of the prolonged abscence of their children. They searched for three hours into the late afternoon to no avail. The police were summoned and a report was taken. By daybreak a massive search of Camden and the Deleware River was underway to locate the children. The families copied pictures of their kids and passed them out to motorists; while the search extended into Philadelphia. Leads were called in that all led to dead ends. By dusk of June 23rd the families were frantic for information that led to the safe return of the children. On June 24th, the 2nd day of the search, the families went live on local TV stations pleading for information and the return of their beloved children. Many leads came in. None led to the children. The ground and water search also led to nothing. By late afternoon the families, searchers, as well as strangers lending a helping hand gathered at the Cruz home for a prayer service. One of Cruz's uncles was in search of jumper cables and was told that there could be some in a dilapidated 1992 Toyota Camry in the back lot of the Cruz home. After opening the trunk he calmly summoned David Agosto, father of Daniel Agosto, to the car. He opened the trunk and fell flailing his legs and yelling. He had discovered the deceased bodies of his son and his two friends, His reaction was captured live bylocal TV station cameras. It was determined that the children had encountered no foul play and had likely gone into the car to play hide and sek on their mothers. Upon further investigation of the vehicle it was noted that the hydraulic plunger that held the trunk lid up had a malfunction and must have shut when the children stopped holding it up. The deaths were ruled an accident. The families are in litigation with the city and police department when it comes to handling cases that deal with young children and specific search criteria, etc.

Government

File:Camdenfedcourt.jpg
United States Courthouse.

Camden has historically been a stronghold of the Democratic Party. Voter turnout is very low; approximately 19% of Camden's voting age population participated in the 2005 gubernatorial election[8].

Local government

Since July 1, 1961, the City has operated under a Mayor-Council form of government. Under this form of government, the City Council consisted of seven Council members originally all elected at-large. In 1994, the City opted to modify the form of government to better address the changing needs of the citizenry. To that end, the City of Camden was divided into four councilman districts, instead of electing the entire Council at-large. One Council member was elected from each of the four districts. In 1995, the election was changed from a partisan election to a non-partisan Municipal Election. The Municipal Election is held on the second Tuesday in May.

Gwendolyn Faison is the Mayor of Camden. Members of the City Council are:

  • Angel Fuentes - City Council President and Ward 4
  • Dana Redd - Vice President and Council Member At Large
  • Curtis Jenkins - Council Member At Large
  • Michael McGuire - Ward 1
  • Francisco "Frank" Moran - Ward 3
  • Gilbert "Whip" Wilson - Council Member At Large
  • Ali Sloan-El, Sr. - Ward 2 (resigned August 30, 2006).[9]

Federal, state and county representation

Camden is in the First Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 5th Legislative District[10].

For the 118th United States Congress, New Jersey's 1st congressional district is represented by Donald Norcross (D, Camden).[11][12] New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027)[13] and George Helmy (Mountain Lakes, term ends 2024).[14][15]

For the 2024-2025 session, the 5th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D, Barrington) and in the General Assembly by Bill Moen (D, Camden) and William Spearman (D, Camden).[16] Template:NJ Governor

Camden County is governed by a Board of County Commissioners composed of seven members chosen at-large in partisan elections for three-year terms on a staggered basis by the residents of the county, with either two or three seats up for election each year as part of the November general election. At a reorganization meeting held in January after each election, the newly constituted Board of Commissioners selects one member to serve as Director and another as Deputy Director, each serving a one-year term in that role.[17] As of 2024, Camden County's Commissioners are: Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. (D, Collingswood, 2026),[18] Commissioner Deputy Director Edward T. McDonnell (D, Pennsauken Township, 2025),[19] Virginia Ruiz Betteridge (D, Runnemede, 2025),[20] Almar Dyer (D, Pennsauken Township, 2024),[21] Melinda Kane (D, Cherry Hill, 2024),[22] Jeffrey L. Nash (D, Winslow Township, 2024),[23] and Jonathan L. Young Sr. (D, Berlin Township, 2026).[24][17][25][26][27]

Camden County's constitutional officers are: Clerk Joseph Ripa (D, Voorhees Township, 2024),[28][29] Sheriff Gilbert "Whip" Wilson (D, Camden, 2024)[30][31] and Surrogate Michelle Gentek-Mayer (D, Gloucester Township, 2025).[32][33][34]

Geography

File:Tweetercentercamden.jpg
Tweeter Center

Camden is located at 39°56'14" North, 75°6'22" West (39.937195, -75.106186)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.9 km² (10.4 mi²). 22.8 km² (8.8 mi²) of it is land and 4.0 km² (1.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 15.03% water.

Camden borders Collingswood, Gloucester City, Haddon Township, Pennsauken, and Woodlynne.

Camden contains the U.S.'s first federally-funded planned community, Yorkship Village (now called Fairview). The village was designed by Electus Darwin Litchfield, who was influenced by the "garden city" developments popular in England at the time[35].

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000 [3], there were 79,904 people, 24,177 households, and 17,431 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,497.9/km² (9,057.0/mi²). There were 29,769 housing units at an average density of 1,303.2/km² (3,374.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 16.84% White, 53.35% Black or African American, 0.54% Native American, 2.45% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 22.83% from other races, and 3.92% from two or more races. 38.82% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 8.9% are foreign-born.

There were 24,177 households out of which 42.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.1% were married couples living together, 37.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.12 and the average family size was 3.62.

In the city the population is quite young with 34.6% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,421, and the median income for a family was $24,612. Males had a median income of $25,624 versus $21,411 for females. The per capita income for the city was $9,815. 35.5% of the population and 32.8% of families were below the poverty line. 45.5% of those under the age of 18 and 23.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

In 2000, 28.85% of Camden residents identified themselves as being of Puerto Rican heritage. This was the third highest proportion of Puerto Ricans in a municipality on the United States mainland, behind only Holyoke, Massachusetts and Hartford, Connecticut, for all communities in which 1,000 or more people listed an ancestry group[36].

An extensive repository of data on the City of Camden is available at http://www.camconnect.org, a local Camden-based data warehouse. The website includes information on health, housing, education, public safety, and municipal finances. Many public documents have been archived for easy access as well.

Camden Waterfront

One of the most popular attractions of Camden is the city's waterfront, along the Delaware River. The waterfront is highlighted by its four main attractions, the USS New Jersey; the Tweeter Center; Campbell's Field; and the Adventure Aquarium.

The Adventure Aquarium was originally opened in 1992 as the New Jersey State Aquarium at Camden. In 2005 after extensive renovation the aquarium was reopened under the name Adventure Aquarium. The aquarium was one of the original centerpieces in Camden's plans for revitalizing their city.

The Tweeter Center is a 25,000 seat open air concert amphitheater that was opened in 1995. The Tweeter is widely considered one of the best amphitheaters in the country for sound, and is best-known for its extremely large lawn seating area. The Tweeter is the most popular spot for touring artists to perform during the summertime in the Delaware Valley. The Tweeter is also known for its view of Center City, Philadelphia.

Campbell's Field, opened in 2001, is home the Camden Riversharks Minor League Baseball team, of the Atlantic League; and the Rutgers-Camden baseball team. The stadium is considered by many ballpark enthusiasts as having one of the best outfield views in all of baseball, as the entire Ben Franklin Bridge can be seen beyond its walls.

The USS New Jersey was a United States Navy battleship that was active between the years 1943 and 1991. After its retirement the ship was turned into a museum along the Waterfront that opened in 2001. The New Jersey saw action in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

Other attractions at the Waterfront are the Wiggins Park Riverstage and Marina, One Port Center, The Victor Lofts, the Walt Whitman House, the Walt Whitman Cultural Arts Center, the Rutgers-Camden Center For The Arts and the Camden Children's Garden.

The Waterfront is also served by two modes of public transportation. New Jersey Transit services the Waterfront on its River LINE, while people from Phiadelphia can commute using the RiverLink Ferry, which connects the Waterfront with Old City Philadelphia.

Education

Camden's public schools are operated by Camden City Public Schools. Camden's school district is an Abbott District.

Rutgers University and Rowan University, both of which are public universities, maintain campuses in downtown Camden. Additionally, the city is home to one of Camden County College's three campuses.

Sports

Club Sport League Venue Logo
Camden Riversharks Baseball Atlantic League of Professional Baseball Campbell's Field File:Riversharks.JPG

Noted natives

Some noted current and former residents:

References

  1. ^ 11th Annual Safest/Most Dangerous Cities Survey: Top and Bottom 25 Cities Overall, accessed June 23, 2006
  2. ^ 12th Annual Safest/Most Dangerous Cities Survey: Top and Bottom 25 Cities Overall, accessed June 23, 2006
  3. ^ 13th Annual Safest (and Most Dangerous) Cities: Top and Bottom 25 Cities Overall, accessed October 30, 2006
  4. ^ Camden poorest city in U.S., The Courier-Post, August 30, 2006
  5. ^ Encarta Encyclopedia: Ship, accessed June 23, 2006
  6. ^ Fewer Camden Murders in 2005, WPVI-TV, January 2, 2006
  7. ^ Metro Briefing New Jersey: Camden: Milan Begins Sentence, The New York Times, July 16, 2001
  8. ^ Voter Participation in Camden City: Gubernatorial Election, accessed June 23, 2006
  9. ^ Graham, Troy (2006-08-30). "Sloan El, A.C. official plead guilty". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2006-09-06. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 55, accessed August 30, 2006
  11. ^ Directory of Representatives: New Jersey, United States House of Representatives. Accessed January 3, 2019.
  12. ^ Full Biography, Congressman Donald Norcross. Accessed January 3, 2019. "Donald and his wife Andrea live in Camden City and are the proud parents of three grown children and grandparents of two."
  13. ^ U.S. Sen. Cory Booker cruises past Republican challenger Rik Mehta in New Jersey, PhillyVoice. Accessed April 30, 2021. "He now owns a home and lives in Newark's Central Ward community."
  14. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/23/nyregion/george-helmy-bob-menendez-murphy.html
  15. ^ Tully, Tracey (August 23, 2024). "Menendez's Senate Replacement Has Been a Democrat for Just 5 Months". The New York Times. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  16. ^ Legislative Roster for District 5, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 12, 2024.
  17. ^ a b About the Board of Commissioners, Camden County, New Jersey. Accessed February 1, 2023.
  18. ^ Louis Cappelli, Jr., Camden County, New Jersey. Accessed February 1, 2023.
  19. ^ Edward T. McDonnell, Camden County, New Jersey. Accessed February 1, 2023.
  20. ^ Virginia Betteridge, Camden County, New Jersey. Accessed February 1, 2023.
  21. ^ Al Dyer, Camden County, New Jersey. Accessed February 1, 2023. As of date accessed, incorrect term dates are listed.
  22. ^ Melinda Kane, Camden County, New Jersey. Accessed February 1, 2023. As of date accessed, incorrect term dates are listed.
  23. ^ Jeffrey L. Nash, Camden County, New Jersey. Accessed February 1, 2023.
  24. ^ Jonathan L. Young Sr., Camden County, New Jersey. Accessed February 1, 2023.
  25. ^ Official Election Results 2022 General Election November 8, 2022, Camden County, New Jersey, as of November 21, 2022. Accessed January 1, 2023.
  26. ^ Official Election Results 2021 General Election November 2, 2021, Camden County, New Jersey, updated November 15, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.
  27. ^ Official Election Results 2020 General Election November 3, 2020, Camden County, New Jersey, updated November 20, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.
  28. ^ County Clerk Joseph Ripa, Camden County, New Jersey. Accessed February 1, 2023.
  29. ^ Members List: Clerks, Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey. Accessed February 1, 2023.
  30. ^ Sheriff Gilbert "Whip" Wilson, Camden County, New Jersey. Accessed February 1, 2023. As of date accessed, incorrect term dates are listed.
  31. ^ Members List: Sheriffs, Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey. Accessed February 1, 2023.
  32. ^ Surrogate Michelle Gentek-Mayer, Camden County, New Jersey. Accessed February 1, 2023.
  33. ^ Members List: Surrogates, Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey. Accessed February 1, 2023.
  34. ^ Your Government, Camden County, New Jersey. Accessed February 1, 2023.
  35. ^ A Place Called YORKSHIP - Electus Litchfield's Plan, accessed June 23, 2006
  36. ^ Puerto-Rican Communities, accessed August 28, 2006
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