Haddonfield, New Jersey
Not the fictional town from the Halloween film series.Haddonfield is a borough located in Camden County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough had a total population of 11,659. Haddonfield was incorporated by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 6, 1875, within portions of Haddon Township, based on the results of a referendum held that same day. The borough separated from Haddon Township as an independent municipality in 1894.Haddonfield was the second municipality in New Jersey (after Cape May) to establish a historical preservation district. In keeping with the historic appearance of the borough, some candidates for commissioner distribute colored ribbons to their supporters instead of yard signs.Although the sale of liquor has been forbidden since 1873, it was at Haddonfield's Indian King Tavern, in the winter of 1777, that the New Jersey General Assembly met and declared New Jersey a free and independent state.New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Haddonfield as the 100th best place to live in New Jersey in its 2008 rankings of the 'Best Places To Live' in New Jersey.
Geography
Haddonfield is located at 39°53′47″N 75°2′9″W / 39.89639°N 75.03583°W / 39.89639; -75.03583.According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.9 square miles (7.4 km²), of which, 2.8 square miles (7.3 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it is water. The total area is 1.05% water.The Cooper River forms the border between Haddonfield and Cherry Hill. Haddonfield shares land borders with Haddon Township, Haddon Heights, Barrington, and Tavistock.
Borough Hall
Borough Hall, the home of Haddonfield government, is located at 242 King’s Highway East and was built in 1928 by Walter William Sharpley. There are four main offices, including those for the tax assessor, the construction office and the municipal court office. Borough Hall includes a police department, a courtroom, and an auditorium. Its walls are of marble, steel, or plaster, although police station main walls are of steel and cinder block. Haddonfield police write about 8,000 tickets and receive about 300 criminal complaints each year.In Borough Hall’s auditorium are paintings of men who signed the United States Declaration of Independence from New Jersey: Abraham Clark, Francis Hopkinson, Richard Stockton, and John Witherspoon. Some of the paintings are original, other copies.Weddings have been held in Borough Hall, and when asbestos was removed from the public library, the upper level of Borough Hall became a temporary library.Borough Commissioner's meetings are held at Borough Hall every second and fourth Tuesday of the month, usually in the courtroom but sometimes, if there is a large attendance, in the auditorium.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 11,659 people (flat from 11,628 in the 1990 census, and down from 12,337 in 1980), 4,496 households, and 3,255 families residing in the borough. The population density is 4,124.7 people per square mile (1,590.7/km²). There are 4,620 housing units at an average density of 1,634.5/sq mi (630.3/km²). The racial makeup of the borough is 96.47% White, 1.27% African American, 0.13% Native American, 1.12% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 1.46% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.There are 4,496 households out of which 35.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% are married couples living together, 7.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% are non-families. 24.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.57 and the average family size is 3.09.In the borough the population is spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 41 years. For every 100 females there are 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.1 males.The median income for a household in the borough is $86,872, and the median income for a family is $103,597. Males have a median income of $73,646 versus $44,968 for females. The per capita income for the borough is $43,170. 2.2% of the population and 1.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 2.0% of those under the age of 18 and 3.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Special events
There are events such as the townwide sidewalk sale in the summer, and the fall festival in October. The fall festival is an event where community organizations may have booths along Kings Highway and there is scarecrow-making for kids. Haddonfield hosts a weekly farmers' market on saturdays from May to November. There is also the Haddonfield Crafts & Fine Arts Festival, where a large variety of vendors line the main street. Another events is First Night, a New Year's Eve celebration of the arts, with a variety of performances. There is also a yearly car show that takes place during the second Saturday of September. There are also events such as historic house tours and designer show houses.
Transportation
Haddonfield has a PATCO Hi-Speedline station that links it directly to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and other towns in Camden County. New Jersey Transit provides local bus service; its 451, 455 and 457 routes all stop at the PATCO station. Most travel through Haddonfield is in the form of car. Haddonfield also prides itself in being walkable. Most streets have sidewalks, and due to the small size of the town (2 miles or less from any point in town to any other as the crow flies), it is highly possible to walk to any part of town.The Borough presently has a traffic campaign using the slogan Haddonfield Drives 25 stating the only speed limit in the borough is 25 mph (40 km/h) for all streets and roadways within the borough.Route 41 passes through the center of the borough. I-295 passes through at the southern tip briefly with Exit 31 straddling the border. The New Jersey Turnpike also passes through briefly, but the closest exit is Interchange 3 in Bellmawr/Runnemede.
History
The Haddonfield area was occupied by Lenni Lenape Native Americans. The Lenape disappeared from the local area when settlers of Catan arrived. Arrowheads and pottery shards have been found by residents by the banks of the Cooper River, hinting that there was an Indian settlement in Haddonfield at one point in time.Haddonfield was founded by Elizabeth Haddon (1680-1762), whose Quaker father, John Haddon, bought a 500 acre (2 km²) tract of land in the English colony of West Jersey to escape religious persecution. Elizabeth set sail alone from Southwark, England to the New World in 1701. Shortly after her arrival, she made a marriage proposal to John Estaugh, a Quaker minister, and they were married in 1702. The town was named for John Haddon, though he never came to the United States.The Indian King Tavern, built in 1750, played a significant role in the American Revolution. During that war, the New Jersey legislature—avoiding British forces—met there, and in 1777, declared New Jersey to be an independent state. Today the tavern is a state historical site and museum.Haddonfield is a significant historic paleontology site. In 1838, William Estaugh Hopkins uncovered large bones in a marl pit in which he was digging. Hopkins displayed the bones at his home, Birdwood; and these bones sparked the interest of a visitor, William Foulke. In 1858, Foulke dug from the marl pit the first full skeleton of a dinosaur found in North America, Hadrosaurus foulkii. The skeleton was assembled in 1868 and is still displayed at Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. A 12-foot (3.7 m) replica of 'Haddy' stands in the center of town.In 1875, Haddonfield became the first community to cede from Haddon Township and become a self-governing borough. Haddonfield is noted for its historic homes, quaint shops, and legions of lawyers. As a legal center for southern New Jersey, the town houses the offices of more than 390 attorneys.Haddonfield once was home to Symphony in C (formerly the Haddonfield Orchestra), which is now based at Rutgers University in neighboring Camden.Haddonfield is home to the second oldest volunteer fire company in continuous service in the United States. Haddon Fire Company No. 1 was established as as Friendship Fire Company on March 8, 1764, by 26 townsmen. Each member was to furnish two leather buckets while the company supplied six ladders and three fire hooks.
Local government
The Borough of Haddonfield has been governed under the Walsh Act since 1913, with three non-partisan commissioners elected for four-year concurrent terms. Amongst themselves, the Commissioners select a Mayor and may select a Deputy Mayor. Each Commissioner oversees a Department within the Borough. The current commissioners, elected in May 2009, are:Letitia G. (Tish) Colombi -Mayor/Commissioner of Public Works, Parks and Public Property
Ed Borden -Commissioner of Public Affairs and Public Safety
Jeffrey Stephen Kasko -Deputy Mayor/Commissioner of Revenue and Finance
The next election for borough commission is in May 2013.Though the commission is nominally non-partisan, Colombi is active in the local Republican organization, Kasko has served as municipal Republican Party chairman and previously worked in the office of Republican Governor Christine Todd Whitman, and Borden is a former county prosecutor in Democratic-controlled Camden County.
Federal, state and county representation
Haddonfield is in the 1st Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 6th Legislative District.New Jersey's First Congressional District is represented by Rob Andrews (D, Haddon Heights). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).6th District of the New Jersey Legislature, which is represented in the New Jersey Senate by James Beach (D, Voorhees Township) and in the New Jersey General Assembly by Louis Greenwald (D, Voorhees Township) and Pamela Rosen Lampitt (D, Cherry Hill Township). The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham). The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).Camden County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, elected at-large for staggered three-year terms by the residents of the county. As of 2008[update], Camden County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. (Collingswood, term ends December 31, 2008), Freeholder Deputy Director Edward McDonnell (Pennsauken Township, 2010), Riletta L. Cream (Camden, 2008), Rodney A. Greco (Gloucester Township, 2009), Jeffrey L. Nash (Cherry Hill Township, 2009), Joseph Ripa (Voorhees Township, 2009) and Carmen Rodriguez (Merchantville, 2010).
Public Schools
The Haddonfield Public Schools are a comprehensive public school district serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are three elementary schools — Central (278 students), Elizabeth Haddon (404) and J.F. Tatem (354) — Haddonfield Middle School for grades 6-8 (561) and Haddonfield Memorial High School for grades 9-12 (780). The school district serves the Borough of Haddonfield using funds mostly obtained through local property taxes. Students from Tavistock attend the district's schools as part of a sending/receiving relationship. While most students are residents, a small number of students are taken on a tuition or voucher basis.Elizabeth Haddon School, Tatem School, and Central School all serve K-5. Each school has approximately three sections in each grade. Facilities are modern and underwent major additions several years ago. The schools all host various events around the school. All schools in Haddonfield are walkable, and many students use this as their method of getting to school.The middle school, serving 6-8, currently has approximately 600 students.New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Haddonfield Memorial High School as the 14th best high school in New Jersey in its 2008 rankings of the 'Top Public High Schools' in New Jersey.
Private schools
Haddonfield is also home to Haddonfield Friends School (Quaker, Pre-K-8) and Kingsway Learning Center (special education, ages 5 to 16). Christ the King (PreK-3-8) operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden. Bancroft is headquartered in Haddonfield and operates an adjacent special education school and neurobehavioral stabilization program. In July, 2005, Bancroft began soliciting requests for proposals to purchase its 20-acre (81,000 m2) property, as a precursor to moving from Haddonfield. Bancroft, previously known as Bancroft NeuroHealth, changed its name in 2009.
Popular culture
In the movieWhen Harry Met Sally...(directed byRob Reiner),Billy Crystal's character, Harry, is from Haddonfield.
Although the movies in theHalloweenfranchise are set in fictional Haddonfield, Illinois, Haddonfield, N.J. is in fact the inspiration for the town. Debra Hill, the co-writer of the movie, grew up in Haddonfield, New Jersey.
A scene in the movieAItakes place in Haddonfield, NJ and captures a shot of a house on Kings Highway. This is the location of the Flesh Fair, a rally of anti-robot activists.
PhotographerFrank Stefankotook two famous album covers forBruce Springsteenin Haddonfield,Darkness on the Edge of Town(1978) andThe River(1980).
Channel 19
Comcast Garden State Cable Channel 19 is a local access channel for the Borough of Haddonfield & The Township of Haddon. This content of this channel is shared with several surrounding communities. This is a 'Virtual Television Network', which is made possible to operate with such little effort due to TelVue Virtual Television Networks, which creates virtual television channels where communities can post announcements.
Noted residents
Notable current and former residents of Haddonfield include:Danny Briere(born 1977), plays on thePhiladelphia Flyers.
William T. Cahill(1912-1996),Governor of New Jerseyfrom 1970-1974.
Joanna Cassidy(born 1945), actress, was born and raised in Haddonfield.
Edward Drinker Cope(1840-1897), paleontologist and comparative anatomist, lived in Haddonfield to be closer to fossils in nearby marl pits.
Erin Donohue(born 1983), an American athlete who qualified for the U.S. Olympic team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 1500 meters.
Margot Thien(born 1971), 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist in Synchronized Swimming, also 1994 World Champion, 1993 and 1995 World Cup Champion, and 1995 Pan American Games Champion. Her short film career includes Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me.
Alfred E. Driscoll(1947-1954)Governor of New Jersey, lived for most of his life in the historic Birdwood home built by John Estaugh Hopkins on Hopkins Lane.
Elmer Engstrom(1901-1984) President ofRadio Corporation of America(RCA). Led development of television in Camden during the 1930s and until RCA Labs moved to Princeton in 1943. Engstrom lived in Haddonfield and had a TV antenna on his roof prior to World War II.
Dan Gutman(born 1954), author.
Debra Hill(1950-2005), co-writer & producer for the filmHalloweenwhich is set in the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois.
Derian HatcherFormer member of the Philadelphia Flyers. Now a member of the Flyers coaching staff.
Jeff Hornacek(born 1963), NBA Player, lived in Haddonfield while playing for thePhiladelphia 76ers.[citation needed]
David Laganella(born 1974), avant-guard classical composer hailed as Philadelphia's best young composer by theAmerican Composers Orchestra.
Victoria Lombardi (born 1952), better known asMiss Vicki, the former wife ofTiny Tim.
Matt Maloney(born 1971), NBA Player, attendedChrist the King(Catholic, K-8). andHaddonfield Memorial High School, (9th-12th) before heading to theUniversity of Pennsylvaniaand playing for theHouston Rockets.
Charlie Manuel, manager of thePhiladelphia Phillieslives in a part of a neighboringBarrington, that is served by the Haddonfield Post Office.
Timothy Matlack(1736-1829),American Revolutionary Warsoldier and engrosser of theUnited States Declaration of Independence.
Bob McElwee(born 1935), is a formeron-field football officialfor 41 years with 27 of those years in theNational Football League(NFL) from 1976 to 2003.
Scott Patterson(born 1958), actor who played Luke on theGilmore Girls
Chris Pronger(born 1974), defenseman playing for thePhiladelphia Flyers.
Brian Nanos(born 1979), journalist, born and raised in Haddonfield.
Mike Richards(born 1985), All-Star Center and Captain of thePhiladelphia Flyers.
Tom Sims, pioneer and world champion ofsnowboarding. In 1963, he created the 'ski board,' an early version of the snowboard, in the Middle School's shop room after failing to complete his intended project, a custom skateboard.
Jason Smith(born 1973), NHL player, lived in Haddonfield while playing for thePhiladelphia Flyers.
Steven Spielberg(born 1946), director, as a child he lived in Crystal Terrace, a part ofHaddon Townshipserved by the Haddonfield post office.
Frank Stefanko(born 1946), Rock photographer of subjects includingBruce SpringsteenandPatti Smith.
I. F. Stone(1907-1989), Author and anti-war activist, had Haddonfield roots.
Eric Weinrich(born 1966), NHL Player, lived in Haddonfield while playing for thePhiladelphia Flyers.
Joel McHale(born 1971), actor on NBC sitcom 'Community', lived in Haddonfield for 2 years during elementary school.
