Owing in part to its Quaker history, Collingswood was founded as a dry town where alcohol cannot be sold, however restaurant patrons are permitted to bring their own wine and beer to consume.[23][24] In July 2015, the town introduced an ordinance that allows craft breweries to operate in the town but not serve food. The ordinance passed in August 2015.[25]
History
Stokes-Lees House, on the 600 block of Lees AvenueCollings-Knight Homestead
The land in what is present day Collingswood was originally inhabited by LenapeNative Americans. Quakers from England and Ireland settled along Newton Creek and Cooper River in the late 17th century, establishing what was known as the Newton Colony and eventually Newton Township. Much of what is now Collingswood was a farm owned by members of the Collings family during the 18th and 19th centuries. Later a section of Haddon Township, Collingswood was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 22, 1888, based on the results of a referendum held that same day.[26] That same year, town resident Edward Collings Knight, a wealthy sugar, real estate and railroad magnate, donated the land that became Knight Park. Knight was a descendant of the Collings family for whom the borough is named.[27][28][29]
Collingswood has several historic homes including the 1820s-era house of the Collings family, known as the Collings-Knight homestead, which stands at the corner of Browning Road and Collings Avenue, shadowed by the Parkview at Collingswood apartment homes. The Stokes-Lees mansion located in the 600 block of Lees Avenue dates back to 1707,[30] making it one of the oldest houses in Camden County. Sections of Harleigh Cemetery, the location of poet Walt Whitman's tomb, are in Collingswood.[31]
Geography
The Thackara House on Eldridge Avenue, built in 1754, is one of the oldest houses in Collingswood.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.95 square miles (5.04 km2), including 1.83 square miles (4.74 km2) of land and 0.12 square miles (0.30 km2) of water (5.90%).[1][2]
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Knight Park.[32]
The 2010 United States census counted 13,926 people, 6,299 households, and 3,345 families in the borough. The population density was 7,639.4 per square mile (2,949.6/km2). There were 6,822 housing units at an average density of 3,742.3 per square mile (1,444.9/km2). The racial makeup was 81.78% (11,388) White, 9.11% (1,268) Black or African American, 0.32% (45) Native American, 2.20% (307) Asian, 0.01% (2) Pacific Islander, 4.01% (559) from other races, and 2.56% (357) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.67% (1,347) of the population.[20]
Of the 6,299 households, 22.6% had children under the age of 18; 36.8% were married couples living together; 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present and 46.9% were non-families. Of all households, 37.0% were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.96.[20]
About one-fifth of the population (19.4%) were under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.0 years. For every 100 females, the population had 91.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 87.2 males.[20]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $58,769 (with a margin of error of +/− $4,635) and the median family income was $74,236 (+/− $8,567). Males had a median income of $54,088 (+/− $5,121) versus $48,816 (+/− $4,244) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $34,126 (+/− $2,577). About 10.7% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.[44]
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census[16] there were 14,326 people, 6,263 households, and 3,463 families residing in the borough. The population density was 7,835.2 inhabitants per square mile (3,025.2/km2). There were 6,866 housing units at an average density of 3,755.2 per square mile (1,449.9/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 86.47% White, 6.67% African American, 0.34% Native American, 2.76% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.42% from other races, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.67% of the population.[42][43]
There were 6,263 households, out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.7% were non-families. 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 3.05.[42][43]
In the borough the population was spread out, with 21.8% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.[42][43]
The median income for a household in the borough was $43,175, and the median income for a family was $57,987. Males had a median income of $40,423 versus $30,877 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $24,358. About 3.8% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.[42][43]
Collingswood's retail district is anchored by Haddon Avenue, a section of County Route 561 which runs from Camden to Haddonfield. Collingswood's downtown is known primarily for its restaurants, which span a variety of cuisines.
On Saturdays from May to November, the borough hosts a farmers' market under the PATCO line, featuring local produce, baked goods, and crafts.[45]
Collingswood sponsors a bike share program, a community greenhouse, as well as a composting program. Beginning in 2009, Collingswood hosts a Green Festival to raise awareness of environmental responsibility.[46]
Monthly "2nd Saturdays" have the borough's art galleries, stores and restaurants hosting new exhibitions by local, national, and international painters, sculptors, and photographers. In 2002, the Moorestown based Perkins Center for the Arts opened a second location in Collingswood.
The borough is home to two theater companies, the Collingswood Community Theatre[47] and the Collingswood Shakespeare Company, which perform throughout the year.
The Scottish Rite Auditorium was built in 1930. The auditorium and its ballroom hosts local theatrical productions and has hosted national recording artists Ben Folds and The Beach Boys.[48]
Collingswood Theater, which now houses retail shops and The Factory, a creative work space
Art Within Reach is a program that offers handmade items produced by local artists, with all profits going to the artists. With the 2014 season, the shows are held twice each year at The Factory.[52]
Collingswood has a large LGBTQ community and Mayor Jim Maley was one of a handful of New Jersey mayors to perform midnight civil union ceremonies the day New Jersey's Civil Union law took effect in 2006; in 2013 Mayor Maley performed a number of same sex marriages at the Scottish Rite ballroom after same-sex marriage was recognized in New Jersey.[53] In 2004, The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote about the borough's "fast growing gay and lesbian community," and the statewide LGBT advocacy and education organization Garden State Equality maintained a Southern New Jersey office in Collingswood until 2010.[54]
Knight Park is the home to daytime recreation in the borough. It is located across the street from Collingswood High School and it hosts the home games of the high school's sports teams, including women's field hockey, lacrosse, baseball and softball. During the summer months, the borough offers outdoor movies and classical concerts in the park.[57]
Government
Local government
Collingswood operates under the Walsh Act form of New Jersey municipal government. The borough is one of 30 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use the commission form of government.[58] The governing body is comprised of three commissioners who are elected at-large on a non-partisan basis in elections held as part of the May municipal election to serve concurrent four-year terms of office. Each commissioner is assigned a specific department to head in addition to their legislative functions. The commissioners select one of their members to serve as mayor.[6][59] The Borough of Collingswood has operated under the Walsh Act since 1917.[60]
In September 2011, the borough experienced a "super downgrade" of its credit rating by Moody's, from A1 to Ba1, as a result of an outstanding multi-million dollar loan guarantee to a property developer.[65] Moody's Investors Service issued a report in late May 2012 that restored the Borough of Collingswood's credit rating to an investment grade rating of Baa3.[66]
Federal, state and county representation
Collingswood is located in the 1st Congressional District[67] and is part of New Jersey's 5th state legislative district.[68]
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.[74] As of 2025[update], Camden County's Commissioners are:
Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. (D, Collingswood, 2026),[75]
Commissioner Deputy Director Edward T. McDonnell (D, Pennsauken Township, 2025),[76]
Virginia Ruiz Betteridge (D, Runnemede, 2025),[77]
Almar Dyer (D, Pennsauken Township, 2027),[78]
Melinda Kane (D, Cherry Hill, 2027),[79]
Jeffrey L. Nash (D, Winslow Township, 2027),[80] and
Jonathan L. Young Sr. (D, Berlin Township, 2026).[81][74][82][83][84]
As of March 2011, there were a total of 9,825 registered voters in Collingswood, of which 4,269 (43.5%) were registered as Democrats, 1,345 (13.7%) were registered as Republicans and 4,193 (42.7%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 18 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.[92]
In the 2016 presidential election Democrat Hillary Clinton received 74.9% of the vote (5,255 votes), ahead of Republican Donald Trump, who received 24.9% of the vote (1,752 votes), with other candidates receiving 6.5% of the vote (457 votes). 7,519 total votes were cast among the district's 10,535 registered voters in the 2016 election, yielding a 71.4% turnout.[citation needed]
In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 70.8% of the vote (4,927 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 27.2% (1,892 votes), and other candidates with 2.0% (139 votes), among the 7,006 ballots cast by the borough's 10,585 registered voters (48 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 66.2%.[93][94] In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 69.4% of the vote (5,192 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain, who received around 27.3% (2,038 votes), with 7,478 ballots cast among the borough's 10,305 registered voters, for a turnout of 72.6%.[95] In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 63.6% of the vote (4,629 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush, who received around 33.9% (2,467 votes), with 7,277 ballots cast among the borough's 9,527 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 76.4.[96]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Democrat Barbara Buono received 48.8% of the vote (1,822 cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 48.7% (1,819 votes), and other candidates with 2.5% (95 votes), among the 3,809 ballots cast by the borough's 10,702 registered voters (73 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 35.6%.[97][98] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 56.6% of the vote (2,482 ballots cast), ahead of both Republican Chris Christie with 33.8% (1,483 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 6.5% (285 votes), with 4,382 ballots cast among the borough's 9,831 registered voters, yielding a 44.6% turnout.[99]
Education
The Collingswood Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.[100] As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of nine schools, had an enrollment of 2,264 students and 200.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.3:1.[101] Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[102]) are
Collingswood Preschool[103] with 57 students at Penguin and 43 at Oaklyn in PreK,
James A. Garfield Elementary School[104] with 131 students in grades K-5,
Mark Newbie Elementary School[105] with 138 students in grades K-5,
Thomas Sharp Elementary School[106] with 189 students in grades PreK-5,
William P. Tatem Elementary School[107] with 244 students in grades K-5,
Zane North Elementary School[108] with 149 students in grades K-5,
Collingswood Middle School[109] with 526 students in grades 6-8 and
Collingswood High School[110] with 777 students in grades 9-12.[111][112]
Good Shepherd Regional Catholic School was an elementary school that operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden.[115][116] On April 17, 2020, the Diocese of Camden announced that Good Shepherd was one of five Catholic schools in New Jersey which would close permanently at the end of the school year on June 30, 2020.[117]
As of May 2010[update], the borough had a total of 41.33 miles (66.51 km) of roadways, of which 31.06 miles (49.99 km) were maintained by the municipality, 8.29 miles (13.34 km) by Camden County and 1.98 miles (3.19 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.[121]
The Retrospect, a weekly newspaper founded in 1921 that covers local news in Collingswood and the surrounding suburban communities (with a companion news website), is headquartered on Haddon Avenue.[126] In addition, Patch Media has a Collingswood hyperlocal website.[127] Collingswood is in the Philadelphia media market.
^Locate Your Business Here!, Borough of Collingswood. Accessed September 18, 2017. "Nestled between the Benjamin Franklin and Walt Whitman Bridges 4 miles from Center City Philadelphia, Collingswood is one of the most convenient towns in southern New Jersey."
^Giordano, Riat. "Dry Collingswood may allow craft breweries", The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 6, 2015. Accessed August 29, 2015. "Try the dry town of Collingswood. On Monday, South Jersey's version of Northern Liberties is expected to introduce an ordinance that would allow craft breweries to operate in the borough. It could be approved as soon as early August."
^Home Page, Collings-Knight House. Accessed July 9, 2013.
^Caretaker's House preview eventArchived 2013-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, Borough of Collingswood. Accessed July 9, 2013. "The Borough of Collingswood and Knight Park Trustees are planning a restoration effort for the only historic house associated with the park's 1888 opening."
^Home Page, Collingswood Community Theatre. Accessed March 24, 2020.
^History, Scottish Rite Auditorium. Accessed February 24, 2024.
^Wood, Steve. "Symphony in C moves office to Collingswood", Courier-Post, March 22, 2013. Accessed May 2, 2013. "Symphony in C is moving to Collingswood. The symphony was sharing office space with the Greater Camden Partnership at the Victor Building in Camden, and when that organization moved out, the rent became too much of a burden."
^Warren, Bruce. "Listen to the new album from Goodnight Lights, As Fas As The Moon", WXPN, June 1, 2012. Accessed September 2, 2024. "Goodnight Lights return with a new album, released today, called As Far As The Moon that you can listen to in its entirety below.... The Collingswood, NJ, based band caught our attention almost two years ago when they released their last album, Electric Spark."
^Berylant, Matthew. "Matthew Berlyant: June 17, 2012", The Big Takeover, June 17, 2012. Accessed September 2, 2024. "Goodnight Lights – As Far as the Moon (self-released) This Collingswood, NJ band’s 3rd full-length album was just released a few weeks ago, but it’s the first record of theirs that I’ve had a chance to hear."
^The township is also known for the May Fair festival which takes place during Memorial Day weekend each year. Kids all around town enjoy Roberts Pool in the summer time. Parks, Borough of Collingswood. Accessed March 24, 2020.
^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."
^Collingswood Board of Education District Bylaws 0110 - Identification, Collingswood Public School. Accessed January 19, 2023. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Kindergarten through 12 in the Collingswood School District. Composition: The Collingswood School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Collingswood."
^Collingswood High School, South Jersey magazine. Accessed December 13, 2014. "Collingswood High School serves about 850 students in grades nine through twelve from the Collingswood, Oaklyn, and Woodlynne school districts."
^Gillespie, Nick. "Atlas Shrugged Producer John Aglialoro on Ayn Rand's Enduring Impact". Reason, September 8, 2004. Accessed August 7, 2019. "In my old hometown Collingswood, New Jersey, I would get on a bus, take a few mile trip to an ice station, get crushed ice, a 50 pound bag, put it on my back, put it in the bus, take it back, put it on a wagon, get some flavors, and in front of the mayor's office of Collingswood, New Jersey–he allowed me on our main street–I sold snow cones. That was the beginning of it."
^Richard V., Social Networks and Archival Context Project. Accessed October 17, 2013.
^Paolantonio, S.A. "A Choice Of Rule In Collingswood", The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 30, 1988. Accessed July 28, 2015. "It's no accident, then, that in 55 years, Collingswood has had only three mayors. The legendary Arthur E. Armitage Sr. served from 1933 to 1969."
^Sofen, Adam A. "The Names in the News", The Harvard Crimson, June 8, 2000. Accessed November 25, 2007. "Averell was trying to get home to Collingswood, N.J. for Thanksgiving when he showed up at Logan Airport on Nov. 24 for his flight to Philadelphia."
^Braun, Jenifer D. "Sell That House: Tips from a flipper", The Star-Ledger, May 23, 2008. Accessed March 10, 2011. "Jersey boy Michael Corbett has bought and sold 36 houses, starting when he was only 19 years old and at a loss for what to do with his first big paycheck from an acting gig, a stint on soap opera 'Ryan's Hope.' (His first house was a fixer-upper right next door to his grandma in his native Collingswood.)"
^Staff. "Ralph W.E. Donges", The New York Times, September 22, 1974. Accessed July 1, 2016. "Collingswood, N. J., Sept. 21 (AP)—Ralph W. E. Donges, a former associate justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, died at his home here today."
^"Montvale Church Ordains Priest", The Record, August 9, 1965. Accessed December 1, 2020. "The Rev. David B. Joslin was ordained to the priesthood of the Episcopal Church in services yesterday at St. Paul's Episcopal Church.... Born in Collingswood, he lived most of his youth in Linwood, a suburb of Atlantic City, and now resides with his wife and son at 11 Marion Road."
^Matina, Mala. "Michael Landon"Archived October 6, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Newsfinder, June 6, 2003. Accessed October 7, 2013. "On October 31, 1936, Michael Landon (Eugene Maurice Orowitz) was born in the town of Forest Hills, New York.... When Michael was a child his family moved to Collingswood, New Jersey and this was where he lived until after graduating high school."
^Martin, Douglas. "No Headline", The New York Times, March 22, 2002. Accessed March 14, 2012. "His daughter Marianna Clark said he had lived in the same house in Collingswood, N.J., since 1939."
^Mills, Edwin 1928-, International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Accessed October 6, 2013. "Edwin Smith Mills is an emeritus professor of real estate and finance at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He was born on June 25, 1928, in Collingswood, New Jersey. After graduating from Collingswood High School in 1946, he served two years in the U.S. Army and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers."
^Smith, Eileen. "A touch of glass", Courier-Post, May 3, 1997. Accessed March 31, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "She was reared in Collingswood, the youngest of four children and the only girl. Her father managed the Ship Builder's Credit Union in Camden and her Italian mother managed the household."
^Strong, Mike. "Remembering Gettysburg born major league baseball player Jim Myers", Emmitsburg Area Historical Society. Accessed November 19, 2013. "With his baseball career over, Elmer returned to the Philadelphia area where he drove a truck and sold meat products for a New Jersey packing house. He operated a concession stand on the boardwalk in Atlantic City for a few years before taking up residence in Collingswood, NJ, where he operated a tavern on the Black Horse Pike for a number of years."
^"Top 100 Indians: #100 Ray Narleski (1954-1958)", Let's Go Tribe, April 16, 2012. Accessed December 13, 2014. "Ray Narleski was the son of former big-league middle infielder Bill Narleski, and grew up in Collingswood, New Jersey."
^"Jim Picken". Peach Basket Society. December 14, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
^Linkous, Jeff. "Quick's Silver", South Jersey Magazine, January 2009. Accessed March 14, 2012. "Silver Linings' main character, 30-something Pat Peoples—freshly released from a Baltimore mental institution to his parents' care and the shelter of their basement—narrates his saga as he moves against a tapestry of South Jersey locales and Philadelphia sports, including Quick's hometown of Collingswood and the Eagles' tumultuous, virtually written-off bounce-back 2006 season."
^"Dennis L. Riley, Esq.", Courier-Post, June 2, 2023. Accessed June 3, 2023. "As a young child, his family moved to Collingswood, NJ. Dennis is a graduate of Bishop Eustace Preparatory School."
^Craig, Daniel. "Collingswood dictionary editor explains inclusion of N-word, profanity", PhillyVoice.com, April 25, 2017. Accessed September 24, 2017. "Stamper, a Collingswood resident and editor for the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, spoke with WHYY's Terry Gross on Fresh Air last week and addressed, among many other things, the inclusion of slurs and profanity."
^Detweiler, Margit. 20 Questions: Ben Vaughn, Philadelphia City Paper, March 13, 1997. Accessed August 12, 2007. "The album was recorded more than two years ago in Vaughn's Collingswood, NJ, driveway."
^Best, Neil. "NCAA Tournament/Midwest Regional Terps' Dark Days Over", Newsday, March 22, 1994. Accessed March 10, 2011. "[Gary Williams], a native of Collingswood, N.J., who coached both Boston College and Ohio State to the NCAA Tournament, took the job at his alma mater in the summer of 1989, then had to wait an entire season to learn Maryland's fate."
^Staff. "Wilson, Helen Van Pelt", Westport News (Connecticut), October 24, 2003. Accessed November 17, 2013. "Born in Collingswood, N.J., Oct. 19, 1901, she grew up in nearby Moorestown, went to the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr and graduated cum laude from Bryn Mawr College in 1923."
^Clayton, Virginia Tuttle. The Once & Future Gardener: Garden Writing from the Golden Age of Magazines, 1900-1940, p. 92. David R. Godine Publisher, 2000. ISBN9781567921021. Accessed August 22, 2020. "Helen Van Pelt Wilson, a freelance garden writer and editor, was born in Collingswood, New Jersey, in 1901, graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1923, and attended graduate classes at the University of Pennsylvania."
