Location of Galloway Township in Atlantic County highlighted in yellow (left). Inset map: Location of Atlantic County in New Jersey highlighted in black (right).
Census Bureau map of Galloway Township, New Jersey
Galloway Township was incorporated by Royal charter on April 4, 1774, from portions of Egg Harbor Township, when it was still part of Gloucester County. Galloway was incorporated as one of the initial group of 104 townships by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. After becoming part of the newly formed Atlantic County in 1837, portions of the township were taken to create Mullica Township (March 13, 1838), Egg Harbor City (June 14, 1858), Absecon (February 29, 1872), Brigantine Beach borough (now Brigantine; June 14, 1890) and Port Republic (March 1, 1905).[25]
For thousands of years, the area of Galloway Township was occupied by different cultures of indigenous peoples. The LenapeNative Americans were the historic tribe who occupied the area at the time of European encounter. They were one of the many Algonguian language peoples of the East Coast.
During the spring of 2007, a large swath of oak and other hardwood trees were defoliated by the Gypsy moth caterpillar. Due to budget constraints, the township did not apply for spraying through the State of New Jersey, and the gypsy moths flourished.[28]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 114.49 square miles (296.52 km2), including 88.67 square miles (229.65 km2) of land and 25.82 square miles (66.87 km2) of water (22.55%).[1][2] Galloway Township serves as a growing edge city to neighboring Atlantic City.
Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Absecon, Absecon Highlands, Brigantine Junction, Cologne, Cologne Station, Conovertown, Doughtys, Germania, Hewittville, Higbeetown, Island Beach, Johnsontown, Leeds Point, Oceanville, Pinehurst, Pomerania, South Egg Harbor, Somersville, and the "Township Center".[36][37]
The township is one of 56 South Jersey municipalities that are included within the New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve, a protected natural area of unique ecology covering 1,100,000 acres (450,000 ha), that has been classified as a United States Biosphere Reserve and established by Congress in 1978 as the nation's first National Reserve.[41] Parts of the township are included in the state-designated Pinelands Area, which includes portions of Atlantic County, along with areas in Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Ocean counties.[42]
The 2010 United States census counted 37,349 people, 13,067 households, and 9,173 families in the township. The population density was 419.3 per square mile (161.9/km2). There were 14,132 housing units at an average density of 158.7 per square mile (61.3/km2). The racial makeup was 71.92% (26,860) White, 11.44% (4,271) Black or African American, 0.27% (99) Native American, 10.02% (3,744) Asian, 0.02% (9) Pacific Islander, 3.39% (1,266) from other races, and 2.95% (1,100) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.05% (3,752) of the population.[22]
Of the 13,067 households, 31.6% had children under the age of 18; 51.5% were married couples living together; 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 29.8% were non-families. Of all households, 23.2% were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.12.[22]
21.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 14.3% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 90.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 86.8 males.[22]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $65,908 (with a margin of error of +/− $3,931) and the median family income was $76,106 (+/− $2,675). Males had a median income of $50,516 (+/− $3,544) versus $40,663 (+/− $2,096) for females. The per capita income for the township was $24,302 (+/− $2,134). About 5.0% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.[56]
As of the 2000 census,[16] there were 31,209 people, 10,772 households, and 7,680 families residing in the township. The population density was 344.9 inhabitants per square mile (133.2/km2). There were 11,406 housing units at an average density of 126.1 per square mile (48.7/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 77.16% White, 9.80% African American, 0.24% Native American, 8.00% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.59% from other races, and 2.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.16% of the population.[54][55]
There were 10,772 households, out of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.18.[54][55]
In the township the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 13.6% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.[54][55]
The median income for a household in the township was $51,595, and the median income for a family was $57,156. Males had a median income of $38,048 versus $31,167 for females. The per capita income for the township was $21,048. About 4.4% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.[54][55]
Galloway Township operates under the Faulkner Act (formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law) within Plan E of the Council-Manager form of New Jersey municipal government, implemented based on the recommendations of a Charter Study Commission as of January 1, 1976.[57] The township is one of 42 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government.[58] The governing body is the Township Council, which is comprised of seven members who are elected at-large in partisan elections to four-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with an election in odd-numbered years in which either three or four seats come up for vote on an alternating basis as part of the November general election. At an annual reorganization meeting after each election, members of Council select one of their members to take the office of Mayor and another to serve as Deputy Mayor, who serve two-year terms in that office.[7][59] The Township Council is led by a Mayor whose role is to preside over meetings and sign certain documents on behalf of the township. The Council sets policy for the township as its governing body, with the day-to-day operation of the Township and its municipal services delegated to the Township Manager.[60]
As of 2024[update], the members of Galloway Township Council are Mayor Anthony Coppola (R, term as mayor ends December 31, 2025 and on council ends December 31, 2027), Deputy Mayor Rich Clute (R, term as deputy mayor ends 2025 and on council ends 2027), R.J. Amato III (R, 2025), Tom Bassford (R, 2025), Tony DiPietro (R, 2027), Clifton Sudler Jr. (R, 2025), and Muhammad Umar (R, 2025).[61][62][63][64][65]
Atlantic County is governed by a directly elected county executive and a nine-member Board of County Commissioners, responsible for legislation. The executive serves a four-year term and the commissioners are elected to staggered three-year terms, of which four are elected from the county on an at-large basis and five of the commissioners represent equally populated districts.[73][74] As of 2024[update], Atlantic County's Executive is Dennis Levinson (R, Northfield), whose term of office ends December 31, 2027.[75] Members of the Board of County Commissioners are:
As of March 2011, there were a total of 22,037 registered voters in Galloway Township, of which 5,897 (26.8% vs. 30.5% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 5,214 (23.7% vs. 25.2%) were registered as Republicans and 10,913 (49.5% vs. 44.3%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 13 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.[93] Among the township's 2010 Census population, 59.0% (vs. 58.8% in Atlantic County) were registered to vote, including 75.0% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 76.6% countywide).[93][94]
In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 8,707 votes here (54.7% vs. 57.9% countywide), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 6,935 votes (43.6% vs. 41.1%) and other candidates with 190 votes (1.2% vs. 0.9%), among the 15,918 ballots cast by the township's 23,413 registered voters, for a turnout of 68.0% (vs. 65.8% in Atlantic County).[95][96] In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 8,823 votes here (53.4% vs. 56.5% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 7,361 votes (44.6% vs. 41.6%) and other candidates with 177 votes (1.1% vs. 1.1%), among the 16,515 ballots cast by the township's 22,944 registered voters, for a turnout of 72.0% (vs. 68.1% in Atlantic County).[97] In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 7,040 votes here (49.4% vs. 46.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 6,960 votes (48.8% vs. 52.0%) and other candidates with 112 votes (0.8% vs. 0.8%), among the 14,256 ballots cast by the township's 19,036 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.9% (vs. 69.8% in the whole county).[98]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 6,337 votes here (64.6% vs. 60.0% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 3,171 votes (32.3% vs. 34.9%) and other candidates with 115 votes (1.2% vs. 1.3%), among the 9,815 ballots cast by the township's 24,012 registered voters, yielding a 40.9% turnout (vs. 41.5% in the county).[99][100] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 5,226 votes here (50.4% vs. 47.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 4,409 votes (42.5% vs. 44.5%), Independent Chris Daggett with 531 votes (5.1% vs. 4.8%) and other candidates with 105 votes (1.0% vs. 1.2%), among the 10,379 ballots cast by the township's 22,353 registered voters, yielding a 46.4% turnout (vs. 44.9% in the county).[101]
For pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, students attend the Galloway Township Public Schools.[102] As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of six schools, had an enrollment of 3,164 students and 304.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.4:1.[103] Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[104]) are
Pomona Preschool[105] with 90 students in grades PreK,
Arthur Rann Elementary School[106] with 658 students in grades K-6,
Reeds Road Elementary School[107] with 498 students in grades K-6,
Roland Rogers Elementary School[108] with 522 students in grades K-6,
Smithville Elementary School[109] with 562 students in grades K-6 and
Galloway Township Middle School[110] with 729 students in grades 7–8.[111][112][113][114]
The Galloway Community Charter School was a public school that served students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The school, which drew students from across Atlantic County, operated independently of the Galloway Township Public Schools under a charter issued by the New Jersey Department of Education. There was no tuition charged; costs were paid on a per-student basis by each of the sending districts, with additional funding provided by the State of New Jersey. Opened in 1997 among the state's first group of charter schools, the school's charter was revoked due to low scores on standardized tests and the school closed at the end of the 2014–2015 school year.[123][124]
Assumption Regional Catholic School is a Catholic elementary school for pre-kindergarten through eighth grades with a specially designed middle school system, operated under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Camden and serving students from the sending parishes of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish (in Galloway Township), St. Thomas the Apostle Church (Brigantine) and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish (Absecon).[125][126] The school had been located in Pomona,[127] and moved in September 2007 to another campus elsewhere in the township.[128]
As of May 2010[update], the township had a total of 253.48 miles (407.94 km) of roadways, of which 171.70 miles (276.32 km) were maintained by the municipality, 59.44 miles (95.66 km) by Atlantic County and 16.66 miles (26.81 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 5.68 miles (9.14 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.[131]
The Garden State Parkway passes through the township, extending 5.7 miles (9.2 km) from Egg Harbor Township in the south to Port Republic in the north.[132] Included in the township are Interchange 40 for U.S. Route 30 White Horse Pike East, Interchange 41 for Route 561 Jimmie Leeds Road, and Interchange 44 for Route 575 Pomona.[133] It was on this stretch of the Parkway that Governor of New JerseyJon Corzine was involved in a serious accident on April 12, 2007.[134]
Myron Rolle (born 1986), 2009 Rhodes Scholar, All-American safety for the Florida State Seminoles, former Tennessee Titan and Pittsburgh Steeler in the National Football League[156]
^Tilton, Lisa "Galloway Resident Chris Johansen Appointed as Township Manager", Galloway Township News, May 24, 2016. Accessed May 26, 2016. "Chris Johansen has been named the new Township Manager for Galloway Township. By a unanimous vote after a short closed session discussion, Council voted to appoint Johansen as Township Manager."
^"History", Galloway Township, backed up by the Internet Archive as of March 18, 2013. Accessed May 18, 2015. "Historians are unsure as to how Galloway got its name. One opinion is that it was named after an area in Scotland known as Galloway Mull. The other theory is that it was named after Joseph Galloway, a Loyalist delegate to the Continental Congress."
^Staff. "Hurricane Irene makes landfall in New Jersey; storm should be gone by mid-afternoon, meteorologist predicts - Update", The Express-Times, August 28, 2011. Accessed September 29, 2014. "Hurricane Irene made landfall at 5:35 this morning in Little Egg Inlet, near Atlantic City, according to Hackettstown-based WeatherWorks meteorologist Nick Troiano, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, 1 mile an hour above the level at which a hurricane is defined. It was 1903 the last time a hurricane – also a category one storm – Troiano said."
^Avila, Lixion A.; and Cangialosi, John. "Tropical Cyclone Report Hurricane Irene (AL092011) 21-28 August 2011", National Hurricane Center, December 14, 2011, updated April 11, 2012. Accessed September 29, 2014. "Irene then continued north-northeastward, just offshore of the Delmarva peninsula, and made another landfall very near Atlantic City, New Jersey, at Brigantine Island, at 0935 UTC 28 August. Although Irene's intensity at the New Jersey landfall was 60 kt, winds of that strength were confined to the waters east of the track of the center."
^Fast Facts Brochure 2009, Galloway Township, backed up by the Internet Archive as of July 28, 2011. Accessed May 18, 2015. "Unincorporated Areas Within Galloway Township: Absecon Highlands, Cologne, Conovertown, Germania, Higbeetown, Leeds Point, Oceanville, Pinehurst, Pomona, Smithville and South Egg Harbor, and the 'Township Center'"
^About Us, Galloway Township Public Schools. Accessed July 25, 2023. "Galloway Township is a PK-6 public school district located in Atlantic County, NJ. The district is comprised of 6 schools"
^Greater Egg Harbor Regional Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District. Accessed March 30, 2020. "The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades nine through twelve in the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District. Composition: The Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Egg Harbor City, Galloway Township, Hamilton Township and Mullica Township."
^Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District 2016 Report Card NarrativeArchived September 27, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 6, 2017. "The Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District serves the communities of Galloway Township, Hamilton Township, Egg Harbor City, Mullica Township and participates in receiving relationships with Port Republic and Washington Township. The geographic area of the district is the largest in the state, covering 324 square miles. The student body of each of the district's three comprehensive high schools, Absegami High School, Cedar Creek High School, and Oakcrest High School, reflects the socioeconomic and ethnic diversity of this geographic area."
^Greater Egg Harbor Regional Board of Education District Policy 0141 - Board Member Number and Term, Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District. Accessed March 30, 2020. "The Board of Education shall consist of nine members. The constituent districts of this regional district and the members to which each is entitled are: Egg Harbor City: one member; Galloway Township: four members; Hamilton Township: three members; Mullica Township: one member. The term of a Board member shall be three years."
^Frequently Asked QuestionsArchived April 24, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Atlantic County Institute of Technology. Accessed May 17, 2017. "What does it cost to attend ACIT? As a public school, there is no cost to Atlantic County residents of high school age. New Jersey Title 18A:54-20.1 entitles students the right to choose ACIT for their high school education."
^D'Amico, Diane. "Galloway Community Charter School latest charter school to close", The Press of Atlantic City, June 6, 2015. Accessed May 31, 2020. "It was the final last day of school at the Galloway Community Charter School on Friday, and after the last 'kindness' awards were distributed, yearbooks signed and eighth-grade graduation practice completed, the tears started to fall.... The school, one of the first charter schools in the state when it opened in 1997, had its charter revoked by the state Department of Education this year for poor test scores. After 18 years, the school will not reopen in September."
^Charter Schools Closure Process, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 20, 2023. "Closed Charter Schools (as of June 2020) Revoked: Operational schools that had charters revoked by the Commissioner.... Galloway Community Charter School - March 13, 2014 effective June 30, 2015"
^Sending Parishes,Assumption Regional Catholic School. Accessed February 20, 2023. "Assumption Regional Catholic School faculty, staff, Board of Members, families and students would like to thank the following supporting parishes of our school! Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish; St. Thomas the Apostle Church; St. Elizabeth Ann Seton"
^Schools, South Jersey Catholic Schools. Accessed February 20, 2023.
^"Home". Assumption Regional School. April 28, 2004. Archived from the original on April 28, 2004. Retrieved April 1, 2021. 276 West White Horse Pike Pomona, New Jersey Compare to: "Home". Assumption Regional School. November 1, 2008. Archived from the original on November 1, 2008. Retrieved April 1, 2021. 146 South Pitney Road Galloway, New Jersey 08205 - redirected from assumptionregionalschool.org
^Gill, Mike. "Absegami Grad Abdullah Anderson Heading to Windy City", WPEN, April 28, 2018. Accessed September 28, 2019. "The Galloway Township product had a very good showing at the NFL combine, allowing him to jump on NFL teams radar, getting workouts with multiple teams including the Seahawks and 49ers."
^Cronick, Scott. "Everyone has a story: Galloway woman choreographs 'Rockin' Eve'", The Press of Atlantic City, December 30, 2009. Accessed November 18, 2013. "As the ball drops Thursday night in Times Square and Jennifer Lopez performs her hits on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2010, Galloway native Tabitha D'Umo is behind the scenes, supervising and choreographing the superstar's routine with her husband, Napoleon D'Umo."
^Leonard, Nicole. "Mainland grad likely to become new New Jersey health commissioner", The Press of Atlantic City, March 12, 2018. Accessed May 21, 2019. "Before Elnahal became a state-appointed physician under Murphy and a federal one under President Barack Obama in 2015, he and his siblings grew up in Galloway Township and Linwood, where his parents settled after emigrating from Egypt."
^Brunetti, Michelle. "Galloway Township native has Antarctic peak named for her", The Press of Atlantic City, December 23, 2017. Accessed November 24, 2018. "Anne Grunow, who recently had an Antarctic peak named after her, wasn’t terribly interested in science while a student at Absegami High School in the 1970s. 'I was dead set against doing anything with math or science. I loved history,' said the senior research scientist at Ohio State University and member of Absegami’s Class of 1977.... She always loved being outdoors, having grown up on a potato farm in the Pomona section of Galloway Township."
^Higbee, Elias, The Joseph Smith Papers. Accessed May 19, 2013.
^Kent, Bill. "Obscure No More", The New York Times, July 6, 1997. Accessed November 18, 2013. "IN 1993, Albert Hoffman, a junkyard owner and self-taught artist, died at 77 in a house in Galloway Township built from scrap plywood."
^Jackson, Vincent. "MUSIC / Jerkins Brothers Have Shot At Winning Grammys Tonight", Press of Atlantic City, February 23, 2000. Accessed December 28, 2010. "Local record producer Rodney Jerkins – who had a half dozen hits in 1999 – should walk out of the Grammy Awards ceremony tonight with either a Grammy award or a certificate... The Galloway Township resident, whose DarkChild recording studio is in Pleasantville..."
^Toner, Noreen. "Smithville's Own Lee Brothers Find Hollywood Success", The Press of Atlantic City, October 7, 1992. Accessed July 27, 2011. "When you reach for your TV book this evening, check the 8 p.m. listing for today's episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. You may recognize the name of someone you know. Namely, that of Mushond Lee, a 1989 Absegami High School graduate who grew up in Smithville."
^Sam Ojserkis, United States Olympic Committee. Accessed August 11, 2016. "Birthplace: Pomona, N.J.; Hometown: Linwood, N.J.; High School: Mainland Regional High School (Linwood, N.J.) '08"
^Prisament, Steve. "Longtime engineer replaced in Galloway"Archived October 10, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, The Current of Galloway Township, January 9, 2013. Accessed October 10, 2017. "Polistina, a former state assemblyman from Atlantic County, said Tuesday, January 8 that he grew up in Galloway attending township public schools and graduating from Absegami High School in 1989."
^Harper, Derek. "Galloway Township resident Nicky Scarfo Jr., 12 others indicted on racketeering charges", The Press of Atlantic City, November 4, 2011. Accessed December 24, 2012. "Nicodemo S. Scarfo, a Galloway Township resident who is the son of a former mob boss with Atlantic City ties, was named in a 107-page indictment Tuesday that said he and a partner from Philadelphia forcibly took over the Texas financial services firm FirstPlus Financial Group in late spring 2007 and allegedly looted it for $12 million through a string of fraudulent acquisitions and consulting agreements over a year."
^Blumenthal, Jeff. "Philadelphia lawyer picked as key Trump aide", Philadelphia Business Journal, January 23, 2017. Accessed November 15, 2017. "Since graduating from Temple University (1995) — where he played varsity football — and Widener University School of Law (1998), the Galloway, Atlantic County, native has spent his professional life volleying between the political and legal spheres."
^Capoferri, Carmen. "N.J. pro soccer team drafts 'Jersey Girl' Erica Skroski", The Press of Atlantic City, January 16, 2016. Accessed April 27, 2016. "The New Jersey-based team Sky Blue FC chose Skroski, a Galloway Township native and standout defender for the Scarlet Knights, with the 23rd overall pick during the National Women's Soccer League draft in Baltimore on Friday.... Sky Blue FC plays its home games at Rutgers' Yurcak Field, where the 2012 Absegami High School graduate already experienced a great deal of success."