Location of Bass River Township in
Burlington County highlighted in red (right). Inset map: Location of Burlington County in
New Jersey highlighted in red (left).
Census Bureau map of Bass River Township, New Jersey
The township's name originated from the Bass River, a 4.7-mile-long (7.6 km) tributary of the
Mullica River, that was in turn named for
Jeremiah Basse, who served as governor of both
West Jersey and
East Jersey.[22]
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 78.41 square miles (203.09 km2), including 75.12 square miles (194.57 km2) of land and 3.29 square miles (8.52 km2) of water (4.19%).[2][3]
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Allens Bridge, Bass River State Forest, Calico, Charcoal Landing, Doctors Point, Frogtown,
Harrisville, High Bridge, Leektown, Martha, Merrygold, Munion Field,
New Gretna, Oak Island, Oswego Lake, Sim Place, State Forest and Wading River.[23]
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.[27] All of the township is included in either the state-designated Pinelands area or the Pinelands National Reserve, which includes portions of Burlington County, along with areas in
Atlantic,
Camden,
Cape May,
Cumberland,
Gloucester and
Ocean counties.[28]
Of the 522 households, 28.4% had children under the age of 18; 60.7% were married couples living together; 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 22.0% were non-families. Of all households, 15.5% were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.09.[17]
20.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 33.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.0 years. For every 100 females, the population had 104.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 101.0 males.[17]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010
American Community Survey showed that (in 2010
inflation-adjusted dollars)
median household income was $64,185 (with a margin of error of +/− $5,782) and the median family income was $66,364 (+/− $8,461). Males had a median income of $50,625 (+/− $7,486) versus $48,950 (+/− $3,139) for females. The
per capita income for the borough was $24,440 (+/− $2,573). About 9.4% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 18.5% of those under age 18 and 27.8% of those age 65 or over.[39]
2000 census
As of the
2000 United States census,[14] there were 1,510 people, 548 households, and 409 families residing in the township. The population density was 19.9 inhabitants per square mile (7.7/km2). There were 602 housing units at an average density of 7.9 per square mile (3.1/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 98.87%
White, 0.07%
African American, 0.07%
Native American, 0.13%
Asian, 0.13% from
other races, and 0.73% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 2.19% of the population.[37][38]
There were 548 households, out of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.1% were
married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 19.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.15.[37][38]
In the township the population was spread out, with 26.8% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.6 males.[37][38]
The median income for a household in the township was $47,469, and the median income for a family was $51,167. Males had a median income of $35,179 versus $27,222 for females. The
per capita income for the township was $20,382. About 2.4% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.[37][38]
Government
Local government
Since 1972, Bass River Township has been governed under the
Walsh Act by a three-member commission.[40][41] The township is one of 30 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use the
commission form of government.[42] The governing body is comprised of three commissioners, who are elected at-large in
non-partisan elections held every four years as part of the May municipal election to serve four-year terms of office on a concurrent basis.[7] Each of the Commissioners is appointed to serve as the head of a designated department. The commissioners choose a mayor, who presides over meetings but has no executive role.[43]
As of 2024[update] and continuing through May 15, 2024, members of the Bass River Township Board of Commissioners are
Mayor Deborah Buzby-Cope (Commissioner of Revenue and Finance),
Deputy Mayor Louis Bourguignon (Commissioner of Public Works, Parks and Public Property) and
Nicholas Capriglione (Commissioner of Public Affairs and Public Safety).[4][44][45][46]
Emergency services
Like other municipalities in New Jersey without a local police department, Bass River Township is served by troopers from the
New Jersey State Police Troop C which maintains a barrack in Tuckerton.[47] The
New Jersey State Park Police, which operates a station in Washington Township, is responsible for any matters occurring within state forests.
The New Gretna Volunteer Fire Company provides fire protection for all of Bass River Township. Additionally the Fire Company provides rescue services and operates an EMS First Response vehicle for medical emergencies.[48]
Burlington County's Constitutional Officers are:
Clerk Joanne Schwartz (D,
Southampton Township, 2028)[67][68]
Sheriff James H. Kostoplis (D,
Bordentown, 2025)[69][70] and
Surrogate Brian J. Carlin (D, Burlington Township, 2026).[71][72]
Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 892 registered voters in Bass River Township, of which 187 (21.0% vs. 33.3% countywide) were registered as
Democrats, 291 (32.6% vs. 23.9%) were registered as
Republicans and 413 (46.3% vs. 42.8%) were registered as
Unaffiliated. There as one voter registered to another party.[73] Among the township's 2010 Census population, 61.8% (vs. 61.7% in Burlington County) were registered to vote, including 77.4% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 80.3% countywide).[73][74]
In the
2012 presidential election, Republican
Mitt Romney received 371 votes (59.0% vs. 40.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat
Barack Obama with 236 votes (37.5% vs. 58.1%) and other candidates with 15 votes (2.4% vs. 1.0%), among the 629 ballots cast by the township's 945 registered voters, for a turnout of 66.6% (vs. 74.5% in Burlington County).[75][76] In the
2008 presidential election, Republican
John McCain received 423 votes (60.6% vs. 39.9% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 260 votes (37.2% vs. 58.4%) and other candidates with 12 votes (1.7% vs. 1.0%), among the 698 ballots cast by the township's 917 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.1% (vs. 80.0% in Burlington County).[77] In the
2004 presidential election, Republican
George W. Bush received 408 votes (61.8% vs. 46.0% countywide), ahead of Democrat
John Kerry with 240 votes (36.4% vs. 52.9%) and other candidates with 9 votes (1.4% vs. 0.8%), among the 660 ballots cast by the township's 892 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.0% (vs. 78.8% in the whole county).[78]
In the
2013 gubernatorial election, Republican
Chris Christie received 314 votes (72.5% vs. 61.4% countywide), ahead of Democrat
Barbara Buono with 100 votes (23.1% vs. 35.8%) and other candidates with 13 votes (3.0% vs. 1.2%), among the 433 ballots cast by the township's 964 registered voters, yielding a 44.9% turnout (vs. 44.5% in the county).[79][80] In the
2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 298 votes (62.1% vs. 47.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat
Jon Corzine with 140 votes (29.2% vs. 44.5%), Independent
Chris Daggett with 34 votes (7.1% vs. 4.8%) and other candidates with 5 votes (1.0% vs. 1.2%), among the 480 ballots cast by the township's 920 registered voters, yielding a 52.2% turnout (vs. 44.9% in the county).[81]
Education
The
Bass River Township School District served students in
pre-kindergarten through
sixth grade at Bass River Township Elementary School.[82][83][84] As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 106 students and 12.8 classroom teachers (on an
FTE basis), for a
student–teacher ratio of 8.3:1.[85] In the 2016–2017 school year, Bass River had the 10th-smallest enrollment of any school district in the state, with 102 students.[86]
The Bass River Township Elementary School was closed and students from the township began attending the schools of the
Little Egg Harbor Township School District in the 2020–21 school year.[87] As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 1,672 students and 156.7 classroom teachers (on an
FTE basis), for a
student–teacher ratio of 10.7:1.[88] Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the
National Center for Education Statistics.[89]) are
Robert C. Wood Sr. Early Childhood Center[90] with 281 students in pre-kindergarten,
George J. Mitchell Elementary School[91] with 611 students in kindergarten through third grade and
Frog Pond Elementary School[92] with 780 students in grades 4 to 6.[93][94][95]
Students from Bass River Township, and from all of Burlington County, are eligible to attend the
Burlington County Institute of Technology, a countywide public school district that serves the vocational and technical education needs of students at the high school and post-secondary level at its campuses in
Medford and
Westampton Township.[108]
Transportation
Roads and highways
As of May 2010[update], the township had a total of 50.11 miles (80.64 km) of roadways, of which 23.48 miles (37.79 km) were maintained by the municipality, 14.63 miles (23.54 km) by Burlington County and 5.24 miles (8.43 km) by the
New Jersey Department of Transportation and 6.76 miles (10.88 km) by the
New Jersey Turnpike Authority.[109]
Bass River Township is the only municipality in Burlington County that hosts
U.S. Route 9[110] and the
Garden State Parkway.[111] The two roads enter from the southwest concurrently, then separate at Exit 50. Exit 50 is one of two partial interchanges on the parkway that are located in Bass River, with Exit 50 being northbound off-southbound on. The other exit, Exit 52 for
County Route 654 in
New Gretna, is northbound on-southbound off. The township also hosts a high-speed toll plaza on the mainline northbound Garden State Parkway.
Other state and county-maintained roads that pass through include
Route 167 (a 0.15-mile (0.24 km) dead-ended old alignment of U.S. 9)[112] and
County Route 542.[113]
^
abCommissioners, Bass River Township. Accessed April 18, 2024. "Bass River Township is governed by a Commission Form of Government. Voters elect three (3) Commissioners. At-large, nonpartisan, every 4 years. The Mayor is elected by the Board of Commissioner at reorganization for a 4-year term. The Mayor presides over Board of Commissioners."
^Commission Form Of Government, Bass River Township. Accessed December 7, 2022. "Bass River Township is governed by a Commission Form of Government. Voters elect three (3) Commissioners. At-large, nonpartisan, every 4 years. The Mayor is elected by the Board of Commissioner at reorganization for a 4-year term. The Mayor presides over Board of Commissioners."
^Milone, Andy.
"Buzby-Cope To Remain Bass River Mayor, Bourguignon Is Named As Deputy Mayor", Pine Barrens Tribune, Accessed August 14, 2020. "Deborah Buzby-Cope, re-elected to the Bass River Township Board of Commissioners last month, will continue her reign as mayor of Bass River Township, while the township has a new deputy mayor.... Commissioner Louis Bourguignon, also re-elected to the board last month, will step into the deputy mayor role for the first time under a unanimous agreement arrived at by the commissioners during the June 1 meeting. Bourguignon will replace Commissioner Nicholas Capriglione as deputy mayor, the latter having served in the post for the past eight years.... Buzby-Cope will remain in charge of the Department of Revenue and Finance, while Bourguignon will continue directing the Department of Public Works and Property. Capriglione will remain head of the Department of Public Affairs and Safety."
^Police Department, Bass River Township. Accessed June 18, 2018. "Bass River Township is serviced by the New Jersey State Police out of the Tuckerton barracks."
^Fire Department, Bass River Township. Accessed June 18, 2018. "Bass River Township is serviced by the New Gretna Volunteer Fire Company located on North Maple Avenue between the Municipal Building and the Bass River Elementary School."
^About Us, Galloway Township Ambulance Squad. Accessed December 7, 2022. "GTAS is the primary EMS provider for Galloway Township, Egg Harbor City, Port Republic, Bass River Township, Stockton University and will frequently provide mutual aid to other surrounding communities."
^Biography of Bob Menendez,
United States Senate, January 26, 2015. "Menendez, who started his political career in Union City, moved in September from Paramus to one of Harrison's new apartment buildings near the town's PATH station.."
^Bass River Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Bass River Township School District. Accessed June 23, 2020. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through six in the Bass River Township School District. Composition: The Bass River Township School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Bass River Township."
^Guion, Payton.
"These 43 N.J. school districts have fewer than 200 students", NJ Advance Media for
NJ.com, September 2017. Accessed January 30, 2020. "Based on data from the state Department of Education from the last school year and the Census Bureau, NJ Advance Media made a list of the smallest of the small school districts in the state, excluding charter schools and specialty institutions.... 10. Bass River Township; Enrollment: 102; Grades: Pre-K-6; County: Burlington; Town population: 1,443"
^Lowe, Claire.
"Bass River Township students to attend Little Egg Harbor schools next year",The Press of Atlantic City, April 6, 2020. Accessed May 22, 2022. "Students from Bass River Township will attend Little Egg Harbor Schools next year as financial and academic challenges have crippled the district’s ability to operate.... The decision to enter into an agreement with Little Egg Harbor Township was reached at a March 25 school board meeting and will go into effect on July 1."
^Pinelands Regional School District 2016 Report Card NarrativeArchived August 2, 2017, at the
Wayback Machine,
New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed January 22, 2020. "The Pinelands Regional School District is a regional school district located in southern Ocean County. The District consists of a Junior High School for grades 7-9 and a High School for grades 10-12. The communities of Bass River, Eagleswood, Little Egg Harbor, and Tuckerton are served by the District with approximately 1,700 students in grades 7-12."
^School ChoiceArchived March 15, 2020, at the
Wayback Machine Pinelands Regional School District. Accessed January 22, 2020. "Pinelands Regional School District is comprised of a Junior High School and a High School. The District serves students in grades 7 through 12 living in the communities of: Bass River Township (Burlington County), Eagleswood Township, Little Egg Harbor Township, Tuckerton Borough"
^Staff.
"Regional School Districts", Burlington County Times, March 14, 2012. Accessed July 14, 2022. "Pinelands Regional - Serves: Bass River in Burlington County; Eagleswood, Little Egg Harbor and Tuckerton in Ocean County"
^Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Pinelands Regional School District,
New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2019. Accessed August 14, 2020. "The Pinelands Regional School District is a Type II School District located in the County of Ocean, State of New Jersey. As a Type II School District, the School District functions independently through a Board of Education. The Board is comprised of nine members elected to three-year terms. These terms are staggered so that three members’ terms expire each year. The purpose of the School District is to educate students in grades seven through twelfth. The operation of the District includes one regional junior high and one senior high school, located Little Egg Harbor"
^Board of Education: About UsArchived March 6, 2020, at the
Wayback Machine, Pinelands Regional School District. Accessed June 23, 2020. "The Board of Education is composed of nine citizens elected to serve terms of three years each. Representatives are elected on the basis of constituent population - one from Bass River Township, one from Eagleswood Township, six from Little Egg Harbor Township, and one from the Borough of Tuckerton."
^Rainey, Chris.
Andy Boswell,
Society for American Baseball Research. Accessed June 21, 2022. "Born September 26, 1873 in New Gretna, New Jersey, Andrew Cottrell Boswell was the first of two sons born to John and Alletria Boswell."
^Myers, William Starr.
Prominent Families of New Jersey, Volume 1, p. 221. Accessed June 21, 2022. "Thomas A. Mathis was born at New Gretna, Burlington County, New Jersey, on June 7, 1869, the son of Alfred H. and Abigail (Loveland) Mathis, both of whom were born at New Gretna, New Jersey."