Vineland, New Jersey

Vineland is a city in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 60,724,     reflecting an increase of 4,453 (+7.9%) from the 56,271 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 1,491 (+2.7%) from the 54,780 counted in the 1990 Census. Vineland, Millville and Bridgeton are the three principal New Jersey cities of the Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses those three cities and all of Cumberland County for statistical purposes and had a population of 156,898 as of the 2010 Census.

Vineland was formed on July 1, 1952, through the merger of Landis Township and Vineland Borough, based on the results of a referendum held on February 5, 1952. Festivities on July 1, 1952, when the merger took effect, included a parade and speeches from such notables as Senator Estes Kefauver.

History
Charles K. Landis purchased 30000 acre of land in 1861 and another 23000 acre in 1874, near Millville, New Jersey, and along the West Jersey railroad line with service between Camden and Cape May, to create his own alcohol-free utopian society based on agriculture and progressive thinking. The first houses were built in 1862, and train service was established to Philadelphia and New York City, with the population reaching 5,500 by 1865 and 11,000 by 1875.

Established as a Temperance Town, where the sale of alcohol was prohibited, Landis required that purchasers of land in Vineland had to build a house on the purchased property within a year of purchase, that 2+1/2 acre of the often-heavily wooded land had to be cleared and farmed each year, and that adequate space be placed between houses and roads to allow for planting of flowers and shade trees along the routes through town. Landis Avenue was constructed as a 100 ft wide and about 1 mi long road running east-west through the center of the community, with other, narrower roads connecting at right angles to each other.

After determining that the Vineland soil was well-suited for growing grapes (hence the name), Landis started advertising to attract Italian grape growers to Vineland, offering 20 acre of land that had to be cleared and used to grow grapes. Thomas Bramwell Welch founded Welch's Grape Juice, and purchased the locally grown grapes to make "unfermented wine" (or grape juice). The fertile ground also attracted the glass-making industry and was home to the Progresso soup company. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, most of the city was involved in the poultry industry, which led to the city being dubbed “The Egg Basket of America.”

Vineland Poultry Laboratories (now Lohman Animal Health) was started by Arthur Goldhaft. Dr. Goldhaft is credited with putting "a chicken in every pot" after developing the fowl pox chicken vaccine that saved millions of chickens from death. Dr. Goldhaft's work at Vineland Poultry Laboratories in Vineland, helped protect the world's chicken supply from the fowl pox disease.

Vineland had New Jersey's first school for the intellectual disabled, the Vineland Developmental Center, which now has an east and west campus. These institutions housed mentally handicapped women in fully staffed cottages. Henry H. Goddard, an American psychologist, coined the term "Moron" while directing the Research Laboratory at the Training School for Backward and Feeble-minded Children in Vineland. This facility was so sufficiently well known that one American Prison Association pamphlet in 1955 heralded Vineland as "famous for its contributions to our knowledge of the feebleminded".

The city of Vineland celebrated its 150th birthday in 2011. Mayor Robert Romano initially ordered a custom cake from Buddy Valastro of Carlo's Bake Shop in Hoboken, the business featured in the TLC reality television series Cake Boss. After outcry from local business owners, the order was canceled and five Vineland bakeries were commissioned to create elaborate cakes for the event.

Geography
Vineland is located at 39.46501°N, -74.99711°W (39.465007,-74.997115). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 69.029 square miles (178.785 km2), of which, 68.424 square miles (177.218 km2) of it was land and 0.605 square miles (1.568 km2) of it (0.88%) was water. Of all the municipalities in New Jersey to hold the label of City, Vineland is the largest in total area (Hamilton Township in Atlantic County is the largest municipality in New Jersey in terms of land area. Galloway Township, also in Atlantic County, is the largest municipality in total area, including open water within its borders.)

Vineland borders Deerfield Township, Millville, and Maurice River Township. Vineland also borders Salem County, Gloucester County, and Atlantic County. The city is approximately 38 mi from the Atlantic Ocean.

2010 Census
The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $54,024 (with a margin of error of +/- $2,798) and the median family income was $64,185 (+/- $2,216). Males had a median income of $48,974 (+/- $1,402) versus $35,513 (+/- $2,565) for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,512 (+/- $895). About 11.0% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

2000 Census
As of the 2000 United States Census there were 56,271 people, 19,930 households, and 14,210 families residing in the city. The population density was 819.2 people per square mile (316.3/km2). There were 20,958 housing units at an average density of 305.1 per square mile (117.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 67.47% White, 13.62% African American, 0.54% Native American, 1.16% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 14.01% from other races, and 3.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 30.00% of the population.

There were 19,939 households out of which 80.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% 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 3.17.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,076, and the median income for a family was $47,909. Males had a median income of $35,195 versus $25,518 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,797. About 9.8% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.3% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.

Vineland has a Ukrainian community and is home to the Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church and several other Ukrainian churches.

Local government
The City of Vineland is governed within the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the Mayor-Council (Plan A), implemented based on the recommendations of a Charter Study Commission as of July 1, 1952, months after the city's formation. The mayor serves as the city's chief executive, while the City Council is its legislative branch. The mayor and council are elected concurrently to serve four-year terms of office in non-partisan elections held in leap years as part of the November general election. An ordinance passed by the council in 2011 shifted elections from May to November, effectively extending the term of members serving at the time by six months.

, the Mayor of Vineland is Ruben Bermudez, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2016 (along with those of all members of the City Council). Members of the Vineland City Council are Council President Anthony Fanucci, Council Vice President Paul Spinelli, Angela Calakos, Maritza Gonzalez and John Procopio.

Federal, state and county representation
Vineland is located in the 2nd Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 1st state legislative district.

Politics
As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 37,583 registered voters in Vineland, of which 10,388 (27.6%) were registered as Democrats, 6,109 (16.3%) were registered as Republicans and 21,059 (56.0%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 27 voters registered to other parties.

In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 62.6% of the vote (15,743 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain, who received 35.2% (8,862 votes), with 25,144 ballots cast among the city's 39,098 registered voters, for a turnout of 64.3%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 53.8% of the vote (12,506 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush, who received around 43.6% (10,131 votes), with 23,253 ballots cast among the city's 35,943 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 64.7.

In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 52.2% of the vote (7,457 ballots cast), ahead of both Republican Chris Christie with 40.1% (5,725 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 4.8% (681 votes), with 14,289 ballots cast among the city's 37,092 registered voters, yielding a 38.5% turnout.

Education
Vineland Public Schools serves students in public school for pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district is one of 31 former Abbott districts statewide, which are now referred to as "SDA Districts" based on the requirement for the state to cover all costs for school building and renovation projects in these districts under the supervision of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority. As of the 2011-12 school year, the district's 17 schools had an enrollment of 9,734 students and 895.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.88:1. Schools in the district (with 2011-12 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Casimer M. Dallago, Jr. Preschool Center / IMPACT (230) and Max Leuchter Preschool Center (202) for preschool, Dane Barse School (396), D'Ippolito Elementary School (696), Marie Durand School (565), Johnstone School (458), Dr. William Mennies School (653), Petway School (571), Gloria M. Sabater School (575), John H. Winslow School (554) for grades K-5, Landis School (487), Anthony Rossi School (550), Veterans Memorial School (521) and Thomas W. Wallace, Jr. School (492) for grades 6-8, Vineland High School (2,717) for grades 9-12 and Cunningham Alternative School for students with "personal or academic challenges that prevent them from reaching their full potential" (68) in grades 7-12.

Cumberland Christian School is a private coeducational day school located in Vineland, serving students in pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade. The school, founded in 1946, has a total enrollment of over 1,000 students. The city is home to two Catholic elementary schools — Bishop Schad Regional School (combining St. Francis and Sacred Heart Schools) and St. Mary's School — and Sacred Heart High School for grades 9-12, all of which operate under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden.

The Ellison School is a private, nonsectarian coeducational day school located on South Spring Road in Vineland. The school, with an enrollment of about 120 students in pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade, is known for rigorous academics and a small (6:1) student/teacher ratio. The school was founded in 1959 and moved to its current site in 1968.

In 2008, Forbes listed Vineland as the 2nd least-educated city in the country, behind Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

Commerce
Portions of Vineland are part of an Urban Enterprise Zone. In addition to other benefits to encourage employment within the Zone, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3½% sales tax rate (versus the 7% rate charged statewide) at eligible merchants.

The main street in Vineland is Landis Avenue. The traditional downtown area is located several blocks east and west of the intersection of Landis Avenue and the Boulevard. The Boulevard is a pair of roads that flank the main north/south railroad, which connected Vineland with Cape May to the south and Camden/Philadelphia to the north. After many years of decline there has been much recent activity to restore the vitality of "The Avenue" and the center city area. New construction includes a new transportation center, courthouse, post office, elementary school / community center and sidewalk upgrades. In 2005, Vineland was designated a Main Street Community and, through the work of this group, money has been earmarked to continue this improvement through property and facade improvements, business retention and marketing.

Points of interest

 * The Delsea Drive-In, located on Route 47 (Delsea Drive) north of County Route 552, is the only drive-in theater in the state of New Jersey, the state in which they were first created in 1932.
 * The Palace of Depression was built by the eccentric and mustached George Daynor, a former Alaska gold miner who lost his fortune in the Wall Street Crash of 1929, and was known as "The Strangest House in the World" or the "Home of Junk", and was built as a testament of willpower against the effects of The Great Depression. A full restoration was scheduled to be completed in late 2010.
 * The Landis MarketPlace opened in 2011 as a two-level indoor public market and includes an Amish market on the lower level and several vendors on the upper level.
 * The Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society, a museum and research library that has been in function since 1910 and holds a large collection exhibiting the city's history.
 * In 2009, as much as $25 million in grants from the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 were allocated to help with the cleanup of the Vineland Chemical Company site. The company's owners had paid $3 million towards the cleanup of soil and water at the site polluted with arsenic and other toxic materials, though the United States Environmental Protection Agency has spent more than $120 million to remediate the Superfund site.

Roads and highways
, the city had a total of 335.15 mi of roadways, of which 234.73 mi were maintained by the municipality, 80.54 mi by Cumberland County and 19.88 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 2.79 mi by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

Route 47 (Delsea Drive) runs almost 9.5 mi north-south in the eastern quarter of the city, connecting Millville in the south to Franklin Township in Gloucester County at the city's northern tip. Route 55 enters the city from Millville for 1.4 mi, heads back into Millville and re-enters Vineland, running along the western border for 8.8 mi and heads north into Pittsgrove Township in Salem County. Route 56 (Landis Avenue) heads across the city from Pittsgrove Township to its eastern terminus at Route 47.

County Route 540 (Almond Road / Park Avenue / Landis Avenue) enters from the west in Pittsgrove Township and continues for 8 mi to Buena Vista Township in Atlantic County, on the city's eastern border. County Route 552 (Sherman Avenue / Mays Landing Road) enters from Deerfield Township in the city's southwest corner and continues for 10.8 mi into Maurice River Township. County Route 555 (South Main Road / North Main Road) enters from Millville extending for 8 mi into Franklin Township.

Public transportation
New Jersey Transit provides bus transportation on the 313 route between Cape May and Philadelphia, on the 408 route between Millville and Philadelphia and on the 553 route between Upper Deerfield Township and Atlantic City.

Two general aviation airports are located nearby. Vineland-Downstown Airport is located 4 mi northeast of the central business district and Kroelinger Airport, 3 mi north.

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Vineland include:
 * Nelson Albano (born 1954), member of the New Jersey General Assembly who has represented the 1st Legislative District.
 * Nicholas Asselta (born 1951), member of the New Jersey Senate, who served on the Vineland Board of Education (1993–96), Vineland Planning Board (1992–93) and Vineland Environmental Commission (1992–93).
 * Johnny Austin (1910-1983), trumpeter who played with the Glenn Miller Orchestra before forming the Johnny Austin Orchestra in 1947.
 * Herman Bank (1916-2012), mechanical engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory who oversaw the design of several early spacecraft.
 * Obie Bermúdez (born 1977), Latin Grammy winner for Best Male Pop Vocal Album in 2005.
 * Robert Neil Butler (1927–2010), first director of the National Institute on Aging.
 * Glenn Carbonara (born 1966), former professional soccer player.
 * Thomas Chisholm (1866-1960), Christian songwriter who wrote Great Is Thy Faithfulness.
 * Darren Ford (born 1985), a professional baseball outfielder currently on the San Francisco Giants roster.
 * Henry H. Goddard (1866-1957), psychologist and eugenicist and author of The Kallikak Family, who headed the Vineland Training School for Feeble-Minded Girls and Boys, where he introduced the term "moron" to describe a mild form of mental retardation.
 * Jeremiah Hacker (1801–1895), Quaker reformer and journalist.
 * Alan Kotok (1941–2006), computer scientist known for his contributions to the Internet and World Wide Web.
 * Charles K. Landis (1833–1900), founder of Vineland.
 * Miles Lerman (1920–2008), Holocaust survivor who fought as a Jewish resistance fighter during World War II in Nazi occupied Poland and helped to plan and create the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
 * Jillian Loyden (born 1985), soccer goalkeeper.
 * Al Lukens (born 1872 - ?), pitcher who played in 1894 for the Philadelphia Phillies.
 * John Landis Mason (1832-1902), inventor of the Mason Jar.
 * Lou Piccone (born 1949), wide receiver and kick returner who played in the NFL for the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills, during his nine seasons in the league.
 * Jeret Schroeder (born 1969), former driver in the Indy Racing League.
 * Walter H. Seward (1896-2008), supercentenarian who was, at the time of his death at the age of 111, the third-oldest verified man living in the United States.
 * Young Steff (born 1988), R&B, Hip Hop, and Pop singer-songwriter.
 * Pab Sungenis (born 1969), creator of the web-comic the New Adventures of Queen Victoria.
 * Gina Thompson (born 1973), R&B singer whose song "The Things That You Do" peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, and number 12 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Chart.
 * Mike Trout (born 1991), Major League Baseball outfielder who has played for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
 * Vic Voltaggio (born 1941), Major League Baseball umpire from 1977 to 1996.
 * Mona Weissmark, psychologist who has focused on intergenerational justice.
 * Thomas Bramwell Welch (1825–1903), discoverer of the pasteurization process to prevent the fermentation of grape juice.
 * Elmer H. Wene (1892-1957), represented NJ's 2nd congressional district from 1937 to 1939 and from 1941 to 1945.
 * Freda L. Wolfson (born 1954), District Judge for the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.