Cherry Hill is a township in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a population of 71,045, reflecting an increase of 1,080 (+1.5%) from the 69,965 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 617 (+0.9%) from the 69,348 counted in the 1990 Census. As of 2010, the township was the state’s 15th most populous municipality and the second-largest in Camden County (behind the city of Camden, the county seat), after having been the state’s 13th most populous municipality in the 2000 Census.[19] An edge city of Philadelphia, Cherry Hill is situated on the Delaware Valley coastal plain, approximately 8 miles (13 km) southeast of Center City, Philadelphia.
The area now known as Cherry Hill was originally settled by the Lenni-Lenape Native Americans before being displaced by the first settlers from England, namely Quaker followers of William Penn who arrived in the late 17th century. The first settlement was a small cluster of homes named Colestown, in the perimeters of what is now the Colestown Cemetery on the corner of Route 41 (King’s Highway) and Church Road. The municipality was founded on February 25, 1844, in Gloucester County as Delaware Township from half of the area of Waterford Township, and became part of Camden County at its creation some two weeks later on March 13, 1844. Portions of the township were taken to form Stockton Township (February 23, 1859) and Merchantville (March 3, 1874). At its territorial peak, Delaware Township included all of modern-day Cherry Hill Township, as well as the neighborhood of North Camden and the municipalities Merchantville and Pennsauken (including Petty’s Island in the Delaware River).
The township’s population grew rapidly after World War II, and continued to increase until the 1980s. Today, the municipality’s population is stable with new development generally occurring in pockets of custom luxury houses or through the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of commercial and industrial areas.
Cherry Hill was a 19th-century farm on Kaighn Avenue (Route 38), owned by Abraham Browning. The farm property later became the Cherry Hill Inn (now an AMC Theatres Cherry Hill 24 movie theater complex), as well as an office campus (now a shopping center with big-box retailers), and today’s Cherry Hill Towers and Cherry Hill Estates housing developments.
Adding to the prevalence of the Cherry Hill name, developer Eugene Mori branded several properties using the name, including the Cherry Hill Inn and Cherry Hill Lodge hotels, Cherry Hill Apartments, and Cherry Hill Estates. Cherry Hill Shopping Center (now known as Cherry Hill Mall) opened in 1961 opposite the old Cherry Hill Farm site, featuring 75 stores within a single enclosed space.
When the township sought a new post office, another New Jersey municipality in Hunterdon County was using the name Delaware Township. The United States Postal Service insisted on a name change, suggesting “Deltown”. Delaware Township mayors Christian Weber and John Gilmour pursued public write-in campaigns to select possible titles, and chose Cherry Hill from suggestions that included Chapel Hill, Cherry Valley and Delaware City. The name “Cherry Hill” was chosen by the township’s citizens in a non-binding referendum in 1961, and was officially adopted November 7, 1961.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Cherry Hill township had a total area of 24.244 square miles (62.792 km2), including 24.097 square miles (62.410 km2) of land and 0.147 square miles (0.382 km2) of water (0.61%),
Ashland (2010 population of 8,302), Barclay (4,428), Cherry Hill Mall (14,171), Ellisburg (4,413), Golden Triangle (4,145), Greentree (11,367), Kingston Estates (5,685) and Springdale (14,518) are unincorporated communities and census-designated places (CDPs) located within the township.
Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Coffins Corner, Colwick, Cooperstown, Deer Park, Erlton, Freeman, Huttons Hill, Locust Grove, Orchard and Woodcrest.
The township’s eastern border with Burlington County is defined by the Pennsauken Creek. The creek separates Cherry Hill from the communities of Maple Shade Township, Evesham Township (and its Marlton neighborhood), and Mount Laurel Township.
The Cooper River forms the southern border with Haddon Township, Haddonfield Borough, and Lawnside Borough, through the Maria Barnaby Greenwald Park and parallel to the east-west Route 70.
To the north, Cherry Hill borders Merchantville Borough and Pennsauken Township, while Voorhees Township shares its southern border along County Route 544 (Evesham Road).
The Asian-American population in Cherry Hill is experiencing particularly rapid growth, increasing by an estimated 21.0% from 7,661 in 2010 to 9,266 in 2016, according to the 2016 American Community Survey, significantly out of proportion to the less than 1.0% growth in the overall population of the township over the same period.
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 71,045 people, 26,882 households, and 19,301 families residing in the township. The population density was 2,948.3 per square mile (1,138.3/km2). There were 28,452 housing units at an average density of 1,180.7 per square mile (455.9/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 78.06% (55,459) White, 6.14% (4,360) Black or African American, 0.11% (78) Native American, 11.69% (8,304) Asian, 0.02% (13) Pacific Islander, 1.83% (1,302) from other races, and 2.15% (1,529) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.64% (4,005) of the population.
Source: Wikipedia
