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city in New Jersey, United States
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Burlington is a city situated on the banks of the Delaware River in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 9,743, a decrease of 177 (−1.8%) from the 9,920 recorded at the 2010 census, which in turn reflected an increase of 184 (+1.9%) from the 9,736 counted in the 2000 census. The city, and all of Burlington County, is a part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
Burlington was first incorporated on October 24, 1693, and was reincorporated by Royal charter on May 7, 1733. After American independence, the city was incorporated by the State of New Jersey on December 21, 1784. On March 14, 1851, the city was reincorporated and enlarged with portions of the surrounding township.
Burlington was originally the county seat of Burlington County. In 1796, in response to the growth of population to the east away from the Delaware River, the county seat was moved to Mount Holly Township, a more central location.
The council of West Jersey Proprietors purchased roughly 30 miles (48 km) of riverfront land in 1676 from the Lenape Native Americans. Burlington was founded on part of that land by English settlers (primarily Quakers) in 1677. It served as the capital of the province until 1702, when West Jersey and East Jersey were combined into a single Crown Colony.
Burlington takes its name (including the county name) from the town of Bridlington, England of which Burlington was a district. It is now amalgamated into the larger Bridlington town.
The Quakers formally established their congregation in 1678. Initially, they met in private homes; between 1683 and 1687, Francis Collings constructed a hexagonal meeting house of brick. Over the next century, the membership grew substantially and a larger building was needed. The present meeting house on High Street was built in 1783 in front of the old meeting house and cemetery. The cemetery predated the first building. A tablet commemorates that the Lenape chief King Ockanickon, a loyal friend of the English settlers, was buried here in 1681. The oldest gravestone is inscribed "D.B. 1726." Many notable Quakers are buried here.
One of the oldest buildings in Burlington is known as the Revell House. Originally built in 1685 for George Hutchinson, it stood on East Pearl Street. The property was purchased by Thomas Revell, one of the original Anglo-European settlers. Local tradition associates this house with the young Benjamin Franklin, who received gingerbread from the household while traveling from Boston to Philadelphia.
In the early 20th century, the house was purchased by the Annis Stockton Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution for use as their clubhouse. The Colonial Burlington Foundation acquired and restored it in the 1950s.
Many institutions established in the 18th century continue to function in the 21st century. After the Quakers, the second oldest religious congregation in Burlington were the Anglicans (later known as Episcopalians). Their original church, Old St. Mary's, is the oldest church in Burlington and New Jersey. The congregation was founded in 1702 by George Keith and John Talbot. Talbot became the first minister and laid the cornerstone for the church in 1703. He served as the church's rector until 1725. The congregation prospered, and the church became the see of the Anglican bishops of New Jersey.
After the Revolution, the Episcopal Church in the United States was established. In 1846, under the leadership of Bishop and Rector George Washington Doane, construction was begun on New St. Mary's. This early Gothic Revival architecture church was designed by Richard Upjohn, who also designed Trinity Church at the foot of Wall Street in Lower Manhattan. In the late 20th century, this building was designated as a National Historic Landmark (NHL).
Bishop Doane founded an Episcopal girls' boarding school, St. Mary's, in Burlington in 1838, at a time when interest in girls' education led to development of schools for them in many areas. Girls from families up and down the East Coast came to study there, from as far as New England, Virginia, and upstate New York. St. Mary's provided a classical education, as well as classes in arts and music.
The Library Company of Burlington was organized in 1757 as a "free" library open to the public as well as members. There were 60 members of the original Library Company, each paying ten shillings per year to support the institution. The Library received a Charter from George II of Great Britain in 1758. The Library's books were kept in members' homes for a few years: Thomas Rodman's at 446 South High Street and, after 1767, Robert Smith's at 218 High Street. In 1789 the Library moved to its own building. In the early 21st century, the Library is housed in a stone building that was built on West Union Street in 1864. The Burlington Library is the oldest continuously operating library in New Jersey and the nation's seventh oldest.
The Endeavor Fire Company was organized in 1795. It was one of the four companies in the Burlington Fire Department when it was organized almost a century later. Endeavor was the first permanent firefighting organization in Burlington and remains one of the oldest fire companies under its original name in the state. By 1882, the company had relocated to its present building, which was erected in 1852 as a Market House.
Burlington has been the home of many notable people including John Lawrence, a politician and his son, Captain James Lawrence. The elder Lawrence served in the State Assembly, as Mayor of Burlington, New Jersey in 1769, and as a member of the Provincial Council from 1771 to 1775. He was suspected of being a Loyalist during the American Revolution, which ended his career. His son was born on October 1, 1781, and fought during the War of 1812. Lawyer and writer James Fenimore Cooper, who wrote The Last of the Mohicans, was also from Burlington. His father was a merchant there before buying land and developing Cooperstown, New York after the Revolution.
As education for girls and young women became emphasized in the 19th century, Bishop George Washington Doane founded St. Mary's Hall in 1837 in association with the Episcopal diocese as the first Episcopal boarding school offering a classical education for girls and the first such school in New Jersey. In the 20th century, a boys' school was added. It is now known as Doane Academy and is a private, co-educational school for grades from Pre-K through 12th.
The building at 301 High Street houses the oldest continuously operating pharmacy in New Jersey. Originally a dwelling, the ground floor was converted to commercial use around 1845 by William Allinson, a druggist, local historian, and leading Quaker abolitionist. He used the building as a center of anti-slavery activity. John Greenleaf Whittier denounced slavery from the doorstep, and local tradition holds that fugitive slaves hid in tunnels under the building in their passage on the Underground Railroad. New Jersey ended slavery, but many fugitives wanted to go farther north, beyond the reach of slave catchers.
During the 19th century, Burlington City was known for the quality and quantity of its manufacturing. The shoe industry rivaled shipbuilding and canning in prominence. The 1850 United States census indicates that the largest number of men were employed in the shoe industry, followed closely by carpentry and bricklaying. J. Frank Budd got his start in the shoe business at a Burlington shoe company just after the Civil War. In 1887, J.F. Budd broke ground for a children's "shoeworks" at the corner of Penn and Dilwyn streets. The company employed approximately 325 people and operated six days a week for ten hours a day. The J.F. Budd Baby Shoe Company billed itself as the "largest baby shoe plant in the world."
The commercial activity provided revenues for the city's cultural activity. In 1839, a Lyceum was erected as a venue for lectures, concerts, and public meetings. It served in that capacity until 1851, when it was turned over to the city to be used as the City Hall. The municipal offices' move was concurrent with the adoption of a new City charter.
The Oneida Boat Club was organized in 1873 by a group of 10 members. It is named for one of the original Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, based in New York. Over the next few years, membership in the club grew rapidly. In 1876, they dedicated their newly built clubhouse on the banks of the Delaware River at York Street. The Oneida is the oldest continuously operating boat club located on the Delaware River.
During the 19th century, the City of Burlington developed in a grid pattern from the main crossroads of High and Broad streets. Blocks of attached rowhouses built in the latest architectural style characterize the city as a 19th-century town. Ferries carried traffic across the Delaware River to Pennsylvania before bridges were built.
Burlington's waterfront park along the river was developed as a result of urban renewal and flood control projects in the late 1960s and 1970s. The shoreline improvements—revetments, walkways, etc.—span the city's Delaware riverfront from the Burlington-Bristol Bridge to Assiscunk Creek.
The remains of former waterfront industries, ferry terminals, and docks were demolished. Development of an open, grassy park with a tree-lined waterfront esplanade has reconnected city residents to the riverfront for recreation. This also ensures that business properties are not at risk during floods and reduces damages.
In this period, the United States federal and state governments began to value their historic assets more highly, and efforts were made to preserve structures that were significant to the layered history of places. In addition to recognition of individual structures, such as the National Historic Landmark St. Mary's Church, the city has two historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with multiple contributing buildings: the Burlington Historic District includes structures from both the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is adjacent to the city's High Street Historic District.
The Oneida Clubhouse narrowly escaped demolition during the urban renewal campaign. It was saved and renovated. As the new esplanade was built on fill that added land between the building and river's edge, it created a landlocked clubhouse for the boat club.
Burlington Coat Factory was founded in 1924 as a wholesaler of ladies' coats and outerwear. The modern company was formed in 1972 when Monroe Milstein purchased a warehouse in the outskirts of the city of Burlington. He started selling coats and outerwear there at discount prices. The company gradually added other apparel, including suits, shoes, and accessories, and has branched out to include baby items and linens, all at discount prices. The company's corporate headquarters was moved from the city to Burlington Township in 1988. The Burlington Coat Factory relocated to a new store site in the fall of 2008.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 3.78 square miles (9.79 km2), including 3.06 square miles (7.93 km2) of land and 0.72 square miles (1.87 km2) of water (19.05%).
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the city include Burlington Island and East Burlington.
Burlington borders Burlington Township in Burlington County and both Bristol and Bristol Township across the Delaware River in Pennsylvania.
The Burlington-Bristol Bridge crosses the Delaware River, connecting Burlington to Bristol.
As of the 2020 census, Burlington had a population of 9,743. The median age was 39.2 years. 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.1 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 4,004 households in Burlington, of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 34.0% were married-couple households, 22.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 4,500 housing units, of which 11.0% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.9%.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Burlington, New Jersey”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.