Beverly, New Jersey
Beverly is a city in Burlington County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 2,499, a decrease of 78 from the 2010 census count of 2,577, which in turn had reflected a decline of 84 from the 2,661 counted in the 2000 census. The city and all of Burlington County constitute a part of the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden combined statistical area and the Delaware Valley.
Beverly was originally incorporated as a borough on March 5, 1850, within Willingboro Township. Beverly was incorporated as a city by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 13, 1857, replacing Beverly borough, based on the results of a referendum held that day. Beverly Township, formed in 1859, co-existed alongside Beverly City and was renamed as Delanco Township in 1926. The borough was named for Beverley, England.
The city had the 15th-highest property tax rate in New Jersey, with an equalized rate of 4.550% in 2020, compared to 2.676% in the county as a whole and a statewide average of 2.279%.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 0.76 square miles, including 0.54 square miles of land and 0.21 square miles of water.Beverly borders Delanco Township and Edgewater Park in Burlington County; and Bensalem Township across the Delaware River in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Demographics
2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 2,577 people, 1,002 households, and 671 families in the city. The population density was. There were 1,086 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup was 61.66% White, 29.88% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.78% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 2.68% from other races, and 4.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.16% of the population.Of the 1,002 households, 28.4% had children under the age of 18; 38.3% were married couples living together; 23.3% had a female householder with no husband present and 33.0% were non-families. Of all households, 26.4% were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.10.
23.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 30.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 90.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 87.5 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that median household income was $51,964 and the median family income was $61,058. Males had a median income of $47,738 and females $40,833. The per capita income was $30,364. About 14.1% of families and 15.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.6% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.
2000 census
At the 2000 United States census, there were 2,661 people, 960 households and 694 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 1,042 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 64.67% White, 28.75% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.90% Asian, 1.43% from other races, and 4.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.58% of the population.There were 960 households, of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 22.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.23.
28.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.
The median household income was $45,054 and the median family income was $49,519. Males had a median income of $35,954 and females $23,836. The per capita income was $17,760. About 8.5% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.9% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Local government
Beverly is governed under the City form of New Jersey municipal government. The city is one of 15 municipalities statewide that use this traditional form of government. The governing body is comprised of an elected mayor and a five-member elected city council who are chosen at-large on a partisan basis to serve four-year terms of office as part of the November general election, with either two or three seats coming up for election in odd-numbered years. Responsibilities of the governing body include all executive and legislative functions., the Mayor of the City of Beverly is Democrat Randy H. Miller Sr., whose term of office ends December 31, 2027. Members of the Beverly Common Council are Council President Robert H. Bancroft, Council President Pro-Tem Bernardine Williams, Riccardo D. Dale, Robert E. Lowden Jr. and Kelsey Snively.
Luis Crespo was appointed by the council in December 2012 to fill the vacant seat of Scott Perkins. In the November 2013 general election, Republican Mark Schwedes defeated Crespo to win the remaining two years of the unexpired term.
Federal, state and county representation
Beverly is located in the 3rd Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 7th state legislative district.Education
The Beverly City Schools serve students in public school for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade at Beverly City School. As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 353 students and 36.0 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 9.8:1.For ninth through twelfth grades, students in public school from Beverly and Riverton attend Palmyra High School in Palmyra, as part of sending/receiving relationships with the Palmyra Public Schools. As of the 2022–23 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 388 students and 34.3 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 11.3:1.
Students from Beverly, 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.
Transportation
Roads and highways
, the city had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality and by Burlington County.County Route 543 is the most prominent roadway in Beverly.
Public transportation
The Beverly/Edgewater Park station provides service between the Trenton Transit Center in Trenton and the Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden on NJ Transit's River Line light rail system.NJ Transit provides bus service on route 419 between Burlington and Camden.
BurLink bus service is offered on the B1 route and on the B2 route.
Points of interest
- Beverly National Cemetery was created in 1863 with the purchase of a single acre of land and was expanded five times from 1936 to 1951, before being added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
- St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, consecrated by the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey in 1837, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. The church, which celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2012, had its tower and steeple renovated at a cost of $450,000 raised from parish members and local organizations.
Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Beverly include:- Grace Alekhine, artist and chess master
- Eleanor Bisbee, journalist, Universalist minister, philosopher and college professor
- Sam Calderone, Major League Baseball catcher who played for three seasons
- John Lowden Knight, professor, university administrator, and a Methodist theologian
- A. Merritt, author best known for his fantasy works
- Barney Schultz, pitcher who played in the Major Leagues for the St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers, and Chicago Cubs
- James F. Scott, physicist and research director at the Cavendish Laboratory