Buena, New Jersey
Buena is a borough in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The borough, and all of Atlantic County, is part of South Jersey and the Atlantic City-Hammonton metropolitan statistical area, which in turn is included in the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden combined statistical area and the Delaware Valley.
As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,501, a decrease of 102 from the 2010 census count of 4,603, which in turn reflected an increase of 730 from the 3,873 counted in the 2000 census.
History
was a land developer who was the driving force behind the creation of Hammonton and Vineland. Landis also had a hand in establishing other small communities, including Landisville, in Buena Borough. He planned to make it county seat of a new county called Landis County, which would incorporate land from the surrounding counties. However, the locals were against this, and began calling him "King Landis".Buena was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on September 1, 1948, from portions of Buena Vista Township. The borough was reincorporated on May 18, 1949. The borough derives its name from Buena Vista Township, which in turn was named for the 1847 Battle of Buena Vista during the Mexican–American War.
In 1979, local resident Madeline Barrale authored a 115-page book illustrating the borough's history. Buena Borough celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1999 with the 1st Annual "Buena Day" at Bruno Melini Park. In 2002, the St. Padre Pio Shrine was erected by Italian-American farmers in the Landisville section of Buena and has attracted what was described by The New York Times as a "steady stream of Catholics" who come to pray at the site.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 7.57 square miles, including 7.57 square miles of land and <0.01 square miles of water.Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Landisville and Minotola, each of which had postal facilities established with those names in 1871 and 1897, respectively.
The borough borders the municipalities of Buena Vista Township in Atlantic County; Vineland in Cumberland County; and Franklin Township in Gloucester County.
The borough 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, that has been classified as a United States Biosphere Reserve and established by Congress in 1978 as the nation's first National Reserve. Part of the borough is included in the state-designated Pinelands Area, which includes portions of Atlantic County, along with areas in Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Ocean counties.
Unexpected Road was named the seventh wackiest street name according to a 2006 poll by Car Connection website.
Demographics
2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 4,603 people, 1,723 households, and 1,160 families in the borough. The population density was. There were 1,855 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup was 73.50% White, 9.43% Black or African American, 0.74% Native American, 1.78% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 11.62% from other races, and 2.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 29.42% of the population.Of the 1,723 households, 30.7% had children under the age of 18; 43.6% were married couples living together; 17.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 32.7% were non-families. Of all households, 27.5% were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.23.
24.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.4 years. For every 100 females, the population had 92.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 88.3 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that median household income was $53,060 and the median family income was $60,398. Males had a median income of $47,439 versus $35,700 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $23,044. About 8.2% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.6% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census there were 3,873 people, 1,454 households, and 978 families residing in the borough. The population density was. There were 1,553 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the borough was 77.28% White, 7.64% African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 10.53% from other races, and 3.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.65% of the population.As of the 2000 Census, 33.5% of Buena residents were of Italian ancestry, the 22nd-highest percentage of any municipality in the United States and ninth-highest in New Jersey, among all places with more than 1,000 residents identifying their ancestry.
There were 1,454 households, out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $35,679, and the median income for a family was $44,352. Males had a median income of $37,985 versus $23,788 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $16,717. About 11.8% of families and 18.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.1% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Local government
Buena Borough is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey. The governing body is comprised of a mayor and a borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle. The borough form of government used by Buena is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.Federal, state and county representation
Buena is located in the 2nd Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 4th state legislative district.Politics
As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 2,771 registered voters in Buena, of which 593 were registered as Democrats, 764 were registered as Republicans and 1,414 were registered as Unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties. Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 60.2% were registered to vote, including 80.2% of those ages 18 and over.Education
Students in public school for pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Buena Borough attend the Buena Regional School District, together with students from Buena Vista Township. Students are sent to the district's high school, Buena Regional High School, for grades 9–12 from both Estell Manor City and Weymouth Township as part of sending/receiving relationships with the respective school districts.As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of five schools, had an enrollment of 1,691 students and 150.0 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 11.3:1. Schools in the district are
Collings Lakes Elementary School with 197 students in grades K-2,
John C. Milanesi Elementary School with 259 students in grades PreK-2,
Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School with 309 students in grades 3–5,
Buena Regional Middle School with 336 students in grades 6-8 and
Buena Regional High School with 535 students in grades 9–12.
Borough public school students are also eligible to attend the Atlantic County Institute of Technology in the Mays Landing section of Hamilton Township or the Charter-Tech High School for the Performing Arts, located in Somers Point.
Edgarton Christian Academy is a non-denominational Christian K–8 school established in 2012. it leases a space in Newfield in Gloucester County, though it has plans to move to Buena. When the 76-student The Ellison School in Vineland closed in December 2019, 25 of them moved to Edgarton. The school is building a permanent building on a property in Buena.
Notre Dame Regional School of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden had one of its two campuses in Landisville, with the other in Newfield. The school closed in 2012. It had 270 students at the time of closure. That year remnants of the school formed the non-Catholic Edgarton Christian Academy. 263 of the former Notre Dame students moved to Edgarton.