Location of Fieldsboro in Burlington County highlighted in red (right). Inset map: Location of Burlington County in New Jersey highlighted in red (left).
Fieldsboro was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature as Fieldsborough on March 7, 1850, within portions of Mansfield Township. It separated from Bordentown Township as an independent municipality c. 1894.[20] The borough was named for the Field family, prominent early settlers in the area.[21][22]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 0.36 square miles (0.93 km2), including 0.28 square miles (0.72 km2) of land and 0.08 square miles (0.21 km2) of water (22.22%).[1][2]
Of the 206 households, 35.9% had children under the age of 18; 44.2% were married couples living together; 17.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 31.6% were non-families. Of all households, 23.8% 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 2.62 and the average family size was 3.13.[16]
25.0% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 92.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 91.9 males.[16]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $60,938 (with a margin of error of +/− $19,968) and the median family income was $67,500 (+/− $22,306). Males had a median income of $68,750 (+/− $47,669) versus $48,500 (+/− $14,355) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $30,284 (+/− $8,796). About none of families and 1.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.1% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.[33]
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census[13] there were 522 people, 189 households, and 138 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,921.0 inhabitants per square mile (741.7/km2). There were 204 housing units at an average density of 750.7 per square mile (289.8/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 81.61% White, 15.90% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.38% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.49% of the population.[31][32]
There were 189 households, out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples living together, 16.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 17.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.17.[31][32]
In the borough the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 38.3% from 25 to 44, 17.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.[31][32]
The median income for a household in the borough was $58,958, and the median income for a family was $66,607. Males had a median income of $41,932 versus $35,625 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $23,908. About 2.1% of families and 1.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.[31][32]
Government
Local government
Fieldsboro is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 (of the 564) municipalities statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey.[34] 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.[5] The borough form of government used by Fieldsboro 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.[35][36]
As of 2023[update], the mayor of Fieldsboro is Democrat David R. Hansell, whose term of office ends December 31, 2025. Members of the Borough Council are John Errigo (D, 2024; elected to serve an unexpired term), Richard Lynch (D, 2025), Charlene Lewis (D, 2023), Amy Telford (D, 2023; elected to serve an unexpired term), Timothy D. Tyler (R, 2024) and Rosemarie Weaver (D, 2025).[3][37][38][39]
In 2015, the borough disbanded its police force and reached an agreement with Bordentown City to provide police coverage in the borough as a shared service at a cost of $28,000 per year, less than half the cost to Fieldsboro for its three-man force.[40]
In February 2012, the council selected Jonathan Norcross to fill the vacancy on the borough council that had been created when David Hansell became mayor. Hansell had been appointed as mayor to fill the vacancy of Buddy Tyler following his death in November 2011.[41]
Burlington County's Constitutional Officers are:
Clerk Joanne Schwartz (D, Southampton Township, 2028)[62][63]
Sheriff James H. Kostoplis (D, Bordentown, 2025)[64][65] and
Surrogate Brian J. Carlin (D, Burlington Township, 2026).[66][67]
Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 350 registered voters in Fieldsboro, of which 183 (52.3% vs. 33.3% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 49 (14.0% vs. 23.9%) were registered as Republicans and 118 (33.7% vs. 42.8%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties.[68] Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 64.8% (vs. 61.7% in Burlington County) were registered to vote, including 86.4% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 80.3% countywide).[68][69]
In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 175 votes (66.5% vs. 58.1% countywide), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 79 votes (30.0% vs. 40.2%) and other candidates with 7 votes (2.7% vs. 1.0%), among the 263 ballots cast by the borough's 359 registered voters, for a turnout of 73.3% (vs. 74.5% in Burlington County).[70][71] In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 200 votes (66.0% vs. 58.4% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 90 votes (29.7% vs. 39.9%) and other candidates with 10 votes (3.3% vs. 1.0%), among the 303 ballots cast by the borough's 376 registered voters, for a turnout of 80.6% (vs. 80.0% in Burlington County).[72] In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 153 votes (57.5% vs. 52.9% countywide), ahead of Republican George W. Bush with 108 votes (40.6% vs. 46.0%) and other candidates with 4 votes (1.5% vs. 0.8%), among the 266 ballots cast by the borough's 362 registered voters, for a turnout of 73.5% (vs. 78.8% in the whole county).[73]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 90 votes (50.8% vs. 61.4% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 77 votes (43.5% vs. 35.8%) and other candidates with 6 votes (3.4% vs. 1.2%), among the 177 ballots cast by the borough's 360 registered voters, yielding a 49.2% turnout (vs. 44.5% in the county).[74][75] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 124 ballots cast (52.3% vs. 44.5% countywide), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 81 votes (34.2% vs. 47.7%), Independent Chris Daggett with 11 votes (4.6% vs. 4.8%) and other candidates with 8 votes (3.4% vs. 1.2%), among the 237 ballots cast by the borough's 363 registered voters, yielding a 65.3% turnout (vs. 44.9% in the county).[76]
Education
Students in public school for kindergarten through twelfth grade attend the schools of the Bordentown Regional School District, which also serves students from Bordentown City and Bordentown Township.[77][78] As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of five schools, had an enrollment of 2,373 students and 194.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.2:1.[79] Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[80]) are
Clara Barton Elementary School[81] with 235 students in grades K–2 (generally serves Bordentown City and the Holloway Meadows section of Bordentown Township),
Peter Muschal Elementary School[82] with 522 students in grades Pre-K–5 (generally serves remainder of Bordentown Township and the Borough of Fieldsboro),
MacFarland Intermediate School[83] with 243 students in grades 3–5,
Bordentown Regional Middle School[84] with 576 students in grades 6–8 and
Bordentown Regional High School[85] with 766 students in grades 9–12.[86][87][88] The district's board of education is comprised of nine members, who are elected directly by voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with three seats up for election each year.[89][90] The board's nine seats are allocated based on the population of the constituent municipalities, with one seat assigned to Fieldsboro.[91]
The New Hanover Township School District, consisting of New Hanover Township (including its Cookstown area) and Wrightstown Borough, sends students to Bordentown Regional High School on a tuition basis for grades 9–12 as part of a sending/receiving relationship that has been in place since the 1960s, with about 50 students from the New Hanover district being sent to the high school.[92][93] As of 2011, the New Hanover district was considering expansion of its relationship to send students to Bordentown for middle school for grades 6–8.[94]
Students from Fieldsboro, 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 Township.[95]
Transportation
Roads and highways
As of May 2010[update], the borough had a total of 3.31 miles (5.33 km) of roadways, of which 2.67 miles (4.30 km) were maintained by the municipality and 0.64 miles (1.03 km) by Burlington County.[96]
County Route 662 is the main road through Fieldsboro. No major county, state, U.S. or interstate passes through the borough. U.S. Route 130 is the closest major road to the borough. Other roads that are accessible in neighboring Bordentown Township are Interstate 295, U.S. Route 206 and the New Jersey Turnpike.
^Rojas, Cristina. "Small N.J. town votes to dissolve 3-man police force", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, September 10, 2015, updated January 17, 2019. Accessed October 17, 2019. "The Burlington County Times reports that the Fieldsboro Borough Council voted Wednesday to eliminate its 3-member police force and instead pay neighboring Bordentown City $28,000 annually to provide law enforcement."
^Bordentown Regional School District 2016 Report Card NarrativeArchived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed November 27, 2017. "Bordentown Regional School District is a vibrant learning community, proudly serving the communities of Fieldsboro, Bordentown City and Bordentown Township.... In addition to the three aforementioned communities, Bordentown Regional High School also welcomes students from New Hanover into its ninth-twelfth grade population."
^District Information, Bordentown Regional School District. Accessed May 4, 2022. "What communities make up the Regional School District? Our district is comprised of the Township of Bordentown, the City of Bordentown and the Borough of Fieldsboro. New Hanover Township sends students on a tuition basis grades 9-12.... There are five schools in the school district. There are two elementary schools serving students in full day kindergarten through grade 3; Clara Barton is located in Bordentown City, and Peter Muschal is located in Bordentown Township. MacFarland Intermediate School, located in Bordentown City, serves grades 4 & 5, while Bordentown Regional Middle School, located in Bordentown Township, serves grades 6, 7 & 8 and Bordentown Regional High School serves grades 9-12 and is located in Bordentown Township."
^Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Bordentown Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2018. Accessed February 7, 2020. "The Bordentown Regional School District (hereafter referred to as the 'District') is a Type II district located in the County of Burlington, State of New Jersey. As a Type II district, the School District functions independently through a Board of Education. The Board is comprised of nine members elected to three-year terms. These terms are staggered so that three members’ terms expire each year. The purpose of the District is to educate students in grades kindergarten through twelfth at its five schools."
^Board Members, Bordentown Regional School District. Accessed February 7, 2020.
^Government That Works; Opportunities For Change: The Report of the Bordentown Regional School District, New Jersey Department of the Treasury, September 1999. Accessed February 7, 2020. "The Bordentown Regional School District is composed of three municipalities, Bordentown Township (Township), Bordentown City (City) and Fieldsboro Borough (Borough). The school district is governed by a Board of Education consisting of five members from the Township, three from the City, and one from the Borough, and one non-voting member from the New Hanover Township District, which sends students in grades nine through twelve on a tuition basis."
^Zimmaro, Mark. "New Hanover School to decide on middle school proposal", Burlington County Times, March 11, 2011. Accessed October 1, 2014. "New Hanover — The township's school district will decide on Wednesday whether to enter an agreement with the Bordentown Regional School District for a send-receive agreement for middle school children. The district which serves New Hanover and Wrightstown, already sends its high school students to Bordentown Regional High School and district officials are trying to determine whether sending sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders to Bordentown Regional Middle School would be a feasible idea."
^"Rutgers Honors Defender Boone", Courier-Post, November 29, 1972. Accessed February 14, 2020. "Len Boone, Rutgers junior defensive halfback from Fieldsboro last night received the George C. Cronin Class of 1931 award as the Scarlet football team's 'most improved player' for the 1972 season. Boone, a 5-10, 175 pound Political Science major from Bordentown High School played little as a sophomore, but won a starting position early this season."
^The Crossleys: Archibald Crossley, Crossley Center for Public Opinion Research. Accessed May 23, 2021. "1896: Born in Fieldsboro, New Jersey"