In a front page article “Camden County population falls,” in the May 23, 2014, South Jersey edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer, it is reported that Camden County is the only Philadelphia-area county where population decreased from 2010 to 2013.
Of particular interest, of the top three municipalities that lost the most residents, Gloucester Township came in third with 337 fewer people living in the Township. This was behind the City of Camden with a loss of 441 and Washington Township with a loss of 436.
In the article, Kevin C. Gillen, an economist with the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government, is quoted as saying “Townships with good fundamentals remain good places to live … Since the recession, towns that have done well are accessible to public transit and to highways.”
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The statement about public transit and highways would seem to benefit Gloucester Township. After all, Route 42 runs directly through the Township and public transit is accessible through New Jersey Transit on the Black Horse Pike and the PATCO High-Speed Line is relatively close by in Lindenwold. Yet, Gloucester Township has not seen a rise in population, but, a decrease.
Now, the article does not break out if this loss was in the number of home owners or renters, but the fact remains that the Township currently doesn’t seem to be a desirable place to live for a number of people.
