Part of the township 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.Įgg Harbor Township includes the unincorporated communities of Bargaintown (the township's seat of government), Cardiff, English Creek, Farmington, Scullville (formerly known as Jeffers), Steelmanville and West Atlantic City, as well as part of McKee City. The township 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 1,100,000 acres (450,000 ha), that has been classified as a United States Biosphere Reserve and established by Congress in 1978 as the nation's first National Reserve. Portions of the township, notably the West Atlantic City and Anchorage Poynte areas, are not contiguous to the main body of the municipality, having been separated from the mainland portion of the township as municipalities were formed, largely since the boroughitis phenomenon in the 1890s. GeographyĪccording to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 74.934 square miles (194.077 km 2), including 66.598 square miles (172.488 km 2) of land and 8.336 square miles (21.590 km 2or 11.12%). Since 1837, ten municipalities have separated from the original Egg Harbor Township, including Atlantic City (1854), Absecon (1872), South Atlantic City (now Margate) (1885), Somers Point (1886), Pleasantville (1888), Linwood (1889), Longport (1898), Brigantine (1903), Ventnor (1903) and Northfield (1905). In 1837, Atlantic County was set apart from Gloucester County and the Townships were Egg Harbor, Galloway, Hamilton and Weymouth. At that time Great Egg Harbor encompassed all of present-day Atlantic County. In 1710, by an Act of the Legislature, legal boundaries of Gloucester County were set from the Delaware River, along the Burlington County line to the sea and back up the Great Egg Harbor River to the Delaware River. In 1694 a law was passed that read 'forasmuch as there are families settled upon the Egg Harbor, and of right ought to be under some jurisdiction, be it enacted by the authority aforesaid that the inhabitants of the said Egg Harbor shall and do belong to the jurisdiction of Gloucester.' Great Egg Harbor was originally part of Gloucester County. The first residents of what would become Egg Harbor Township were the Lenni Lenape Native Americans, who would spend their summers on the elevated land around the cedar swamp that is now Bargaintown Lake, as well as along the banks of Patcong Creek, where they made use of the abundant fish, shellfish, wild berries, and bird's eggs in the area and collected shells that could be carved to make wampum. The meadows were so covered with shorebird and waterfowl eggs that he called it 'Eieren Haven' (Egg Harbor).

In 1614, Mey came upon the inlet to the Great Egg Harbor River. Great Egg Harbor got its name from Dutch explorer Cornelius Jacobsen Mey. Over the ensuing centuries, portions of the township were taken to create many new municipalities: Hamilton Township on FebruAtlantic City on Absecon on South Atlantic City (now Margate City) on SeptemPleasantville on JanuLinwood on FebruSomers Point on ApLongport on MaVentnor City on Maand Northfield on March 21, 1905. On February 21, 1798, the area was incorporated as Egg-Harbour Township. Additional portions were taken to form Weymouth Township on February 12, 1798.

Portions of the township were taken to form Galloway Township, which was established by Royal charter on April 4, 1774.

The township's western boundary was established on May 13, 1761, with the area called Great Egg-Harbour Township. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 43,323, reflecting an increase of 12,597 (+41.0%) from the 30,726 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 6,182 (+25.2%) from the 24,544 counted in the 1990 Census.Įgg Harbor Township was first mentioned as part of Gloucester County in records dating back to March 20, 1693, and at times was called New Weymouth. Egg Harbor Township is a township in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States.

Egg harbor township