Vol. 4, No. 3, March 2007
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Galloway Township
Amere 10-minute drive from Atlantic City between Routes 9 and 30 is the township of Galloway, home to fine area shopping, golf, wildlife, art, antiques and parks.
England’s King George III established the 111-square-mile Galloway Township in 1774. Its first settlers were Lenni-Lenape Indians, and later, European settlers. Due to its proximity to water, the township was a crucial shipping area during the Revolutionary War. Today, Galloway is a diverse community with strong values and development.
“Galloway Twp. is broken up into many towns, working from the west end over: South Egg Harbor, Cologne, Pomona, Smithville and Oceanville,” said Lisa Tilton, deputy township clerk. “Our township is made up of great miniature communities.”
Rich in history, Smithville consists of yearly festivals, bed-and-breakfast inns, a puppet theater and paddleboats. Most well-known in the little town are the Village Greene shops. Guests can walk cobblestone pathways as they explore over 60 unique specialty boutiques carrying goods from fresh pastries to authentic home collectibles. This year, Smithville will host St. Patrick’s Day festivities on March 12.
Across Route 9, Oceanville combines the beauty of nature and art as home to the Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge and Noyes Museum.
The Wildlife Refuge is 46,000 acres of protected coastal habitats for migratory birds, with both walking and driving trails to explore the South Jersey wildlife. While the best wildlife viewing occurs in the spring and fall, the refuge is known for white-tailed deer sightings year-round.
Nearby, the Noyes Museum of the Art, founded by Fred Noyes, an avid collector of vintage bird decoys, features national and local artists year-round in the four-exhibit gallery.
Galloway has strong community ties in addition to the township’s shopping and museums. Bringing several communities together, Galloway created an extensive community services department to provide dozens of local events.
“We are unique as a township because we do a ton of community activities,” says Beth Stasuk, director of Galloway Township Community Services. “With the support of local business, Galloway holds summer camp, sports programs, outdoor movies, concerts, carnivals and bus trips.”
The township is continually planning community activities and outings. Along with summer camp, carnivals and parades, the township runs 8-10 Broadway bus trips to New York City each year. Their next trip is to see the new musical comedy Curtains on May 23.
For those who can’t make the trip to the Big Apple, Galloway holds movies and concerts in the park at Patriot Lake. The park program was created in 2004 as a free event to bring the community together. For 2007, Galloway Twp. has four Friday-night concerts planned and five outside movie events, showing PG films with a side of fresh popcorn.
Continuing the outdoor events, the township is home to five golf courses—Renault Winery Golf Course, Seaview Marriott Resort, Galloway National Golf Course, Pomona Golf Course and Blue Heron Pines. Transferring to a swing of a different sort, the township of Galloway is home to five parks, playgrounds and a skate park.
Galloway Township is an ideal offshore town, bringing pastime favorites and families together all year long.
Municipal Complex Address 300 E. Jimmie Leeds Rd. Galloway Township, NJ 08201
Mayor: Thomas Bassford
Township Committee: William Ackerman, Mark Hanko, Richard Dase, Alan DeSimone, Dave Maxwell, Meg Worthington
Population: 31,209
Tax Rate: 3.369 (per $100)
Schools:
Oceanville School (K) Reeds Road School (1-6) Smithville School (1-6) Roland Rogers School (1-6) Pomona School (K) Cologne School (1-4) South Egg Harbor School (1-4) Arthur Rann Elementary School (1-6) Galloway Township Middle School (7-8) Absegami High School (9-12) Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
Fun Facts:
The township of Galloway has five volunteer fire companies and a volunteer ambulance squad.
Leeds Point in Galloway Twp. is rumored to be home of the Jersey Devil.
The township of Galloway has had over a 200 percent increase in population over the past 20 years. Galloway Twp. was ranked number 20 in growth among the 566 New Jersey municipalities.
Nearly 4,000 residents in Galloway Township are casino employees.
