Collingswood

History

The land in what is present day Collingswood was originally inhabited by Lenape Native Americans. Quakers from England and Ireland settled along Newton Creek and Cooper River in the late 17th century, establishing what was known as the Newton Colony and eventually Newton Township. Much of what is now Collingswood was a farm owned by members of the Collings family during the 18th and 19th centuries. Later a section of Haddon Township, Collingswood was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 22, 1888, based on the results of a referendum held that same day. That same year, town resident Edward Collings Knight, a wealthy sugar, real estate and railroad magnate, donated the land that became Knight Park. Knight was a descendant of the Collings family for whom the borough is named. Collingswood has several historic homes including the 1820s-era house of the Collings family, known as the Collings-Knight homestead, which stands at the corner of Browning Road and Collings Avenue, shadowed by the Parkview at Collingswood apartment homes. The Stokes-Lees mansion located in the 600 block of Lees Avenue dates back to 1707, making it one of the oldest houses in Camden County. Sections of Harleigh Cemetery, the location of poet Walt Whitman's tomb, are in Collingswood.

Geography

Collingswood is located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, east of Philadelphia and southwest of Trenton, the state capital of New Jersey. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.95 square miles (5.04 km2), including 1.83 square miles (4.74 km2) of land and 0.12 square miles (0.30 km2) of water (5.90%). Collingswood shares land borders with Camden, Cherry Hill, Haddon Township, Oaklyn, Pennsauken Township and Woodlynne. The Cooper River serves as the northern border of Collingswood and Newton Creek as the southern border.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  87,228
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  85,701
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  65,697
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  64,656
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  62,205
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  56,806
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  56,733
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  56,649

Largest nearby schools

• Mastery Schools of Camden Inc.
  Other · Camden · 2,880 students · 13.9:1 ratio
• Camden's Promise Charter School
  Other · Camden · 2,363 students · 11.3:1 ratio
• Cherry Hill High School East
  High · CHERRY HILL · 2,087 students · 14.7:1 ratio
• KIPP: Cooper Norcross A New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation
  Other · Camden · 2,026 students · 19.1:1 ratio
• Eastern Regional High School
  High · VOORHEES · 1,933 students · 13.6:1 ratio
• Leap Academy University Charter School
  Other · CAMDEN · 1,557 students · 14.7:1 ratio
• Pennsauken High School
  High · PENNSAUKEN · 1,530 students · 14.9:1 ratio
• Cherry Hill High School West
  High · CHERRY HILL · 1,355 students · 12.8:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2024-05-24
  6 km E of Califon, New Jersey
• M 2.6 — 2024-05-01
  1 km NW of Gladstone, New Jersey
• M 2.9 — 2024-04-27
  7 km WSW of Gladstone, New Jersey
• M 2.6 — 2024-04-10
  5 km WSW of Gladstone, New Jersey
• M 3.7 — 2024-04-05
  7 km WSW of Gladstone, New Jersey
• M 2.6 — 2024-04-05
  6 km ESE of Califon, New Jersey