Fairfield Township, Cumberland County, New Jersey
Fairfield Township is a township in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Vineland-Bridgeton metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Cumberland County for statistical purposes and which constitutes a part of the Delaware Valley. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 5,546, a decrease of 749 (−11.9%) from the 2010 census count of 6,295, which in turn reflected an increase of 12 (+0.2%) from the 6,283 counted in the 2000 census.
Fairfield Township, New Jersey | |
|---|---|
Township | |
Trinity African Methodist Episcopal Church | |
|
Seal | |
Location of Fairfield Township in Cumberland County highlighted in red (right). Inset map: Location of Cumberland County in New Jersey highlighted in red (left). | |
Census Bureau map of Fairfield Township, Cumberland County, New Jersey | |
Fairfield Township Location in Cumberland County Fairfield Township Location in New Jersey Fairfield Township Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 39.372316°N 75.238721°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Cumberland |
| Formed | May 12, 1697 |
| Incorporated | February 21, 1798 |
| Named for | Fairfield, Connecticut |
| Government | |
| • Type | Township |
| • Body | Township Committee |
| • Mayor | Marvin Pierce Jr. (D, term ends December 31, 2023) |
| • Administrator | Mike Burden |
| • Municipal clerk | Linda M. Gonzales |
| Area | |
| • Total | 43.82 sq mi (113.50 km2) |
| • Land | 41.12 sq mi (106.50 km2) |
| • Water | 2.70 sq mi (7.00 km2) 6.17% |
| • Rank | 45th of 565 in state 5th of 14 in county |
| Elevation | 16 ft (5 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 5,546 |
| • Estimate (2022) | 5,322 |
| • Rank | 363rd of 565 in state 6th of 14 in county |
| • Density | 134.9/sq mi (52.1/km2) |
| • Rank | 528th of 565 in state 9th of 14 in county |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT)) |
| ZIP Code | 08320 – Fairton |
| Area code | 856 exchange: 575 |
| FIPS code | 3401122350 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882059 |
| Website | www |
Fairfield Township was formed by Royal charter on May 12, 1697, from portions of the Cohansey Township area, while still part of Salem County, and was formed as a precinct in the newly created Cumberland County on January 19, 1748. It was incorporated on February 21, 1798, as one of the initial group of 104 townships in the state by an act of the New Jersey Legislature. Portions of the township were taken to form Downe Township (September 26, 1772), Millville Township (February 24, 1801) and Lawrence Township (February 17, 1885).
The name Fairfield refers to its original settlers, who were émigrés from Fairfield, Connecticut who settled in the area in 1697. The oldest Presbyterian church in South Jersey is said to date to June 1697. There is a plaque and an old cemetery which indicates the original log building. When it was first created as one of Cumberland County's original six townships, it included land that would later become Commercial Township, Downe Township, Lawrence Township and Millville.