What happened to Willingboro, NJ??? (for sale, real estate, rent)
New Jersey Suburbs of PhiladelphiaBurlington County, Camden County, Gloucester County, Salem County in South Jersey
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I have been a resident in Willingboro since 1987. I've seen the good and only the good. I have met hard working people that love there homes. With great families, of all ethnicity , the school system does need some work. That being said it is no different than other community with issues. My family moved from Newark to Irvington in the 70's. Irvington had lots of race problems at the time, just like the rest of the country. When i moved to Willingboro i thought it was the greatest thing. Manicured lawns,great police force, lower taxes, friendly neighbors and finally an affordable home for my family. What problems? Compared to the horror we lived in the city, this was paradise. Please keep in mind gang activity exist in all 21 counties of NJ this is a fact. If you have race issues,this is probably, not the place for you to live, we want only humans here. The problem i have is why, when it is predominantly Black, it's Bad, the same exact model town exist in Levitttown Pa. Nothings ever heard negative about that town, I wonder why?
I have been a resident in Willingboro since 1987. I've seen the good and only the good. I have met hard working people that love there homes. With great families, of all ethnicity , the school system does need some work. That being said it is no different than other community with issues. My family moved from Newark to Irvington in the 70's. Irvington had lots of race problems at the time, just like the rest of the country. When i moved to Willingboro i thought it was the greatest thing. Manicured lawns,great police force, lower taxes, friendly neighbors and finally an affordable home for my family. What problems? Compared to the horror we lived in the city, this was paradise. Please keep in mind gang activity exist in all 21 counties of NJ this is a fact. If you have race issues,this is probably, not the place for you to live, we want only humans here. The problem i have is why, when it is predominantly Black, it's Bad, the same exact model town exist in Levitttown Pa. Nothings ever heard negative about that town, I wonder why?
I have been a resident in Willingboro since 1987. I've seen the good and only the good. I have met hard working people that love there homes. With great families, of all ethnicity , the school system does need some work. That being said it is no different than other community with issues. My family moved from Newark to Irvington in the 70's. Irvington had lots of race problems at the time, just like the rest of the country. When i moved to Willingboro i thought it was the greatest thing. Manicured lawns,great police force, lower taxes, friendly neighbors and finally an affordable home for my family. What problems? Compared to the horror we lived in the city, this was paradise. Please keep in mind gang activity exist in all 21 counties of NJ this is a fact. If you have race issues,this is probably, not the place for you to live, we want only humans here. The problem i have is why, when it is predominantly Black, it's Bad, the same exact model town exist in Levitttown Pa. Nothings ever heard negative about that town, I wonder why?
That's not true at all. Levittown has been stereotyped as declining/white trash for years
Even at its peak, Levittown, PA had a relatively modest (though certainly visible) Jewish community. Willingboro I know less about, but I highly doubt Jews were flocking there either, however Hebraic the Levitts themselves may have been.
I grew up in Willingboro so I know some of its history. Willingboro actually had plenty of Jews and even two synagogues: Temple Emanuel and I do not recall the name of the other but it was on Beverly-Rancocas Road -- both synagogues are now churches. It is true that Jews left Willingboro for towns like Cherry Hill (as my Jewish neighbors did in the early 80s), but that followed "White flight" when Jews began moving into Willingboro.
William Levitt was quite despicable; his target market was WWII veterans and active duty personnel stationed at McGuire AFB and Fort Dix, which had access to VA loans to buy houses. These folks were overwhelmingly white males. It's abhorrent to think that Levitt had a charter to prevent blacks and Jews (especially since he was Jewish) from buying homes in Levittown (renamed Willingboro in 1962 to reflect the region's colonial name of Wellingborough and the town's name before Levitt changed it). In 1959, he refused sell to W.R. James, a black army officer, but eventually lost in NJ Supreme Court (Township History - The Township of Willingboro New Jersey). He even skimped on skilled labor by doing things such as hiring high school and college kids, home for the summer, to run the wiring in hundreds of homes. Nearly all -- if not all -- circuit breaker boxes were installed upside down so the wires would not have to be fed through the bottom. The upside placement allowed the feed to go through the new "top" of the boxes, which was a significant cost savings. To this day, in some homes the boxes still have the GE label upside to prove this point.
I grew up in Willingboro so I know some of its history. Willingboro actually had plenty of Jews and even two synagogues: Temple Emanuel and I do not recall the name of the other but it was on Beverly-Rancocas Road -- both synagogues are now churches. It is true that Jews left Willingboro for towns like Cherry Hill (as my Jewish neighbors did in the early 80s), but that followed "White flight" when Jews began moving into Willingboro.
William Levitt was quite despicable; his target market was WWII veterans and active duty personnel stationed at McGuire AFB and Fort Dix, which had access to VA loans to buy houses. These folks were overwhelmingly white males. It's abhorrent to think that Levitt had a charter to prevent blacks and Jews (especially since he was Jewish) from buying homes in Levittown (renamed Willingboro in 1962 to reflect the region's colonial name of Wellingborough and the town's name before Levitt changed it). In 1959, he refused sell to W.R. James, a black army officer, but eventually lost in NJ Supreme Court (Township History - The Township of Willingboro New Jersey). He even skimped on skilled labor by doing things such as hiring high school and college kids, home for the summer, to run the wiring in hundreds of homes. Nearly all -- if not all -- circuit breaker boxes were installed upside down so the wires would not have to be fed through the bottom. The upside placement allowed the feed to go through the new "top" of the boxes, which was a significant cost savings. To this day, in some homes the boxes still have the GE label upside to prove this point.
Since making that post, I have learned that Willingboro was the center of Burlington County's Jewish community in the '60s and '70s. It was never distinctly Jewish like Cherry Hill, but it was around a healthy 10% circa. 1970 (which you think would be better-documented). I heard the outward migration was mostly to Marlton and Mt. Laurel, which themselves are close to 10% Jewish these days, though I don't doubt significant numbers ventured to Camden County as well.
And yes, William Levitt was an awful person. I read that he cut off financial support to the town when it changed its name back to Willingboro.
I have been a resident of Willingboro since 1963. I have seen the decline in the schools the white flight, the gang affiliations, etc... It appears to me that the whole town standard has dropped. People used to have respect for this town. Now it's just another "ghetto" community. I also see the future of this town on the upswing. So if people would put the same energy improving the town as they do tearing it apart, it could become much better than it ever was in the past.
Question for any of you familiar with pre-1970 Willingboro: did the store (now a Big Lots) next to the now-closed Pathmark start as an Arlan's? I know a Rickel was there a very long time but Arlan's would have been even earlier.
I don't remember Arlan's I always thought it was Rickel and Pathmark in the beginning. I was too young at that time. I remember the KFC was Gino's and Kings Department Store across from the plaza. Sears at Willingboro Plaza had an auto shop separate from the main plaza against Rte 130. A&P Grocery Store sat where the Goodwill complex sits now. I remember seeing Santa at the Plaza. It also had a nice fountain in the middle of it. Burger Chef sat next to Howard Johnson's restaurant. The police station burned down and it was temporarily relocated in the house next to mine on Hampton Lane. Willingboro Pkwy was still a dirt road behind my house because they were still building it. Garfield North, Garfield East, Fairmount Park and Twin Hills weren't built yet. Neither was Memorial Jr High or Willingboro High School for that matter. I knew Charles VanSciver. He planted some of the trees in my back yard when he was recreation director. And I grew up with the Fishers of Fisher Seafood. I went to school with their son Brad. I295 wasn't built yet. The little dead end right after the Bridge St Bridge used to run straight into Rancocas Woods which had neat little shops like Terry's Shoe Barn. Leaving Willingboro towards Westampton via Levitt Parkway you could buy fresh eggs at a little house on the left. Holiday Lake was a good place with a lake, a swimming pool, food stand, mini golf, and picnic area. Olympia Lake was right across the street. The skating rink was adjacent to the lake property. And don't forget the drive in theater.
Thanks so much jaxinvt. It seems Willingboro has turned into a retail graveyard. Before the current Acme opened, at least two earlier Acme stores in town closed. The A&P was for many years afterward a very nice Super Fresh, but it closed when the current Acme opened... that was in 1994, but the store wasn't remodeled at all until 2014! The ShopRite in town was a Shop N Bag originally. Unfortunately the King's never became an Ames like most King's did, but the Clover in Cinnaminson did. And behind the Howard Johnson's in Willingboro/Burlington was a Jamesway that opened in the early 70's but closed in the early 80's and is now offices. I wonder why this store couldn't even make it to 1995, when the chain folded.
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