Atco, New Jersey

Atco is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP)[7] in Waterford Township in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[8] It is part of the Philadelphia-Camden metropolitan area, located 16 miles (26 km) southeast of Camden. Though generally considered part of Waterford Township, a small section of the southern edge of Atco is located in Winslow Township.[9][10]

Atco, New Jersey
Census-designated place
Atco is located in Camden County, New Jersey
Atco
Atco
Location in Camden County
Atco is located in New Jersey
Atco
Atco
Location in New Jersey
Atco is located in the United States
Atco
Atco
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 39°46′11″N 74°53′15″W
Country United States
State New Jersey
CountyCamden
TownshipWaterford
Elevation
[1]
45 m (148 ft)
Population
 (2020 census)[2][3]
 • Total9,058
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code
08004[4][5]
Area code856
FIPS code34-02020[6]
GNIS feature ID2806228[1]

Atco was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census[1] with a population of 9,058.[11]

Atco was the home of the Atco Raceway,[12][13] and served as the location for the movie Eddie and the Cruisers. In 2005, an episode of Viva La Bam was shot at the raceway. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 08004.[4]

History

Atco's name originates from the Atlantic Transport Company, although alternative origins have been proposed, including an indigenous term meaning "Land of many deer."[14] The Atlantic Transport Company of West Virginia placed a substantial order for four large ships with the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, located in Camden, New Jersey, between 1902 and 1903. This event may have contributed to the adoption of the name "Atco" around that time.

Camden and Atlantic Railroad was founded in 1854; it crossed the Pinelands from Camden to Atlantic City. The Raritan and Delaware Bay Railroad was established soon after, linking Atco to communities such as Toms River, Waretown, Atsion and Vineland.

The story of the Atco Ghost is popular in Atco. Legend has it that a young boy was killed by a drunk driver while chasing a ball, and his ghost can now be seen playing on Burnt Mill Road, the same street where the accident occurred, after a motorist honks their horn.[15]

Geography

The town is at the western edge of Wharton State Forest and the Pine Barrens. Atco Lake is a 30 acres (12 ha) lake in Atco.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Atco has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[16]

Education

Atco was the site of Assumption School, an elementary school that operated under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden until it was closed at the end of the 2012–13 school year.[17]

Atco public schools, operated by Waterford Township School District, serve K-6 grade. Atco Elementary (grades to K-1), Thomas Richards Elementary (grades 2–3) and Waterford Elementary (grades 4–6) serve students from Atco. Junior high school and high school students from Atco are served by Hammonton Public Schools or parochial schools of their choice.

Transportation
Atco station, which is served by NJ Transit's Atlantic City Line

Atco has a train station on the Atlantic City Line, which is operated by NJ Transit. The station is accessible from Route 73 and the White Horse Pike (U.S. Route 30).[18]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
20209,058—
U.S. Decennial Census[19]
2020[20]

2020 census
Atco CDP, New Jersey - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2020[20] % 2020
White alone (NH) 7,511 82.92%
Black or African American alone (NH) 471 5.20%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 10 0.11%
Asian alone (NH) 128 1.41%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 0 0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 43 0.47%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 342 3.78%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 553 6.11%
Total 9,058 100.00%

    Notable people

    People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Atco include:

    References
    1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Atco Census Designated Place
    2. QuickFacts Atco CDP, New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 16, 2023.
    3. P1. Population by Race and Hispanic or Latino Origin Census Designated Places Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 Redistricting Data, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed June 15, 2023.
    4. Look Up a ZIP Code for Atco, NJ, United States Postal Service. Accessed July 31, 2012.
    5. Zip Codes, State of New Jersey. Accessed August 27, 2013.
    6. Geographic Codes Lookup for New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed June 9, 2023.
    7. State of New Jersey Census Designated Places - BVP20 - Data as of January 1, 2020, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 1, 2022.
    8. Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed June 9, 2016.
    9. Gargan, Guy. "Local bowling: Kevin Voss rolls his first perfect game en route to 796 series in Hammonton" in The Press of Atlantic City, April 18, 2011. Accessed November 15, 2013.
    10. McCullen, Sean. "Police: Citizen Tip Nets Drug, Weapon Charges" in Gloucester Township Patch, November 6, 2011. Accessed November 15, 2013.
    11. "Atco CDP, New Jersey". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
    12. Moran, Robert (July 18, 2023). "Atco Dragway abruptly announces permanent shutdown after 63 years". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
    13. Rollins, Chris (July 18, 2023). "BREAKING: Atco Dragway Closed for Good After 63 Years". New Jersey 101.5. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
    14. Beck, Henry Charlton. "Jersey Genesis: The Story of the Mullica River", via Google Books, p. 291. "More pertinent to us is the fact that Atco, in the same neighborhood, took its name from the Atlantic Transportation Company..."
    15. Rose, Lisa. "Creepy New Jersey: The stuff of legends", The Star-Ledger, April 13, 2012. Accessed July 31, 2012. "The Atco Ghost is Jersey's most dutiful apparition, a specter that appears when drivers honk three times on Burnt Mill Road in the Pine Barrens. The legend is that a boy darted into the street chasing a ball and was struck by a drunken driver."
    16. Climate Summary for Atco, New Jersey
    17. Laday, Jason. "Fuming parents question whereabouts of $340K after closure of Atco Catholic school", South Jersey Times, May 10, 2013. Accessed December 6, 2016. "There is a serious lack of trust, and $340,000, at Assumption School in Atco. The Diocese of Camden’s decision in February to close the school at the end of this academic year has caused a wave of anger and accusations from parents and other supporters, who have since cried fraud over the apparent disappearance of hundreds of thousands of dollars they say they have raised over the last two and a half years in order to keep the school going."
    18. Atco Station Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, NJ Transit. Accessed March 29, 2016.
    19. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". US Census Bureau.
    20. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Atco CDP, New Jersey". United States Census Bureau.
    21. Johnson, Brent. "How N.J. native Conway got Trump over the finish line", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 9, 2016. Accessed November 9, 2016. "Conway, who grew up in the Atco section of Waterford Township in Camden County, was hired in August, at a time when Trump was suffering from gaffes and drooping poll numbers."
    22. Rey Ramsey, The History Makers. Accessed September 10, 2015. "Lawyer and Chief Executive Officer of One Economy Corporation Rey Ramsey was born Reynard Ramsey on September 10, 1960, in Lower Marion Township, Pennsylvania. At the age of five, Ramsey and his family moved to a predominantly white neighborhood in Atco, New Jersey, where he attended grammar and high school."
    23. Staff. "Ex-wrestler 'Superfly' Snuka charged in girlfriend's 1983 death", Courier-Post, September 1, 2015. Accessed May 5, 2016. "A native of the Fiji Islands, Snuka has been living in South Jersey off and on since the 1980s, in Cherry Hill with his second wife and now in Atco."
    24. Sally Starr, Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia. Accessed September 2, 2015. "Sally was instrumental in the resurrection of the "Wilson Line Show Cruises." She was a survivor, having had a heart attack in 1993. She lived in her home in Atco, New Jersey."
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