Neighborhood in Willingboro, NJ

http://www.ricdigitalcommons.com/temp/4890.jpg

Dublin Core

Title

Neighborhood in Willingboro, NJ

Description

In 1954, William Levitt of Levitt & Sons, a leading residential firm, began purchasing property in Willingboro with the objective of building a residential community with few jobs and little commercial property so that the town's survival largely depended on property taxes. By 1956, Levitt had acquired 90% of the Township and began to develop Willingboro by planning eleven parks with approximately 1,200 homes each. In this plan, he built neighborhoods with mixed-value housing and donated an elementary school and public swimming pool to each park. In 1959, the Township, changed its name to Levittown, but the town was renamed to Willingboro in 1962. Not long after, Levitt & Sons left Willingboro, New Jersey and another developer completed the development of the Township.

As of 2016, the Township encompasses 7.8 square miles and is bordered by Route 120 on the north, Rancocas Creek on the west, Westampton Township on the south, and Burlington Township on the east. The population of Willingboro is approximately 34,000. There are 10,913 single-family homes, divided among twelve sections of the town and 763 townhouses concentrated in two areas, one senior housing complex containing 104 apartments, an apartment complex at the Town Center, and 166 commercial buildings as well as a number of pre-Levitt homes.

Pictured is a neighborhood of single-family homes near Rancocas Creek that cost up to $20,000 in 1970.

Creator

Chester Smolski

Date

1970-06-01

Rights

Rhode Island College

Format

Photograph

Identifier

4890

Smolski Image Item Type Metadata

Building Type

Single family dwelling

City

Willingboro Township

Country

United States of America

Region

New Jersey

Subject Creation Date

1959

Theme

New Towns