Cherry Hill is a township within Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As a suburb of Philadelphia, the township is part of South Jersey and the Philadelphia metropolitan area.Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD Combined Statistical Area, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 28, 2023. Cherry Hill grew during the mid-20th century suburbanization, becoming one of the Delaware Valley's main commercial centers, including the Cherry Hill Mall.Cassell, Andrew. "Andrew Cassel column", The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 29, 2005. "A bunch of outlets cluster in Center City, with the rest scattered between the Main Line, Chestnut Hill and our 'edge city' suburbs from King of Prussia to Cherry Hill."Stansfield, Charles A. A Geography of New Jersey: The City in the Garden, p. 258. Rutgers University Press, 1998. . Accessed September 4, 2015. "An example of Joel Garreau's edge city, Cherry Hill has regional mall and office complexes that have helped this suburban area to attract more central-place functions than Camden, the nearby old-core city." As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 74,553.

History The area now known as Cherry Hill was originally settled by the Lenni-Lenape Native Americans before being displaced by the first settlers from England, namely Quaker followers of William Penn who arrived in the late 17th century.History of the Farmstead , Cherry Hill Township. Accessed September 4, 2015.

The first settlement was a small cluster of homes named Colestown, in the perimeters of what is now the Colestown Cemetery on the corner of Route 41 (King's Highway) and Church Road. The municipality was incorporated on February 25, 1844, at a town meeting as part of Gloucester County as Delaware Township from half of the area of Waterford Township and became part of Camden County at its creation some two weeks later on March 13, 1844.Snyder, John P.The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. Accessed May 1, 2026. Portions of the township were taken to form Stockton Township (February 23, 1859) and Merchantville (March 3, 1874). At its territorial peak, Delaware Township included all of modern-day Cherry Hill, as well as the neighborhood of North Camden and the municipalities of Merchantville and Pennsauken Township (including Petty's Island in the Delaware River).

Ellisburg, named for the Ellis family who settled the area, served as the social and political hub of Delaware Township. Now located at the intersection of King's Highway and Route 70, Ellisburg grew to include a general store, a blacksmith, residential homes and a tavern. The tavern, founded by Isaac Ellis, would later be bought by John Ilg and renamed the Ellisburg Inn. The inn became a popular stagecoach shop until 1881, when the railroad between Philadelphia and Medford was completed. Ellisburg was also the home of Delaware Township's first school, the Ellisburg School, which was built in 1831. The school also hosted town meetings until 1885, when the first town hall was built. The inn, general store and school were demolished in 1938 to make room for the Ellisburg traffic circle.

Large family farms grew around Delaware Township in the 19th century, supplied by Haddonfield, Merchantville, Colestown and Ellisburg, and powered by mills such as the Kay-Evans mill at present-day Croft Farm. Much of the produce was grown for the Campbell's Soup company in Camden.

The township's population and economy boomed after World War II and continued to increase until the 1980s. Today, the municipality's population is stable, with new development generally occurring in pockets of custom luxury houses or through the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of commercial and industrial areas.

Origin of the name Cherry Hill was a 19th-century farm on Kaighn Avenue (Route 38), owned by Capt. Abraham M. Browning. The farm property, named Cherry Hill because of the cherry trees growing on the property, later became the Cherry Hill Inn (now an AMC Theatres Cherry Hill 24 movie theater complex), as well as an RCA office campus (now a shopping center with big-box retailers and Target), and today's Cherry Hill Towers and Cherry Hill Estates housing developments.History, Cherry Hill Township. Accessed September 4, 2015.

Adding to the prevalence of the Cherry Hill name and leading to the official name change from Delaware Township to Cherry Hill Township, developer Eugene Mori branded several properties using the name, starting with the Cherry Hill Inn and Cherry Hill Lodge hotels.Cady, Steve. "Eugene Mori, 77, Track's Founder; Garden State Owner Dead Had Hialeah Interests", The New York Times, October 9, 1975. Accessed September 4, 2015. Cherry Hill Shopping Center (now known as Cherry Hill Mall) opened in 1961 opposite the old Cherry Hill Farm site, featuring 75 stores within a single enclosed space."New Suburb Rises At Philadelphia; 500 Acres Being Developed in Jersey for industries and a Colony of Homes Shop Center Planned Design Is a Blend Dual Baths Provided", The New York Times, October 7, 1956. Accessed October 20, 2021. "An ambitious glen to create a fully integrated suburb of Philadelphia, to include industry shopping and recreation areas apartment houses and private homes, has been undertaken or a 500-acre tract in the Delaware Valley of New Jersey."Moser, Nick. "The Passing Parade", Reading Eagle, December 20, 1961. Accessed July 17, 2011. "We, too, paid a visit to the Cherry Hill Shopping Center, which is an innovation in modern shopping. There are nearly 75 stores under one roof, lining an indoor mall where tropical plants grow and tropical birds play."

When the township sought a new post office, another New Jersey municipality in Hunterdon County was using the name Delaware Township. The United States Postal Service insisted on a name change, suggesting "Deltown". Delaware Township mayors Christian Weber and John Gilmour pursued public write-in campaigns to select possible titles and chose Cherry Hill from suggestions that included Chapel Hill, Cherry Valley and Delaware City.Staff. "Cherry Hill name originated from farm — not mall", Courier-Post, November 28, 2003. Accessed August 12, 2013. "The postal service would not use the word 'township' in a mailing address, and several other municipalities and communities in the state also were named Delaware.... The Cherry Hill post office, at the Ellisburg Circle, was established in 1961 and made the name official. Other names under consideration included Cherry Valley, Delaware City and Chapel Hill." The name "Cherry Hill" was chosen by the township's citizens in a non-binding referendum in 1961 and was officially adopted on November 7, 1961.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 24.20 square miles (62.67 km2), including 24.07 square miles (62.35 km2) of land and 0.12 square miles (0.32 km2) of water (0.51%).

Ashland (2010 population of 8,302), Barclay (4,428), Cherry Hill Mall (14,171), Ellisburg (4,413), Golden Triangle (4,145), Greentree (11,367), Kingston Estates (5,685) and Springdale (14,518) are unincorporated communities and census-designated places (CDPs) located within the township.New Jersey: 2010 - Population and Housing Unit Counts - 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32), United States Census Bureau, August 2012. Accessed October 16, 2012.

Other unincorporated communities, localities, neighborhoods, and place names located partially or completely within the township include Coffins Corner, Colwick, Cooperstown, Deer Park, Erlton, Freeman, Greenbrier, Huttons Hill, Locust Grove, Old Orchard, Point of Woods, Willowdale and Woodcrest.Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed May 17, 2015.

The township's eastern border with Burlington County is defined by the Pennsauken Creek. The creek separates Cherry Hill from the communities of Maple Shade Township, Evesham Township, and Mount Laurel. The Cooper River forms the southern border with Collingswood, Haddon Township, Haddonfield, Lawnside and Somerdale, through the Maria Barnaby Greenwald Park and parallel to the east-west Route 70. To the north, Cherry Hill borders Merchantville and Pennsauken Township, while Voorhees Township shares its southern border along County Route 544 (Evesham Road).Areas touching Cherry Hill, MapIt. Accessed March 22, 2020.Municipalities within Camden County, NJ, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. Accessed March 22, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.

Demographics

Since 2010, the population increased after several decades of slow growth.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023. As of 2020, the township was the state's 12th most populous municipality, and the largest in Camden County, after having been the state's 14th most-populous municipality and the county's second largest in the 2010 Census,Table1. New Jersey Counties and Most Populous Cities and Townships: 2020 and 2010 Censuses, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed December 1, 2022. having surpassed both Brick Township, as well as nearby Camden, within the previous decade, and was ranked 13th in 2000.The Counties and Most Populous Cities and Townships in 2010 in New Jersey: 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed November 21, 2016. The Asian American population in Cherry Hill is experiencing rapid growth, increasing by 25% from 7,661 in 2010 to 9,587 in the 2013–2017 American Community Survey,ACS Demographic And Housing Estimates – 2013-2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates – Cherry Hill township, Camden County, New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 13, 2019. compared to 0.3% growth for the township as a whole during the same period. An extensive array of businesses owned by Korean Americans has emerged along Marlton Pike (Route 70) in Cherry Hill since 2010, with signage in Hangul ubiquitous along this stretch.

Racial and ethnic composition

+Cherry Hill township, Camden County, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)NumbersPercentages200020102020200020102020White alone (NH)58,16553,28349,11883.13%75.00%65.88%Black or African American alone (NH)3,0204,1615,2724.32%5.86%7.07%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)6156480.09%0.08%0.06%Asian alone (NH)6,1788,25910,6688.83%11.63%14.31%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)179190.02%0.01%0.03%Other race alone (NH)54874060.08%0.12%0.54%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)6921,1852,5840.99%1.67%3.47%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1,7784,0056,4382.54%5.64%8.64%Total69,96571,04574,553 100.00%100.00%100.00%

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 71,045 people, 26,882 households, and 19,301 families in the township. The population density was . There were 28,452 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 78.06% (55,459) White, 6.14% (4,360) Black or African American, 0.11% (78) Native American, 11.69% (8,304) Asian, 0.02% (13) Pacific Islander, 1.83% (1,302) from other races, and 2.15% (1,529) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.64% (4,005) of the population.

Of the 26,882 households, 31.2% had children under the age of 18; 58.6% were married couples living together; 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 28.2% were non-families. Of all households, 24.2% were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.12.