Haddonfield        Snapshots of Haddonfield

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Friday, May 24, 2002 
Haddonfield ranks first           Historic Haddonfield                               
By BARBARA S.ROTHSCHILD
Courier-Post Staff
HADDONFIELD

This borough of 11,659 people reigns supreme, new Census
Bureau data show.

Haddonfield ranked first in the tri-county area in median
income: $86,872. The census figures, collected in 2000 and
released Thursday, also show the borough boasted the highest
percentage of residents whose education level includes at least a
college degree: 64.8 percent.

And its median home value of $225,300 ranked third in the
region, behind tiny Pine Valley in Camden County and
Moorestown in Burlington County. 

"We're very lucky for a lot of reasons that many of us can't take
credit for," said Mayor Letitia G. Colombi. " There have been a lot
of great decisions over the years, including the physical layout of
this town with its wide streets. And we have very proactive
people."

"This is a community that typifies volunteerism," Colombi said.
"It's our lifeblood. We live in a unique place, but it takes all of us to
keep it that way. We're a very welcoming community that's busy
and doing things - and we never let our guard down."

For June Kingsmore, who has lived in Haddonfield at least 45
years, it's the small-town quality that makes the borough so
successful.

"It's a great little town," Kingsmore said as she watered the
irises next to her Ellis Street rental home.

Among the keys to Haddonfield's
success, Colombi said, are its
viable downtown that other
communities try to emulate. She
also cites the PATCO
Hi-Speedline's value to
commuters and the strength of its
school system.

At Gracie's Water Ice & Ice Cream
Parlor in King's Court, David Burns
explained why he's lived in
Haddonfield for 15 years.

"This is just a Norman Rockwell
type of town," he said. " It's pretty, it's
tight, ... it's intimate. Trees are its
best asset. There are good schools,
and it's easy to get to Center City."

The school district's superintendent, Barry Ersek, said Haddonfield
scores well consistently in education categories because of a synergy
fueled by small schools, experienced staff, high expectations and
family values.

"New residents and Realtors tell us that the No. 1 reason for moving
to Haddonfield is the quality of the schools, and No. 2 is the quality of
life here," Ersek said.

Statistics released by the state Education Department earlier this
year help bolster that claim. Haddonfield High School ranked second
in SAT scores in the tri-county region, with an average of 1175 (out of
a possible 1600) in the 2000-01 academic year.

"We have user-friendly schools that average 350 students at the
elementary level, 550 in middle school and 750 in the high school, and
smaller schools tend to produce academic excellence," Ersek said.

The borough's population of well-educated parents is another
factor, he said.

"(Parents) are a strong influence on students," Ersek said. "With a
high percentage of college degrees, there would naturally be
expectations for children to do well in school. Our residents value
education, and have passed every school budget since 1985 and five
out of six bond issues."

The school district's reputation means that it can recruit qualified
teachers with experience, Ersek added.

"How can Haddonfield do so well? It's a town of achievers, with
traditions of excellence and of support for public education," Ersek
said. "We have a community-based school system that is an integral
part of Haddonfield's fabric.