Atco, New Jersey

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." 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.

Geography

The town is at the western edge of Wharton State Forest and the Pine Barrens. Atco Lake is a 30 acre 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.

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.

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 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).

Demographics

2020

Atco first appeared as a census designated place in the 2020 U.S. census.

2020 census

Notable people

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

• Marvin Borowsky (1907–1969), novelist and screenwriter
• Kellyanne Conway (born 1967), strategist, and pollster who was campaign manager for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2016.
• Rey Ramsey (born 1960), social justice entrepreneur, author and former CEO of the One Economy Corporation.
• Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka (1943–2017), former professional wrestler born in Fiji.
• Sally Starr (1923–2013), 1950s celebrity television personality.

References

References

1. [https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/atcocdpnewjersey/ QuickFacts Atco CDP, New Jersey], [[United States Census Bureau]]. Accessed June 16, 2023.
2. [https://nj.gov/state/assets/2020-census-data/unadjusted-data/census-designated-places/census-designated-places.xlsx 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.
3. [http://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupResultsAction!input.action?resultMode=0&city=atco&state=NJ Look Up a ZIP Code for Atco, NJ], [[United States Postal Service]]. Accessed July 31, 2012.
4. [http://www.state.nj.us/infobank/njzips.htm Zip Codes], State of [[New Jersey]]. Accessed August 27, 2013.
5. [https://mcdc.missouri.edu/applications/geocodes/?state=34 Geographic Codes Lookup for New Jersey], Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed June 9, 2023.
6. {{gnis. 2806228. Atco Census Designated Place
7. [https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/tigerwebmain/Files/tab20/tigerweb_tab20_cdp_2020_nj.html State of New Jersey Census Designated Places - BVP20 - Data as of January 1, 2020], [[United States Census Bureau]]. Accessed December 1, 2022.
8. [http://www.state.nj.us/infobank/localnames.txt Locality Search], State of [[New Jersey]]. Accessed June 9, 2016.
9. Gargan, Guy. [http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local-bowling-kevin-voss-rolls-his-first-perfect-game-en/article_137f7743-19de-5bb7-80ee-cc9e548eb973.html?mode=jqm "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. [https://archive.today/20131115231251/http://gloucestertownship.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/tip-leads-to-winslow-man-s-arrest-on-drug-weapon-charges "Police: Citizen Tip Nets Drug, Weapon Charges"] in ''[[Patch Media. Gloucester Township Patch]]'', November 6, 2011. Accessed November 15, 2013.
11. "Atco CDP, New Jersey".
12. (18 July 2023). "Atco Dragway abruptly announces permanent shutdown after 63 years". [[The Philadelphia Inquirer]].
13. (18 July 2023). "BREAKING: Atco Dragway Closed for Good After 63 Years". New Jersey 101.5.
14. Beck, Henry Charlton. [https://books.google.com/books?id=5o4X4JVDaTkC&dq=atco+%22Atlantic+Transportation+Company%22&pg=PA291 "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. [http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2012/04/creepy_new_jersey_the_stuff_of.html "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. [http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=922482&cityname=Atco%2C+New+Jersey%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Atco, New Jersey]
17. Laday, Jason. [http://www.nj.com/camden/index.ssf/2013/05/fuming_parents_question_wherea.html "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. link. (March 4, 2016 , [[NJ Transit]]. Accessed March 29, 2016.)
19. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". [[US Census Bureau]].
20. "2020 Geography Changes". [[United States Census Bureau]].
21. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Atco CDP, New Jersey".
22. [http://texts.cdlib.org/view?docId=hb629006wb&chunk.id=div00004&brand=calisphere&doc.view=entire_text "University of California: In Memoriam, December 1970 - Marvin Borowsky, Theater Arts: Los Angeles"], ''Calisphere''. Accessed March 26, 2024. "Marvin Borowsky, a brilliant teacher and an extraordinary man, was born in Atco, New Jersey, in 1907."
23. Johnson, Brent. [http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/11/whats_next_for_conway_trumps_nj-bred_campaign_mana.html#incart_river_mobile_home "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."
24. [http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/rey-ramsey-41 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."
25. Staff. [http://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/crime/2015/09/01/snuka-charged-death/71530320/ "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."
26. [http://www.broadcastpioneers.com/sallystarr.html 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."