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`Once a 'Shader, always . . .'
 Illustration by NIRMAL MITRA/Courier-Post A new view of Maple Shade's downtown arrived with the new millennium. Despite this prominent face lift, and the transitory nature of surrounding suburban communities, in Maple Shade, if you live here, chances are excellent that you grew up here, too, officials say. |
Maple Shade Total Population
1990: 19,211
2000: 19,079
Change: -1.2%
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Thursday, April 24, 2003
By MICHAEL T. BURKHART
Courier-Post Staff
MAPLE SHADE
Edward Mills has lived in Maple Shade for 45 years, and although he sometimes longs for his native West Virginia, he's content in his tidy home along Linwood Avenue.
"The houses back then were plenty and cheap," Mills, 72, recalled of the 1950s while he took advantage of a warm spring day to seal his driveway. "I like Maple Shade. I'd just as soon stay here as anywhere else."
The township population remained steady between 1990 and 2000, dropping by just 132 residents, according to U.S. Census figures. Officials say that's because the township is an affordable place to live, with good schools, a popular library and a solid business district.
"If you're once a 'Shader, you're always a 'Shader," said Mayor Claire Volpe. "I think we're a family-oriented town."
With little developable land, even at the beginning of the '90s, not much changes here physically. But the face of the citizenry is much different. A largely diverse population moved here in droves between the two census counts.
In 1990, one of 10 residents here was a minority. By 2000, it became about one out of five, and you can see it in the faces at the Acme, at the library and in the schools.
A surge in diversity
While the white population dropped by nearly 10 percent from 1990 to 2000, the township's Asian population jumped by more than 182 percent. And the black population climbed nearly 28 percent.
"I like what I see here . . . Maple Shade treats us good," said Arun Patel, 39, an Indian-American who moved here with his family in the past decade and who owns the Good Spirits liquor store on Main Street.
Also in the '90s, the school district enrollment grew, prompting a successful $7 million referendum in 1999 to triple the size of Howard R. Yocum Elementary School.
There are about 2,200 students in the district and classes are still growing.
"The town is turning over," said Superintendent Cheryl Smith. "We're having a younger population move in with children."
For many new residents, it is a return to their roots.
"The schools are a reflection of the community," Smith said. "The goal here is to move back, marry, have children and enroll them in the school system."
Township officials see a few other changes in the next couple of years:
The township's first housing dedicated to seniors is to open late this year. Already, applications for residency outstrip the number of available units, according to the developer.
Diversity should continue to rise among township residents, township officials said.
There will be a school referendum held sometime in the next two years, according to school officials. Money will be needed to expand the Maude Wilkins School for third- and fourth-graders.
The township council is considering preserving a small farm on Collins Lane.
All the while, though, the township has a downtown business district, complete with a five-and-dime and a custard shack, a rarity these days. The local business district was refurbished several years ago and township officials plan to attract more stores.
While largely residential, Maple Shade also has a solid commercial base along Route 73, which includes motels, restaurants and big box stores.
Improving what's here
With little room for new construction, the township is concentrating on redeveloping what's already in place.
Many apartment buildings in the township are undergoing renovations, such as the Kings Highway Towers, said George Haeuber, township manager. And housing for senior citizens will soon be under construction along Forklanding Road, about a block from Main Street.
The area that is now Maple Shade was first settled in 1682 and was primarily an agricultural area, according to the township's Web site, www.mapleshade.com. Kings Highway was the only road serving the area for the first 100 years and many residents traveled by boat. In 1794, Main Street was built, connecting Kings Highway with the Cooper River ferry.
A one-room schoolhouse was constructed in 1811. About the same time, a sawmill, blacksmith shop and wagon works were built. The railroad came in 1867 and brought with it butchering, brick making and clothing manufacturing.
The former Chester Twp.
Until 1927, Maple Shade was known as Chester Township, a part of Moorestown Township. In 1922, voters decided to break away and form their own community. It was named Maple Shade Township in 1945.
The first municipal building was built on Main Street in 1927. The current municipal building on Stiles Avenue opened in 1992.
The township opened its first library in 1930, but two years ago it became part of the Burlington County Library System, expanding its programs and computer services. The fastest-growing part of the collection are DVDs and videos. Children's programs are popular.
Staff writers Mike Daniels and Barbara S. Rothschild contributed to this report. Reach Michael T. Burkhart at (856) 486-2474 or mburkhart@courierpostonline.com
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