Place:Mount Laurel, Burlington, New Jersey, United States

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NameMount Laurel
Alt namesMt. Laurel
TypeInhabited place
Coordinates39.933°N 74.883°W
Located inBurlington, New Jersey, United States
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Mount Laurel is a township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, and is an edge city suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 41,864,[1][2][3] reflecting an increase of 1,643 (+4.1%) from the 40,221 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 9,951 (+32.9%) from the 30,270 counted in the 1990 Census. It is the home of NFL Films.

In 2020, Mount Laurel was ranked 16th in Money magazine's list of the 50 best places to live in America, citing a kid-friendly environment, affordable housing, and easy access to Philadelphia and the Jersey Shore.

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History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Mount Laurel was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 7, 1872, from portions of Evesham Township. The township was named for a hill covered with laurel trees.

Several historical landmarks include General Clinton's headquarters, Paulsdale, Evesham Friends Meeting House, Jacob's Chapel, Hattie Britt School and Farmer's Hall.

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Mount Laurel Decision

The Mount Laurel Decision is a judicial interpretation of the New Jersey State Constitution that requires municipalities to use their zoning powers in an affirmative manner to provide a realistic opportunity for the production of housing affordable to low and moderate-income households. The decision was a result of a lawsuit brought against the town by the N.A.A.C.P. that was decided by the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1975 and reaffirmed in a subsequent decision in 1983.

The history behind this, and the story leading to the decision was highlighted in Our Town, a book by David L. Kirp.

Mount Laurel was a small, rural farming community until it was hit with massive suburban growth from Philadelphia in the later 1960s. In 1970, at a meeting about a proposal for taxpayer subsidized housing held at an all-black church in Mount Laurel, Mayor Bill Haines summed up the NIMBYist perspective by saying: "If you people can't afford to live in our town, then you'll just have to leave."[4]

Even though the black families in Mount Laurel were not from urban ghettos and were not involved in gang activity, the new suburban influx thought otherwise, and significantly delayed the creation of tax-payer subsidized housing areas, citing concerns of gang activity and an influx of inner-city criminals. Example comments from town meetings against forced construction of housing projects included "...we need this like Custer needed more Indians..."; "...it's reverse discrimination..."; "...we lived in this in South Philly and Newark...", and that the housing would be a "...breeding ground for violent crime and drug abuse..."[4]

Leading advocate in favor of taxpayer subsidized housing Ethel Lawrence, a black resident who lived her life in Mount Laurel, had her house repeatedly vandalized. Although the court ruled in favor of creating taxpayer subsidized housing, residents did manage to delay the process for decades.[4]

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