About
Vineland is a city in Cumberland County New Jersey. It is one of the cities located in southern New Jersey, and has a population size of about 60,724. Vineland is one of the three and the biggest city in the county, the other two being Millville and Bridgeton. Of all the municipalities in New Jersey to hold the title of City, Vineland is the largest in total area. According to Data USA, in 2018 Vineland had a median household income of a median household income of $55,054. The site also reports that the three largest ethnic groups in Vineland, NJ, are White (Non-Hispanic) (43.7%), White (Hispanic) (26.6%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (11.5%).
History
Charles Kline Landis a property developer in South Jersey, was the founder and developer of Vineland. He established it as a temperance town in 1861. After determining that the Vineland soil was well-suited for growing grapes, Landis started advertising to attract Italian grape growers to Vineland, offering 20 acres of land that had to be cleared and used to grow grapes. Thomas Bramwell Welch founded Welch’s Grape Juice, and purchased the locally grown grapes to make “unfermented wine” aka grape juice.. The fertile ground also attracted the glass-making industry and was home to the Progresso soup company. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, most of the city was involved in the poultry industry, which led to the city being dubbed “The Egg Basket of America.”
The city of Vineland celebrated its 150th birthday in 2011. Mayor Robert Romano initially ordered a custom cake from Buddy Valastro of Carlo’s Bake Shop in Hoboken; the business is featured in the TLC reality television series Cake Boss. After outcry from local business owners, the order was canceled and five Vineland bakeries were commissioned to create elaborate cakes for the event.
Education
Data USA reported in 2017, Cumberland County College, the only higher education facility in Vineland, NJ awarded 831 degrees. The student population of Vineland, NJ is skewed towards women, with 1,142 male students and 1,983 female students.
Most students graduating from the College in Vineland, NJ, are White (424 and 51.1%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (248 and 29.9%), and Black or African American (131 and 15.8%).
Businesses and Organizations
The main street in Vineland is Landis Avenue. After many years of decline, there has been much recent activity to restore the vitality of “The Ave” and the center city area. New construction includes a new transportation center, courthouse, post office, elementary school / community center and sidewalk upgrades. In 2005, Vineland was designated a Main Street Community and, through the work of this group, money has been earmarked to continue this improvement through property and facade improvements, business retention and marketing.
Many small businesses reside on The Ave including my favorite, Vegans R Us, a Black owned vegan soul food restaurant. This past year alone, 13 new businesses opened up on The Ave including Buy A Thread, Marcia Taylor, and Our Place. Vineland is known for its small businesses; some have even been around since post WWII. Three Vineland businesses have been leaders in providing support during the pandemic. Outlaws, a burger place, has teamed up with Main’s Meat Market and Crust N’ Krumbs Bakery to provide free meals to people in need during this time.
“Main’s Meat Market is providing all the meat and fruit, Crust N’ Krumbs Bakery is providing bread and baked goods and Outlaw’s will do all the cooking,” Outlaws owner Ryan Briggs reported on Outlaws’ Instagram account.
Greater Vineland Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Dawn Hunter highlights in NJheartland.org how essential small businesses are to the community and even said that the stronger Vineland’s downtown is, the stronger the city as a whole is.
“A city without a strong, vibrant downtown section is a city without a core. More businesses like these add to the strength and diversity of our downtown and our city,”
Greater Vineland Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Dawn Hunter, NJheartland.org
Notable Figures
City Council meetings are scheduled on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, beginning with a Pre-Meeting Conferences at 6:00 p.m. and meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers, second floor of City Hall. Work Sessions are conducted on the first and third Tuesdays in the Council Caucus Room, second floor of City Hall, beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Vineland’s council president is Dr. Elizabeth McIntyre Arthur. Vinelandcity.org‘s profile on Arthur notes that she is a former member of the Vineland Board of Education. She is also active in the community, serving as a member and Chairperson of the Vineland Education Foundation since 2003, as a board member of Visions of Hope, Inc, and for eight years as a former board member of the Court Appointed Special Advocates of Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties. Dr. Arthur is also a member of the Cumberland County College Alumni Association and the New Bethel AME Church, Vineland.
Other members include vice president David Acosta, councilman Ronald Franceschini, Jr., councilman Albert Vargas, and councilman Paul Spinelli.
Conclusions and Future Outlook
With this city being rife with small businesses, many have struggled to stay afloat during the pandemic. With this being said, future stories will take a closer examination into how these businesses are coping during these times and what relief, if any, has our city offered for them. I also find it interesting that Vineland’s newly elected city council president is a Black women, on a board with all white men. I would definitely love to interview council president Dr. Elizabeth McIntyre Arthur and hopefully do a profile on her.
visit http://www.vinelandcity.org for more info
In Black and Write 