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is a city in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States, in the south part of the state, on Cohansey creek, near Delaware Bay. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city population was 22,771. It is the county seat of Cumberland County. Bridgeton, Millville and Vineland are the three principal New Jersey cities of the Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses those cities and all of Cumberland County for statistical purposes.
The first settlement in what is now Bridgeton was made by 1686 when Richard Hancock established a sawmill here. A pioneer iron-works was established here in 1814. Bridgeton was originally incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 1, 1865, from portions of Deerfield Township. Bridgeton city was incorporated on March 1, 1865, replacing both Bridgeton Township and Cohansey Township. After the American Civil War, Bridgeton became the most prosperous town in NJ due to much industrialization. Bridgeton was home to Glass factories, Sewing factories, Metal and machine works etc.
Bridgeton has the largest historic district of any incorporated town in New Jersey; it is dominated by large victorian houses and a downtown area constructed in the 1920s. Bridgeton straddles the tidal Cohansey River and is located near the center of the Delaware Bay lowlands. It is home to the Cohanzick Zoo and numerous large municipal parks. Bridgeton Park encompasses about 1,500 acres along with the Cohanzick Zoo,which is free to the public.
Although it suffered an economic downturn in the 1980s, immigration from southern Mexico and elsewhere has recently led to a revitalization. Immigrants work primarily in agricultural processing occupations near the city, which are among some of the most productive in New Jersey. The downtown has been made more lively by Mexican-American places of business as well as other businesses, such as a coffee shop/arts venue, a vintage clothing boutique, an arts gallery, and so on. The Lenni-Lenape American Indian tribe also maintains a small cultural center here. A significant minority of Bridgeton residents speak Zapoteco.
South Woods State Prison, the largest state prison in New Jersey, is located in Bridgeton.
Bridgeton is located at (39.429564, -75.230461). Bridgeton is located about one hour away from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and 50 minutes away from Wilmington, Delaware. It is also about 1 hour away from Atlantic City and Cape May.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.4 square miles (16.7 km
Bridgeton borders Upper Deerfield Township, Hopewell Township, and Fairfield Township.