Vineland, NJ

Vineland was founded in 1861 by Charles K. Landis. Landis wanted to create a town where hardworking people could live by farming, making Vineland one of the first planned communities in the United States. Landis chose the site where Vineland now exists because it had a railroad line running through it, and Philadelphia was nearby enough to provide a marketplace for farmers to sell their crops. In settling his city, Landis paid 20,000 workers $1 per day to cut a main street that was 100 feet wide and one mile long.

Encompassing 69 square miles, Vineland is the largest city, by area, in the state of New Jersey. Vineland is perhaps best known as the birthplace of Welch's Fruit Juice Company. Part of Cumberland county, Vineland has a population of approximately 58,000. The city is roughly 38 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, and is a part of the Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Vineland is nicknamed the "Dandelion Capital of the World" because it provides more dandelions for salads than anywhere else in the world. Throughout the 1980s, the crop brought between $300,000-$400,000 to the region annually.

Vineland is home to the Vineland Developmental Center, the first school for mental health professionals in New Jersey. Founded in 1888, it is still in operation today.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

Vineland is where the Welch's Fruit Juice Company was founded. The company originated as a maker of wine for religious ceremonies during the years of Prohibition. Dr. Thomas Bramwell Welch produced grape juice without fermenting it, and the drink quickly gained popularity, so much so that Dr. Welch had to move his factory to New York. The Welch's company is no longer a presence in Vineland, but it remains a high point in the city's economic history.

The city has a long farming history. In the 1940s, 90 percent of Vineland's population worked in the poultry and egg business, and thanks to the city's popular Poultry and Egg Festival, the area became known as the "The Egg Basket of America." New technology eventually drove down the price of eggs, ending the poultry business in Vineland. The population then turned toward other industries, primarily glass manufacturing, food processing and clothing companies.

The major industries in Vineland are healthcare, educational services, construction, retail services and nonmetallic mineral products. Manufacturing employs 5,221 people, retail trade employ 4,192 and healthcare and social assistance employ 3,408.

Farming is still a significant industry in Vineland, and the largest farmers' cooperative on the east coast, the Vineland Produce Auction, is located there. The cooperative helps to distribute the region's produce throughout the country.

To help encourage employment and sales in Vineland, areas of the city have been designated as Urban Enterprise Zones, in which shoppers enjoy a sales tax reduction of 3.5 percent.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

Most of the population in Vineland is urban. The city accommodates about 20,960 houses, out of which 9,930 are occupied. One-third of those homes is occupied by renters, and owners occupy 13,207. The housing density is 305 houses per square mile.

Vineland is fairly walkable. Many grocery stores, restaurants and coffee shops are within a distance of a mile from the center of the city.

FOR VISITORS

• Delsea Drive-In Theater: The last remaining drive-in theater in New Jersey, the Delsea, shows movies during the spring and summer months. The theater sells tickets by screen, not by movie, ensuring that every ticket buys a double feature.
• Parvin State Park: While not located within the city borders of Vineland, this beautiful park is only a six-mile drive away from the downtown area. Offering camping, swimming, cabins, hiking and picnicking, the park is a haven for nature lovers. More than 200 kinds of flowering plants, including azalea, blossoming dogwood and magnolia, can be found here.
• Palace of Depression: Alternately known as "The Strangest House in the World" and the "Home of Junk," the castle was built in a swamp and made out of old, rusted car parts by George Daynor. The story goes that Daynor made a fortune finding gold that he later lost during The Great Depression. He then built the Palace of Depression as a symbol that The Great Depression could be beaten. Unfortunately, the castle was razed in 1969, but a restoration is taking place.

EVENTS

• Vineland Music Festival: Promoted by the same company that runs the wildly popular Lollapalooza Music Festival, this festival was scheduled to take place in August of 2008, but was canceled due to the Coachella Music Festival in California taking place on the same weekend. The festival is scheduled for 2009 and beyond.
• Vineland Dandelion Festival: This annual festival has taken place since 1973, in honor of one of Vineland's major crops. Dandelions are served and eaten in every imaginable fashion, including dandelion ravioli, and of course dandelion wine is served.

SHOPPING

Cumberland Mall: With more than 80 stores and services, the Cumberland Mall is the main retail source for the residents of Vineland. It is located 25 miles from its nearest competitor.