Swedesboro is a borough within Gloucester County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

[19] Swedesboro and surrounding Gloucester County constitute part of South Jersey.

Swedesboro was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 9, 1902, from portions of Woolwich Township.

[22][23] Swedesboro has been recognized by the National Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA since 2000.

[24] Originally populated by the Lenape Native Americans, Swedesboro was settled as part of New Sweden around 1650.

[26] Swedesboro, initially named Sveaborg by the Swedish settlers, along with Bridgeport (Nya Stockholm) and Finns Point (Varkens Kill), was one of only three settlements established in New Jersey as a part of the New Sweden colony.

In 1667, the English subsequently annexed the region along the Delaware River after the Second Anglo-Dutch War.

The English Colonial government needed a road between the communities of Burlington and Salem and built the Kings Highway in 1691, which opened the southern portion of Gloucester County to more settlers, who were drawn to the area by the fertile sandy soil, prime farmland and vast tracts of oak, birch, maple and pine trees.

[29] Through the late 1800s, Raccoon Creek, which runs for 22.6 miles (36.4 km), was a navigable water route that was naturally deep enough to transport wood and farm produce to Philadelphia via the Delaware River.

[30] The Van Leer Log Cabin was once used as a trading post with Native Americans and later a station for the Underground Railroad to help slaves escape to free negro communities.

[31] Trinity Church Cemetery is the burial place of Governor of New Jersey Charles C. Stratton, Congressman Benjamin Franklin Howey, and other notables.

[32] Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden, visited the borough as part of a 1976 tour of the United States.

[1][2] Unincorporated communities, localities, and places located partially or completely within the township include Ivyside.

[37] The 2010 United States census counted 2,584 people, 938 households, and 645 families in the borough.

[5] The borough form of government used by Swedesboro is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie.

The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council.

[48][49] As of 2025[update], the mayor of Swedesboro is Democrat Thomas W. Fromm, whose term of office ends December 31, 2027.

The Swedesboro Borough Council consists of Council President Salvatore "Sam" Casella (R, 2027), Shaun Booker (D, 2027), David Flaherty (D, 2026), Joanna Gahrs (R, 2026), Diane F. Hale (D, 2025) and George J.

[56][57][58] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 2nd congressional district is represented by Jeff Van Drew (R, Dennis Township).

[60] For the 2024-2025 session, the 3rd legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by John Burzichelli (D, Paulsboro) and in the General Assembly by David Bailey (D, Woodstown) and Heather Simmons (D, Glassboro).

[117] U.S. Route 322 and the New Jersey Turnpike can be accessed in neighboring Woolwich Township.