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D−History
History · Harlem

Harlem dates to 1926

More historic than 3% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Harlem was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976.

1926founded
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Harlem began

When was Harlem founded?

1926

Harlem dates its founding to 1926 (Wikipedia’s history).

2020 census: 2,441100 years

How historic is Harlem?

D−

More historic than 3% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Harlem’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Harlem is more historic than 3% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Harlem’s overall grade.
Founding era1926, from Wikipedia: founded 1900–1944, an older era than 9% of U.S. townsDHomes built before 19400.0% of homes (±1.5) · typical FL town 0.6% · U.S. 8.4%D−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical FL town 0.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 3%
NewerOlder

Few Florida towns list much on the Register (a typical Florida town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Harlem’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (33% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1926.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±1.5 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: Wikipedia (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Harlem’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Harlem are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Harlem’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Harlem’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Harlem came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Harlem.

Read it all →

In 1926, a Black settlement on Lake Okeechobee was relocated into what is now Harlem. By the mid 1920s, sugar had become the predominant agricultural crop in Southern Florida. Harlem, Florida was established around 1928 under the name "Townsite", as a camp for the sugar plantation workers, and it is historically a Black town.

The Harlem Academy was the main school for the community. In the 1971, the Harlem Academy closed after racial integration, and the Harlem students were bussed to Clewiston, Florida. A.A. Thomas and his wife Lois Thomas were largely responsible for the Harlem Academy, and after the closure they opened a local day care.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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Famous people

Famous people close to Harlem

Nobody well known was born in Harlem itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Santonio HolmesAmerican football wide receiver · b. 1984
Wayne MessamAmerican businessman and politician · b. 1975
Anquan BoldinAmerican football player · b. 1980
Riquna WilliamsAmerican basketball player · b. 1990
Kelvin BenjaminAmerican football player · b. 1991
Zabian DowdellAmerican basketball player · b. 1984

Questions about Harlem’s history

What year was Harlem founded?

In 1926, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town.

How does Harlem rank for history?

Harlem is more historic than 3% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Harlem?

0.0% of Harlem’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.5 points), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1976.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikipedia and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.