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DHistory
History · Crofton

Crofton dates to 1964, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

More historic than 12% of U.S. towns · #213 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it

Most of Crofton was built recently: 0.1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1988. Its Register listing is the Linthicum Walks. Below: maps from 1944 on.

1964founded
1on the National Register
0.1%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Crofton began

When was Crofton founded?

1964

Crofton dates its founding to 1964 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). Its post office opened in 1881.

2020 census: 29,64162 years

How historic is Crofton?

D

More historic than 12% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1881.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Crofton’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Crofton is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #213 of 261 in Maryland. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Crofton’s overall grade.
Founding era1964, from Wikidata: founded 1945 or later, an older era than 2% of U.S. townsD−Homes built before 19400.1% of homes (±0.2) · typical MD town 3.3% · U.S. 8.4%DNational Register1 listing, 3 historic buildings, 1.0 per 10,000 residents · typical MD town 0.9 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 12%
NewerOlder
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 18%

Few Maryland towns list much on the Register (a typical Maryland town has 0.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Crofton’s 1.0 sits near the middle of its state (49% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to C−. The pre-1940 share (±0.2 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1964.

Founding year: Wikidata (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 Crofton’s past

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

Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Crofton, and 20 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Crofton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

Crofton’s post office has been open since 1987. Another post office, Conaways, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Conaways
1881–1911
Crofton
1987–today
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AmberfieldBlue Ridge at Crofton MeadowsCharing CrossConawaysCourts of CroftonCrofton CommonsCrofton HighlandsCrofton MewsCrofton ParkCrofton SouthCrofton SquareCrofton VillageCrofton Village GreenCrofton WoodsRiedel EstatesSaddle RidgeSaint Stephens EstatesStonegate VillageThe Greens of CroftonWalden

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Start Crofton’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Crofton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Crofton.

Read it all →

In 1963, after the Crawford Corporation accumulated over 1,600 acres (650 ha) of land, it announced that it would build a new community called Crofton. This new town and planned community was founded at the same time as Reston, Virginia (April 17, 1964) and Columbia, Maryland (1967). Crofton would be anchored by a community golf course, which later became the Crofton Country Club. Crofton was officially founded in the fall of 1964. The company considered picking an English name for the new town that "sounds well and implies that this is a pleasant place to live." It ended up picking the name "Crofton", named after a small township in Cumberland County, England. (Crofton, England was originally called Croft-town, derived from the word "Croft", as the town standing upon the Crofts.) Crofton, Maryland was founded as a community for racial exclusion.

ChaptersDevelopmentCrofton pond snakehead fish incident

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Crofton, 1881 to 2003

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1881Post officeThe Conaways post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1911Post officeThe Conaways post office closes
  5. 1944On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1964
    FoundingCrofton is established
  7. 1982Born hereKyle Beckerman is born here
  8. 1987Born hereJay Herford is born here
  9. 1987Post officeThe Crofton post office opens
  10. 21st century
  11. 2003Born hereJacob Greene is born here
By decade

Crofton, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Waugh Chapel Towne Center2015Waugh Chapel Towne CenterAA snowstorm2009AA snowstormCrofton, Maryland2008Crofton, MarylandCrofton, Maryland (1)2008Crofton, Maryland (1)Crofton Parkway spring2005Crofton Parkway springMDMap-doton-Crofton2004MDMap-doton-Crofton
On the map

Crofton on the map, 1944 to 1970

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Crofton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Crofton on the 1944 USGS mapCrofton on the 1957 USGS mapCrofton on the 1970 USGS map1944Odenton sheet · 1:31,680

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Crofton.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Crofton

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1984
Linthicum Walks
Linthicum Walks
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Victorian1
Federal1
Linthicum WalksVictorian

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Crofton

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Kyle BeckermanAmerican soccer player · b. 1982
Jay HerfordAmerican soccer player · b. 1987
J
Jacob GreeneAmerican soccer player · b. 2003
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Odenton3 historic placesC

Questions about Crofton’s history

What year was Crofton founded?

In 1964, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Crofton’s post office opened in 1881.

How does Crofton rank for history?

Crofton is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #213 of 261 in Maryland. 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.

What is on the National Register in Crofton?

One place: the Linthicum Walks (listed 1984).

How old are the homes in Crofton?

0.1% of Crofton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1988.

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 Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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.