The story so far
Ferndale, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Ferndale yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 16,746 to 17,091 (+2%).
C−History
History · Ferndale
Half of Ferndale’s homes were built after 1971
More historic than 16% of U.S. towns · #193 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Most of Ferndale was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1971. Below: maps from 1894 on and the census since 2000.
0on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
About Ferndale’s history
How historic is Ferndale?
C−
What drives the grade ↓More historic than 16% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
History grade
What drives Ferndale’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ferndale is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #193 of 261 in Maryland. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ferndale’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19405.0% of homes (±2.4) · typical MD town 3.3% · U.S. 8.4%CNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical MD town 0.9 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 16%
NewerOlder
Maryland towns of 2,500+ (261)Ahead of 26%
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 Ferndale’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (20% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±2.4 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 Ferndale’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 Ferndale, and 25 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Ferndale are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18947 editions of the USGS map, 1894 to 1981. Watch Ferndale change.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Another post office, Wellhams, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Hamlets and corners on the map
AllwoodBentwillow HeightsCapitol HillsCromwellCromwell ManorFerdinand HeightsFerndale FarmsFerndale ManorGarlandGarland ParkGlen RidgeHarris HeightsHeritage HillNorth WelhamOsborne HeightsPleasantvilleRippling RidgeTrevor WoodsWellingtonWest Dale ParkWicklow WoodsWillowWoodcrestWoodcrest Gardens
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Ferndale
John Wesley United Methodist ChurchOld Cromwell
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Help out
Start Ferndale’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ferndale’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.On the map
Ferndale on the map, 1894 to 1981
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ferndale. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1894Relay sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Ferndale.
Timeline
Ferndale, 1894 to 1912
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1894
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey - 1895Post officeThe Wellhams post office opens
- 20th century
- 1912Post officeThe Wellhams post office closes
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.
Add from your albumPeople over time
Ferndale, census by census
Between 16,056 and 17,091 people in every census since 2000.
3 censuses, 2000–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Ferndale’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Ferndale
Nobody well known was born in Ferndale itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Ferndale’s history
How does Ferndale rank for history?
Ferndale is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #193 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.
How old are the homes in Ferndale?
5% of Ferndale’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1971.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.