The Lake Shore post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Lakeshore (1888), Maynard (1888) and Magothy (1900), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 19,551138 years
How historic is Lake Shore?
C−
More historic than 22% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Lake Shore post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Lake Shore’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lake Shore is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns, #174 of 261 in Maryland. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lake Shore’s overall grade.
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 Lake Shore’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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. The pre-1940 share (±2.9 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Lake Shore’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lake Shore. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1893North Point sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Lake Shore.
The story so far
Lake Shore, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Lake Shore yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Lake Shore is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States, located east of Pasadena. The population of Lake Shore was 19,477 at the 2010 census.
Its first post office opened in 1888. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 19,477 in 2010, 19,551 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Lake Shore, 1888 to 1916
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Lake Shore post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Lake Shore rank for history?
Lake Shore is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns, #174 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 Lake Shore?
7% of Lake Shore’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 (13), 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.
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