Bradley Beach’s post office opened in 1888, and 35% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 70% of U.S. towns · #178 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Bradley Beach Station and the Bradley Beach Free Public Library. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1943 on, and the census since 1900.
Founding year: the first Bradley Beach post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1893.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Bradley Beach’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bradley Beach is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #178 of 468 in New Jersey. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Bradley Beach’s overall grade.
New Jersey towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New Jersey town has 3.7 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Bradley Beach’s 4.8 sits near the middle of its state (56% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1893 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 Bradley Beach’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Bradley Beach was named for James A. Bradley, the developer responsible for the creation of the Bradley Beach and Asbury Park. In 1871, William B. Bradner, with James A. Bradley as an investor, acquired 54 acres (22 ha) of land north of Avon-by-the-Sea, and south of Ocean Grove. At the time the area where they had purchased their land was known informally as Ocean Park and was part of Ocean Township and later became part of Neptune Township.
Citizens appealed to the New Jersey Legislature for a referendum to separate Bradley Beach from Neptune Township, and on March 13, 1893, Bradley Beach was incorporated, based on the results of a referendum held on March 6, 1893. The borough's incorporation was confirmed on March 13, 1925.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bradley Beach. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1943Asbury Park sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bradley Beach.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewPERSPECTIVE VIEW OF HOUSE AND ENVIRONS LOOKING WEST - 709 Ocean Avenue (House), 1933
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Bradley Beach’s page.
The Bradley Beach post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1893.
How does Bradley Beach rank for history?
Bradley Beach is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #178 of 468 in New Jersey. 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 Bradley Beach?
Two places: the Bradley Beach Station (listed 1984) and the Bradley Beach Free Public Library (2013).
How old are the homes in Bradley Beach?
35% of Bradley Beach’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.1 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1962.
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 (12), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
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