On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Buena is more historic than 33% of U.S. towns, #397 of 468 in New Jersey. 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 Buena’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 Buena’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (12% of New Jersey 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 is a Census survey estimate (±6.3 points).
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 Buena’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Charles K. Landis was a land developer who was the driving force behind the creation of Hammonton and Vineland. Landis also had a hand in establishing other small communities, including Landisville, in Buena Borough. He planned to make it county seat of a new county called Landis County, which would incorporate land from the surrounding counties. However, the locals were against this, and began calling him "King Landis".
Passages that mention Buena, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Early history of Atlantic County, New Jersey1915 · page 67Read the page →
Read the text
creating Atlantic County. There were then only four large townships or voting places in this county. Egg Harbor, Weymouth, Hamilton and Galloway. Mullica was created later out of Galloway, and the town of Hammonton out of Mullica. Buena- Yista, in 1867, was created out of Hamilton and Atlantic City set off from Egg Harbor Township in 1854. The first deed was recorded by J. H. Collins, the first County Clerk, on Aiay 4th.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Early history of Atlantic County, New Jersey1915 · page 116Read the page →
Read the text
the church was built, there was another dwelling on what is now known as the Collins place; another where Mr. Thomas Howell now lives, and another at or near Landisville. What is now known as the Buena Hotel, was also standing, and usea as a public inn and change house on the old stage route to Cape May, Tuckahoe and Philadelphia. About three miles east of the church there was an old saw mill, and in fact there is one there now, at what is known as Pancoast on the South Jersey
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Buena, 1871 to 1994
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Buena is more historic than 33% of U.S. towns, #397 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.
How old are the homes in Buena?
16% of Buena’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.3 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1967.
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 (3), the Library of Congress (1), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
Date?
2022
2011
2008