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C+History
History · Carlstadt

Carlstadt’s post office opened in 1858, and 28% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 43% of U.S. towns · #344 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it

Below: maps from 1884 on and the census since 1880.

1858first post office
0on the National Register
28%homes built before 1940
5famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Carlstadt began

When was Carlstadt founded?

1858

The Carlstadt post office opened in 1858, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 1,060 in 18802020 census: 6,372168 years

How historic is Carlstadt?

C+

More historic than 43% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Carlstadt post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade

What drives Carlstadt’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Carlstadt is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns, #344 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 Carlstadt’s overall grade.
Founding era1858, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194028.1% of homes (±9.3) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%A−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical NJ town 3.7 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 43%
NewerOlder
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 27%

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 Carlstadt’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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.3 points). 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 Carlstadt’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Carlstadt are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18888 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1995. Watch Carlstadt change.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1884 to 1909, drew every building in Carlstadt.Old housesHalf of Carlstadt’s homes were built before 1957.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Carlstadt’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Carlstadt’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
On the map

Carlstadt on the map, 1888 to 1995

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

Carlstadt on the 1888 USGS mapCarlstadt on the 1892 USGS mapCarlstadt on the 1900 USGS mapCarlstadt on the 1935 USGS mapCarlstadt on the 1955 USGS mapCarlstadt on the 1967 USGS mapCarlstadt on the 1981 USGS mapCarlstadt on the 1995 USGS map1888Paterson 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 Carlstadt.

Every building

Carlstadt, building by building, 1884–1909

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Carlstadt fire insurance map, 1884, sheet 11884Sheet 1 of 3
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story so far

Carlstadt, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Carlstadt yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Carlstadt is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,372, an increase of 245 (+4.0%) from the 2010 census count of 6,127, which in turn reflected an increase of 210 (+3.5%) from the 5,917 counted in the 2000 census. Carlstadt was originally formed as a village by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 12, 1860, within Lodi Township. Most sources indicate that the community was named for Carl Klein, the leader of a group of early German settlers who led the project to establish the community though Henry Gannett stated that the name derived from the city of Karlovac in Croatia, which was known as …

Its first post office opened in 1858. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 6,127 to 6,372 (+4%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Carlstadt in 1900

Passages that mention Carlstadt, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Carlstadt is compactly built, all parts of it being within five minutes walk of the depot of the New Jersey and New York Railroad, and within fifteen minutes of the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad.
History of Bergen county, New Jersey1900 · page 363Read the page →
Read the text

Carlstadt is compactly built, all parts of it being within five minutes walk of the depot of the New Jersey and New York Railroad, and within fifteen minutes of the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
tailors. In 1851 the land here, was purchased of John Karl by a society of workmen, known as the German Democratic Land Association. In 1855 there were only two stores, now there are more than a score. The village of Carlstadt is largely engaged in manufacturing, nearly half of its population being…
History of Bergen county, New Jersey1900 · page 362Read the page →
Read the text

tailors. In 1851 the land here, was purchased of John Karl by a society of workmen, known as the German Democratic Land Association. In 1855 there were only two stores, now there are more than a score. The village of Carlstadt is largely engaged in manufacturing, nearly half of its population being employed in its various factories. In 1893 Carlstadt became a part of Bergen township and in 1894 it was organized into a borough with John Oehler as its first mayor. George Zimmermann was next elected to that office and by common consent has held that position

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

Carlstadt, 1858 to 1977

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1858Post officeThe Carlstadt post office opens
  3. 1888On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1901Post officeThe Carlstadt post office closes
  6. 1905Born hereErnest Cuneo is born here
  7. 1928Born hereLou Lombardo is born here
  8. 1931Born hereRobert P. Hollenbeck is born here
  9. 1977Born hereMarc Rizzo is born here
By decade

Carlstadt, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Carlstadt, NJ municipal building (2), Oct. 20242024Carlstadt, NJ municipal building (2), Oct. 2024Carlstadt, NJ municipal building (1), Oct. 20242024Carlstadt, NJ municipal building (1), Oct. 2024Bergen County, New Jersey2012Bergen County, New JerseyCarlstadtFirehouse2009CarlstadtFirehouseCensus Bureau map of2008Census Bureau map ofMap
People over time

Carlstadt, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,0006,5007,0007,50018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 6,724

Between 1,060 and 6,724 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Carlstadt’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

5 famous people were born in Carlstadt

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

See all →
Marc RizzoAmerican guitarist · b. 1977
E
Ernest CuneoAmerican football player and spy · b. 1905
L
Lou LombardoAmerican baseball player · b. 1928
R
Robert P. HollenbeckAmerican politician · b. 1931
Vito TrauseAmerican Soldier and World War II Prisoner-of-W… · b. 1925
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds

Carlstadt had its own post office from 1858 to 1901.

Carlstadt
1858–1901
18501940today
Gone or out of use
Carlstadt Baptist Churchchurch
1cemetery inside Carlstadt
Berry Lawn

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Wood-Ridge2 historic placesBEast Rutherford1 historic placeB−MoonachieIts storyDNorth Bergen TownshipIts storyB+Ridgefield1 historic placeBSouth Hackensack TownshipIts storyC−SecaucusIts storyC

Questions about Carlstadt’s history

What year was Carlstadt founded?

The Carlstadt post office opened in 1858, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Carlstadt rank for history?

Carlstadt is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns, #344 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 Carlstadt?

28% of Carlstadt’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.3 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1957.

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 (5), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.