More historic than 34% of U.S. towns · #383 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Most of Franklin Township was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1890 on, and the census since 1820.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Franklin Township is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #383 of 468 in New Jersey. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Franklin Township’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 Franklin Township’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.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1820.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B−. The pre-1940 share (±1.5 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Franklin Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost a third of its people between 1850 and 1860, then grew 9-fold.
21 censuses, 1820–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Franklin Township’s Wikipedia page.
The story so far
Franklin Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Franklin Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Franklin Township is a township in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 16,380, a decrease of 440 (−2.6%) from the 2010 census count of 16,820, which in turn reflected an increase of 1,354 (+8.8%) from the 15,466 counted in the 2000 census. Franklin Township was formed as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on January 27, 1820, from portions of Greenwich Township and Woolwich Township. Parts of the township have been taken to form Clayton Township (February 5, 1858) and Newfield (March 8, 1924). The township was named for Benjamin Franklin.
Franklin Township was established in 1820. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 16,820 to 16,380 (-3%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Franklin Township, 1820 to 2010
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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 Franklin Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1890Glassboro 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 Franklin Township.
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 view1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - New Jersey (NJ) - Gloucester County - Gloucester County - ED 8-1 to 95, 1880
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Franklin Township’s page.
In 1820, according to Wikidata. Franklin Township’s post office opened in 1822, and the census of 1820 counted 1,137 people here.
How does Franklin Township rank for history?
Franklin Township is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #383 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 Franklin Township?
4% of Franklin Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.5 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 (6), 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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