27% of Highland Park’s homes were built before 1940
More historic than 97% of U.S. towns · #23 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 234 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1910.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Highland Park is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #23 of 468 in New Jersey. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Highland Park’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 Highland Park’s 157 sits above most of its state (89% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 238 historic buildings outnumber those of 94% 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 (±4.3 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 Highland Park’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 Highland Park. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1888New Brunswick 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 Highland Park.
The earliest settlers of the land that would become Highland Park were the Lenape Native Americans. They hunted in the hills along the Raritan River, which had trails that crisscrossed the area. The trail helped provide a link between the Delaware River and Hudson River areas. In 1685, John Inian bought land on both shores of the Raritan River and built two new landings downstream from the Assunpink Trail's fording place, which was later developed as Raritan Landing. He established a ferry service, and the main road was then redirected to lead straight to the ferry landing. This river crossing was run by generations of different owners, and a ferry house tavern operated for many years in the 18th century. A toll bridge replaced the ferry in 1795. The wood plank Albany Street Bridge was dismantled in 1848 and reconstructed in 1853. The present-day seven-span stone arch road bridge was bu…
Passages that mention Highland Park, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Middlesex County, New Jersey, 1664-19201921Read the page →
Read the text
with which concern he was identified until 1914, when he resigned to accept the presidency of the Highland Park Building Company and the Highland Park Lumber Company, in which he has continued up to the present time, 1921. In 1918, Mr. Segoine was elected president of the Cronk Manufacturing Company, woodworkers and box manufacturers, in which capacity he is still active. As a business man he is held in the' highest esteem, it being his high sense of honor and his ability, as displayed in the conduct of his business affairs, which has given him his
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
Highland Park, 1843 to 1998
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.
Highland Park is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #23 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 Highland Park?
Two places: the Livingston Homestead (listed 2002) and the Livingston Manor Historic District (2004).
How old are the homes in Highland Park?
27% of Highland Park’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.3 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 (5), Wikidata (1), 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 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.
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