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History · Laurel Lake

Half of Laurel Lake’s homes were built after 1977

Most of Laurel Lake was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. Below: maps from 1890 on and the census since 2000.

0on the National Register
2%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Laurel Lake’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 Laurel Lake are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18905 editions of the USGS map, 1890 to 1986. Watch Laurel Lake change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Laurel Lake’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Laurel Lake’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Laurel Lake on the map, 1890 to 1986

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

Laurel Lake on the 1890 USGS mapLaurel Lake on the 1942 USGS mapLaurel Lake on the 1956 USGS mapLaurel Lake on the 1972 USGS mapLaurel Lake on the 1986 USGS map1890Bridgeton 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 Laurel Lake.

The story so far

Laurel Lake, in brief

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

Laurel Lake is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Commercial Township, in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area for statistical purposes. As of the 2020 census, Laurel Lake had a population of 2,861.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,989 to 2,861 (-4%).

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

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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People over time

Laurel Lake, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,00020002020Peak: 2,989

Between 2,861 and 2,989 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Laurel Lake

Nobody well known was born in Laurel Lake itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Logan Pearsall SmithBritish American-born writer · b. 1865
Steven S. DeKnightAmerican television screenwriter, producer, and… · b. 1965
Anne WaldmanAmerican poet · b. 1945
Samuel Alexander Kinnier WilsonBritish neurologist · b. 1878
Rhoda ScottAmerican musician · b. 1938
Al McCoyAmerican boxer · b. 1894
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Commercial Township4 historic placesA−Millville2 historic placesA−

Questions about Laurel Lake’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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). How TownRatings grades history →

From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.