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C−History
History · Ship Bottom

Ship Bottom dates to 1925, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 17% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Below: maps from 1888 on and the census since 1930.

1925founded
0on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Ship Bottom began

When was Ship Bottom founded?

1925

Ship Bottom dates its founding to 1925 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 277 in 19302020 census: 1,098101 years

How historic is Ship Bottom?

C−

More historic than 17% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata.
History grade

What drives Ship Bottom’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ship Bottom is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ship Bottom’s overall grade.
Founding era1925, from Wikidata: founded 1900–1944, an older era than 9% of U.S. townsDHomes built before 194012.0% of homes (±3.3) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%B−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 17%
NewerOlder

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 Ship Bottom’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 C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.3 points). Two sources give 1925.

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 Ship Bottom’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 Ship Bottom are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18886 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1972. Watch Ship Bottom change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ship Bottom’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ship Bottom’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

Ship Bottom on the map, 1888 to 1972

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

Ship Bottom on the 1888 USGS mapShip Bottom on the 1893 USGS mapShip Bottom on the 1919 USGS mapShip Bottom on the 1941 USGS mapShip Bottom on the 1952 USGS mapShip Bottom on the 1972 USGS map1888Long Beach 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 Ship Bottom.

The story so far

Ship Bottom, in brief

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

Ship Bottom is a borough situated on the Jersey Shore, within Ocean County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 1,098, a decrease of 58 (−5.0%) from the 2010 census count of 1,156, which in turn had reflected a decline of 228 (−16.5%) from the 1,384 counted in the 2000 census. The borough is located on Long Beach Island and borders the Atlantic Ocean. The summer population can climb as high as 20,000. The borough's name was derived from a March 1817 incident in which a woman was saved from a wrecked ship that had capsized as her rescuers used axes to cut through the bottom of the hull. What is now Ship Bottom was originally incor…

Ship Bottom was established in 1925. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,156 to 1,098 (-5%).

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

Timeline

Ship Bottom, 1888 to 1972

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1888On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 20th century
  4. 1925
    FoundingShip Bottom is established
  5. 1972Born hereMatt Kmosko is born here
By decade

Ship Bottom, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Ship Bottom Municipal Building, Ship Bottom, N. J2011Ship Bottom Municipal Building, Ship Bottom, N. JLong Beach Island Grade School, ship bottom, N. J2011Long Beach Island Grade School, ship bottom, N. JGreetings from Ship Bottom, N. J. -- bathing beach, grade school, bird's eye view, sunset2011Greetings from Ship Bottom, N. J. -- bathing beach, g…Enjoying the beach and sun at Ship Bottom, N. J2011Enjoying the beach and sun at Ship Bottom, N. JBird's-eye view, Ship Bottom, N. J2011Bird's-eye view, Ship Bottom, N. JBeach scene, Ship Bottom Beach, Arlington, N. J2011Beach scene, Ship Bottom Beach, Arlington, N. JBeach scene, Ship Bottom Beach, Arlington, N. J2011Beach scene, Ship Bottom Beach, Arlington, N. JBeach front, looking north, Ship Bottom, N. J2011Beach front, looking north, Ship Bottom, N. JBayfront scene, Ship Bottom-Beach, Arlington, N. J2011Bayfront scene, Ship Bottom-Beach, Arlington, N. JBay front, Ship Bottom, N. J2011Bay front, Ship Bottom, N. JBathing beach, Ship Bottom, N. J2011Bathing beach, Ship Bottom, N. JShip bottom nj 0292005Ship bottom nj 029
People over time

Ship Bottom, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,40019401960198020002020Peak: 1,427

Between 277 and 1,427 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Stafford Township2 historic placesBLong Beach TownshipIts storyC−Surf CityIts storyC−

Questions about Ship Bottom’s history

What year was Ship Bottom founded?

In 1925, according to Wikidata. the census of 1930 counted 277 people here.

How does Ship Bottom rank for history?

Ship Bottom is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns. 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 Ship Bottom?

12% of Ship Bottom’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.3 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1970.

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 (12), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.