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DHistory
History · Somerdale

Somerdale’s post office opened in 1924

More historic than 10% of U.S. towns · #464 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it

Most of Somerdale was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1965. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1930.

1924first post office
0on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Somerdale’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Somerdale began

When was Somerdale founded?

1924

The Somerdale post office opened in 1924, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 1,151 in 19302020 census: 5,566102 years

How historic is Somerdale?

D

More historic than 10% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

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

What drives Somerdale’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Somerdale is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #464 of 468 in New Jersey. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.

D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Somerdale’s overall grade.
Founding era1924, from the first post office: founded 1900–1944, an older era than 9% of U.S. townsDHomes built before 19405.8% of homes (±3.6) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%CNational 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 10%
NewerOlder
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)#464 of 468

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 Somerdale’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 (±3.6 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 Somerdale’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18917 editions of the USGS map, 1891 to 1994. Watch Somerdale change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Somerdale’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewWarrick House, Warrick Road: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Somerdale on the map, 1891 to 1994

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

Somerdale on the 1891 USGS mapSomerdale on the 1920 USGS mapSomerdale on the 1943 USGS mapSomerdale on the 1952 USGS mapSomerdale on the 1967 USGS mapSomerdale on the 1981 USGS mapSomerdale on the 1994 USGS map1891Philadelphia 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 Somerdale.

The story so far

Somerdale, in brief

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

Somerdale is a borough in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 5,566, an increase of 415 (+8.1%) from the 2010 census count of 5,151, which in turn reflected a decline of 41 (−0.8%) from the 5,192 counted in the 2000 census. Somerdale was created on April 23, 1929, from portions of Clementon Township, one of seven municipalities created from the now-defunct township, and one of five new municipalities created on the same date: Hi-Nella, Lindenwold, Pine Hill and Pine Valley.

Its first post office opened in 1924. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 5,151 to 5,566 (+8%).

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

Timeline

Somerdale, 1891 to 1995

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1891On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 20th century
  4. 1924Post officeThe Somerdale post office opens
  5. 1995Born hereZac Gallen is born here
By decade

Somerdale, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Warrick House, Warrick RoadDate?Warrick House, Warrick Road
Today5 recent
Sterling High School front, NJ, Nov. 20242024Sterling High School front, NJ, Nov. 2024Somerdale, NJ park, Nov. 20242024Somerdale, NJ park, Nov. 2024Somerdale, NJ municipal building (2), Nov. 20242024Somerdale, NJ municipal building (2), Nov. 2024Somerdale, NJ municipal building (1), Nov. 20242024Somerdale, NJ municipal building (1), Nov. 2024Census Bureau map of2008Census Bureau map ofMap
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.

Warrick House, Warrick Road
Retake this viewWarrick House, Warrick Road

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Somerdale’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Somerdale, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,0006,5007,00019401960198020002020Peak: 6,510

Between 1,151 and 6,510 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Voorhees Township2 historic placesC−Echelon1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMagnoliaIts storyCHi-NellaIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townStratford1 historic placeC−Gloucester Township7 historic placesA−Lawnside2 historic placesC+LindenwoldIts storyC−

Questions about Somerdale’s history

What year was Somerdale founded?

The Somerdale post office opened in 1924, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Somerdale rank for history?

Somerdale is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #464 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 Somerdale?

6% of Somerdale’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.6 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1965.

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), the Library of Congress (1), 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) 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.