Spring Lake Heights was first counted by the census in 1930
More historic than 10% of U.S. towns · #463 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Most of Spring Lake Heights was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1972. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1930.
Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers
How Spring Lake Heights began
When was Spring Lake Heights founded?
1930
Spring Lake Heights first appears in the census in 1930. Another post office, Villa Park (1892), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,221 in 19302020 census: 4,89096 years
How historic is Spring Lake Heights?
D
More historic than 10% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Spring Lake Heights is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #463 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 Spring Lake Heights’ 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 Spring Lake Heights’ 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 (±2.7 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: the first census (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 Spring Lake Heights’ 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 Spring Lake Heights. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1888Asbury Park 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 Spring Lake Heights.
The story so far
Spring Lake Heights, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Spring Lake Heights yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Spring Lake Heights is a borough located in the southern coastal portion of Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,890, an increase of 177 (+3.8%) from the 2010 census count of 4,713, which in turn reflected a decline of 514 (−9.8%) from the 5,227 counted in the 2000 census. The borough of Spring Lake Heights was formed by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 19, 1927, from portions of Wall Township, based on the results of a referendum held on May 3, 1927. The borough was named for Spring Lake, which was named for a clear spring-fed lake.
Its first post office opened in 1930. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 4,713 to 4,890 (+4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Spring Lake Heights, 1888 to 1972
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Spring Lake Heights post office opened in 1930, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Spring Lake Heights rank for history?
Spring Lake Heights is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #463 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 Spring Lake Heights?
6% of Spring Lake Heights’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.7 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1972.
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 (8), 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.
Date?
2024
2024
2024
2024
2024
2010
2006