Oaklyn is a borough in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough’s population was 4,038, reflecting a decline of 150 (-3.6%) from the 4,188 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn declined by 242 (-5.5%) from the 4,430 counted in the 1990 Census.
Oaklyn was once dense forest land which was inhabited by Lenape Native Americans. In 1681, a group of Quakers seeking religious freedom sailed from Ireland to Fenwick’s Colony at Salem, New Jersey where they spent the winter.[20] In 1682, they sailed up the Delaware River and settled on Newton Creek.[20] William Bates, their leader, purchased 250 acres (1.0 km2) on the south side of Newton Creek from the local Native Americans. The original Quaker settlement, known as Newton Colony, was located in The Manor section of today’s Oaklyn.
The Colony began to grow rapidly and the land was cleared for farming. Eventually two highways were laid out. One, from the Delaware River to Egg Harbor, followed an old Native American trail, which is today the Black Horse Pike. The other was known as the Long-a-coming trail, which extended from Atlantic City to Berlin and then from Berlin to Camden. This trail is now known as the White Horse Pike.
After the American Revolutionary War, a group of Virginia sportsmen built a racetrack on the east side of the White Horse Pike. President Ulysses S. Grant visited this track as a young man before it closed in 1846. Samuel Bettle bought the land which was formerly the racetrack and eventually, the land was deeded to Haddon Township.
As the years passed, the farms along Newton Creek were divided into lots and the development called “Oakland the Beautiful”, for the many trees in the area. The name was changed to Oaklyn in 1894 to avoid confusion with another Oakland in North Jersey.
Oaklyn was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 13, 1905, from portions of Haddon Township.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 0.694 square miles (1.796 km2), including 0.628 square miles (1.626 km2) of land and 0.066 square miles (0.170 km2) of water (9.48%).
Oaklyn borders the Camden County municipalities of Audubon, Audubon Park, Collingswood, and Haddon Township.
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 4,038 people, 1,725 households, and 1,007 families residing in the borough. The population density was 6,432.9 per square mile (2,483.8/km2). There were 1,847 housing units at an average density of 2,942.4 per square mile (1,136.1/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 92.40% (3,731) White, 2.48% (100) Black or African American, 0.22% (9) Native American, 1.81% (73) Asian, 0.02% (1) Pacific Islander, 1.49% (60) from other races, and 1.58% (64) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.37% (217) of the population.
Source: Wikipedia
