Oaklyn

History

Before European settlement began, Oaklyn was 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. In 1682, they sailed up the Delaware River and settled on Newton Creek. 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. Future 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. Oaklyn was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 13, 1905, from portions of Haddon Township.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 0.69 square miles (1.78 km2), including 0.63 square miles (1.62 km2) of land and 0.06 square miles (0.15 km2) of water (8.70%).

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  85,034
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  83,772
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  64,529
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  63,185
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  60,662
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  55,813
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  55,723
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  55,415

Largest nearby schools

• Mastery Schools of Camden Inc.
  Other · Camden · 2,880 students · 13.9:1 ratio
• Camden's Promise Charter School
  Other · Camden · 2,363 students · 11.3:1 ratio
• Cherry Hill High School East
  High · CHERRY HILL · 2,087 students · 14.7:1 ratio
• KIPP: Cooper Norcross A New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation
  Other · Camden · 2,026 students · 19.1:1 ratio
• Eastern Regional High School
  High · VOORHEES · 1,933 students · 13.6:1 ratio
• Leap Academy University Charter School
  Other · CAMDEN · 1,557 students · 14.7:1 ratio
• Pennsauken High School
  High · PENNSAUKEN · 1,530 students · 14.9:1 ratio
• Cherry Hill High School West
  High · CHERRY HILL · 1,355 students · 12.8:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2024-05-24
  6 km E of Califon, New Jersey
• M 2.6 — 2024-05-01
  1 km NW of Gladstone, New Jersey
• M 2.9 — 2024-04-27
  7 km WSW of Gladstone, New Jersey
• M 2.6 — 2024-04-10
  5 km WSW of Gladstone, New Jersey
• M 3.7 — 2024-04-05
  7 km WSW of Gladstone, New Jersey
• M 2.6 — 2024-04-05
  6 km ESE of Califon, New Jersey