Community Profile: Camden, NJ Metropolitan Division (MD)

Historical Information

Fort Nassau (located within the present boundaries of Gloucester City, NJ) was built by the Dutch West India Company in 1626 and represented the first European attempt to settle the area now occupied by Camden. Burlington City, founded in 1677, was the capital of the original West Jersey colony. Much of the Camden area’s early growth was fueled by its status as a distribution center for Philadelphia, and many of its early settlers were Quakers from that city. The area continued to serve as a suburb and secondary economic and transportation hub for Philadelphia until the latter part of the 19th century when the railroad age transformed the greater Camden area into a manufacturing city. By the early 20th century, Camden had become an important center in its own right, containing a diverse industrial base that included the RCA Victor factory, the Campbell Soup Company, and the New York Shipbuilding Company. Although Camden lost most of its industrial base after World War II, the area continued to grow, reverting in part to its earlier historic role as a suburb of Philadelphia.

Historical data for the Camden, NJ MD can be found at the following websites:

Last updated: Monday, October 29, 2007

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Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
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Ten Independence Mall
Philadelphia, PA 19106-1574

(215) 574-6458 – phone
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info.communitydevelopment
@phil.frb.org

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