Camden, city (2020 pop. 71,791), seat
of Camden co., W N.J., a port on the Delaware River opposite Philadelphia,
settled 1681, inc. 1828. The opening of the Camden and Amboy RR to New York
in 1834 spurred the city's growth as a commercial, shipbuilding, and
manufacturing center. In 1858, Richard Esterbrook opened a steel-pen
factory. The Campbell canned-foods company began here in 1869, and
electronics, steel, oil, and chemicals were important in the 20th cent. By
the 1960s, however, weakened industries were closing or departing, and
Camden was gradually left with pollution, high unemployment, and urban
decay, leading to widespread poverty and crime; government corruption was
also a problem in the late 20th cent. Walt Whitman's home, the New Jersey
State Aquarium (1992), and the battleship New Jersey draw
visitors. The Walt Whitman (1957) and Benjamin Franklin (1926) bridges
connect Camden and Philadelphia. The city has a branch of Rutgers Univ.
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