Gloucester City was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 25, 1868, from the remaining portions of Union Township, which was then dissolved.

[24][25] Gloucester City is known for its Irish American population, which was ninth-highest in the United States by percentage in the 2000 Census.

The one built in the 1620s[28] at today's Gloucester City was for trade, mostly in beaver pelts, with the indigenous population of Susquehannock and Lenape.

The region along the Delaware River and its bay was called the Zuyd Rivier and marked the southern flank of the province of New Netherland.

[29] From 1638 to 1655 the area was part of New Sweden, which had been established by Peter Minuit, who had been Director of New Netherland, and was responsible for the famous purchase of the island of Manhattan.

The location was disadvantageous since the richest fur-trapping area was on the west side of the river, where Swedish could intercept trade with the natives.

In 1651, Peter Stuyvesant, director-general of New Netherland, dismantled the structure and relocated to a position on the other side of the river, in part to menace the Swedish, calling it Fort Casimir.

[citation needed] After the arrival of English Quakers on the Delaware, in 1677, a permanent settlement, at first called Axwamus, was established on the site of the present city.

[1][2] Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the city include Cloversdale, Gloucester Heights, Highland Park and Newbold.

[31] The city borders the municipalities of Bellmawr, Brooklawn, Camden, Haddon Township, and Mount Ephraim.

[51] Gloucester City is governed under a special charter, which was originally granted in 1868 by the New Jersey Legislature.

The Mayor and Common Council are responsible for making public policy that addresses the needs of the City and its residents.

[56][57][58][59][60] In December 2024, the city council appointed Ed Cilurso to the at-large seat expiring December 2025 that had been held by Sam Budesa until he left office; Cilurso will serve until the November 2024 general election, when voters will choose a candidate to serve the balance of the term of office.

[62] In June 2021, the City Council appointed councilmember-at-large Patrick Keating to fill the mayoral seat on an interim basis.

[63] Based on the results of the November 2021 general election, Dayl Baile was sworn into mayor, having been elected to fill the seat that had been held by Dan Spencer, while Robert Page took office in the at-large council seat that had been held by Patrick Keating.

[59][64] In January 2022, the city council appointed Derek Timm to fill the at-large seat expiring in December 2022 that had been held by Dayl Baile before he took office as mayor.

[65] Gloucester City is protected by a career fire staff 24/7 Located at 1 N. King Street.

Virtua EMS is operated daily with two NJ state certified EMTs and/or paramedics and serve as a Basic Life Support (BLS) unit.

[67][68][69] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 1st congressional district is represented by Donald Norcross (D, Camden).

[96] In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 58.9% of the vote here (2,698 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush, who received around 38.3% (1,755 votes), with 4,578 ballots cast among the city's 6,653 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 68.8.

[101] The Gloucester City Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.

[120][121] The city is expected to be a stop on the Glassboro–Camden Line, a planned 18-mile (28.97 km) diesel multiple unit (DMU) light rail system.