 Medford Lakes was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 17, 1939, from portions of Medford Township.The borough was named for Medford Township, which in turn was named by a developer for Medford, Massachusetts.The borough's 22 lakes and surrounding lake communities are within the boundaries of the New Jersey Pinelands Commission and are all overseen by the Medford Lakes Colony, a homeowner association that administers lake and other recreation facilities.