text:
Lower Township, New Jersey

Lower Township is a township in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township, and all of Cape May County, is part of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area, and is part of the Philadelphia-Wilmington-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD combined statistical area, also known as the Delaware Valley or Philadelphia metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 22,057, a decrease of 809 (−3.5%) from the 2010 census count of 22,866,  which in turn reflected a decrease of 79 (−0.3%) from the 22,945 counted in the 2000 census.

New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Lower Township as its 34th best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey. The township is part of the state's South Jersey region and the larger Delaware Valley or Philadelphia metropolitan area.

History
Before the region was settled by Europeans, the Kechemeche tribe of the Lenape Native Americans inhabited South Jersey, and traveled to the barrier islands during the summer to hunt and fish. On August 28, 1609, English explorer Henry Hudson entered the Delaware Bay and stayed one day on land, north of what is now Cape May Point. In 1630, representatives of the Dutch West India Company purchased a 16 mi2 tract of land along the Delaware from indigenous people, and additional land in the county was purchased 11 years later. Due to the large number of whales in the region of Cape May, Dutch explorers founded Town Bank around 1640 as a whaling village in what is now Lower Township. It was the first European settlement in Cape May County. The village once functioned as the court house for the county, along with Coxehall, built by Dr. Daniel Coxe to be a center for a manorial style of government. The sole remaining section of the original structure, which was moved several times during its history, is now preserved as Coxe Hall Cottage at Historic Cold Spring Village, a 19th century living history museum in Lower Township.

Lower Township was formed as a precinct on April 2, 1723, and was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships established by the Township Act of 1798. The township's name came from its location when Cape May was split into three townships in 1723 at the same time that Middle Township and Upper Township were created.

Portions of the township were taken to form Cape Island Borough (March 8, 1848; now known as Cape May city), Cape May Point borough (created April 19, 1878; restored to Lower Township on April 8, 1896; re-created April 6, 1908), Holly Beach (April 14, 1885, now part of Wildwood city), South Cape May (August 27, 1894; restored to Lower Township after the borough was dissolved on April 30, 1945), Wildwood Crest (April 6, 1910), and North Cape May (March 19, 1928; restored to Lower Township after it was dissolved on April 30, 1945).

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 31.06 square miles (80.45 km2), including 27.38 square miles (70.91 km2) of land and 3.69 square miles (9.54 km2) of water (11.86%).

Census-designated places (CDPs) located within Lower Township include Diamond Beach (with a 2010 population of 136, ), Erma (2,134 ), North Cape May (3,226 ) and Villas (9,483 ). Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Bennett, Cold Spring, Cold Spring Inlet, Ephraims Island, Fishing Creek, Higbees Landing, Miami Beach, Schellengers Landing, Sewells Point, South Cape May, Sunset Beach, Town Bank, Weers Landing, and Wildwood Gables.

Schellengers Landing is where boats dock and where a bridge between Cape Island and the mainland is located. Schellengers Landing was named after people who moved from New England to New Jersey in the 1600s. There were multiple families with the Schellenger name who had settled the area. Schellengers Landing is connected to Cape May city via a bridge, and is on Route 109. The name of the community is spelled differently in different works.

Lower Township borders the Cape May County municipalities of Cape May City, Cape May Point Borough, Middle Township, West Cape May Borough, Wildwood City, Wildwood Crest Borough, and Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 22,866 people, 9,579 households, and 6,351 families in the township. The population density was 824.3 /sqmi. There were 14,507 housing units at an average density of 523.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 94.24% (21,549) White, 1.99% (456) Black or African American, 0.16% (37) Native American, 0.62% (142) Asian, 0.04% (10) Pacific Islander, 1.20% (275) from other races, and 1.74% (397) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.24% (969) of the population.

Of the 9,579 households, 22.6% had children under the age of 18; 49.3% were married couples living together; 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present and 33.7% were non-families. Of all households, 28.7% were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.89.

19.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 20.4% from 25 to 44, 31.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 90.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 86.9 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $51,101 (with a margin of error of +/− $2,460) and the median family income was $62,587 (+/− $7,438). Males had a median income of $50,572 (+/− $3,361) versus $35,978 (+/− $2,297) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $28,175 (+/− $1,295). About 6.6% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.4% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the 2000 U.S. census, there were 22,945 people, 9,328 households, and 6,380 families residing in the township. The population density was 813.0 PD/sqmi. There were 13,924 housing units at an average density of 493.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the township was 96.26% White, 1.39% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.65% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.88% of the population.

There were 9,328 households, out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the township, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $38,977, and the median income for a family was $45,058. Males had a median income of $35,201 versus $24,715 for females. The per capita income for the township was $19,786. About 5.3% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.3% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

Local government
Lower Township operates within the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the Council-Manager form of government, which was adopted in 1984. The township is one of 42 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government. The council is comprised of five members—the Mayor, the Council Member-at-Large and three Ward seats—each elected on a partisan basis to four-year terms on a staggered basis, with either two seats (mayor and council at-large) or the three ward seats up for election in even-numbered years on an alternating basis as part of the November general election. The Mayor presides at all Council meetings and has a voice and vote in the proceedings. Powers are limited to those expressly conferred by the Charter. The Manager serves the Council for an indefinite term of office and may be removed by a majority vote of the Council. The Manager is the chief executive and administrator of the Township.

, members of the Lower Township Council are Mayor Frank Sippel (R, term ends December 31, 2024; At Large), Deputy Mayor David Perry (R, 2024; At Large), Thomas Conrad (R, 2026; Ward I), Kevin Coombs (R, 2026; Ward II) and Roland A. Roy Jr. (R, 2026; Ward III).

Erik Simonsen won a special election in November 2013 to fill the seat of Glenn Douglass, who had resigned two months earlier and whose seat had been filled on an interim basis by Jackie Henderson.

In January 2017, Roland Roy was selected from three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the Third Ward seat vacated by Erik Simonsen when he took office as mayor; Roy served on an interim basis until the November 2017 general election, when he was elected to serve the balance of the term through December 2018.

In February 2020, the Township Council selected Keven Coombs to fill the Ward II seat expiring in December 2022 that became vacant when David Perry was chosen to serve as deputy mayor. Earlier that month, Perry had been shifted to deputy mayor after Frank Sippel was selected as mayor to replace Erik K. Simonsen, who resigned to take office in the New Jersey General Assembly.

Federal, state, and county representation
Lower Township is located in the 2nd Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 1st state legislative district.

Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 14,612 registered voters in Lower Township, of which 3,000 (20.5%) were registered as Democrats, 5,902 (40.4%) were registered as Republicans and 5,702 (39.0%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 8 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 52.6% of the vote (5,493 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 46.2% (4,823 votes), and other candidates with 1.1% (120 votes), among the 10,534 ballots cast by the township's 15,217 registered voters (98 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 69.2%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 52.2% of the vote (5,831 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama, who received 45.1% (5,040 votes), with 11,177 ballots cast among the township's 14,435 registered voters, for a turnout of 77.4%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 54.3% of the vote (5,951 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry, who received around 44.1% (4,830 votes), with 10,961 ballots cast among the township's 14,709 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 74.5.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 70.8% of the vote (4,909 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 27.6% (1,913 votes), and other candidates with 1.7% (115 votes), among the 7,142 ballots cast by the township's 14,910 registered voters (205 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 47.9%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 51.6% of the vote (3,712 ballots cast), ahead of both Democrat Jon Corzine with 40.1% (2,882 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 6.0% (433 votes), with 7,190 ballots cast among the township's 14,989 registered voters, yielding a 48.0% turnout.

Education
Lower Township School District serves public-school students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of four schools, had an enrollment of 1,519 students and 149.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.2:1. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are David C. Douglass Veterans Memorial School with 312 students in grades PreK-K (in Villas), Carl T. Mitnick School with 440 students in grades 1-2 (in Cold Spring), Maud T. Abrams School with 355 students in grades 3-4 (in Cold Spring), and Charles W. Sandman Consolidated School with 388 students in grades 5-6 (in Cold Spring). The Lower Township School District participates in the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program, which allows non-resident students to attend the district's schools without cost to their parents, with tuition paid by the state. Seats in the program for non-resident students are specified by the district and are allocated by lottery.

For seventh through twelfth grades, public-school students attend the schools of the Lower Cape May Regional School District, in the Erma area, which also serves students from Cape May City and West Cape May, along with students from Cape May Point who attend the district as part of a sending/receiving relationship. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Richard M. Teitelman Middle School with 480 students in grades 7-8, and Lower Cape May Regional High School with 750 students in grades 9-12. In the 2011–12 school year, the city of Cape May paid $6 million in property taxes to cover the district's 120 high-school students, an average of $50,000 per student attending the Lower Cape May district. Cape May officials have argued that the district's funding formula based on assessed property values unfairly penalizes Cape May, which has higher property values and a smaller number of high-school students as a percentage of the population than the other constituent districts, especially Lower Township. The district's board of education is comprisedof [sic] nine members, who are elected directly by voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with three seats up for election each year Seats on the board are allocated based on population, with Lower Township assigned seven seats.

Students are also eligible to attend Cape May County Technical High School in Cape May Court House, which serves students from the entire county in its comprehensive and vocational programs, which are offered without charge to students who are county residents. Special needs students may be referred to Cape May County Special Services School District in Cape May Court House.

Wildwood Catholic Academy (Pre-K–12) in North Wildwood, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden, is the nearest Catholic school. Villas had its own Catholic K–8 school, St. Raymond's School, until 2007, when it merged into Our Lady Star of the Sea School in Cape May. In 2010 Our Lady Star of the Sea merged into Cape Trinity Regional School (Pre-K–8) in North Wildwood. That school in turn merged into Wildwood Catholic Academy in 2020. Bishop McHugh Regional School in Dennis Township takes students from Lower Township.

Two of the initial properties of Cape Christian Academy, formed c. 1990 as a merger of South Cape Christian Academy and Cape May County Christian School were in Lower Township. The current consolidated school building is in Middle Township, with a Cape May Courthouse postal address and within the CMCH census-designated place. Richard Degener of the Press of Atlantic City described it as being in Burleigh. Its campus has 6.5 acre of area.

Cape May County Library operates the Lower Township Library in Villas.

Roads and highways
, the township had a total of 179.10 mi of roadways, of which 131.92 mi were maintained by the municipality, 33.83 mi by Cape May County and 6.87 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 6.48 mi by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

The most prominent highway serving Lower Township is the Garden State Parkway, which has its southern terminus at the intersection with Route 109, in the township. U.S. Route 9, Route 109, Route 162, and Ocean Drive are other significant roadways within Lower Township.

Public transportation
NJ Transit offers bus service on the 313 and 315 routes between Cape May / Wildwood / Philadelphia, on the 552 between Cape May and Atlantic City, with seasonal service on the 319 route serving shore points between Cape May and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City's Midtown Manhattan.

The Cape May–Lewes Ferry terminal is located in North Cape May. Operated by the Delaware River and Bay Authority, the ferry makes the 17 mi trip between Lower Township and Lewes, Delaware in 85 minutes, carrying passengers and vehicles. The Delaware River and Bay Authority operates a shuttle bus service that connects the ferry terminal with the Cape May Transportation Center in Cape May in the summer months and to the Cape May County Park & Zoo in July and August.

Cape May Airport is in Lower Township.

Points of interest

 * Battery 223
 * Cape May Lighthouse
 * Cape May Winery & Vineyard
 * Owen Coachman House
 * Cold Spring Grange Hall
 * Cold Spring Presbyterian Church
 * Fire Control Tower No. 23
 * Fishing Creek Schoolhouse
 * George Hildreth House
 * Hawk Haven Vineyard & Winery
 * Historic Cold Spring Village
 * Jonathan Pyne House
 * Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum
 * Rio Grande Station
 * Turdo Vineyards & Winery

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Lower Township include:
 * Bob Andrzejczak (born 1986), politician who represented the 1st Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2013 to 2019 and in the New Jersey Senate in 2019
 * Maurice Catarcio (1929–2005), professional wrestler for the World Wrestling Federation and record holder in The Guinness Book of World Records
 * T. Millet Hand (1902–1956), politician who represented New Jersey's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1945 to 1956
 * Chris Jay, (born 1978), musician, screenwriter, actor and member of the band Army of Freshmen
 * Michael Linnington (born 1958), CEO of Wounded Warrior Project
 * Charles W. Sandman Jr. (1921–1985), politician who represented New Jersey's 2nd congressional district from 1967 to 1975
 * Erik K. Simonsen, politician who represents the 1st Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly and had served as mayor of Lower Township from 2016 until 2020
 * Matt Szczur (born 1989), Major League Baseball outfielder

title: Lower Township, New Jersey


text:
Middle Township, New Jersey

Middle Township is a township in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township, and all of Cape May County, is part of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area, and is part of the Philadelphia-Wilmington-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD combined statistical area, also known as the Delaware Valley or Philadelphia metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 20,380, an increase of 1,469 (+7.8%) from the 2010 census count of 18,911,  which in turn reflected an increase of 2,506 (+15.3%) from the 16,405 counted in the 2000 census. The township's Cape May Court House section is the county seat of Cape May County.

History
Middle Township was formed as a precinct on April 2, 1723, and was incorporated by Township Act of 1798 of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798 as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships. Portions of the township have been taken to form Anglesea Borough (on June 13, 1885; now North Wildwood), Avalon (April 18, 1892), Wildwood (May 1, 1895), Stone Harbor (April 3, 1914) and West Wildwood (April 21, 1920). The township's name came from its location when Cape May was split into three townships in 1723 at the same time that Lower Township and Upper Township were created.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 82.92 square miles (214.77 km2), including 70.24 square miles (181.92 km2) of land and 12.69 square miles (32.86 km2) of water (15.30%).

Burleigh (with a 2010 Census population of 725 ), Cape May Court House (5,338 ), Rio Grande (2,670 ) and Whitesboro (2,205 ) are unincorporated communities and census-designated places (CDPs) located within Middle Township; Whitesboro and Burleigh had previously been combined for statistical purposes by the Census Bureau as Whitesboro-Burleigh through the 2000 Census. Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Del Haven, Dias Creek, Goshen, Goshen Landing, Green Creek, Holly Beach, Mayville, Norburys Landing, Nummytown, Pierces, Pierces Point, Reeds Beach, Shellbed Landing, Swain Point, Swainton, Wildwood Gardens and Wildwood Junction.

The township borders the Cape May County municipalities of Avalon Borough, Dennis Township, Lower Township, North Wildwood City, Sea Isle City, Stone Harbor Borough, Wildwood City and West Wildwood Borough, along with the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 18,911 people, 7,256 households, and 4,934 families in the township. The population density was 268.9 /sqmi. There were 9,296 housing units at an average density of 132.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 83.11% (15,716) White, 10.41% (1,969) Black or African American, 0.18% (34) Native American, 1.79% (339) Asian, 0.05% (9) Pacific Islander, 1.97% (373) from other races, and 2.49% (471) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.09% (962) of the population.

Of the 7,256 households, 24.7% had children under the age of 18; 50.4% were married couples living together; 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 32.0% were non-families. Of all households, 26.2% were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.00.

20.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 21.9% from 25 to 44, 30.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 94.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 91.7 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $57,244 (with a margin of error of +/− $6,225) and the median family income was $66,451 (+/− $6,897). Males had a median income of $49,645 (+/− $5,272) versus $48,029 (+/− $5,201) for females. The per capita income for the township was $28,087 (+/− $1,866). About 4.4% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 16,405 people, 6,009 households, and 4,218 families residing in the township. The population density was 230.2 PD/sqmi. There were 7,510 housing units at an average density of 105.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the township was 85.21% White, 10.86% African American, 0.23% Native American, 1.44% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.66% from other races, and 1.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.12% of the population.

There were 6,009 households, out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the township, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $41,533, and the median income for a family was $49,030. Males had a median income of $37,531 versus $27,166 for females. The per capita income for the township was $19,805. About 8.6% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

Local government
Middle Township is governed under the Township form of government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state. The governing body is comprised of a three-member Township Committee, whose members are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one seat coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle. At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor.

, the Township Committee consists of Mayor Timothy C. Donohue (R, term on committee and as mayor ends December 31, 2023), Deputy Mayor Theron "Ike" Gandy (R, term on committee ends 2024; term as deputy mayor ends 2023) and James Norris (R, 2025).

Federal, state, and county representation
Middle Township is located in the 2nd Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 1st state legislative district.

Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 12,114 registered voters in Middle Township, of which 3,041 (25.1%) were registered as Democrats, 3,823 (31.6%) were registered as Republicans and 5,244 (43.3%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 6 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 49.6% of the vote (4,328 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 49.3% (4,299 votes), and other candidates with 1.1% (93 votes), among the 8,796 ballots cast by the township's 12,717 registered voters (76 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 69.2%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 49.5% of the vote (4,483 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama, who received 48.4% (4,389 votes), with 9,059 ballots cast among the township's 11,493 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.8%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 54.0% of the vote (4,391 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry, who received around 44.1% (3,586 votes), with 8,133 ballots cast among the township's 10,977 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 74.1.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 67.5% of the vote (3,856 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 30.8% (1,757 votes), and other candidates with 1.7% (98 votes), among the 5,911 ballots cast by the township's 12,651 registered voters (200 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 46.7%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 48.4% of the vote (3,024 ballots cast), ahead of both Democrat Jon Corzine with 41.5% (2,593 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 6.1% (381 votes), with 6,244 ballots cast among the township's 12,320 registered voters, yielding a 50.7% turnout.

Education
The Middle Township Public Schools serve students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of four schools, had an enrollment of 2,608 students and 208.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.5:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Middle Township Elementary School #1 with 670 students in grades Pre-K–2, Middle Township Elementary School #2 with 563 students in grades 3–5, Middle Township Middle School with 533 students in grades 6–8 and Middle Township High School with 767 students in grades 9–12. Students from Avalon, Dennis Township, Stone Harbor and Woodbine attend the district's high school as part of sending/receiving relationships.

Students are also eligible to attend Cape May County Technical High School in Cape May Court House, which serves students from the entire county in its comprehensive and vocational programs, which are offered without charge to students who are county residents. Special needs students may be referred to Cape May County Special Services School District in Cape May Court House.

There is a private Christian K–12 school in Middle Township, Cape Christian Academy. It is in the CMCH CDP and has a CMCH postal address. Richard Degener of the Press of Atlantic City described it as being in Burleigh.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden operates Bishop McHugh Regional School, a Catholic K–8 school, in Ocean View, Dennis Township, which has a Cape May Courthouse postal address. It is supported by four parishes in Cape May County including the Cape May Courthouse Church. The sole Catholic high school program in Cape May County is in Wildwood Catholic Academy (K–12) in North Wildwood, which also operates under the Camden Diocese.

Cape May County Library has its Cape May Court House branch.

Roads and highways
, the township had a total of 178.86 mi of roadways, of which 96.20 mi were maintained by the municipality, 42.23 mi by Cape May County, 29.06 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 11.37 mi by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

The Garden State Parkway runs for more than 11.3 mi as the main highway serving Middle Township. U.S. Route 9, Route 47 and Route 147 are other significant roadways within Middle Township.

Public transportation
NJ Transit offers bus service between Cape May and Philadelphia on the 313, 315 and 316 (seasonal only) routes, between Cape May and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 319, between Rio Grande and Wildwood on the 510 (seasonal only), and between Cape May and Atlantic City on the 552 route.

The Great American Trolley Company operates trolley service from North Wildwood and Wildwood to shopping centers in Rio Grande on Mondays through Fridays in the summer months.

Health care
Cape Regional Medical Center, located in Cape May Court House, is the only hospital in Cape May County. It was known as Burdette Tomlin Memorial Hospital until April 2007. In May 2021, The Claire C. Brodesser Surgery Center opened to patients needing ambulatory surgery and endoscopy services.

Wineries

 * Jessie Creek Winery
 * Natali Vineyards

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Middle Township include:
 * Bob Andrzejczak (born 1986), politician who represented the 1st Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2013 to 2019 and in the New Jersey Senate in 2019
 * Kevin Bramble (born 1972), disabled ski racer, freeskier, and mono-ski designer and builder
 * Anthony J. Cafiero (1900–1982), politician who served as a member of the New Jersey Senate from 1949 to 1953 and as a judge in New Jersey Superior Court
 * Maurice Catarcio (1929–2005), professional wrestler for the World Wrestling Federation and record holder in The Guinness Book of World Records
 * Daniel Cohen (1936–2018), children's writer
 * Joe Fala (born 1997), soccer player who plays as a defender for New York Red Bulls II in the USL Championship
 * Stedman Graham (born 1951), educator, author, businessman and speaker, best known as the partner of media mogul Oprah Winfrey
 * LaMarr Greer (born 1976), retired basketball player who played in the United States Basketball League and the International Basketball League
 * Matthew Maher (born 1984), retired soccer defender, who was sentenced to five and a half years in prison for first degree aggravated manslaughter and drunken driving
 * Matthew Szczur (born 1989), centerfielder for the Chicago Cubs
 * Julius H. Taylor (1914–2011), professor emeritus at Morgan State University who was chairperson of the department of physics.
 * Andrew J. Tomlin (1845–1906), awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Civil War

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Middle Township, New Jersey


text:
North Cape May, New Jersey

North Cape May is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Lower Township in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 United States Census, the CDP's population was 3,226. The Cape May–Lewes Ferry departs from the area. North Cape May is mostly a residential community, with no hotels but many vacation homes. Many people retire to the community.

North Cape May had existed as an independent borough, formed by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 19, 1928, from portions of Lower Township. The borough remained independent until April 30, 1945, when it was returned to Lower Township. The borough had a population of 5 at the 1930 Census, which increased to 8 by 1940.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP had a total area of 1.494 mi2, including 1.457 mi2 of land and 0.037 mi2 of water (2.49%).

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 3,226 people, 1,395 households, and 896 families in the CDP. The population density was 2214.3 /mi2. There were 2,100 housing units at an average density of 1441.5 /mi2. The racial makeup was 92.87% (2,996) White, 3.22% (104) Black or African American, 0.34% (11) Native American, 0.59% (19) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 1.30% (42) from other races, and 1.67% (54) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.66% (118) of the population.

Of the 1,395 households, 20.7% had children under the age of 18; 47.2% were married couples living together; 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present and 35.8% were non-families. Of all households, 29.6% were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.82.

18.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 19.9% from 25 to 44, 31.8% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 88.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 86.6 males.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States Census there were 3,618 people, 1,544 households, and 1,008 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 997.8 /km2. There were 2,090 housing units at an average density of 576.4 /km2. The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.42% White, 2.79% African American, 0.44% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.75% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.16% of the population.

There were 1,544 households, out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the CDP the population was spread out, with 22.8% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.3 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $37,071, and the median income for a family was $42,161. Males had a median income of $33,036 versus $26,875 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,420. About 1.0% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.

Wineries

 * Cape May Winery & Vineyard
 * Turdo Vineyards & Winery

Parks and recreation
North Cape May is the site of the Lower Township municipal pool.

Education
As with other parts of Lower Township, it is served by Lower Township School District for primary grades and Lower Cape May Regional School District for secondary grades.

David C. Douglass Memorial Elementary School (Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten) is in Villas CDP. The other three elementary schools are in Cold Spring: Carl T. Mitnick (grades 1–2), Maud Abrams (grades 3–4), and Sandman Consolidated (grades 5–6). The LCMR schools (Richard Teitelman Middle and Lower Cape May Regional High School) are in the Erma area.

Students are also eligible to attend Cape May County Technical High School in Cape May Court House, which serves students from the entire county in its comprehensive and vocational programs, which are offered without charge to students who are county residents. Special needs students may be referred to Cape May County Special Services School District in Cape May Court House.

South Cape Christian Academy, a private Christian school, opened sometime after 1976, and was located in a campus with a North Cape May postal address; as of 2010 it was outside of the North Cape May CDP. Circa 1990 it merged into Cape Christian Academy, which is now in a consolidated campus in Middle Township, with a Cape May Court House postal address and located in the CMCH CDP. Richard Degener of the Press of Atlantic City described the consolidated campus as being in Burleigh.

The nearest private Catholic school serving North Cape May is Wildwood Catholic Academy (PreK-12) in North Wildwood, which the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden has under its supervision. Previously the area Catholic school was Our Lady Star of the Sea School in Cape May, which served as the parish school for St. John of God Church in North Cape May. In 2010 Our Lady Star of the Sea merged into Cape Trinity Regional School (PreK – 8) in North Wildwood. That school in turn merged into Wildwood Catholic Academy in 2020.

Religion
St. John Neumann Catholic Parish, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden has its primary worship site in North Cape May. Previously it was a standalone church, St. John of God Church. In 2008 the diocese announced that it would merge with St. Raymond Church of Villas, and the merger occurred in 2010.

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with North Cape May include:
 * Bob Andrzejczak (born 1986), politician who represented the 1st Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2013 to 2019 and in the New Jersey Senate in 2019.
 * Chris Jay, (born 1978), musician, screenwriter, actor, member of the band, Army of Freshmen.

title: North Cape May, New Jersey


text:
North Wildwood, New Jersey

North Wildwood is a city located on the Jersey Shore in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The city and all of Cape May County are part of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area, which in turn is part of the Philadelphia-Wilmington-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD combined statistical area, also known as the Delaware Valley or Philadelphia metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 3,621, a decrease of 420 (−10.4%) from the 2010 census count of 4,041, which in turn had reflected a decline of 894 (−18.1%) from the 4,935 counted at the 2000 census. North Wildwood is home to the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse.

The city's beaches were ranked the fourth-best in New Jersey in the 2008 Top 10 Beaches Contest sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium. North Wildwood is one of five municipalities in the state that offer free public access to oceanfront beaches monitored by lifeguards, joining Atlantic City, Wildwood, Wildwood Crest and Upper Township's Strathmere section.

History
What is now North Wildwood City was originally incorporated as the borough of Anglesea on June 13, 1885, from portions of Middle Township, based on the results of a referendum held 11 days earlier. The borough was reincorporated on March 6, 1896, and again on May 4, 1897. On May 16, 1906, the Borough of North Wildwood was incorporated, replacing Anglesea Borough.

Legislation passed in April 1908 established a potential consolidation of North Wildwood and Holly Beach City into Wildwood, subject to approval of referendums in each of the three municipalities, though this merger never took effect.

On April 30, 1917, the area was reincorporated as the City of North Wildwood, in turn replacing North Wildwood borough. The city's name comes from Wildwood, which in turn was named for the area's wild flowers.

In November 2016, more than 60% of voters rejected a non-binding referendum that would ask to change the name of the city from North Wildwood to its historic name of Anglesea. Opponents cited the confusion that would be created and the impact on commerce.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 2.50 square miles (6.46 km2), including 1.73 square miles (4.47 km2) of land and 0.77 square miles (2.00 km2) of water (30.80%).

The borough borders the Cape May County municipalities of Middle Township, Stone Harbor Borough and Wildwood City, as well as the Atlantic Ocean.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 4,041 people, 2,047 households, and 1,085 families in the city. The population density was 2305.8 /sqmi. There were 8,840 housing units at an average density of 5044.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 94.98% (3,838) White, 1.14% (46) Black or African American, 0.32% (13) Native American, 0.35% (14) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 1.26% (51) from other races, and 1.95% (79) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.03% (163) of the population.

Of the 2,047 households, 12.0% had children under the age of 18; 41.1% were married couples living together; 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present and 47.0% were non-families. Of all households, 41.3% were made up of individuals and 21.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.97 and the average family size was 2.64.

13.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 17.4% from 25 to 44, 32.9% from 45 to 64, and 30.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 54.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 93.8 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 92.5 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $45,041 (with a margin of error of +/− $9,807) and the median family income was $56,116 (+/− $10,273). Males had a median income of $60,068 (+/− $9,524) versus $35,879 (+/− $5,208) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $31,748 (+/− $5,814). About 10.6% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the 2020 U.S. census, there were 4,935 people, 2,309 households, and 1,394 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,794.6 PD/sqmi. There were 7,411 housing units at an average density of 4,196.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 96.62% White, 0.81% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.77% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.95% of the population.

There were 2,309 households, out of which 18.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.73.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 17.2% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,582, and the median income for a family was $46,250. Males had a median income of $32,986 versus $22,064 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,656. About 9.9% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.1% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Portions of the city—together with areas in West Wildwood, Wildwood and Wildwood Crest—are part of a joint Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ), one of 32 zones covering 37 municipalities statewide. The four municipalities in The Wildwoods were selected in 2002 as one of a group of three zones added to participate in the program as part of a joint zone with. In addition to other benefits to encourage employment and investment within the Zone, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3.3125% sales tax rate (half of the $6 5/8$% rate charged statewide) at eligible merchants. Established in November 2002, the city's Urban Enterprise Zone status expires in December 2023. The joint UEZ is overseen by the Enterprise Zone Development Corporation of the Wildwoods Board, which includes representatives from all four municipalities.

Local government
North Wildwood operates under the City form of municipal government, which is used in 15 municipalities (of the 564) statewide. Under this form of government, the council functions as a legislative body: it passes ordinances and approves the appointments of the mayor. The mayor, as executive, is responsible for administrative functions and appointment of all officials. The governing body is comprised of a mayor and a city council. The mayor serves a four-year term of office. The city council includes seven members, of which six members are elected from wards for three-year terms on a staggered basis and one at-large councilmember is elected for a two-year term. Members of the governing body are selected in partisan voting as part of the November general election.

, the mayor is Republican Patrick T. Rosenello, whose term of office ends December 31, 2025. Members of the City Council are Council President Salvatore T. Zampirri Sr. (R, 2023; at-large), Margaret Anne "Peggy" Bishop (R, 2025; 1st Ward), David J. Del Conte (R, 2023; 1st Ward), James F. Kane (R, 2024; 1st Ward), Edwin W. Koehler (R, 2025; 2nd Ward), Joseph V. Rullo (R, 2024; 2nd Ward) and Kellyann Tolomeo (R, 2023; 2nd Ward).

In January 2014, the city council chose Joseph Rullo from among three names nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the vacant second ward seat of Patrick Rosenello, who vacated the seat earlier that month when he took office as mayor.

Emergency services
The city is protected by the North Wildwood Police Department.

The city is protected by a fire department that includes career and volunteer units. The two volunteer units are Anglesea Volunteer Fire Company #1 (founded in 1897) and the North Wildwood Volunteer Fire Company #1.

Federal, state and county representation
North Wildwood is located in the 2nd Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 1st Legislative District.

Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 3,279 registered voters in North Wildwood, of which 528 (16.1%) were registered as Democrats, 1,640 (50.0%) were registered as Republicans and 1,111 (33.9%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties.

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 57.2% of the vote (1,209 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 42.1% (889 votes), and other candidates with 0.8% (16 votes), among the 2,146 ballots cast by the city's 3,282 registered voters (32 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 65.4%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 58.0% of the vote (1,415 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama, who received 39.6% (967 votes), with 2,441 ballots cast among the city's 3,263 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.8%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 56.4% of the vote (1,556 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry, who received around 42.0% (1,158 votes), with 2,760 ballots cast among the city's 4,001 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 69.0.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 82.7% of the vote (1,268 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 16.2% (248 votes), and other candidates with 1.1% (17 votes), among the 1,596 ballots cast by the city's 3,173 registered voters (63 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 50.3%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 57.7% of the vote (987 ballots cast), ahead of both Democrat Jon Corzine with 32.9% (563 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 5.7% (98 votes), with 1,711 ballots cast among the city's 3,336 registered voters, yielding a 51.3% turnout.

Education
The North Wildwood School District serves students in public school for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade at Margaret Mace School. As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 207 students and 33.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 6.3:1.

For ninth through twelfth grades, public school students from North Wildwood attend Wildwood High School in Wildwood as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Wildwood City School District, together with students from West Wildwood and Wildwood Crest. As of the 2021–22 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 263 students and 31.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 8.5:1.

Students are also eligible to attend Cape May County Technical High School in the Cape May Court House area, which serves students from the entire county in its comprehensive and vocational programs, which are offered without charge to students who are county residents. Special needs students may be referred to Cape May County Special Services School District in the Cape May Court House area.

Wildwood Catholic Academy (Pre-K–12) operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden. There was previously a Catholic elementary school in Wildwood, St. Ann's School, which operated until 2010, when it merged into Cape Trinity Regional School (Pre-K–8) in North Wildwood. Upon its creation Cape Trinity Catholic Regional School operated separately from Wildwood Catholic High School but shared a common building. In April 2020, the Diocese of Camden announced that both of its Wildwood schools would permanently close at the end of the school year due to declining enrollment, which had dropped by 12% over the previous five years. By June 2020, both schools avoided closure after agreeing to merge.

Arts and culture
The Irish Fall Festival is the largest on the East Coast.

Roads and highways
, the city had a total of 35.57 mi of roadways, of which 33.19 mi were maintained by the municipality, 1.42 mi by Cape May County and 0.96 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Route 147 has its eastern terminus in North Wildwood and heads west to provide access to the Garden State Parkway northbound. County Route 621 (New Jersey Avenue) begins at the eastern terminus of Route 147 and heads southwest through the city toward Wildwood and Wildwood Crest, serving as part of Ocean Drive.

Parking in the beach area and Entertainment District of North Wildwood is regulated by parking meters between May 15 and September 30, whichever comes first. Yearly and weekly parking meter permits are also available.

Public transportation
NJ Transit provides bus service in the borough on the 313/315 routes between Cape May and Philadelphia (with seasonal service on the 316 route), on the 319 route to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan and on the 552 route between Cape May and Atlantic City.

The Great American Trolley Company operates trolley service in North Wildwood during the summer months. The company runs a trolley route that provides service from North Wildwood to the boardwalk at Schellenger Avenue in Wildwood on Friday and Saturday evenings. Another trolley route runs from North Wildwood to shopping centers in Rio Grande, operating Mondays through Fridays. The Great American Trolley Company also runs two trolley routes to the Irish Fall Festival in North Wildwood during the weekend of the festival, with one route connecting Wildwood Crest and Wildwood to the festival site and the other route connecting points in North Wildwood to the festival site.

The Tramcar is a trackless train service running along the entire length of the Wildwoods boardwalk from Cresse Avenue in Wildwood to 16th Avenue in North Wildwood during the summer season.

Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, North Wildwood has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) with hot, moderately humid summers, cool winters and year-around precipitation. Cfa climates are characterized by all months having an average mean temperature above 32.0 F, at least four months with an average mean temperature at or above 50.0 F, at least one month with an average mean temperature at or above 71.6 F and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. During the summer months in North Wildwood, a cooling afternoon sea breeze is present on most days, but episodes of extreme heat and humidity can occur with heat index values at or above 95.0 F. During the winter months, episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values below 0.0 F. The plant hardiness zone at North Wildwood Beach is 7b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 6.3 F. The average seasonal (November–April) snowfall total is 12 to 18 in, and the average snowiest month is February which corresponds with the annual peak in nor'easter activity.

Ecology
According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, North Wildwood would have a dominant vegetation type of Northern Cordgrass (73) with a dominant vegetation form of Coastal Prairie (20).

Religion
Notre Dame de la Mer Catholic Parish, which has its administrative offices at Wildwood Catholic Academy, is of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden. The worship sites are in Wildwood and Wildwood Crest. In 2008 the diocese announced that it would merge two standalone parish churches in those cities into one parish, and the merger occurred in 2010.

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with North Wildwood include:

 * Patricia Blair (1933–2013), television and film actress
 * Anthony Cafiero (1900–1982), politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 1949 to 1953
 * James Cafiero (1928–2023), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1968 to 1972 and in the State Senate from 1972 to 1982 and again from 1990 to 2004
 * Justin Catanoso (born 1959), journalist and author of My Cousin The Saint, A Search for Faith, Family, and Miracles
 * Greg Fulginiti (born 1951), recording and mastering engineer
 * Joseph Anthony Galante (born 1938), former bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden
 * Cozy Morley (c. 1926–2013), singer-songwriter, entertainer, comedian and owner of Club Avalon in North Wildwood, best known for his rendition of "On the Way to Cape May"

title: North Wildwood, New Jersey


text:
Ocean City, New Jersey

Ocean City is a city in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the principal city of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Cape May County, and is part of the Philadelphia-Wilmington-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD combined statistical area, also known as the Delaware Valley or Philadelphia metropolitan area. It is part of the South Jersey region of the state.

As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 11,229, a decrease of 472 (−4.0%) from the 2010 census count of 11,701,  which in turn reflected a decline of 3,677 (−23.9%) from the 15,378 counted in the 2000 census. In summer months, with an influx of tourists and second homeowners, there are estimated to be 115,000 to 130,000 within the city's borders.

Ocean City originated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 3, 1884, from portions of Upper Township, based on results from a referendum on April 30, 1884, and was reincorporated as a borough on March 31, 1890. Ocean City was incorporated as a city, its current government form, on March 25, 1897. The city is named for its location on the Atlantic Ocean.

Known as a family-oriented seaside resort, Ocean City has not allowed the sale of alcoholic beverages within its limits since its founding in 1879, offering miles of guarded beaches, a boardwalk that stretches for 2.5 miles, and a downtown shopping and dining district.

Travel Channel rated Ocean City as the Best Family Beach of 2005. It was ranked the third-best beach in New Jersey in the 2008 Top 10 Beaches Contest sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium. In the 2009 Top 10 Beaches Contest sponsored by NJ.com, Ocean City ranked first.

History
Before Ocean City was established, local Native Americans set up camps on the island for fishing in the summer months. In 1633, Dutch navigator David Pietersz. de Vries referred to "flat sand beaches with low hills between Cape May and Egg Harbor", possibly the earliest reference to the island that became Ocean City. In 1695, Thomas Budd surveyed the land on behalf of the West Jersey Society. Around 1700, John Peck used the island as a base of operation for storing freshly hunted whales, and subsequently, the land became known as Peck's Beach. The first record of a house on Peck's Beach was in 1752. During the 18th century, cattle grazers brought cows to the island, where plentiful trees, weeds, brush, and seagrass provided suitable conditions. Parker Miller was the first permanent resident of Peck's Beach in 1859.

Originally purchased by the Somers family, the island was formerly named Peck's Beach, believed to have been given the name for a whaler named John Peck. In 1700, Peck began using the barrier island as a storage place for freshly caught whales. The island was also used as a cattle-grazing area, and mainlanders would boat over for a picnic or to hunt. On September 10, 1879, four Methodist ministers—Ezra B. Lake, James Lake, S. Wesley Lake, and William Burrell—chose the island as a suitable spot to establish a Christian retreat and camp meeting on the order of Ocean Grove. They met under a tall cedar tree, which stands today in the lobby of the Ocean City Tabernacle. Having chosen the name Ocean City, the founders incorporated the Ocean City Association and laid out streets and lots for cottages, hotels, and businesses. The Ocean City Tabernacle was built between Wesley and Asbury Avenues and between 5th and 6th Streets. Camp meetings were held by the following summer and continue uninterrupted to this day.

In 1881, the first school on the island opened. The first bridge to the island was built in 1883, and the West Jersey Railroad opened in 1884. Based on a referendum on April 30, 1884, the borough of Ocean City was formed from portions of Upper Township, following an act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 3, 1884.

The ship Sindia joined other shipwrecks on the beach on December 15, 1901, on its way to New York City from Kobe, Japan, but has since sunk below the sand. A salvage attempt to retrieve treasures believed to have been on the ship was most recently launched in the 1970s, all of which have been unsuccessful. In 1920, the Chamber of Commerce adopted the slogan "America's Greatest Family Resort".

In 1927, a large fire broke out and caused $1.5 million in damage (equivalent to $ million in ). This led the city to move the boardwalk closer to the ocean, which resulted in a greater potential for damage from saltwater.

Alcohol prohibition
As a result of its religious origins, the sale or public drinking of alcoholic beverages in Ocean City was prohibited. In 1881, the Ocean City Association passed a set of blue laws, which were designed to enforce religious standards. The town banned the manufacturing or sale of alcohol in 1909.

Promoting water instead of drinking alcohol, the Woman's Christian Temperance Union donated a public fountain, dedicated on Memorial Day in 1915. Despite the prohibition of alcohol within the municipality, illegal saloons operated within Ocean City, and in 1929, prosecutors raided 27 speakeasies.

In 1951, the town banned the consumption of alcohol on the beach. All public alcohol consumption was banned in 1958. During the campaign for a 1986 referendum to repeal the blue laws, ads in the local paper suggested that the repeal could be next. In May 2012, 68.8% of voters rejected a ballot initiative for BYOB—bring your own bottle. As of 2016, Ocean City was one of 32 dry towns in New Jersey. Despite the prohibition in the city, 18.3% of adults in the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area (which includes all of Cape May County) drink alcohol heavily or binge drink, the highest percentage of any metro area in the state. USA Today listed Ocean City as the state's most drunken city on its 2017 list of "The drunkest city in every state". Additionally, a loophole in the law allows private dining clubs adjacent to restaurants to serve alcohol to members.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 11.56 square miles (29.93 km2), including 6.72 square miles (17.39 km2) of land and 4.84 square miles (12.53 km2) of water (41.87%). The island is about 8 mi long. Unincorporated communities, localities, and place names located partially or completely within the city include Peck Beach.

Ocean City is situated on a barrier island bordered by the Strathmere section of Upper Township to the south, the Marmora section of Upper Township to the west, and Somers Point and Egg Harbor Township across the Great Egg Harbor Bay to the north. The eastern side of Ocean City borders the Atlantic Ocean.

Since 1951, the beach has been replenished more than 40 times, potentially the most of any beach in the country. This is due to erosion caused by storms, and in an extreme instance of erosion, a $5 million replenishment project in 1982 had largely disappeared within two and a half months. During the 1960s and 1970s, the city owned its own dredge, but ceased replenishment projects when it could not secure permits for dredging the lagoons. Since 1992, the United States Army Corps of Engineers has handled responsibility for beach nourishment projects, periodically adding 1100000 cuyd, roughly every three years, using the shoal area about 5000 ft offshore the Great Egg Harbor Inlet. The project and funding was authorized in the Water Resources Development Act of 1986, and the most recent replenishment was completed in December 2017. After Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the Army Corps completed the city's largest beach replenishment since 1993, adding 1800000 cuyd of sand to replenish the eroded beaches.

Parks
The city utilizes 39% of its land area—1716 acre—for parks and recreation purposes. This includes about 1300 acre of protected dunes and wetlands. There are several parks within the confines of Ocean City, including ten playgrounds scattered across the island. There are also a volleyball court, a shuffleboard court, a hockey rink, four baseball fields, four soccer fields, eight basketball courts, and 24 tennis courts.

Across from the Ocean City Airport is the Howard Stainton Wildlife Refuge, a 16 acre area of wetlands established in 1997. There are no trails, but there is a viewing platform accessible from Bay Avenue. Adjacent to the airport is the Ocean City Municipal Golf Course, a 12–hole course run by the city and open to the public.

At the southern end of the island is Corson's Inlet State Park, which was established in 1969 to preserve one of the last undeveloped tracts of land along the oceanfront. The park is accessible by Ocean Drive (Cape May County Route 619), which bisects the park.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 11,701 people, 5,890 households, and 3,086 families in the city. The population density was 1847.7 /sqmi. There were 20,871 housing units at an average density of 3295.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 92.05% (10,771) White, 3.50% (410) Black or African American, 0.13% (15) Native American, 0.71% (83) Asian, 0.03% (3) Pacific Islander, 1.91% (224) from other races, and 1.67% (195) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.50% (643) of the population.

Of the 5,890 households, 14.8% had children under the age of 18; 40.6% were married couples living together; 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present and 47.6% were non-families. Of all households, 42.1% were made up of individuals and 21.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.98 and the average family size was 2.68.

14.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 16.7% from 25 to 44, 32.9% from 45 to 64, and 29.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 88.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 86.4 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $55,202 (with a margin of error of +/− $6,710) and the median family income was $79,196 (+/− $11,239). Males had a median income of $48,475 (+/− $5,919) versus $41,154 (+/− $12,032) for females. The per capita income for the city was $40,864 (+/− $3,899). About 5.1% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census, there were 15,378 people, 7,464 households, and 4,008 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,222.8 PD/sqmi. There were 20,298 housing units at an average density of 2,934.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 93.57% White, 4.31% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.99% of the population.

There were 7,464 households, out of which 16.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.3% were non-families. 40.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02 and the average family size was 2.71.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 16.4% under age 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 25.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.4 males. For every 100 women age 18 and over, there were 82.8 men.

The median income for a household in the city was $44,158, and the median income for a family was $61,731. Males had a median income of $42,224 versus $31,282 for females. The per capita income for the city was $33,217. About 4.3% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Beach
The concept of beach tags at the Jersey Shore was introduced in the late 1920s, but Ocean City did not establish them until 1976. Beach tags are a major source of revenue for the city, with the $4.1 million in revenue generated in the 2016 season, the most of any municipality in the state. In the 2017 budget, the projected $4.1 million in fees for beach tags and $3 million for parking were two of the city's biggest revenue sources, accounting for almost 9% of the city's annual budget of almost $80 million, and increased fees, including a doubling of the fee for daily tags, were part of an effort to bring the total up to $5 million for the 2023 season.

From early June through Labor Day, Ocean City requires individuals age 12 and up to purchase a beach tag to access its beaches. For the 2023 season (from the first weekend in June through Labor Day), a one-day pass will cost $10, a weekly pass was $20, and a seasonal pass for the full summer season will be $25. Additionally, there are free seasonal beach tags made available to military personnel. Beach tag revenue is used by the city to cover the costs of maintaining and cleaning the beaches. It is also used to hire and pay lifeguards and other members of the beach patrol for the city.

Boardwalk
Adjacent to the beach is a 2.45 mi long boardwalk that which runs north from 23rd Street to St. James Place. The boardwalk was first built in 1880 from the Second Street wharf to Fourth Street and West Avenue. In 1885, plans to extend the boardwalk along the entire beach were made as the city's first amusement house, a pavilion on the beach at 11th street called "The Excursion" opened. A second amusement park, the "I.G. Adams pavilion", at Ninth Street and the boardwalk, opened soon after but was destroyed by fire in 1893. Following a second catastrophic fire in 1927, the boardwalk and its businesses were rebuilt 300 ft closer to the ocean on concrete pilings, with parking created for cars in the space where the buildings and boardwalk once stood. The Ocean City Music Pier partially opened one year later, with work completed in time for the 1929 season.

In 2007, controversy emerged over the city's proposed use of ipê, a type of wood, to re-deck parts of the boardwalk. Environmental activists protested against the city's use of the wood, but the plan went ahead. In Fall 2013, the city began a $10 million project to rebuild the 85 year old boardwalk from 5th to 12th Streets. This replaced the concrete substructure from 1928 with wooden supports and pine decking, and included the removal of 12000 cuyd of sand. Originally intended to be a seven-year project, the work finished two years ahead of schedule in March 2018.

Attractions
In 1965, the Wonderland Amusement Park opened on the boardwalk at 6th Street, which is now known as Gillian's Wonderland Pier. Runaway Train, a steel twister, operated as the park's sole major roller coaster until its removal in 2018.

Playland's Castaway Cove is located on the boardwalk at 10th Street. Two major roller coasters operated there, which were the Python, a looping coaster, and the Flitzer, a wild mouse coaster. A new major shuttle coaster at Castaway Cove, Storm, was planned to be finished in summer 2013. The two older coasters were removed and for the 2016 summer season, a new ride called GaleForce was being built, which is a high thrill roller coaster with three linear synchronous motor launches reaching speeds of 64 mph and a 125 ft beyond vertical drop. GaleForce opened to the public on May 26, 2017. The new Wild Waves ride is a family-oriented coaster, with a height of 50 ft, that wraps around the GaleForce coaster. The new Whirlwind ride is a figure eight kiddie coaster with spinning cars.

There is also a water park located on the boardwalk called OC Waterpark, open during the summer months. There are several mini golf courses on the Boardwalk in Ocean City.

Media
Media publications in Ocean City include its newspaper, The Ocean City Sentinel Ocean City also has a seasonal publication, The Ocean City Sure Guide, and a lifestyle magazine known as Ocean City Magazine. The city also has a daily blog that has update on the city as a whole, called OCNJDaily

Sports
Ocean City Nor'easters of USL League Two play at Carey Stadium.

Local government
The City of Ocean City was incorporated on March 25, 1897. Since July 1, 1978, the city has operated within the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the mayor–council system of municipal government, which is used in 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide. The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the City Council. The mayor, the chief executive of the community, is chosen at-large for a four-year term at the municipal election in May and serves part-time for a yearly salary. The mayor neither presides over, nor has a vote on the council. The mayor has veto power over ordinances, but any veto can be overridden by a vote of two-thirds of the Council. The City Council is the legislative body and is comprised of seven members, of which four members represent individual wards and three are elected at-large. Each council person serves a staggered four-year term, with the three at-large seats and the mayoral seat up for election together, followed by the four ward seats which are voted upon two years later.

In September 2015, Councilman Michael Allegretto resigned from his seat expiring in December 2018 to take a position as the city's Director of Community Services. As the council could not reach agreement on a successor in the month following the resignation, the position remained vacant until a successor was chosen in the May 2016 municipal election to serve the balance of the term of office. In May 2016, Karen A. Bergman was elected to serve the balance of the vacant term.

The Second Ward seat expiring in December 2020 became vacant in December 2020, when Antwan McClellan resigned to take office in the New Jersey General Assembly.

In August 2021, Terrence Crowley Jr. was appointed to fill the First Ward expiring in December 2024 that had been held by Michael DeVlieger until he had resigned from office. Crowley served on an interim basis until the November 2021 general election, when he was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.

, the mayor of Ocean City is Jay A. Gillian, whose term of office ends June 30, 2026. Members of the city council are Council President Peter V. Madden (2026; At Large), Council Vice President Karen A. Bergman (2026; At Large), Terrence Crowley Jr. (2024; First Ward, elected to serve an unexpired term), Jody Levchuk (2024; Third Ward), John A. "Tony" Polcini (2026; At Large), Tomaso Rotondi (2024; Second Ward) and David Winslow (2024; Fourth Ward, appointed to serve an unexpired term).

In August 2023, the city council appointed David Winslow to fill the Fourth Ward seat expiring in December 2024 that had been held by Bob Barr until he resigned from office to take a city on the Cape May Board of County Commissioners; Winslow will serve on an interim basis until the November 2023, when voters will select a candidate to serve the balance of the term of office.

Federal, state, and county representation
Ocean City is located in the 2nd Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 1st state legislative district.

Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 8,810 registered voters in Ocean City, of which 1,747 (19.8%) were registered as Democrats, 3,776 (42.9%) were registered as Republicans and 3,282 (37.3%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 5 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 75.7% of the vote (3,436 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 22.9% (1,038 votes), and other candidates with 1.4% (62 votes), among the 4,638 ballots cast by the city's 8,926 registered voters (102 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 52.0%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 58.2% of the vote (2,894 ballots cast), ahead of both Democrat Jon Corzine with 34.3% (1,707 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 6.1% (306 votes), with 4,976 ballots cast among the city's 9,008 registered voters, yielding a 55.2% turnout.

Education
The Ocean City School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 2,056 students and 220.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.3:1. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Ocean City Primary School with 299 students in grades PreK-3, Ocean City Intermediate School with 468 students in grades 4-8, and Ocean City High School with 1,274 students in grades 9-12.

Students from Corbin City, Longport, Sea Isle City and Upper Township attend Ocean City High School for ninth through twelfth grades as part of sending/receiving relationships with their respective school districts. Starting in the 2012-13 school year, all students from Sea Isle City in public school for pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade attend Ocean City's public schools.

Students are also eligible to attend Cape May County Technical High School in the Cape May Court House area, which serves students from the entire county in its comprehensive and vocational programs, which are offered without charge to students who are county residents. Special needs students may be referred to Cape May County Special Services School District in the Cape May Court House area.

St. Augustine Regional School, a coeducational Catholic school for students in kindergarten through eighth grade, was closed by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden in June 2008. Bishop McHugh Regional Catholic School in Dennis Township had students attending from Ocean City.

Transportation
In 2009, the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area (Cape May County) ranked as the sixth-highest in the United States for percentage of commuters who walked to work (8.4 percent).

Roads and highways
In 1883, the first drawbridge to the island opened at 34th Street, linking Ocean City with the rest of Cape May County. Financed by the Ocean City Association, the toll road was narrow, frequently under water, and built of shells, gravel, sand, and cedar poles; it was widened in 1909, replaced in 1914, and again replaced in 1964. The newer bridge at 34th street was refurbished in 2018. In 1914, a bridge connecting the island with Somers Point opened across the Great Egg Harbor Bay, which was replaced in 1932 and again in 2012. A road bridge connecting Ocean City and Strathmere opened in 1918, which was replaced in 1946 after being purchased by the county and made a part of Ocean Drive. The Ocean City Automobile Club built a bridge in the northern end of the island in 1928, connecting the island with Egg Harbor Township; the bridge was replaced in 2002.

, the city had a total of 126.07 mi of roadways, of which 114.85 mi were maintained by the municipality, 9.31 mi by Cape May County and 1.91 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Ocean City has bridge connections to the Marmora section of Upper Township by the 34th Street (Roosevelt Boulevard) Bridge, Egg Harbor Township by the Ocean City-Longport Bridge, Somers Point by the 9th Street Bridge (Route 52 ), and the Strathmere section of Upper Township by the Corson's Inlet Bridge.

Public transportation
NJ Transit provides bus service from the Ocean City Transportation Center to Atlantic City on the 507 and 509 routes. The agency also provides seasonal service from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan to Cape May via Ocean City and other coastal towns. The city offers a summer Jitney service, with a route providing daily service on evenings from points between 59th Street and Battersea Road to the boardwalk.

Adjacent to the marshes of the Great Egg Harbor Bay is Ocean City Airport, officially known as Clarke Field. The airport was built in 1935 on what was previously a landfill, funded by the Works Progress Administration. The airport, still open to the public, operated at an annual loss of $150,000 for the city as of 2016.

Parking in the downtown and beach areas of Ocean City is regulated by on-street parking meters, metered parking lots, staffed parking lots, and permit parking lots. Parking meters and fees for parking lots are in effect between early May and early October. In addition to public parking, there are also several private parking lots in Ocean City.

Former transportation lines
In 1880, one year after Ocean City was established as a Christian resort, regular steamboat service from Somers Point began. In 1883, the Lake Brothers opened a streetcar line. In 1884, the West Jersey and Seashore Railroad extended its rail line from Sea Isle to the Ocean City Tenth Street Station. The line was replaced by buses in 1932. From 1906 to 1981, the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines operated rail service from Tuckahoe to Ocean City; service stopped when the Crook Horn bridge became damaged in 1981, and was eventually removed in 1992. After that time, rail tracks in Ocean City were removed from 9th to 34th streets. From 1907 to 1946, the Atlantic City and Shore Railroad operated a line from Atlantic City to Ocean City, until the bridge across the Great Egg Harbor Bay burned.

Culture
Julia Lawlor of The New York Times wrote in 2004 that Christian heritage influenced Ocean City's conservative laws; prior to 1986, shops were not allowed to conduct business on Sundays. The Sunday business closures were heavily enforced, with a grocer being arrested for selling a cantaloupe. In 2004 there were 15 churches.

In 2011, the city played the backdrop to an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia titled "The Gang Goes to the Jersey Shore". The city was never name dropped and only serves to portray a generic shore town as the episode features many stereotypes about the Jersey Shore and its culture, most of which negative. At the time of airing the episode caused backlash with many members of the community, citing the episode's raunchy nature in contrast to the family-friendly image Ocean City claims to have.

Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Ocean City has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) with hot, moderately humid summers, cool winters and year-round precipitation. Cfa climates are characterized by all months having an average mean temperature above 32.0 F, at least four months with an average mean temperature at or above 50.0 F, at least one month with an average mean temperature at or above 71.6 F and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. During the summer months in Ocean City, a cooling afternoon sea breeze is present on most days, but episodes of extreme heat and humidity can occur with heat index values at or above 95.0 F. During the winter months, episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values below 0.0 F. The plant hardiness zone at Ocean City Beach is 7b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 6.0 F. The average seasonal (November–April) snowfall total is 12 to 18 in, and the average snowiest month is February which corresponds with the annual peak in nor'easter activity.

Former Hurricane Sandy struck 12 mi north of the city on October 29, 2012, causing severe storm surge flooding and 70 mph wind gusts. The Bayside Center recorded a high tide of 9.31 ft during Sandy, surpassing the previous tidal record set in 1944. The storm caused major to severe damage to 29% of the houses in Ocean City, incurring a financial loss of $15.5 million to the tax base.

Ecology
According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Ocean City would have a dominant vegetation type of Northern Cordgrass (73) with a dominant vegetation form of Coastal Prairie (20).

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Ocean City include:
 * Marla Adams (born 1938), television actress, The Secret Storm and The Young and the Restless
 * David Akers (born 1974), former NFL kicker
 * A. R. Ammons (1926–2001), author and poet, winner of the National Book Award
 * Keith Andes (1920–2005), film, radio, musical theatre, stage and television actor
 * Andy Boswell (1873–1936), Major League Baseball pitcher for the Washington Senators and New York Giants and former New Jersey General Assembly member
 * Benjamin Burnley (born 1978), musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer and lead singer of Breaking Benjamin
 * Maurice Catarcio (1929–2005), former WWE professional wrestler and The Guinness Book of World Records record holder
 * Pat Croce (born 1954), former owner of the Philadelphia 76ers
 * Walter Diemer (1904–1998), inventor of bubble gum
 * Josiah E. DuBois Jr. (1913–1983), former U.S. Treasury Department official who played a major role in exposing State Department obstruction of efforts to provide American visa to Jews trying to escape Nazi Europe
 * Stephen Dunn (1939–2021), poet
 * Frank J. Esposito (born 1941), historian who was named by independent candidate Christopher Daggett as his ticket's candidate for Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey in 2009
 * Preston Foster (born 1900), former stage, film, radio, and television actor
 * Stephanie Gaitley (born 1960), head women's basketball coach, Fordham University
 * Andrew Golota (born 1968), boxer
 * Anne Heche (1969−2022), actress, Volcano and Psycho
 * Daniel J. Hilferty (born c. 1957), president and CEO of Independence Blue Cross
 * William J. Hughes (1932–2019), former member of U.S. House of Representatives, representing New Jersey's 2nd congressional district
 * Grace Kelly (1929–1982), Academy Award-winning actress, and Princess of Monaco
 * Kurt Loder (born 1945), former editor of Rolling Stone magazine and MTV anchor
 * Michael Lombardi (born 1959), pro football executive, former general manager of the Cleveland Browns
 * Catherine McCabe, former acting Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
 * Antwan McClellan, politician who has represented the 1st Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly since 2020
 * Ed Rendell (born 1944), former Governor of Pennsylvania
 * George Savitsky (1924–2012), former professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles
 * Dominic Sessa (born 2002/03), actor who made his film debut in Alexander Payne's 2023 coming-of-age film The Holdovers
 * Thomas J. Shusted (1926–2004), attorney and politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly, representing Legislative District 3D from 1970 to 1972 and the 6th Legislative District from 1978 to 1991
 * James Stewart (1908–1997), actor
 * Gay Talese (born 1932), author
 * Walter Trout (born 1951), blues musician
 * Roland Wiggins (1932–2019), music theorist and educator

Historic places

 * Ocean City 34th Street Station (demolished)
 * Ocean City City Hall
 * Ocean City Life-Saving Station
 * Ocean City Residential Historic District
 * Ocean City Tenth Street Station
 * The Flanders Hotel

title: Ocean City, New Jersey


text:
Rio Grande, New Jersey

Rio Grande is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Middle Township and Lower Township in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

Though for the 1990 to 2010 U.S. censuses the CDP was entirely located within Middle Township, a small section at the southern edge of the community, located in Lower Township, is sometimes called Rio Grande. For the 2020 U.S. Census the boundary was redrawn so that portions of Lower Township were included in the Rio Grande CDP.

It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP's population was 2,670.

History
According to Jeffrey M. Dorwart, Rio Grande was founded in the mid-nineteenth century around a country store owned by the Hildreth family. The community was originally called Hildreth for that reason.

George F. Boyer and J. Pearson Cunningham explain that, during the colonial period, Aaron Leaming, the Hildreths and the Cresses had plantations in that area. Where the King's Highway crossed the road coming from Dennisville and Goshen a stage coach terminal was set up, and the spot became the center for trade for the local farming families. Boyer and Cunningham say that the area was known as "Leamings," for the prominent landholders, or as "Hildreth," the family who ran the local store. (p. 121-122) They continue, "The name, Rio Grande, was suggested by the seventh Aaron Leaming who thought this southern United States river had an attractive sound."

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP had a total area of 2.490 mi2, including 2.459 mi2 of land and 0.031 mi2 of water (1.26%).

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Rio Grande has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 2,670 people, 1,115 households, and 730 families in the CDP. The population density was 1085.8 /mi2. There were 1,489 housing units at an average density of 605.5 /mi2. The racial makeup was 86.44% (2,308) White, 5.54% (148) Black or African American, 0.26% (7) Native American, 2.51% (67) Asian, 0.04% (1) Pacific Islander, 3.22% (86) from other races, and 1.99% (53) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.68% (205) of the population.

Of the 1,115 households, 20.8% had children under the age of 18; 45.4% were married couples living together; 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 34.5% were non-families. Of all households, 29.1% were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.85.

18.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 31.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 97.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 96.4 males.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States Census there were 2,444 people, 1,029 households, and 658 families living in the CDP. The population density was 399.8 /km2. There were 1,294 housing units at an average density of 211.7 /km2. The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.79% White, 4.50% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 1.10% from other races, and 2.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.03% of the population.

There were 1,029 households, out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them; 46.6% were married couples living together; 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present; and 36.0% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the CDP the population was spread out, with 21.6% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $28,424, and the median income for a family was $38,007. Males had a median income of $32,935 versus $19,643 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,792. About 20.9% of families and 21.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.5% of those under age 18 and 17.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education
The areas within Middle Township, including almost all of Rio Grande CDP, are in the Middle Township Public Schools; it operates its campuses in Cape May Court House, including Middle Township High School.

The areas within Lower Township, including a sliver of the CDP, are in the Lower Township School District for elementary grades and the Lower Cape May Regional School District for secondary grades. The elementary school district operates Douglass School (PreK and Kindergarten) in Villas CDP and three schools in Cold Spring: Mitnick School (1–2), Abrams School (3–4), and Sandman School (5–6). The secondary school district Teitelman Middle School and Lower Cape May Regional High School in the Erma area.

Countywide schools include Cape May Technical High School (for technical school students) and Cape May County Special Services School District (for special needs students) in the Cape May Court House area.

In the era of de jure educational segregation in the United States, a school for white children in grades 1-6 was maintained in Rio Grande and a school for black children was maintained in Whitesboro in grades 1–8. White children in Rio Grande were sent to West Cape May School District for grades 7–12.

Transportation
Rio Grande is situated at the junction of U.S. Route 9 and Route 47. U.S. Route 9 runs south to Cape May and north toward the Atlantic City area while Route 47 runs southeast to Wildwood and north to Millville and the Camden area. Rio Grande is accessible from the Garden State Parkway at exit 4 northbound and exit 4B southbound.

NJ Transit offers bus service from Rio Grande to Cape May and Philadelphia on the 313, 315 and 316 (seasonal only) routes, to Cape May and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 319 route, to Wildwood on the 510 route, and to Cape May and Atlantic City on the 552 route.

The Great American Trolley Company operates trolley service from North Wildwood and Wildwood to shopping centers in Rio Grande on Mondays through Fridays in the summer months.

Cape May Airport, established in 1941 as NAS Rio Grande, is located in the area, in adjacent Lower Township.

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Rio Grande include:
 * Jane Moffet (1930–2018), utility player who played for four seasons in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League

title: Rio Grande, New Jersey