text:
Avalon, New Jersey

Avalon is a borough in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located on Seven Mile Island. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 1,243, a decrease of 91 (−6.8%) from the 2010 census count of 1,334, which in turn declined by 809 (−37.8%) from the 2,143 counted in the 2000 census. The borough's population swells to as many as 45,000 during the summer.

Geographically part of the South Jersey region, the community is one of the most affluent communities along the Jersey Shore and is home to some of the most expensive real estate on the East Coast. In 2007, Forbes listed Avalon as the 65th most expensive ZIP Code in the United States. Washingtonian "named Avalon the 'chicest beach' in the mid-Atlantic, the place to see women in diamonds and designer swimwear." A small portion of Avalon is not on Seven Mile Island. The borough, 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.

Avalon is known as a South Jersey seashore resort and has the motto "Cooler by a Mile" since it juts out into the Atlantic Ocean about a mile farther than other barrier islands. Alternatively, the motto is because Avalon, at four miles long, is one mile longer than its neighboring town on the southern end of Seven Mile Island, Stone Harbor. It was ranked the seventh-best beach in New Jersey in the 2008 Top 10 Beaches Contest sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium.

History
Around 14,000 years ago, the barrier islands of Cape May County formed, likely from spits and lines of dunes. Originally a thriving juniper forest occupied by Lenni Lenape Native Americans, the area was purchased by Aaron Leaming in December 1722 for 79 pounds. Known as Seven Mile Beach (which included present-day Avalon and Stone Harbor), it was owned and retained by the Leamings for approximately 100 years. Unconfirmed legends say that pirates buried their bounty on Seven Mile Island, and that Henry Hudson may have dropped anchor somewhere offshore. The island served as a cattle range and was also used for its plentiful timber. The Leamings eventually sold the land, and the island exchanged hands in a number of transactions afterwards. In April 1887, the Seven Mile Beach company was formed. As early as 1893, Avalon was advertised as a resort town. With this rapid development, homes and businesses were erected. The native juniper forest was graded and cut, and the sandy hills were leveled off, making the island mostly flat. Today it is extremely rare to see hills or native juniper in Avalon.

Avalon was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 18, 1892, from portions of Middle Township, based on the results of a referendum held two days earlier. The borough was reincorporated on March 6, 1896, and again on May 4, 1897. Another portion of Middle Township was annexed in 1910. On December 27, 1941, portions of Avalon were ceded to Stone Harbor. The borough is named for Avalon of Arthurian legend.

On January 4, 1890, the Commonwealth, piloted by Captain W.S. Willets, sank. This 197-ton ship was en route from New York City to Philadelphia with a cargo of molasses, coffee, tobacco, tea, coconut oil, and camphor. Straying from its course in rough weather, the Commonwealth ran aground in Townsend's Inlet. The crew was rescued and most of the cargo was salvaged. However, after a week trapped in the sandy bottom of the inlet, the ship began to come apart in the waves. Some of the remaining cargo washed ashore and most of it was taken by the early residents of Avalon. The wreck, unable to be recovered, was sold to John Townshend on February 2.

By the early 1900s, the Leaming Railroad bridge was constructed, allowing train connections into the town. This increased the traffic from nearby Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Around 1944 the West Jersey and Seashore railroad lines merged with the Reading Railroad. This effectively ended the era of travel by train to the island. A hurricane took several streets and Avalon now has a north end beginning at 7th street. In the mid-1950s the Wolfington Family of Philadelphia purchased and operated the Puritan Hotel later enlarged and renamed the Whitebriar Hotel on the beach block at 21st Street. The Whitebriar was managed for two seasons in the mid-1950s, one of the future 'great hosts' of several hotels in the Greater Philadelphia area, Robert C. Bennett. He was the son of another 'famous' hotelier, Claude H. Bennett of the Bellevue Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia. Currently the most widely used method of transportation to and from Avalon is by car or boat; however, buses run on a regular schedule all over the shore towns.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 5.06 square miles (13.09 km2), including 4.27 square miles (11.06 km2) of land and 0.79 square miles (2.04 km2) of water (15.53%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Peermont.

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

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 1,334 people, 692 households, and 416 families in the borough. The population density was 321.3 /sqmi. There were 5,434 housing units at an average density of 1308.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 98.05% (1,308) White, 0.30% (4) Black or African American, 0.30% (4) Native American, 0.22% (3) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.15% (2) from other races, and 0.97% (13) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.17% (29) of the population.

Of the 692 households, 9.2% had children under the age of 18; 54.6% were married couples living together; 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present and 39.9% were non-families. Of all households, 36.0% 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 1.93 and the average family size was 2.45.

8.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 11.8% from 25 to 44, 35.0% from 45 to 64, and 40.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 61.8 years. For every 100 females, the population had 89.8 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 89.5 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $88,527 (with a margin of error of +/− $20,202) and the median family income was $135,781 (+/− $32,487). Males had a median income of $162,125 (+/− $69,973) versus $46,397 (+/− $17,278) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $99,655 (+/− $18,059). About 1.6% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census, there were 2,143 people, 1,045 households, and 668 families residing in the borough. The population density was 508.4 PD/sqmi. There were 5,281 housing units at an average density of 1,252.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the borough was 98.69% White, 0.14% African American, 0.56% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.05% from other races, and 0.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.56% of the population.

There were 1,045 households, out of which 12.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.56.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 14.1% under the age of 18, 2.9% from 18 to 24, 16.3% from 25 to 44, 33.9% from 45 to 64, and 32.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $59,196, and the median income for a family was $72,750. Males had a median income of $60,227 versus $39,886 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $50,016. About 2.2% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 0.1% of those age 65 or over.

Local government
The Borough of Avalon is governed within the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the Mayor-Council system of municipal government. The borough is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government. The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the five-member borough council. Members of the borough council are elected in non-partisan elections to four-year terms on a staggered basis, with either two seats (and the mayoral seat) or three seats coming up for election in odd-numbered years as part of the May municipal election.

, Avalon's mayor is John M. McCorristin, whose term of office ends on June 30, 2027. Members of the borough council are Council President James T. McDermott Jr. (2025), Council Vice President Maura H. "Mari" Coskey (2025), Greg "Chet" Johnson (2025; appointed to serve an unexpired term), Barbara L. Juzaitis (2027) and Samuel D. Wierman (2027).

In July 2023, the borough council appointed Chet Johnson to fill the council seat expiring in June 2025 that had been held by John McCorristin until he stepped down to take office as mayor.

In July 2015, William G. Burns Jr., was appointed to fill the vacant seat expiring 2017 of David Ellenberg, who resigned from office earlier that month.

Mayor Pagliughi and Councilmembers Covington and Dean ran unopposed in the May 2011 municipal election. With 245 of 1,330 registered voters participating (turnout of 18.42%) all three candidates were re-elected.

In the May 2013 election, incumbents Ellenberg and Hudanich were re-elected, as newcomer John McCorristin won the seat that had previously been held by Joseph Tipping who didn't run for another term of office.

Federal, state, and county representation
Avalon 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 1,307 registered voters in Avalon, of which 206 (15.8%) were registered as Democrats, 676 (51.7%) were registered as Republicans and 425 (32.5%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties.

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 66.5% of the vote (622 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 32.9% (308 votes), and other candidates with 0.6% (6 votes), among the 943 ballots cast by the borough's 1,331 registered voters (7 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 70.8%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 62.4% of the vote (663 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama, who received 35.7% (379 votes), with 1,063 ballots cast among the borough's 1,325 registered voters, for a turnout of 80.2%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 66.1% of the vote (766 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry, who received around 32.6% (377 votes), with 1,158 ballots cast among the borough's 1,419 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 81.6.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 84.0% of the vote (589 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 15.3% (107 votes), and other candidates with 0.7% (5 votes), among the 710 ballots cast by the borough's 1,279 registered voters (9 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 55.5%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 64.7% of the vote (547 ballots cast), ahead of both Democrat Jon Corzine with 29.0% (245 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 5.0% (42 votes), with 845 ballots cast among the borough's 1,357 registered voters, yielding a 62.3% turnout.

Education
Avalon School District is a public school district that serves students in public school for first through eighth grade. As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 83 students and 12.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 6.8:1. In the 2016–17 school year, Avalon had the smallest enrollment of any school district in the state, with 43 students.

Starting with the 2011–12 school year, in an agreement with the Stone Harbor School District, public school students in grades K–4 from both communities attend school in Stone Harbor while all students in grades 5–8 attend school in Avalon, at Avalon Elementary School.

Students in public school for ninth through twelfth grades attend Middle Township High School in Cape May Court House, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Middle Township Public Schools, together with students from Dennis Township, Stone Harbor and Woodbine. As of the 2022–23 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 790 students and 65.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.2:1. 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.

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 the parish school of Avalon/Stone Harbor Catholic Church and three other churches.

Roads and highways
, the borough had a total of 41.61 mi of roadways, of which 36.19 mi were maintained by the municipality and 5.42 mi by Cape May County.

No Interstate, U.S., state or major county highways serve Avalon. The most significant roads are minor county routes, such as County Route 601 (Avalon Boulevard), which connects the Garden State Parkway and U.S. Route 9 to the oceanfront, and County Route 619, which follows Ocean Drive.

Public transportation
There is also a seasonal trolley service that runs through the seven-mile-long island. Avalon also has multiple NJ Transit bus stops, and is served by the 315 to and from Philadelphia and the 319 that provides service to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan.

Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Avalon has a Humid subtropical climate (Cfa).

The Nor'easter of 1962
In March 1962, a major Nor'easter, the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962, tore through the U.S. East Coast causing massive ocean swells. Much of Avalon suffered very serious flooding and major coastline loss. Much of the island was under water for four to five days, with damage to homes dependent on the foundation construction of the home and location on the island.

Protection efforts against storms
While there have been many strong storms since 1962, extensive rock jetty construction on Townsends Inlet (as recent as Summer 2006) has mostly succeeded in protecting the inlet-side homes. However, beaches and property facing the ocean at 8th through 12th Streets have struggled to prevent further loss of this barrier island through various anti-erosion schemes, including extending the 8th Street rock jetty, the installation of an artificial reef and the beach replenishment. So far, there has been no more "shrinkage" of the island at this location, but at a very high monetary cost. Several times, in 2015, the causeway leading north from Avalon to Townsends Inlet has been closed by flooding during stormy weather.

Ecology
According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Avalon 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 Avalon include:

 * Geno Auriemma (born 1954), head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team
 * Neil Hartman, Comcast Sportsnet personality
 * Paul Holmgren (born 1955), former General Manager of the Philadelphia Flyers and current president
 * Tim Kerr (born 1960), right winger who played in the NHL for the Philadelphia Flyers
 * Ed McMahon (1923–2009), television show host
 * Joe Paterno (1926–2012), Penn State football head coach
 * Michael W. Rice (born 1945), CEO/Chairman of Utz Quality Foods
 * Stephen Sharer (born 1992), YouTube personality
 * Ed Stefanski, former General Manager of the Philadelphia 76ers

title: Avalon, New Jersey


text:
Cape May, New Jersey

Cape May (sometimes Cape May City) is a city and seaside resort located at the southern tip of Cape May Peninsula in Cape May County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean, it is one of the country's oldest vacation resort destinations. The city, 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 city's resident population was 2,768, a decrease of 839 (−23.3%) from the 2010 census count of 3,607,  which in turn reflected a decline of 427 (−10.6%) from the 4,034 counted in the 2000 census. In the summer, Cape May's population is expanded by as many as 40,000 to 50,000 visitors. The entire city of Cape May is designated the Cape May Historic District, a National Historic Landmark due to its concentration of Victorian architecture.

In 2008, Cape May was recognized as one of the top 10 beaches in the United States by the Travel Channel. It is part of the South Jersey region of the state.

17th and 18th centuries
The area was originally settled by the Kechemeche Native American tribe, who were part of the Lenape tribe. The Kechemeche first encountered European colonialists around 1600. The city was named for the Dutch captain Cornelius Jacobsen Mey, who explored and charted the area between 1611–1614 and established a claim for the province of New Netherland. It was later settled by New Englanders from the New Haven Colony.

Cape May began hosting vacationers from Philadelphia in the mid-18th century and is recognized as the country's oldest seaside resort.

19th century
Following the construction of Congress Hall in 1816, Cape May became increasingly popular in the 19th century and was considered one of the finest resorts in America by the 20th century.

What is now Cape May was formed as the borough of Cape Island by the New Jersey Legislature on March 8, 1848, from portions of Lower Township. It was reincorporated as Cape Island City on March 10, 1851, and was renamed Cape May City on March 9, 1869.

Tourism to the city was boosted in 1863 with the opening of the Tuckahoe and Cape May Railroad.

The city suffered devastating fires in 1869 and 1878. In the early hours of August 31, 1869, a fire broke out in the Japanese store on Washington Street. The fire destroyed the post office and at least thirty-five other buildings. Press reports at the time did not mention any deaths. In 1878, a five-day-long fire destroyed 30 blocks of the town center. Replacement homes were almost uniformly of Victorian style, and more recent protectionist efforts have left Cape May with many famously well-maintained Victorian houses—the second largest collection of such homes in the nation after San Francisco.

20th century
Because of the World War II submarine threat off the East Coast of the United States, especially off the shore of Cape May and at the mouth of the Delaware Bay, numerous United States Navy facilities were located here in order to protect American coastal shipping. Cape May Naval facilities, listed below, provided significant help in reducing the number of ships and crew members lost at sea.

 * Naval Air Station, Cape May
 * Naval Base, Cape May
 * Inshore Patrol, Cape May
 * Naval Annex, Inshore Patrol, Cape May
 * Joint Operations Office, Naval Base, Cape May
 * Welfare and Recreation Office, Cape May
 * Dispensary, Naval Air Station, Cape May
 * Naval Frontier Base, Cape May
 * Degaussing Range (Cold Spring Inlet), Naval Base, Cape May
 * Joint Operations Office, Commander Delaware Group, ESF, Cape May
 * Anti-Submarine Attack Teacher Training Unit, U.S. Naval Base, Cape May
 * Naval Annex, Admiral Hotel, Cape May

In 1976, Cape May was designated a National Historic Landmark as the Cape May Historic District, making Cape May the only city in the U.S. to be wholly designated as a national historic district. That designation is intended to ensure the architectural preservation of these buildings.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Cape May had a total area of 2.90 square miles (7.50 km2), including 2.47 square miles (6.41 km2) of land and 0.42 square miles (1.10 km2) of water (14.59%). Cape May is generally low-lying; its highest point, at the intersection of Washington and Jackson Streets, is 14 ft above sea level.

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the city include Poverty Beach.

Cape May borders the Cape May County municipalities of Lower Township and West Cape May Borough, the Atlantic Ocean, and Delaware Bay. The Cape May–Lewes Ferry provides transportation across the Delaware Bay between North Cape May, New Jersey, and Lewes, Delaware.

Cape May Harbor, which borders Lower Township and nearby Wildwood Crest allows fishing vessels to enter from the Atlantic Ocean, was created as of 1911, after years of dredging completed the harbor which covers 500 acres. Cape May Harbor Fest celebrates life in and around the harbor, with the 2011 event commemorating the 100th anniversary of the harbor's creation.

Cape May is the southernmost point in New Jersey. It is at approximately the same latitude as Washington, D.C., and Arlington County, Virginia, and equidistant to Manhattan and Virginia.

Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Cape May has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) with hot, humid summers, cool winters and year-round precipitation. Its climate resembles that of its neighbor, the Delmarva Peninsula. During the summer months in Cape May, 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 0.0 F. The hardiness zone of Cape May is 8a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 10.8 F. The average seasonal snowfall total is around 15 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, Cape May would have a dominant vegetation type of Northern Cordgrass (73) with a dominant vegetation form of Coastal Prairie (20).

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 3,607 people, 1,457 households, and 782 families in the city. The population density was 1500.6 /sqmi. There were 4,155 housing units at an average density of 1728.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 89.05% (3,212) White, 4.85% (175) Black or African American, 0.30% (11) Native American, 0.67% (24) Asian, 0.11% (4) Pacific Islander, 2.30% (83) from other races, and 2.72% (98) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.62% (311) of the population.

Of the 1,457 households, 16.3% had children under the age of 18; 44.6% were married couples living together; 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 46.3% were non-families. Of all households, 42.0% were made up of individuals and 27.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.95 and the average family size was 2.64.

12.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 20.6% from 18 to 24, 18.6% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 27.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 104.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 107.4 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $35,660 (with a margin of error of +/− $4,248) and the median family income was $50,846 (+/− $16,315). Males had a median income of $43,015 (+/− $20,953) versus $31,630 (+/− $22,691) for females. The per capita income for the city was $30,046 (+/− $4,010). About 2.2% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census, there were 4,034 people, 1,821 households, and 1,034 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,623.7 PD/sqmi. There were 4,064 housing units at an average density of 1,635.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 91.32% White, 5.26% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.26% from other races, and 1.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.79% of the population.

There were 1,821 households, out of which 18.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.2% were non-families. 39.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24.2% 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 2.69.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 16.3% under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 19.8% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 28.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,462, and the median income for a family was $46,250. Males had a median income of $29,194 versus $25,842 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,902. About 7.7% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Tourism is Cape May's largest industry. The economy runs on the Washington Street Mall and includes shops, restaurants, lodgings, and tourist attractions including the Cape May boardwalk. Many historic hotels and B&Bs are located in Cape May, and commercial and sport fishing is a significant component of its economy.

Cove Beach, located at Cape May southernmost tip, hosts hundreds of swimmers, sunbathers, surfers, and hikers daily during summer months.

Cape May has been a popular resort for French Canadian tourists for several decades. Cape May County established a tourism office in Montreal, Quebec, but around 1995 it closed due to budget cuts. By 2010, the tourism office of Cape May County established a French language coupon booklet.

Arts and culture
Cape May has become known both for its Victorian gingerbread homes and its cultural offerings. The town hosts the Cape May Jazz Festival, the Cape May Music Festival and the Cape May, New Jersey Film Festival. Cape May Stage, an Equity theater founded in 1988, performs at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse on the corner of Bank and Lafayette Streets. East Lynne Theater Company, an Equity professional company specializing in American classics and world premieres, has its mainstage season from June–December and March, with school residencies throughout the year. Cape May is home to the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC), established in 1970 by volunteers who succeeded in saving the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate from demolition. MAC offers a wide variety of tours, activities and events throughout the year for residents and visitors and operates three Cape May area historic sites—the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate, the Cape May Lighthouse and the World War II Lookout Tower. The Center for Community Arts (CCA) offers African American history tours of Cape May, arts programs for young people and is transforming the historic Franklin Street School, constructed in 1928 to house African-American students in a segregated school, into a Community Cultural Center.

Cape May is the home of Cape May diamonds, which show up at Sunset Beach and other beaches in the area. These are in fact clear quartz pebbles that wash down from the Delaware River. They begin as prismatic quartz (including the color sub-varieties such as smoky quartz and amethyst) in the quartz veins alongside the Delaware River that get eroded out of the host rock and wash down 200 miles to the shore. Collecting Cape May diamonds is a popular pastime and many tourist shops sell them polished or even as faceted stones.

The Cape May area is also world-famous for the observation of migrating birds, especially in the fall. With over 400 bird species having been recorded in this area by hundreds of local birders, Cape May is arguably the top bird-watching area in the entire Northeastern United States. The Cape May Warbler, a small songbird, takes it name from this location. The Cape May Bird Observatory is based nearby at Cape May Point.

Cape May is also a destination for marine mammal watching. Several species of whales and dolphins can be seen in the waters of the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean, many within 10 mi of land, due to the confluence of fresh and saltwater that make for a nutrient rich area for marine life. Whale and dolphin watching cruises are a year-round attraction in Cape May, part of an ecotourism / agritourism industry that generated $450 million in revenue in the county, the most of any in the state.

The Harriet Tubman Museum in downtown Cape May features the life and work of Harriet Tubman, an abolitionist and social activist.

Fisherman's Memorial
Cape May Fisherman's Memorial, located at Baltimore and Missouri Avenues, was built in 1988. It features a circular plaza reminiscent of a giant compass, a granite statue of a mother and two small children looking out to Harbor Cove, and a granite monument listing the names of 75 local fishermen who died at sea. The names begin with Andrew Jeffers, who died in 1893, and include the six people who died in March 2009 with the sinking of the scalloping boat Lady Mary. The granite statue was designed by Heather Baird with Jerry Lynch. The memorial is maintained by the City of Cape May and administered by the Friends of the Cape May Fisherman's Memorial. Visitors often leave a stone or seashell on the statue's base in tribute to the fishermen.

Local government
Effective July 1, 2004, Cape May switched to a Council-Manager form of government under the Faulkner Act, after having used Plan A of the Faulkner Act Small Municipality form since 1995. The city is one of 42 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government. The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the four-member City Council, with all positions elected at-large to four-year terms of office on a non-partisan basis as part of the November general election in even-numbered years. The Mayor is elected directly by the voters. The Borough Council is elected to serve four-year terms on a staggered basis, with three seats coming up for election together and then the mayor and the fourth council seat up for vote together two years later. Following the 2004 elections, the first under the new form of government, lots were drawn to determine which of the newly elected members would serve a four-year term, with the other three serving two-year terms. A city manager is responsible for the city's executive functions, managing Cape May's activities and operation. Voters approved a November 2010 referendum to shift the city's elections from May to November, with city officials estimating that the change would save $30,000 in costs that had been associated with each May election.

In March 2015, Councilman Jerry Inderwies Jr. resigned to protest what he called a "witch hunt" against the police chief. In the November 2015 general election, Roger Furlin was elected to fill the balance of the council seat vacated by Inderwies.

In January 2021, the city council selected Lorraine Baldwin to fill the council seat expiring in 2022 that had been held by Zachary Mullock until he resigned to take office as mayor. Baldwin served on an interim basis until the November 2021 general election, when voters chose her to serve the balance of the term of office. Also in January 2021, Michael Voll was appointed to City Manager.

In November 2021, the city council appointed Michael Yeager to fill the seat expiring in December 2021 that had bene held by Christopher Bezaire until he resigned after pleading guilty earlier that month to charges that he had engaged in stalking an ex-girlfriend and that he had been in contempt of court.

, the Mayor of Cape May City is Zachary Mullock, whose term of office ends December 31, 2024. Other members of the Cape May City Council are Deputy Mayor Lorraine M. Baldwin (2026), Maureen K. McDade (2026), Shaine P. Meier (2026) and Michael Yeager (2024; elected to fill an unexpired term).

Federal, state, and county representation
Cape May 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 1,932 registered voters in Cape May City, of which 452 (23.4%) were registered as Democrats, 838 (43.4%) were registered as Republicans and 640 (33.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 2 voters registered as either Libertarians or Greens.

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 52.2% of the vote (745 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 46.9% (669 votes), and other candidates with 0.9% (13 votes), among the 1,442 ballots cast by the city's 1,925 registered voters (15 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 74.9%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 50.9% of the vote (817 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama, who received 46.4% (745 votes), with 1,605 ballots cast among the city's 1,940 registered voters, for a turnout of 82.7%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 53.8% of the vote (942 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry, who received around 44.0% (771 votes), with 1,752 ballots cast among the city's 2,276 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 77.0.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 72.9% of the vote (737 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 25.8% (261 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (13 votes), among the 1,036 ballots cast by the city's 1,902 registered voters (25 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 54.5%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 52.1% of the vote (608 ballots cast), ahead of both Democrat Jon Corzine with 39.1% (457 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 6.8% (80 votes), with 1,168 ballots cast among the city's 2,069 registered voters, yielding a 56.5% turnout.

Infrastructure
Cape May established a desalinization plant in the late 1990s to manage salt going into its water aquifers.

Cape May's current sewage plant in 1960 or 1961, less than a year after the New Jersey Attorney General's deadline for Cape May Point to have a sewage plant, as it had previously dumped sewage in the Delaware Bay; the New Jersey Department of Health had warned the borough about this in 1951. Despite the borough missing the deadline, the state never fined the borough as the Attorney General removed his judgment.

Education
For pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, public school students attend Cape May City Elementary School as part of the Cape May City School District. As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of one school with an enrollment of 169 students and 22.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 7.5:1. Also attending are students from Cape May Point, a non-operating district, as part of a sending/receiving relationship, with most students in the district coming from the United States Coast Guard Training Center Cape May.

For seventh through twelfth grades, public school students attend the schools of the Lower Cape May Regional School District, which serves students from Cape May City, Cape May Point, Lower Township and West Cape May. Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Richard M. Teitelman Middle School with 439 students in grades 7-8 and Lower Cape May Regional High School (LCMRHS) with 764 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 high school district's board of education has 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 Cape May City assigned one seat.

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 the Cape May Court House area.

The nearest private Catholic school serving Cape May is Wildwood Catholic Academy (Pre-K12) in North Wildwood, under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden.

Colleges and universities in the Cape May area include Atlantic Cape Community College, Rutgers University–Camden, and the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences.

The Cape May Branch of the Cape May County Public Library is located in Cape May City. The library was previously in city hall but later moved to a standalone building. In 2009 an estimated $507,800 renovation was to take place with $395,300, or about 78% of the expenses, paid by Cape May County. In 2024 it moved from a previous location to the renovated Franklin Street School.

History of education
According to an 1868 article in The Inkwell by William Lycett, historically Cape May had a school known as the "Indian Queen.", until another school opened in 1868. He also stated that his father operated a private educational institution.

The first Cape May High School, built in 1901, was designed by Seymour Davis and built for $35,000. In 1917 a new Cape May High School facility was built, with the 1901 building becoming an elementary school. In the past Cape May elementary schools were segregated on the basis of race; churches and households initially educated black children. From 1928 to 1948, black elementary school students attended Franklin Street School. Cape May High School educated students of all races. Cape May High closed effective December 22, 1960, and LCMRHS opened in 1961. c. 1970 the first Cape May High School building was demolished, and was replaced with an Acme Markets location that occupied the site starting in the 1970s. The second Cape May High School building has since become the city hall and police station.

Cape May previously had its own Catholic K–8 school, Our Lady Star of the Sea School, which served as the parish school for Our Lady Star of the Sea, St. John of God (North Cape May) and St. Raymond (Villas) churches. The St. Raymond School closed in 2007 with students sent to Our Lady Star of the Sea. 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.

Starting in 2010, discussions were under way regarding a possible consolidation of the districts of Cape May City, Cape May Point and the West Cape May School District.

The Franklin Street School opened as the current library due to a renovation worth $11,000,000. About one and one half years was the duration of the project completion. The opening ceremony involved a chain of people moving books between the old and new libraries with their hands.

Roads and highways
, the city had a total of 31.63 mi of roadways, of which 24.99 mi were maintained by the municipality and 6.64 mi by Cape May County.

Route 109 leads into Cape May from the north and provides access to the southern terminus of the Garden State Parkway along with U.S. Route 9 in neighboring Lower Township. U.S. Route 9 leads to the Cape May–Lewes Ferry, which heads across the Delaware Bay to Lewes, Delaware.

Public transportation
NJ Transit provides service to Philadelphia on the 313 and 315 routes and to Atlantic City on the 552 route, with seasonal service to Philadelphia on the 316 route and to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 319 route.

The Great American Trolley Company operates trolley service in Cape May daily during the summer months, running along a loop route through the city.

The city is served by rail from the Cape May City Rail Terminal, offering excursion train service on the Cape May Seashore Lines from the terminal located at the intersection of Lafayette Street and Elmira Street.

The city last had regional passenger train service by the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines in the mid-1960s. Final service into Camden, New Jersey (across the Delaware River from Philadelphia) ended in January 1966, while service to Lindenwold station ended in October 1981.

Ferry transport
The Delaware River and Bay Authority operates the Cape May-Lewes Ferry year-round, a 70-85 minute across Delaware Bay to Lewes, Delaware, carrying passengers and cars. The ferry constitutes a portion of U.S. Route 9.

The Delaware River and Bay Authority operates a shuttle bus in the summer months which connects the Cape May Welcome Center with the Cape May–Lewes Ferry terminal.

Media
Cape May is served by several media outlets including WCFA-LP 101.5 FM, a commercial-free jazz and community station, the weekly Cape May Star and Wave, two free weekly newspapers, The Cape May Gazette and Exit Zero, and local websites CapeMay.com and Cape May Times.

The countywide newspaper is Cape May County Herald.

The regional newspapers for the area including Cape May County are the Press of Atlantic City, and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The name Exit Zero refers to the town's location at the far southern end of the Garden State Parkway near the intersection with Route 109. Informally, the entire town is sometimes called Exit Zero.

Coast Guard Training Center Cape May
The United States Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, New Jersey is the nation's only Coast Guard Recruit Training Center. In 1924, the U.S. Coast Guard occupied the base and established air facilities for planes used in support of United States Customs Service efforts. During the Prohibition era, several cutters were assigned to Cape May to foil rumrunners operating off the New Jersey coast. After Prohibition, the Coast Guard all but abandoned Cape May leaving a small air/sea rescue contingent. For a short period of time (1929–1934), part of the base was used as a civilian airport. With the advent of World War II, a larger airstrip was constructed and the United States Navy returned to train aircraft carrier pilots. The over the water approach simulated carrier landings at sea. The Coast Guard also increased its Cape May forces for coastal patrol, anti-submarine warfare, air/sea rescue and buoy service. In 1946, the Navy relinquished the base to the Coast Guard. The Cape May Airport still houses the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum.

In 1948, all entry-level training on the U.S. East Coast was moved to the U.S. Coast Guard Recruit Receiving Station in Cape May. The U.S. Coast Guard consolidated all recruit training functions in Cape May in 1982. Over 350 military and civilian personnel and their dependents are attached to the Cape May Training Center.

In popular culture

 * Cape May is the subject of the song "On the Way to Cape May", originally sung by Cozy Morley.
 * The 1980s horror film The Prowler was filmed entirely on location in Cape May.
 * The town lends its name to the Cape May Cafe, a restaurant in the Beach Club Resort at Walt Disney World.
 * In The Blacklist, Cape May is the setting in the episode "Cape May".
 * Scenes for the film A Complete Unknown, a biopic about Bob Dylan featuring Timothée Chalamet, were filmed in Cape May in the spring of 2024. Cape May served as a suitable location to mimic Newport, Rhode Island and the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, where Dylan first performed in public with an electric guitar. Minimal redress was needed, given the resort's commitment to its designation as a National Historic Landmark, with its concentration of Victorian architecture as well as other 19th and 20th century architectural motifs.

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

 * Douglas Adams (1876–1931), cricketer, who played for the Gentlemen of Philadelphia in First class cricket
 * Cliff Anderson (1929–1979), football player who played two seasons in the NFL with the Chicago Cardinals and New York Giants
 * Nan Brooks (1935–2018), children's book illustrator
 * Thomas Cannuli, professional poker player, known for finishing 6th place in the 2015 WSOP Main Event and winning a WSOP bracelet in the $3,333 WSOP.com Online No-Limit Hold'em High Roller
 * Frederick B. Dent (1922–2019), politician who served as the United States Secretary of Commerce from 1973 to 1975
 * Eugene Grace (1876–1960), president of Bethlehem Steel Corporation from 1916 to 1945
 * Bubba Green (born 1957), football player who played defensive lineman for one season for the Baltimore Colts
 * T. Millet Hand (1902–1956), politician who represented New Jersey's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives and served as mayor of Cape May
 * Thomas H. Hughes (1769–1839), the founder and owner of the Congress Hall Hotel, and a Democratic-Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey
 * Chris Jay (born 1978), musician, actor and screenwriter. Founding member of the band, Army of Freshmen
 * Alan Kotok (1941–2006), computer scientist known for his work at Digital Equipment Corporation and at the World Wide Web Consortium
 * John Henry Kurtz (1945–2008), singer-songwriter and actor best known for performing the song "Drift Away"
 * John D. Lankenau (1817–1901), German-American businessman and philanthropist
 * Jarena Lee (1783–1864), the first woman authorized to preach by Richard Allen, founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, in 1819
 * Anthony Maher (born 1979), professional soccer forward
 * Myles Martel (born 1943), communication adviser
 * Sylvius Moore (1912–2004), football player and coach who was head coach of the Hampton Pirates football team
 * Richie Phillips (1940–2013), sports union leader
 * Bill Pilczuk (born 1971), competitive swimmer
 * Louis Purnell (1920–2001), curator at the National Air and Space Museum and earlier in life, a decorated Tuskegee Airman
 * Emil Salvini (born 1949), author, historian and host / creator of PBS's Tales of the Jersey Shore
 * Charles W. Sandman Jr. (1921–1985), politician who represented New Jersey's 2nd congressional district and was the party's candidate for Governor of New Jersey in 1973
 * I. Grant Scott (1897–1964), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly, the New Jersey Senate and as Mayor of Cape May
 * Barbara Lee Smith (born 1938), mixed media artist, writer, educator and curator
 * Witmer Stone (1866–1939), ornithologist who did much of his research in Cape May
 * Julius H. Taylor (1914–2011), professor emeritus at Morgan State University who was chairperson of the department of physics.
 * Harriet Tubman (1822–1913), abolitionist and social activist who, after escaping slavery, made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people; she is honored with a museum in the city
 * Paul Volcker (1927–2019), former chairman of the United States Federal Reserve who was born here while his father was the Cape May city manager
 * John B. Walthour (1904–1952), 4th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

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

title: Cape May, New Jersey


text:
Cape May Court House, New Jersey

Cape May Court House is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Middle Township in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 5,573, reflecting a 4.4% increase from the 5,338 enumerated at the 2010 U.S. census, in turn an increase of 13.5% from the 4,704 counted in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cape May County and serves as the principal administrative hub for the township. It constitutes part of the greater Philadelphia metropolitan area, or the Delaware Valley.

Cape Regional Medical Center, known as Burdette Tomlin Memorial Hospital until April 2007, is the only hospital in Cape May County. The Cape May County Park and Zoo is also located in Cape May Court House.

History
Cape May Court House was laid out in 1703 by Jeremiah Hand and was first called Rumney Marsh and afterward Middleton before the adoption of its present name. The Court of Cape May County met in private homes and the First Baptist Church until 1764, when Daniel Hand set 1 acre of his own property to construct a courthouse and jail. It was replaced by the current structure in 1849.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the CDP had a total area of 9.899 mi2, including 8.926 mi2 of land and 0.973 mi2 of water (9.83%).

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 5,338 people, 2,165 households, and 1,396 families in the CDP. The population density was 598.0 /mi2. There were 2,603 housing units at an average density of 291.6 /mi2. The racial makeup was 85.14% (4,545) White, 9.25% (494) Black or African American, 0.11% (6) Native American, 2.36% (126) Asian, 0.04% (2) Pacific Islander, 0.92% (49) from other races, and 2.17% (116) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.03% (162) of the population.

Of the 2,165 households, 23.5% had children under the age of 18; 48.1% were married couples living together; 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 35.5% were non-families. Of all households, 29.4% 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 2.37 and the average family size was 2.95.

19.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 20.5% from 25 to 44, 30.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.1 years. For every 100 females, the population had 88.8 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 83.4 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $56,773 (with a margin of error of +/- $14,695) and the median family income was $73,618 (+/- $19,854). Males had a median income of $57,109 (+/- $11,100) versus $50,231 (+/- $6,373) for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $31,865 (+/- $4,296). About 0.9% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.1% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the 2020 U.S. census, there were 4,704 people, 1,732 households, and 1,221 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 202.3 /km2. There were 2,086 housing units at an average density of 89.7 /km2. The racial makeup of the CDP was 84.35% White, 10.88% African American, 0.19% Native American, 2.70% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.57% of the population.

There were 1,732 households, out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.4 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $48,902, and the median income for a family was $56,707. Males had a median income of $39,848 versus $28,043 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $21,541. About 5.3% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Middle Township Public Schools is the local school district for Middle Township: it operates Middle Township High School. All four schools and the district headquarters are in Cape May Court House CDP. - Pages: 1 and 2. Also in the 2000 U.S. Census: - See pages: 1, 2, 3, and 4. Also identical in the 1990 U.S. Census: - Cape May Court House CDP is on pages 22, 23, and 26.

The Cape May County Technical School District operates Cape May County Technical High School which has a CMCH address, but is not within the CDP boundaries. Special needs students may be referred to Cape May County Special Services School District in Cape May Court House.

Areas in Dennis Township with Cape May Court House postal addresses, which are not in the CDP, are in Dennis Township Public Schools for K-8.

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.

Church Street Christian School, 18 months to preschool, is on the property of its sponsor, First United Methodist Church. It was formerly a Montessori school.

Cape May County Library has its Cape May Court House branch in the CDP.

Parks and recreation
The Cape May County Park & Zoo in Cape May Court House provides free year-round admission to a collection of over 550 animals representing 250 species in 85 acres of exhibits. The zoo is located in the center of Cape May County's Central Park, and together the zoo and the park cover about 220 acres. The zoo began operation in 1978. Its principal exhibit areas are a 57-acre African Savanna, a free-flight aviary, and a reptile collection.

The Clarence and Georgiana Davies Sports Complex includes basketball courts, soccer fields, and baseball fields. The Middle Township Recreation Department maintains indoor basketball courts, baseball fields, football fields, and soccer fields.

Wineries

 * Jessie Creek Winery
 * Natali Vineyards

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Cape May Court House include:
 * Kevin Bramble (born 1972), disabled ski racer, freeskier and monoski designer/builder.
 * Daniel Cohen (1936–2018), children's writer
 * Joe Fala (born 1997), soccer player who has played as a defender for New York Red Bulls II in the USL Championship.
 * Jonathan F. Leaming (1822–1907) politician and physician.
 * 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.
 * Matt Szczur (born 1989), Major League Baseball player for the San Diego Padres.
 * Julius H. Taylor (1914–2011), professor emeritus at Morgan State University who was chairperson of the department of physics.

title: Cape May Court House, New Jersey


text:
Cape May Point, New Jersey

Cape May Point is a borough located at the tip of the Cape May Peninsula in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The borough, 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 borough's population was 305, an increase of 14 (+4.8%) from the 2010 census count of 291, which in turn reflected an increase of 50 (+20.7%) from the 241 counted in the 2000 census. The summer population can reach 4,500.

The Cape May Light is located in Lower Township, but is also a point of identity for Cape May Point as it uses the lighthouse as a logo for municipal-owned vehicles. Mayors of the two municipalities previously had a conflict over in which municipality it was located. Degener, Richard. "New Lower Township police cars roll in black and white", The Press of Atlantic City, May 22, 2009. Accessed July 3, 2011. Article info and Image caption  - Quote: "The department on Thursday unveiled its new emblem featuring a picture of the Cape May Lighthouse, which is located next to Cape May Point State Park, and, like the park itself, is actually in Lower Township. Mayors in Lower Township Cape May and Cape May Point have sparred in years past over claims to the lighthouse."

Cape May Point is a dry town, one of three municipalities in Cape May County where the sale of alcohol is prohibited by law. Cape May Point, Ocean City and Wildwood Crest are Cape May County's only remaining dry municipalities.

History
Cape May Point was called Stites Beach until 1876 when the name was changed to Seagrove. It was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 19, 1878, from portions of Lower Township, based on the results of a referendum held three days earlier. It was reincorporated on August 19, 1891 and returned to Lower Township on April 8, 1896. Cape May Point re-emerged as an independent municipality on April 6, 1908, based on the results of a referendum held on April 21, 1908. The borough's name derives from Cape May, which was named for 1620 Dutch captain named Cornelius Jacobsen May who explored and charted the area between 1611–1614, and established a claim for the province of New Netherland.

The remains of SS Atlantus World War I-era concrete ship are located of the coast of Cape May Point, next to Sunset Beach.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 0.31 square miles (0.81 km2), including 0.30 square miles (0.76 km2) of land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km2) of water (5.81%).

Cape May Point borders Lower Township, the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay.

Cityscape
In 2004, the borough had about 600 houses. Circa 2004 prices of housing increased, and in 2004 a four bedroom house typically had a price of $1 million.

In 2021 the median price of a house is $1,090,000, which was the highest of any municipality on Cape Island. Most houses are on 50 by lots and are below 2100 sqft in area due to the borough's zoning regulations. Julie Lasky of The New York Times wrote that "the houses appear relatively modest", and that the borough "lacks the fanciful architecture of Cape May".

In 2004 the only two businesses in Cape May Point were the Cape May Bird Observatory bird shop and the Cape May Point General Store.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 291 people, 164 households, and 100 families in the borough. The population density was 984.5 /sqmi. There were 619 housing units at an average density of 2094.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 94.50% (275) White, 2.75% (8) Black or African American, 0.00% (0) Native American, 0.34% (1) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.34% (1) from other races, and 2.06% (6) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.34% (1) of the population.

Of the 164 households, 4.3% had children under the age of 18; 55.5% were married couples living together; 3.7% had a female householder with no husband present and 39.0% were non-families. Of all households, 34.1% were made up of individuals and 20.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.77 and the average family size was 2.17.

4.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 1.7% from 18 to 24, 3.8% from 25 to 44, 34.7% from 45 to 64, and 55.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 66.4 years. For every 100 females, the population had 84.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 83.6 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $51,250 (with a margin of error of +/− $36,659) and the median family income was $71,875 (+/− $10,854). Males had a median income of $108,125 (+/− $225,840) versus $ (+/− $) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $37,269 (+/− $13,473). About 8.7% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census there were 241 people, 133 households, and 77 families residing in the borough. The population density was 819.4 PD/sqmi. There were 501 housing units at an average density of 1,703.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the borough was 95.02% White, 2.07% African American, 0.41% Asian, and 2.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.66% of the population.

There were 133 households, out of which 6.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 3.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.4% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.81 and the average family size was 2.27.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 6.6% under the age of 18, 0.8% from 18 to 24, 10.4% from 25 to 44, 34.4% from 45 to 64, and 47.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 64 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $55,313, and the median income for a family was $69,750. Males had a median income of $63,250 versus $30,833 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $52,689. None of the families and 1.7% of the population were living below the poverty line.

Local government
Cape May Point operates under the Walsh Act commission form of government, first created to rebuild the city of Galveston, Texas after the devastating Hurricane of 1900. Cape May Point is one of 30 (of the 564) municipalities statewide to use this form of government, most in shore communities, down from a peak of 60 early in the 20th century. In three-member Commissions, as in Cape May Point, the Departments of Public Affairs and Public Safety are combined, as are the Departments of Public Works and Parks and Public Property. Revenue and Finance is the third portfolio. The borough adopted this form of government in 1916. The governing body is comprised of three commissioners, who are elected at-large on a non-partisan basis in the November general election to serve concurrent four-year terms of office. Cape May Point shifted its municipal elections from May to November, extending the term-end dates from June 30 to December 31 for the commissioners elected in 2012. The Commissioners exercise complete control of the operation of the borough, with each Commissioner having all aspects of Administrative, Executive, Judicial, and Legislative powers over their department. The three Commissioners choose a mayor from among themselves at a reorganization meeting following each election, with the mayor responsible for leading municipal meetings and general oversight of community affairs.

, the members of the Board of Commissioners of Cape May Point are Mayor Robert J. Moffatt (Commissioner of Public Affairs and Public Safety), Deputy Mayor Anita vanHeeswyk (Commissioner of Revenue and Finance), and Catherine Busch (Commissioner of Public Works, Parks and Public Property), all serving concurrent terms of office ending December 31, 2024.

Federal, state and county representation
Cape May Point 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 212 registered voters in Cape May Point, of which 99 (46.7%) were registered as Republicans, 63 (29.7%) were registered as Democrats, and 50 (23.6%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 52.0% of the vote (91 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 47.4% (83 votes), and other candidates with 0.6% (1 vote), among the 176 ballots cast by the borough's 225 registered voters (1 ballot was spoiled), for a turnout of 78.2%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 53.9% of the vote (103 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain, who received 44.5% (85 votes), with 191 ballots cast among the borough's 203 registered voters, for a turnout of 94.1%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 53.3% of the vote (114 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush, who received around 45.8% (98 votes), with 214 ballots cast among the borough's 237 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 90.3.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 66.9% of the vote (85 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 30.7% (39 votes), and other candidates with 2.4% (3 votes), among the 129 ballots cast by the borough's 209 registered voters (2 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 61.7%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 47.0% of the vote (79 ballots cast), ahead of both Democrat Jon Corzine with 43.5% (73 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 9.5% (16 votes), with 168 ballots cast among the borough's 220 registered voters, yielding a 76.4% turnout.

Law enforcement and public safety
Cape May Point Volunteer Fire Department provides fire department services. The spring 1908 Lankenau Villa fire prompted Cape May Point officials to ask for a fire department to be organized the following July, and the borough had two fire carts by 1911. In 1923 a borough ordinance allowed for the creation of the Cape May Point Volunteer Fire Department, with a truck and fire station acquired and established, respectively, in 1924.

From the establishment of Cape May Point borough it had an independent police department using ordinary residents filling in as "special" police instead of salaried police, although eventually its police department was reformed into a standard one. Cape May Point began contracting with West Cape May Police in 1986. Cape May Point ended the arrangement in 2001, which contributed to West Cape May disbanding its police department, about 40 percent of which had been paid for by Cape May Point. The two boroughs then contracted with Cape May City to provide law enforcement for both, effective upon the dissolution of the West Cape May Police on January 1, 2002. The three-municipality law enforcement arrangement, which had been discussed for over 25 years, was the first of its kind in New Jersey and proved popular.

Cape May Point, upon incorporation, had a one-room jail. Joe Jordan, author of Cape May Point, The Illustrated History-1875 to the Present, stated that "if one is to believe local gossip" that the jail likely served as a drunk tank, and Jordan wrote that it "may have held several world's records as the smallest jail, with the fewest inmates, and the shortest periods of incarceration." The borough put the facility for sale in 1927 but rejected the sole bid and turned it into storage for the fire department after moving it behind the current fire station location. It was moved to Historic Cold Spring Village in Cold Spring in 1983.

Infrastructure
Cape May Point began using Cape May City's water system c. 1970s as Cape May Point's well water system was near the maximum salt content allowed under New Jersey law. The water distribution system was rebuilt in the 1980s and 1990s, and a new water tank replaced the previous one in 1995, with the former water tank dismantled. Its water costs increased when Cape May City built a desalinization plant in the late 1990s.

The Cape May Point Water and Sewer Utility, created in 1980, is an agency that is separate from the Cape May Point borough government. A sewage treatment plant opened in 1938, but it put untreated sewage into the water, so Cape May Point agreed to use Cape May City sewage facilities after the New Jersey Department of Health in October 1941 demanded that Cape May Point change its practices with a fine as possible punishment. Cape May Point also helped pay for a new sewage plant Cape May City opened c. 1960–1961.

Education
Cape May Point School District is a non-operating school district, with all students sent to schools outside of the district. It opened a two story grade 1–8 school in the 1870. It began sending students to Lower Township School District in 1931 and closed the former school, which is now a house. Cape May Point under Frank Rutherford, the mayor, chose not to join the Lower Cape May Regional School District when it was formed. The borough never joined a regional school system. Therefore, in 2004, it had among the lowest property tax rates in New Jersey.

For pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, public school students attend Cape May City Elementary School in Cape May City, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Cape May City School District. Most students in the Cape May elementary district come from the United States Coast Guard Training Center Cape May. As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 169 students and 22.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 7.5:1. Starting in 2010, discussions were under way regarding a possible consolidation of the districts of Cape May City, Cape May Point and the West Cape May School District.

For seventh through twelfth grades, public school students attend the schools of the Lower Cape May Regional School District, which serves students from Cape May City, Cape May Point, Lower Township and West Cape May. Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Richard M. Teitelman Middle School with 439 students in grades 7-8 and Lower Cape May Regional High School (LCMRHS) with 764 students in grades 9-12.

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 the Cape May Court House area.

Transportation
, the borough had a total of 7.39 mi of roadways, of which 5.52 mi were maintained by the municipality and 1.87 mi by Cape May County.

No Interstate, U.S., state or major county highways serve Cape May Point. The most significant roads in the borough are minor county routes, such as County Route 629.

Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Cape May Point 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 Cape May Point, 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 Cape May Point Beach is 7b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 8.1 F. The average seasonal (November–April) snowfall total is around 12 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, Cape May Point would have a dominant vegetation type of Northern Cordgrass (73) with a dominant vegetation form of Coastal Prairie (20).

Religion
The Sisters of St. Joseph maintained the Queen of the Sea facility, a convent called the Saint Joseph House, and a retreat facility called Saint Mary by-the-Sea. Bill Barlow of the Press of Atlantic City wrote that it is "A beloved local landmark". Its facilities are not connected with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden.

Saint Mary opened as the Shoreham Hotel in 1889. After the business failed, it became a nursing home for African Americans in 1898, known as Home for Aged and Infirm Colored People. It later closed, and the sisters spent $9,000 to buy the property in 1909, which it called Saint Mary. This building has a "U-shape" and 38000 sqft of space. In 2016 the sisters announced that they intended to close Saint Mary. The COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey, starting in 2020, meant that the group could no longer hold retreats there, and in 2021 the order announced that Saint Mary was closing. The Cape May Point Science Center opened in June 2023 in the Saint Mary building that it had acquired the previous year for $5.5 million.

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Cape May Point include:

 * Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901), 23rd President of the United States from 1889 to 1893, who was given a cottage in Cape May Point in 1890 by John Wanamaker and his associates
 * Mary O'Hara (1885–1980), author known for her novel My Friend Flicka
 * Bill Pilczuk (born 1971), swimmer
 * David Allen Sibley (born 1961), ornithologist who is the author and illustrator of The Sibley Guide to Birds
 * John Wanamaker (1838–1922), retailer

title: Cape May Point, New Jersey


text:
Dennis Township, New Jersey

Dennis 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 South Jersey region of the state and 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 6,285, a decrease of 182 (−2.8%) from the 2010 census count of 6,467,  which in turn reflected a decline of 25 (−0.4%) from the 6,492 counted in the 2000 census.

Dennis Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 1, 1827, from portions of Upper Township. Portions of the township were taken to form Sea Isle City borough (May 22, 1882) and Woodbine borough (March 3, 1903).

New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Dennis Township as its 20th best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.

History
Dennis Township had been a dry town, where alcohol could not be sold, until 2001 when voters passed a referendum allowing liquor to be sold; the township council authorized the sale of a single license, which netted the township $1.1 million.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 63.94 square miles (165.61 km2), including 60.42 square miles (156.49 km2) of land and 3.52 square miles (9.12 km2) of water (5.51%).

Belleplain (2010 Census population of 597 ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within the township.

Dennisville is the most important unincorporated community in Dennis Township. Ocean View is served as ZIP Code 08230. Other communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Clermont, East Creek, Eldora, Mount Pleasant, North Dennis, North-West Dennis, Ocean View, Savage Pond, South Dennis, South Seaville, Stipsons Island and West Creek Landing.

The township borders the municipalities of Avalon, Middle Township, Sea Isle City, Upper Township, Woodbine Borough in Cape May County; portions of Cumberland County, and the Delaware Bay.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 6,467 people, 2,370 households, and 1,792 families in the township. The population density was 106.4 /sqmi. There were 2,672 housing units at an average density of 43.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 96.75% (6,257) White, 0.79% (51) Black or African American, 0.19% (12) Native American, 0.56% (36) Asian, 0.03% (2) Pacific Islander, 0.32% (21) from other races, and 1.36% (88) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.81% (117) of the population.

Of the 2,370 households, 29.5% had children under the age of 18; 60.8% were married couples living together; 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 24.4% were non-families. Of all households, 19.6% were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.07.

21.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 20.9% from 25 to 44, 34.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 96.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 94.1 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $84,205 (with a margin of error of +/− $5,160) and the median family income was $84,400 (+/− $4,219). Males had a median income of $52,571 (+/− $3,535) versus $40,023 (+/− $5,496) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $30,545 (+/− $2,875). About 5.4% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census there were 6,492 people, 2,159 households, and 1,737 families residing in the township. The population density was 105.8 PD/sqmi. There were 2,327 housing units at an average density of 37.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the township was 97.43% White, 0.96% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.51% of the population.

There were 2,159 households, out of which 41.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.9% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.5% were non-families. 15.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the township the population was spread out, with 28.3% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.4 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $56,595, and the median income for a family was $61,445. Males had a median income of $41,404 versus $31,329 for females. The per capita income for the township was $21,455. About 4.0% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

Local government
Dennis Township is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal 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 Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats 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 Committee members serve in a part-time capacity and receive an annual salary.

The governing body originally consisted of three elected officials, one of which would be elected by the membership to serve as the Mayor. In 1989 voters approved a ballot question to increase the membership from three members to five members, and in November 1990 the voters elected two additional Committee members. The first five-member committee took office in January 1991 at which time the governing body established the position of Township Administrator.

, the members of the Dennis Township Committee are Mayor Zeth Anthony Matalucci (R, term on committee ends December 31, 2025; term as mayor ends 2023), Deputy Mayor Scott J. Turner (R, term on committee and as deputy mayor ends 2023), Matthew J. Cox (R, 2025), Frank L. Germanio Jr. (R, 2024) and Thomas Van Artsdalen III (R, 2023).

In October 2017, the Township Committee appointed Nicolas Elisano to fill the seat expiring December 2019 that became vacant following the resignation of Melanie Smith, who was moving out of the township. In November 2018, Matthew J. Cox was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.

Federal, state and county representation
Dennis 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 4,499 registered voters in Dennis Township, of which 1,091 (24.2%) were registered as Democrats, 1,527 (33.9%) were registered as Republicans and 1,877 (41.7%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 4 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 55.5% of the vote (1,809 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 43.1% (1,406 votes), and other candidates with 1.4% (45 votes), among the 3,296 ballots cast by the township's 4,624 registered voters (36 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 71.3%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 55.4% of the vote (1,904 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama, who received 42.4% (1,459 votes), with 3,437 ballots cast among the township's 4,331 registered voters, for a turnout of 79.4%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 58.1% of the vote (1,977 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry, who received around 40.0% (1,362 votes), with 3,401 ballots cast among the township's 4,424 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 76.9.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 69.1% of the vote (1,647 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 29.4% (702 votes), and other candidates with 1.5% (36 votes), among the 2,481 ballots cast by the township's 4,559 registered voters (96 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 54.4%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 51.9% of the vote (1,251 ballots cast), ahead of both Democrat Jon Corzine with 37.1% (894 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 8.2% (197 votes), with 2,411 ballots cast among the township's 4,572 registered voters, yielding a 52.7% turnout.

Education
The Dennis Township Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 615 students and 62.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.9:1. Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Dennis Township Primary School with 268 students in grades Pre-K–2 and Dennis Township Elementary / Middle School with 336 students in grades 3–8.

Students in public school for ninth through twelfth grades attend Middle Township High School in Cape May Court House, together with students from Avalon, Stone Harbor and Woodbine, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Middle Township Public Schools. As of the 2020–21 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 741 students and 64.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.5:1.

Students are also eligible to attend the 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.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden operates Bishop McHugh Regional School, a Catholic K–8 school. It is supported by four parishes in Cape May County. The school has a Cape May Courthouse postal address. The Press of Atlantic City describes the school as being in Ocean View, though it lies outside of the Ocean View CDP.

Transportation
, the township had a total of 112.5 mi of roadways, of which 58.7 mi were maintained by the municipality, 32.9 mi by Cape May County, 16.7 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 4.2 mi by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

The Garden State Parkway is the most prominent highway serving Dennis Township, running for more than 4.1 mi through the township. Other significant roads serving the township include U.S. Route 9, New Jersey Route 47, New Jersey Route 83 and New Jersey Route 347.

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

 * Richard S. Leaming (1828–1895), ship builder and politician who served in both the New Jersey General Assembly and the New Jersey Senate and on the Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders
 * Jonathan Maslow (1948–2008), author who wrote extensively about nature, with a focus on obscure and little-understood animals
 * Jarrett Porter (born 1993), baritone known for his performances as an opera and lieder singer.
 * Willie Royster (1954–2015), catcher who played in four games for the Baltimore Orioles in 1981
 * Joshua Swain (1778–1855), politician and inventor
 * Jeff Van Drew (born 1953), U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 2nd congressional district and former member of the New Jersey Senate, representing the 1st legislative district

title: Dennis Township, New Jersey


text:
Diamond Beach, New Jersey

Diamond Beach 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. The CDP, 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 United States 2020 Census, the CDP's population was 203, an increase of 67 from the 2010 census count of 136.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, Diamond Beach had a total area of 0.157 mi2, all of which was land.

Diamond Beach is home to many upscale townhouses and Seapointe Village, the site of a police substation that opened in 2013.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 136 people, 71 households, and 46 families in the CDP. The population density was 868.4 /mi2. There were 845 housing units at an average density of 5395.7 /mi2. The racial makeup was 100.00% (136) White, 0.00% (0) Black or African American, 0.00% (0) Native American, 0.00% (0) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.00% (0) from other races, and 0.00% (0) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.00% (0) of the population.

Of the 71 households, 9.9% had children under the age of 18; 57.7% were married couples living together; 2.8% had a female householder with no husband present and 35.2% were non-families. Of all households, 31.0% were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.92 and the average family size was 2.28.

6.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 2.2% from 18 to 24, 11.8% from 25 to 44, 42.6% from 45 to 64, and 36.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 60.4 years. For every 100 females, the population had 94.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 86.8 males.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census there were 218 people, 103 households, and 73 families residing in the place. The population density was 526.1 /km2. There were 1,017 housing units at an average density of 2,454.2 /km2. The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.33% White, 2.29% African American, 0.92% Asian, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.38% of the population.

There were 103 households, out of which 16.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.47.

In the place the population was spread out, with 12.4% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 17.4% from 25 to 44, 39.4% from 45 to 64, and 25.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.

The median income for a household in the place was $83,787, and the median income for a family was $83,735. Males had a median income of over $100,000 versus $0 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $54,883. None of the population or families were below the poverty line.

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 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 the Cape May Court House area.

Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Diamond Beach 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 Diamond Beach, 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 Diamond Beach is 7b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 6.8 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, Diamond Beach would have a dominant vegetation type of Northern Cordgrass (73) with a dominant vegetation form of Coastal Prairie (20).

title: Diamond Beach, New Jersey


text:
Erma, New Jersey

Erma 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. As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 2,031, a decline of 103 from the 2010 census count of 2,134.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP had a total area of 3.360 mi2, including 3.260 mi2 of land and 0.100 mi2 of water (2.97%).

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 2,134 people, 821 households, and 596 families in the CDP. The population density was 654.6 /mi2. There were 920 housing units at an average density of 282.2 /mi2. The racial makeup was 95.74% (2,043) White, 1.12% (24) Black or African American, 0.23% (5) Native American, 0.94% (20) Asian, 0.14% (3) Pacific Islander, 0.70% (15) from other races, and 1.12% (24) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.62% (56) of the population.

Of the 821 households, 26.6% had children under the age of 18; 55.9% were married couples living together; 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present and 27.4% were non-families. Of all households, 22.9% were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.04.

21.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 34.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.4 years. For every 100 females, the population had 96.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 94.3 males.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census of 2000, there were 2,088 people, 751 households, and 561 families living in the CDP. The population density was 240.7 /km2. There were 846 housing units at an average density of 97.5 /km2. The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.22% White, 0.48% African American, 0.05% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.48% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.68% of the population.

There were 751 households, out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the CDP the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $64,261, and the median income for a family was $69,063. Males had a median income of $45,694 versus $21,923 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $20,765. About 1.8% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation
The main transportation route for Erma is U.S. Route 9.

The Cape May Airport is located in Lower Township, and has an Erma postal address though it is not in the CDP.

Government and infrastructure
The Lower Township Police Department station has an Erma address but is outside of the CDP.

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 (LCMR) for secondary grades; the latter operates Teitelman Middle School and Lower Cape May Regional High School.

The LCMR district describes its facilities as being in Erma; the schools and district headquarters are not in the census-designated place. The Cape May County Herald, and the Press of Atlantic City describe the school complex as being in Erma.

The elementary schools are in as follows: 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).

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.

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Erma include:
 * Charles W. Sandman Jr. (1921–1985), represented New Jersey's 2nd congressional district from 1967 to 1975.
 * Matt Szczur (born 1989), professional baseball player.

title: Erma, New Jersey