Cape May

History

The area that is now Cape May was originally inhabited by the Kechemeche Native American tribe, a subgroup of the Lenape people. The Kechemeche first encountered Europeans around 1600. The city is named after the Dutch captain Cornelius Jacobsen Mey, who charted the coast between 1611 and 1614 and claimed it for the province of New Netherland. It was later settled by colonists from the New Haven Colony in New England. By the mid-18th century, Cape May had become a popular vacation destination for visitors from Philadelphia and is recognized as the country's oldest seaside resort. Following the construction of Congress Hall in 1816, Cape May became increasingly popular in the 19th century and was considered one of America's finest resorts 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 built in Victorian style, and more recent preservation 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 The Cape May City Athletic Association was founded in 1886 and…

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%). 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 and the Atlantic Ocean. 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 . 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. 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 . During the winter months, episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values . The hardiness zone of Cape May is 8a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of . The average seasonal snowfall total is around ,…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  66,355
• Laughing Gull

  Leucophaeus atricilla (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  63,163
• Osprey

  Pandion haliaetus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  61,547
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  60,870
• American herring gull, Smithsonian Gull

  Larus smithsonianus Coues, 1862 · Aves
  59,429
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  57,333
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  52,390
• Great Black-backed Gull

  Larus marinus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  50,473

Largest nearby schools

• Lower Cape May Regional High School
  High · CAPE MAY · 757 students · 11.1:1 ratio
• Carl T. Mitnick School
  Elementary · CAPE MAY · 463 students · 10.5:1 ratio
• Richard M. Teitelman Middle School
  Middle · CAPE MAY · 433 students · 11.7:1 ratio
• Glenwood Avenue Elementary School
  Elementary · WILDWOOD · 396 students · 8.8:1 ratio
• Sandman Consolidated School
  Middle · CAPE MAY · 347 students · 11.2:1 ratio
• Maud Abrams School
  Elementary · CAPE MAY · 334 students · 11.5:1 ratio
• David C. Douglass Memorial School
  Elementary · VILLAS · 301 students · 9.4:1 ratio
• Wildwood High School
  High · WILDWOOD · 263 students · 9.1:1 ratio