Wildwood, New Jersey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wildwood is a city in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city population was 5,436.
Wildwood was originally incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 1, 1895, from portions of Middle Township, based on the results of a referendum held the previous day, and was reincorporated on April 30, 1895. On January 1, 1912, Wildwood was incorporated as a city, replacing both Wildwood borough and Holly Beach City.[1]
Wildwood is also used as a collective term referring to the four communities with Wildwood comprising part of the town name, specifically the Borough of Wildwood Crest, City of Wildwood, Borough of West Wildwood and the Borough of North Wildwood. Collectively, these communities are known as "The Wildwoods."
Wildwood is a resort city that is very popular with vacationers and tourists from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware and even nearby parts of Canada during the summer months. Its most notable features are its beach and 2.5-mile boardwalk, home to the Morey's Piers amusement complex and Raging Waters, a 2-location waterpark complex owned by Morey's Piers. The boardwalk features a trolley called the "Tramcar", which runs from end to end. It is also home to Splash Zone Water Park. Built in 1999, Splash Zone features the world's highest dumping bucket and the biggest family raft ride on the east coast, The Beast of the East. Its famous doo wop-style motels and hotels have been designated as endangered historical places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Wildwood is also home to the beverage known as the "Lime Rickey".
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[edit] Geography
Wildwood is located at (38.988969, -74.819863).GR1 It is situated on a barrier island facing the Atlantic Ocean comprised of five separate municipalities: Wildwood, North Wildwood, West Wildwood, Wildwood Crest and Diamond Beach, a place in Lower Township. Collectively, these communities form "The Wildwoods" resort.
Wildwood also borders Middle Township.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.6 km² (1.4 mi²). 3.3 km² (1.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (6.52%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 5,330 |
|
|
| 1940 | 5,150 | -3.4% | |
| 1950 | 5,475 | 6.3% | |
| 1960 | 4,690 | -14.3% | |
| 1970 | 4,110 | -12.4% | |
| 1980 | 4,913 | 19.5% | |
| 1990 | 4,484 | -8.7% | |
| 2000 | 5,436 | 21.2% | |
| Est. 2005 | 5,291 | [2] | -2.7% |
| Population 1930 - 1990[3] | |||
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 5,436 people, 2,333 households, and 1,273 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,627.0/km² (4,212.6/mi²). There were 6,488 housing units at an average density of 1,941.9/km² (5,027.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 70.55% White, 16.65% African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 8.85% from other races, and 2.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.62% of the population.
There were 2,333 households out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.2% were married couples living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.4% were non-families. 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,981, and the median income for a family was $28,288. Males had a median income of $30,787 versus $23,320 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,682. About 20.2% of families and 26.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.7% of those under age 18 and 21.9% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
Wildwood is governed under the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) system of municipal government.
Wildwood City is governed by a three-member commission consisting of Mayor Ernest Troiano, Jr., Kathy Breuss and William Davenport, Jr.[4]
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Wildwood City is in the Second Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 1st Legislative District.[5]
New Jersey's Second Congressional District, covering all of Atlantic County, Cape May County, Cumberland County and Salem County and portions of Burlington County, Camden County and Gloucester County, is represented by Frank LoBiondo (R, Vineland). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).
The 1st legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Nicholas Asselta (R) and in the Assembly by Nelson Albano (D, Vineland) and Jeff Van Drew (D, Dennis Township). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).
Cape May County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. Cape May County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Daniel Beyel (term expires December 31, 2008), Freeholder Vice-Director Ralph E. Sheets, Jr. (2008), Ralph E. Bakley, Sr. (2007), Leonard C. Desiderio (2006) and Gerald M. Thornton (2007).
[edit] Education
The Wildwood Public School District serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district are Glenwood Elementary School (K-5), Wildwood Middle School (6-8) and Wildwood High School [1] (9-12). Students from West Wildwood attend the district's schools as part of a sending/receiving relationship for grades K-12. For grades 9-12, students from North Wildwood and Wildwood Crest attend Wildwood High School as part of sending/receiving relationships.
[edit] Trivia
- Rock Around the Clock, often credited as the first rock and roll record, was first performed live in 1954 at the HofBrau Hotel in Wildwood by Bill Haley & His Comets.[6]
[edit] Popular culture
- WWE Raw Came to the Wildwood Convention Center late summer of 2005. WWE Friday Night SmackDown! came to the Wildwood Convention Center late summer of 2006. WWE Raw will be coming to the Wildwood convention center August 10, 2007.[7]
- The song Wildwood Days by Bobby Rydell is about the shore town.
[edit] Noted residents
- Randy Beverly, former professional football player, New York Jets.
- Greg Fulginiti, recording and mastering engineer.
- Remy Hamilton, Arena Football League player, Los Angeles Avengers.
- Joy Bright Hancock, one of first female U.S. Navy officers.
- Joseph Magliano, professional wrestler.
[edit] References
- ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 116.
- ^ Census data for Wildwood city, United States Census Bureau, accessed March 1, 2007
- ^ Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, accessed March 1, 2007
- ^ Key Employee Directory, accessed March 7, 2007
- ^ League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 66, accessed August 30, 2006
- ^ The Birthplace of Rock and Roll: Wildwood, New Jersey, Stakes Its Claim, accessed November 16, 2006
- ^ Schedule of Events 2007, accessed March 26, 2007
[edit] External links
- Wildwood City website
- Wildwood Public School District
- Wildwood Public School District's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Wildwood Public School District
- New York Times article about endangered historical sites, with a mention about the famous Doo Wop motels
- WCFA-LP 101.5 FM
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
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(County seat: Cape May Court House) |
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| Boroughs | Avalon | Cape May Point | Stone Harbor | West Cape May | West Wildwood | Wildwood Crest | Woodbine |  |
| Cities | Cape May | North Wildwood | Ocean City | Sea Isle City | Wildwood | |
| Townships | Dennis Township | Lower Township | Middle Township | Upper Township | |
| CDPs and communities |
Cape May Court House | Diamond Beach | Erma | Marmora | North Cape May | Strathmere | Rio Grande | Villas | Whitesboro-Burleigh | |
