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}}Template:Main other 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.<ref>New Jersey: 2020 Core Based Statistical Areas and Counties, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 22, 2022.</ref> As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 305,<ref name=LWD2020/> an increase of 14 (+4.8%) from the 2010 census count of 291,<ref name=Census2010/><ref name=LWD2010/> which in turn reflected an increase of 50 (+20.7%) from the 241 counted in the 2000 census.<ref>Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.</ref> The summer population can reach 4,500.<ref>Lawlor, Julia. "Cape May Point, N.J." Template:Webarchive, The New York Times, September 3, 2004. Accessed June 28, 2016. "Its population of 241 rises to 4,500 in summer, and it has 600 houses and two businesses, the Cape May Point General Store and the gift shop at the Cape May Bird Observatory."</ref>
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.<ref>Degener, Richard. "New Lower Township police cars roll in black and white" Template:Webarchive, The Press of Atlantic City, May 22, 2009. Accessed July 3, 2011. Article info Template:Webarchive and Image caption Template:Webarchive - 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."</ref>
Cape May Point is a dry town, one of three municipalities in Cape May County where the sale of alcohol is prohibited by law.<ref>New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control. New Jersey ABC list of dry towns (May 1, 2013)</ref><ref>Giordano, Rita. "More towns catching liquor-license buzz; Moorestown considers ending its dry spell" Template:Webarchive, The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 24, 2007. Accessed February 16, 2014.</ref> Cape May Point, Ocean City and Wildwood Crest are Cape May County's only remaining dry municipalities.<ref>Procida, Lee. "Cape May County towns relaxing liquor laws as area's alcohol culture changes" Template:Webarchive, Press of Atlantic City, April 14, 2012. Accessed October 16, 2017. "Wildwood Crest and Cape May Point join Ocean City as the only remaining dry communities in Cape May County."</ref>
HistoryEdit
Cape May Point was called Stites Beach until 1876 when the name was changed to Seagrove.<ref>Cape May County: Cape May Point Template:Webarchive, getnj.com. Accessed September 9, 2007.</ref> 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.<ref name=Story>Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968 Template:Webarchive, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 114. Accessed October 16, 2012.</ref> 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.<ref>Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names Template:Webarchive, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed August 28, 2015.</ref><ref>Gannett, Henry. The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States Template:Webarchive, p. 68. United States Government Printing Office, 1905. Accessed August 28, 2015.</ref>
The remains of SS Atlantus World War I-era concrete ship are located of the coast of Cape May Point, next to Sunset Beach.<ref>"Concrete ship wreck at Cape May Point" Template:Webarchive, The Press of Atlantic City, April 24, 2010. Accessed October 15, 2017.</ref>
GeographyEdit
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%).<ref name=CensusArea/><ref name=GR1 />
Cape May Point borders Lower Township, the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay.<ref>Areas touching Cape May Point Template:Webarchive, MapIt. Accessed March 22, 2020.</ref><ref>Cape May County Template:Webarchive, Coalition for a Healthy NJ. Accessed March 22, 2020.</ref><ref>New Jersey Municipal Boundaries Template:Webarchive, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.</ref>
CityscapeEdit
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.<ref name=Lawlor>Template:Cite news</ref>
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 Template:Convert lots and are below Template:Convert 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".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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.<ref name=Lawlor/>
DemographicsEdit
2010 censusEdit
The 2010 United States census counted 291 people, 164 households, and 100 families in the borough. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 619 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. 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.<ref name=Census2010/>
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.<ref name=Census2010/>
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.<ref name=Census2010/>
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.<ref>DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for Cape May Point borough, Cape May County, New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed October 16, 2012.</ref>
2000 censusEdit
As of the 2000 United States census<ref name="GR2" /> there were 241 people, 133 households, and 77 families residing in the borough. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 501 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. 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.<ref name=Census2000>Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Cape May Point borough, New Jersey Template:Webarchive, United States Census Bureau. Accessed October 16, 2012.</ref><ref name=Census2000SF1>DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Cape May Point borough, Cape May County, New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed October 16, 2012.</ref>
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.<ref name=Census2000/><ref name=Census2000SF1/>
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.<ref name=Census2000/><ref name=Census2000SF1/>
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.<ref name=Census2000/><ref name=Census2000SF1/>
GovernmentEdit
Local governmentEdit
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.<ref name=DataBook>2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 8.</ref> 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.<ref>Inventory of Municipal Forms of Government in New Jersey, Rutgers University Center for Government Studies, July 1, 2011. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref><ref>Proctor, Owen; and Sobko, Katie. "Town commissions have become a New Jersey rarity" Template:Webarchive, The Record, April 30, 2018, updated May 6, 2018. Accessed October 27, 2019. "Commissions rose in popularity, up to 60 statewide in the early part of the last century, from large cities and older suburbs to seaside resorts.... Today, only about 30 of New Jersey’s 565 municipalities are commissions, including six in North Jersey. There are North Bergen, Union City and West New York in Hudson County, Lyndhurst and Ridgefield Park in Bergen County, and Nutley in Essex County."</ref> 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.<ref>"The Commission Form of Municipal Government", p. 53. Accessed June 3, 2015.</ref><ref>"Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey", p. 8. Rutgers University Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref> 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.<ref>Ianieri, Brian. "State will let New Jersey municipalities abandon May elections next year — if they want to" Template:Webarchive, The Press of Atlantic City, May 9, 2010. Accessed June 28, 2016.</ref><ref>Municipal Elections Template:Webarchive, Cape May County, New Jersey. Accessed June 28, 2016.</ref> 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.
Template:As of, 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.<ref name=Commissioners>Board of Commissioners, Borough of Cape May Point. Accessed August 29, 2024.</ref><ref>2024 Municipal Data Sheet, Borough of Cape May Point. Accessed August 29, 2024.</ref><ref name=CapeMayOfficials>2024 County & Municipal Elected Officials Cape May County, NJ -- July 2024, Cape May County, New Jersey, July 9, 2024. Accessed August 29, 2024.</ref><ref name=CapeMay2020>Cape May County 2020 General Election Successful Candidates, Cape May County, New Jersey, December 14, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.</ref>
Federal, state and county representationEdit
Cape May Point is located in the 2nd Congressional District<ref name=PCR2012>Plan Components Report Template:Webarchive, New Jersey Redistricting Commission, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020.</ref> and is part of New Jersey's 1st state legislative district.<ref name=Districts2011>Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District Template:Webarchive, New Jersey Department of State. Accessed February 1, 2020.</ref><ref name=LWV2019>2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government Template:Webarchive, New Jersey League of Women Voters. Accessed October 30, 2019.</ref><ref>Districts by Number for 2011-2020 Template:Webarchive, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 6, 2013.</ref>
Template:NJ Congress 02 Template:NJ Senate
Template:NJ Cape May County Freeholders
PoliticsEdit
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.<ref>Voter Registration Summary - Cape May Template:Webarchive, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, March 23, 2011. Accessed October 16, 2012.</ref>
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%.<ref name=2012Elections>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=2012VoterReg>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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%.<ref>2008 Presidential General Election Results: Cape May County Template:Webarchive, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 23, 2008. Accessed October 16, 2012.</ref> 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.<ref>2004 Presidential Election: Cape May County Template:Webarchive, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 13, 2004. Accessed October 16, 2012.</ref>
| Year | Republican | Democratic | |
|---|---|---|---|
| style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|2024<ref name="2024Elections">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|28.9% 48 | style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|68.7% 114 |
| style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|2020<ref name="2020Elections">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|36.9% 66 | style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|61.5% 110 |
| style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|2016<ref name="2016Elections">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|41.9% 62 | style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|52.7% 78 |
| style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|2012<ref name="2012Election">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|47.4% 83 | style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|52.0% 91 |
| style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|2008<ref name="state.nj.us">2008 Presidential General Election Results: Cape May County, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 23, 2008. Accessed January 13, 2025.</ref> | style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|44.5% 85 | style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|53.9% 103 | |
| style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|2004<ref name="Presidential Election 2004">2004 Presidential Election: Cape May County, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 13, 2004. Accessed January 13, 2025.</ref> | style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|45.8% 98 | style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|53.3% 114 |
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%.<ref name=2013Elections>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=2013VoterReg>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>2009 Governor: Cape May County Template:Webarchive, New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, December 31, 2009. Accessed October 16, 2012.</ref>
Law enforcement and public safetyEdit
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.<ref>Jordan, ISBN 0-7643-1830-6, p. 81.</ref>
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.<ref>Jordan, ISBN 0-7643-1830-6, p. 113.</ref> 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.<ref>Bora, Madhusmita. "Mayors to sign police pact for Cape May, Point, West Cape May", The Press of Atlantic City, November 21, 2001. Accessed May 24, 2023.</ref> 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.<ref>Degener, Richard. "Police investigate placing of pig's head at home of West Cape May official", The Press of Atlantic City, January 8, 2002. Accessed May 24, 2023.</ref> 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.<ref>Degener, Richard. "Regional police force a win, win, win for 3 Capes", The Press of Atlantic City, December 15, 2002. Accessed May 24, 2023.</ref>
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."<ref name=Jordanp80>Jordan, ISBN 0-7643-1830-6, p. 80.</ref> 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.<ref name=Jordanp80/>
InfrastructureEdit
Cape May Point began using Cape May City's water system Template:Circa 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.<ref name=Jordanp117>Jordan, ISBN 0-7643-1830-6, p. 117.</ref>
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 Template:Circa.<ref name=Jordanp117/>
EducationEdit
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Cape May Point School District is a non-operating school district, with all students sent to schools outside of the district.<ref>Non-operating School Districts in New Jersey for 2018-19 Template:Webarchive, New Jersey Department of Education, updated July 2019. Accessed July 24, 2020.</ref><ref>13 Non-Operating School Districts Eliminated, New Jersey Department of Education press release dated July 1, 2009. Accessed December 26, 2009. "The remaining 13 non-operating districts that will be addressed at a later date are [...] Cape May Point (Cape May)[...]"</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name=Keoughschooltaxes>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Therefore, in 2004, it had among the lowest property tax rates in New Jersey.<ref name=Lawlor/>
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.<ref name=CapeMayPointSchoolAuditp2>Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Cape May Point School District Template:Webarchive, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2020. p. 2 (PDF p. 7). Accessed March 31, 2021. "The District is a sending district and operates no schools and/or facilities. Students are sent on a tuition basis to Cape May City Elementary School for grades PreK-6 and to Lower Cape May Regional School District for grades 7-12."</ref> Most students in the Cape May elementary district come from the United States Coast Guard Training Center Cape May.<ref>Cape May City School District 2016 Report Card Narrative Template:Webarchive, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 18, 2017. "The District is a one-school district. 60% of the students come from the United States Coast Guard Training Center based in Cape May; 25% from Cape May City residents; and 15% from the Low-income Housing Authority, one student from the sending district of Cape May Point and 2 homeless students."</ref><ref>Cape May City Board of Education District Bylaw 0110 - Identification, Cape May City School District. Accessed February 11, 2023. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through six in the Cape May City School District. Composition: The Cape May City School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Cape May City."</ref><ref>School Performance Reports for the Cape May City School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed March 31, 2024.</ref> 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.<ref name=NCES>District information for Cape May City School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.</ref> 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.<ref>Crowley, Terrence J. Cape May County Report on Consolidation and Regionalization, New Jersey Department of Education, March 15, 2010, available through the Asbury Park Press. Accessed October 4, 2014. "The school districts of Cape May City, West Cape May, and Cape May Point (non-operating) are currently conducting a feasibility study to merge the districts. A consultant is currently collecting and analyzing data and will be finalizing his report in late spring 2010."</ref>
For seventh through twelfth grades, public school students attend the schools of the Lower Cape May Regional School District as part of a sending/receiving relationship; the district also serves students from the constituent communities of Cape May City, Lower Township and West Cape May.<ref>Lower Cape May Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Lower Cape May Regional School District. Accessed August 29, 2024. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades seven through twelve. Composition: The Lower Cape May Regional School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Cape May, Lower Township, and West Cape May."</ref><ref name=Study>Johnson, Virgil; and Kirtland, James L. "A Feasibility Study to Reconfigure the Lower Cape May Regional School District", Statistical Forecasting LLC, June 2013. Accessed August 29, 2024. "Cape May City is one of three constituent communities served by the Lower Cape May Regional School District ('Lower Cape May Regional'), a limited purpose school district providing education for the middle and high school students from Cape May City, Lower Township, and West Cape May.... Students from Cape May Point attend on a sending-receiving basis."</ref> Schools in the district (with 2022–23 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics<ref>School Data for the Lower Cape May Regional High School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 1, 2024.</ref>) are Richard M. Teitelman Middle School<ref>General Information, Richard M. Teitelman Middle School. Accessed August 29, 2024.</ref> with 433 students in grades 7-8 and Lower Cape May Regional High School (LCMRHS)<ref>General Information, Lower Cape May Regional High School. Accessed August 29, 2024.</ref> with 757 students in grades 9-12.<ref>School Performance Reports for the Lower Cape May Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.</ref><ref>New Jersey School Directory for the Lower Cape May Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.</ref>
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.<ref>Frequently Asked Questions Template:Webarchive, Cape May County Technical High School. Accessed October 27, 2019. "All residents of Cape May County are eligible to attend Cape May County Technical High School.... The Cape May County Technical High School is a public school so there is no cost to residents of Cape May County."</ref><ref>Technical High School Admissions Template:Webarchive, Cape May County Technical High School. Accessed October 27, 2019. "All students who are residents of Cape May County may apply to the Technical High School."</ref> Special needs students may be referred to Cape May County Special Services School District in the Cape May Court House area.
TransportationEdit
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Template:As of, the borough had a total of Template:Convert of roadways, of which Template:Convert were maintained by the municipality and Template:Convert by Cape May County.<ref>Cape May County Mileage by Municipality and JurisdictionTemplate:Dead link, New Jersey Department of Transportation, May 2010. Accessed July 18, 2014.</ref>
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.
ClimateEdit
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 Template:Convert, at least four months with an average mean temperature at or above Template:Convert, at least one month with an average mean temperature at or above Template:Convert 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 Template:Convert. During the winter months, episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values below Template:Convert. The plant hardiness zone at Cape May Point Beach is 7b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of Template:Convert.<ref name="USDA">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The average seasonal (November–April) snowfall total is around Template:Convert, and the average snowiest month is February which corresponds with the annual peak in nor'easter activity.
EcologyEdit
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).<ref name="Conservation Biology Institute">U.S. Potential Natural Vegetation, Original Kuchler Types, v2.0 (Spatially Adjusted to Correct Geometric Distortions) Template:Webarchive, Data Basin. Accessed March 18, 2020.</ref>
Places of interestEdit
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.<ref name=IconicInquirer>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Bill Barlow of the Press of Atlantic City wrote that it is "A beloved local landmark".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Its facilities are not connected with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
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 Template:Convert 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.<ref name=IconicInquirer/> 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.<ref>Pries, Allison. "Historic Cape May property to become science center", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, April 18, 2022. Accessed July 20, 2023. "The Sisters of St. Joseph, a Catholic order of women who practice educational, social services and parish ministries, sold St. Mary By-the-Sea to Cape May Point Science Center, LLC for $5.5 million. The Sisters had owned the 1.5 acres, 135-room red-roofed former hotel located yards from where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Delaware Bay in Cape May Point since 1909."</ref><ref>Marshall, Nyah. "Historic Cape May retreat for nuns reopens as science center", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, June 2, 2023. Accessed July 20, 2023. "The property most recently known as St. Mary By-the-Sea — a seaside retreat for Catholic nuns — officially reopened its doors Friday as the Cape May Point Science Center."</ref>
Notable peopleEdit
Template:Category see also 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<ref>Fox, Karen. "The Halls Presidents Walked" Template:Webarchive, CapeMay.com, February 1, 2012. Accessed August 20, 2020.</ref>
- Mary O'Hara (1885–1980), author known for her novel My Friend Flicka<ref>O'Hara, Mary. My Friend Flicka Template:Webarchive, HarperCollins. Accessed July 3, 2011. "About the Author: Mary O'Hara was born July 10, 1885, in Cape May Point, New Jersey."</ref>
- Bill Pilczuk (born 1971), swimmer<ref>Brown, Scott. "Pilczuk Finds Fulfilling Career In Pool: The Cape May Point Native Says He Is Successful, Without A Trip To The Olympics." Template:Webarchive, The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 18, 1999. Accessed June 1, 2008.</ref>
- David Allen Sibley (born 1961), ornithologist who is the author and illustrator of The Sibley Guide to Birds<ref>Lemongello, Steven. "Professional birder, author, got start in Cape May Point" Template:Webarchive, The Press of Atlantic City, October 24, 2009. Accessed September 12, 2019. "Like a migrating bird returning to its nesting grounds, noted birding guide author David Allen Sibley has returned to the town where he first learned about birdwatching.... The writer, now based out of Concord, Mass., first came to Cape May Point in the fall of 1980, 'when I essentially dropped out of college to go birdwatching full time.'"</ref>
- John Wanamaker (1838–1922), retailer<ref>Cape May Point Template:Webarchive, Cape May County Chamber of Commerce. Accessed November 15, 2016. "Wanamaker also built a summer cottage at the Point and later, when he was Postmaster General in President Benjamin Harrison's Cabinet, he invited the President and First Lady to visit Cape May Point and use Congress Hall in Cape May as the summer White House."</ref>
GalleryEdit
- CapeMayPointNJPublicWorks.JPG
Cape May Point Public Works Complex
- CapeMayPointNJFireComp.JPG
Cape May Point Volunteer Fire Company
- St Petes by the sea.JPG
- CapeMayPointStatePark.JPG
Cape May Point State Park (in Lower Township)
ReferencesEdit
Reference notesEdit
Further readingEdit
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External linksEdit
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