Wildwood, New Jersey
Information about Wildwood, New Jersey
| Wildwood, New Jersey | |||
| |||
| Motto: | |||
) Map of Cape May County | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country | United States | ||
| State | New Jersey | ||
| County | Cape May | ||
| Area | |||
| - City | 1.4 sq mi (3.6 km) | ||
| - Land | 1.3 sq mi (3.3 km) | ||
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km) | ||
| Elevation | 0 ft (0 m) | ||
| Population (2000) | |||
| - City | 5,436 | ||
| - Density | 4,212.7/sq mi (1626.5/km) | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP code | 08260 | ||
| Area code(s) | 609 | ||
| FIPS code | 34-81170GR2 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0881829GR3 | ||
)
Panorama of the Wildwood boardwalk, facing north
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 during the off-season, but it can swell to 250,000 during the summer months.
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 municipality name — specifically the Borough of Wildwood Crest, City of Wildwood, Borough of West Wildwood and the City of North Wildwood — together with Diamond Beach, a portion of Lower Township situated on the island. Collectively, these communities are known as "The Wildwoods."
Wildwood is a resort city that is very popular with vacationers and tourists mostly 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 1.8-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.
Rock Around the Clock, often credited as the first rock and roll record, was first performed on Memorial Day weekend in 1954 at the HofBrau Hotel in Wildwood by Bill Haley & His Comets. The song's status as one of the first rock and roll hits has given rise to the city's claim as "the birthplace of rock and roll".[2][3]
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.
Historic Motel District
Wildwood houses over 200 motels, built during the Doo-Wop era of the 1950s and 1960s. The motels are unique in appearance with Vegas-like neon signs, odd architecture, and an overall distinctive look which makes Wildwood one of the most interesting districts of its kind in the nation. [4] New construction in the area however has seen the demise of many older motels being demolished so bigger condominiums may take up residence. The Wildwood Doo Wop Preservation League has taken action to help save and restore these historic buildings but construction of far larger hotels may overtake the area in the next few years. A 1950s Doo Wop museum has recently been built which contains property from demolished motels like neon signs and furniture. Neo-Doo Wop buildings in the area feature a neon lit Wawa, Subway Sandwich Shop, and a 1950s styled Acme Supermarket.New Jersey State Firemen's Convention
Since the early 1970s the Wildwoods have been home to the annual New Jersey State Fireman's Convention. It moved to the Wildwoods from Atlantic City in the early 1970's. The convention had been held in Atlantic City for many years prior to the building of the big casinos of today. When the City began to change the council refused to allow the visiting firefighters to parade their apparatus through the streets. This was one of the reasons for the move along with the rising crime rate. The Wildwoods welcomed the convention with open arms and allowed for the parade which every year runs the length of New Jersey Ave. from Wildwood Crest through Wildwood to North Wildwood. This year, the Westmont Fire Co. No. 1of Haddon Township, Camden County, won first place in the parades engine category for an engine 0-3 years old.
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | % | |
| 1930 | 5,330 | ||
| 1940 | 5,150 | 0% | |
| 1950 | 5,475 | 0% | |
| 1960 | 4,690 | 0% | |
| 1970 | 4,110 | 0% | |
| 1980 | 4,913 | 0% | |
| 1990 | 4,484 | 0% | |
| 2000 | 5,436 | 0% | |
| Est. 2006 | 5,309 | [5] | 0% |
| Population 1930 - 1990[6] | |||
)
The Wildwood boardwalk, including the Tramcar.
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.
Government
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.[7]
Federal, state and county representation
Wildwood City is in the Second Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 1st Legislative District.[8]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, Ventnor). 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 (2009) and Gerald M. Thornton (2007).[9]
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 (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.Points of interest
- Boardwalk Chapel is a summertime Christian Gospel outreach on the boardwalk, sandwiched between a pizzeria and a gift shop. Its wide entrance offers thousands of board walkers the opportunity to move freely in and out of any one of its 77 consecutive evening services held during June, July, and August.
- The Bench is a booth by the Douglas Fudge Pavillion, right across from the clothing store "The Rock". Here at "The Bench" visitors can see teenagers of the Goth community hanging out.Local papers have called it "A view into the alternative lives of the youth of America" mostly local kids hang out there.
Popular culture
- Wildwood is home to the beverage known as the "Lime Rickey".
- 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 broke an attendance record at the Wildwood convention center, August 10, 2007.[10]
- The song Wildwood Days by Bobby Rydell is about the shore town.
Noted residents
- J. Thompson Baker (1847-1919), represented New Jersey's 2nd congressional district from 1913 to 1915, and was the first mayor of the consolidated city of Wildwood.[11]
- Randy Beverly (1944-), former professional football player, New York Jets.[12]
- Greg Fulginiti (1951-), recording and mastering engineer, Elektra Records, Sterling Sound, Artisan Sound Recorders, Masterdisk.
- Remy Hamilton (1974-), Arena Football League player, Los Angeles Avengers.[13]
- Joy Bright Hancock (1898-1986), one of first female U.S. Navy officers.[14]
- Joseph Magliano, professional wrestler.
- Jon Runyan (1973-), offensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles
- Rick Vito (1949-), guitarist, Jackson Browne, Fleetwood Mac, John Mayall, Roger McGuinn, Bonnie Raitt.
References
1. ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 116.
2. ^ The Birthplace of Rock and Roll: Wildwood, New Jersey, Stakes Its Claim, accessed November 16, 2006.
3. ^ Strauss, Robert. "Cradle of Rock? Two Towns Stake Their Claims", The New York Times, July 10, 2007. Accessed July 10, 2007. "It was Saturday night during Memorial Day weekend in 1954, and more than 500 people were jammed into the HofBrau Hotel here to hear his band, the Comets, kick off the summer. “We had just recorded this song in April,” he said, “and that night we introduced it to the crowd. I guess that was the first real night of rock ’n’ roll.” The song was “Rock Around the Clock,” by Bill Haley and His Comets, considered by many to be the first rock-’n’-roll hit, and the first song with the word “rock” in the title to hit the top of the Billboard charts."
4. ^ Fancher, Emily. "Doo Wop" architecture lures tourists back to seaside town, Columbia News Service, June 10, 2002. Accessed June 17, 2007. "Just about everything in Wildwood, N.J. has been touched by 'Doo Wop'. The term describes the distinctively kitschy flair of the town's 200 motels, which were built in the 1950s and 60s. Reflecting the popular cultural themes of the era, the motels have Hawaiian and Polynesian designs, Space Age accents or rock 'n' roll details."
5. ^ Census data for Wildwood city, United States Census Bureau, accessed August 4, 2007.
6. ^ Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
7. ^ Key Employee Directory, City of Wildwood. Accessed March 7, 2007.
8. ^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 66. Accessed August 30, 2006.
9. ^ Freeholders Home Page, Cape May County. Accessed June 11, 2007.
10. ^ Schedule of Events 2007, accessed March 26, 2007.
11. ^ Jacob Thompson Baker biography, United States Congress. Accessed August 4, 2007.
12. ^ Narducci, Marc. "SOUTH JERSEY FOOTBALL STANDOUTS SCORE IN THE NFL THIS YEAR, NINE FORMER HIGH SCHOOL STARS ARE SUITED UP IN THE PROS, AMONG THEM IRVING FRYAR AND RON DAYNE.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 13, 2000. Accessed June 14, 2007. "Wildwood's Randy Beverly had two interceptions for the New York Jets in Super Bowl III."
13. ^ Remy Hamilton profile, Arena Football League. Accessed June 14, 2007.
14. ^ Saxon, Wolfgang. "JOY HANCOCK DIES; LAST WAVES CHIEF", The New York Times, August 25, 1986. Accessed June 5, 2007. "Born in Wildwood, N.J., Miss Bright briefly belonged to the Naval Reserve in New Jersey and then stayed on as a civilian employee at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station."
2. ^ The Birthplace of Rock and Roll: Wildwood, New Jersey, Stakes Its Claim, accessed November 16, 2006.
3. ^ Strauss, Robert. "Cradle of Rock? Two Towns Stake Their Claims", The New York Times, July 10, 2007. Accessed July 10, 2007. "It was Saturday night during Memorial Day weekend in 1954, and more than 500 people were jammed into the HofBrau Hotel here to hear his band, the Comets, kick off the summer. “We had just recorded this song in April,” he said, “and that night we introduced it to the crowd. I guess that was the first real night of rock ’n’ roll.” The song was “Rock Around the Clock,” by Bill Haley and His Comets, considered by many to be the first rock-’n’-roll hit, and the first song with the word “rock” in the title to hit the top of the Billboard charts."
4. ^ Fancher, Emily. "Doo Wop" architecture lures tourists back to seaside town, Columbia News Service, June 10, 2002. Accessed June 17, 2007. "Just about everything in Wildwood, N.J. has been touched by 'Doo Wop'. The term describes the distinctively kitschy flair of the town's 200 motels, which were built in the 1950s and 60s. Reflecting the popular cultural themes of the era, the motels have Hawaiian and Polynesian designs, Space Age accents or rock 'n' roll details."
5. ^ Census data for Wildwood city, United States Census Bureau, accessed August 4, 2007.
6. ^ Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
7. ^ Key Employee Directory, City of Wildwood. Accessed March 7, 2007.
8. ^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 66. Accessed August 30, 2006.
9. ^ Freeholders Home Page, Cape May County. Accessed June 11, 2007.
10. ^ Schedule of Events 2007, accessed March 26, 2007.
11. ^ Jacob Thompson Baker biography, United States Congress. Accessed August 4, 2007.
12. ^ Narducci, Marc. "SOUTH JERSEY FOOTBALL STANDOUTS SCORE IN THE NFL THIS YEAR, NINE FORMER HIGH SCHOOL STARS ARE SUITED UP IN THE PROS, AMONG THEM IRVING FRYAR AND RON DAYNE.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 13, 2000. Accessed June 14, 2007. "Wildwood's Randy Beverly had two interceptions for the New York Jets in Super Bowl III."
13. ^ Remy Hamilton profile, Arena Football League. Accessed June 14, 2007.
14. ^ Saxon, Wolfgang. "JOY HANCOCK DIES; LAST WAVES CHIEF", The New York Times, August 25, 1986. Accessed June 5, 2007. "Born in Wildwood, N.J., Miss Bright briefly belonged to the Naval Reserve in New Jersey and then stayed on as a civilian employee at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station."
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
- The Wildwood Leader.
- Wildwood in Old Postcards
- * Maps and aerial photos for Coordinates:
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- Topographic maps from TopoZone or TerraServer-USA
Municipalities of Cape May County, New Jersey (County seat: Cape May Court House) | ||
| 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 | Dennisville | Diamond Beach | Erma | Marmora | North Cape May | Strathmere | Tuckahoe | Rio Grande | Villas | Whitesboro-Burleigh | |
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Nickname(s): Garden State[1]
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Cape May County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2000 Census, the population is 102,326. It is included in the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county seat is the Cape May Court House section of Middle Township6.
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State of New Jersey
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Nickname(s): Garden State[1]
Motto(s): Liberty and prosperity
Official language(s) English de facto
Capital Trenton
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Nickname(s): Garden State[1]
Motto(s): Liberty and prosperity
Official language(s) English de facto
Capital Trenton
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Motto
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"E Pluribus Unum" ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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"In God We Trust" (since 1956)
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Anthem
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