WEST CAPE MAY, NEW JERSEY

'West Cape May' is a Walsh Act borough 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 borough population was 1,095.
West Cape May was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 17, 1884, from portions of Lower Township, based on the results of a referendum held two days earlier. The borough was reincorporated on April 11, 1900, and again on May 4, 1897."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 116.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Education

History

References

External links

Geography

West Cape May is located at (38.938621, -74.932708).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 3.1 km² (1.2 mi²), all land.
West Cape May borders Lower Township and Cape May City

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,095 people, 507 households, and 302 families residing in the borough. The population density was 355.3/km² (923.5/mi²). There were 1,004 housing units at an average density of 325.8/km² (846.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 84.11% White, 14.52% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.55% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.83% of the population.
There were 507 households out of which 21.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.2% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.4% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the borough the population was spread out with 19.6% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 28.7% from 45 to 64, and 24.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $37,500, and the median income for a family was $47,031. Males had a median income of $36,375 versus $29,583 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $25,663. About 4.7% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

The Borough of West Cape May has operated under the Walsh Act Commission form of government since 1948.^[1] The Board of Commissioners consists of three members, who are elected at-large in non-partisan elections and serve four-year, concurrent terms.
Once the Commissioners take office, they divide up responsibility for the municipal departments. Each Commissioner becomes a Department Director and holds all the executive, administrative, judicial and legislative powers. There is no single chief executive.
In West Cape May, the Departments are currently distributed as follows:^[2]

★ 'Peter Burke' - Commissioner of Public Affairs and Public Safety

★ 'Pamela Kaithern' - Commissioner of Revenue and Finance

★ 'Dick Rigby' - Commissioner of Public Works, Parks and Public Property

Federal, state and county representation

West Cape May is in the Second Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 1st Legislative District.^[3]

Education

The West Cape May Elementary School serves 71 students in Prekindergarten through sixth grade, making it one of the schools with the smallest enrollment in the state.
For grades 7 - 12, public school students attend the schools of the Lower Cape May Regional School District, which serves students from Cape May City, Lower Township and West Cape May, along with students from Cape May Point who attend as part of a sending/receiving relationship. Schools in the district are Richard M. Teitelman School (grades 7 and 8) and Lower Cape May Regional High School (grades 9-12).

History

The Borough's history goes back to the time of the Lenape Native Americans and several buildings date to the Colonial period. The area has a rich agricultural history which continues to be celebrated each year with a summer farmers' market, and strawberry, tomato and lima bean festivals. It was once known as the "Lima Bean Capital of the World."^[4]
West Cape May, formerly known as Eldredge, is one of the four jurisdictions that comprise Cape Island in Cape May County. West Cape May was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 17, 1884, from portions of Lower Township, based on the results of a referendum held two days earlier. The borough was reincorporated on April 11, 1890, and again on May 4, 1897."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 116.
The Borough has reported ties to the Underground Railroad.
From 1881 to 1931, the Hastings Goldbeating Company was located in the Borough employing women to pound one-inch strips of gold into gossamer-thin sheets used for decorative arts. Women still did the "booking" of gold leaf sheets until 1961. A plaque indicating the location of the factory can be found on Goldbeaten Alley. It was this business along with real estate speculation and subdivision of the land that led to the Borough's incorporation in 1884.
The historic core of the Borough was placed on the National Register of Historic Places along with sections of the City of Cape May in 1976.

References

1. The Commission Form of Municipal Government, p. 53. Accessed August 11, 2007.
2. West Cape May Form of Government, Borough of West Cape May. Accessed March 7, 2007.
3. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 66. Accessed August 30, 2006.
4. America's Best (and only) Lima Bean Festival, accessed March 7, 2007

External links

★ West Cape May NJ website

★ West Cape May Elementary School

★

★ National Center for Education Statistics data for West Cape May Elementary School

★ Lower Cape May Regional School District

★ The Cape May Gazette - Weekly newspaper covering West Cape May