| Columbia Encyclopedia: Wildwood |
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Temperature: 36°F /
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RealFeel Temperature™: 33°F / 0°C Humidity: 64% Winds: NW 6 mph / 10 kmh Pressure: 30.33" Visibility: 10 mi. / 16 km |
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| Wikipedia: Wildwood, New Jersey |
| Wildwood, New Jersey | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| View of Wildwood from Mariner's Landing Ferris wheel | |
| Map of Wildwood in Cape May County. Inset: Location of Cape May County highlighted in the State of New Jersey. | |
| Census Bureau map of Wildwood, New Jersey | |
| Coordinates: 38°59′20″N 74°49′12″W / 38.98889°N 74.82°WCoordinates: 38°59′20″N 74°49′12″W / 38.98889°N 74.82°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Cape May |
| Incorporated | May 1, 1895 |
| Government [1] | |
| - Type | Walsh Act (New Jersey) |
| - Mayor | Ernest Troiano, Jr. |
| Area | |
| - Total | 1.4 sq mi (3.6 km2) |
| - Land | 1.3 sq mi (3.3 km2) |
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) |
| Elevation [2] | 0 ft (0 m) |
| Population (2007)[3] | |
| - Total | 5,291 |
| - Density | 4,212.7/sq mi (1,626.5/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 08260 |
| Area code(s) | 609 |
| FIPS code | 34-81170[4][5] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0885444[6] |
| Website | http://www.wildwoodnj.org/ |
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. On January 1, 1912, Wildwood was incorporated as a city, replacing both Wildwood borough and Holly Beach City.[7]
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."
The Wildwoods began developing as a resort in the last decade of the 19th century. A building boom began in the 1950s, due partially to the construction and completion of the Garden State Parkway.[8]
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 and Ocean Oasis waterparks 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. In June 2006, its Doo-Wop-style motels were placed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's annual Eleven Most Endangered List, described as "irreplaceable icons of popular culture."[9][10]
It was ranked the best beach in New Jersey in the 2008 Top 10 Beaches Contest sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium.[11]
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".[12][13]
Wildwood is home to an annual co-ed beach Ultimate Frisbee tournament drawing teams from all over the country.[14]
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Wildwood is located at 38°59′20″N 74°49′12″W / 38.988969°N 74.819863°W (38.988969, -74.819863).[15] Some may say that Wildwood is located ona barrier island facing the Atlantic Ocean and comprises five separate municipalities but it really is NOT: 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 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2), of which, 1.3 square miles (3.3 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km2) of it (6.52%) is water.
Wildwood houses over 200 motels, built during the Doo-Wop era of the 1950s and 1960s,[16] in an area recognized by the State of New Jersey as the known as the Wildwoods Shore Resort Historic District.[17] The term doo-wop was coined by Cape May's Mid-Atlantic Center For The Arts in the early 1990s to describe the unique, space-age architectural style, which is also referred to as the Googie or populuxe style.[18]
The motels are unique in appearance with Vegas-like neon signs and fantastic architecture.[19] 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. Thankfully due to the low demand for these otherwise expensive condominiums, many doo wop motels have been spared.
Wildwood's high-rise hotel district now has guidelines to encourage the use of "Doo Wop" design in new construction.[17] In addition, a plan to demolish the Ocean View Motel and was denied by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Through the Coastal Area Facility Review Act (CAFRA), the DEP denied an application to demolish the Ocean View Motel and construct a six-story, 69-unit condominium structure in its place.[10]
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.
Many of these Doo-Wop motels were designed by the brothers Lewis J. (Lou) and Wilburt C. (Will) Morey, born in West Wildwood in 1925 and 1927, respectively. In 1952, their company Morey Brothers Builders built Wildwood's first motel, the single-storey Jay's Motel at the corner of Hildreth and Atlantic Avenues. However, in 1955 they dissolved their formal business partnership and began to work more independently on motel designs.[20]
1958 was a banner year for motel construction in Wildwood Crest, with the opening of the Satellite, Caribbean, El Reno (later the South Beach Motel), Sand Castle and Swan Moteland Tangiers motels. The Rio Motel, in Wildwood proper, also made its debut that spring.[21]
From 2003 to 2006, over 50 motels had been demolished to make way for condominium development. In addition to the Ebbtide, notable demolished motels in the area included the Satellite, Fantasy and Rio motels.[9]
The Ebb Tide Motel, built in 1957 and demolished in 2003, is credited as the first Doo-Wop motel in Wildwood Crest.[18][22]
Built in 1958, the Satellite Motel was one of the Wildwoods' signature "Doo Wop" landmarks until its demolition after the 2004 season, sparking a wave of redevelopment in the area that winter. It was located on the northeast corner of Atlantic & Aster in Wildwood Crest. The Satellite's rooftop neon sign was installed as part of the Neon Garden at the Doo Wop Experience museum in May 2008.[21] The motel was featured prominently in Thomas Hine's 1986 book, Populuxe.[23]
Notable existing Motels are: The Pan American, The Crusader, The Waikiki, The Newport, The Seashell (home to the world famous Sea Shell Ice Cream Shop), The Admiral, The Adventurer, and the Yankee Clipper.
The Caribbean Motel in Wildwood Crest, built in 1958 and now restored, was the first motel to use the full-size plastic palm trees that now adorn most of the Doo Wop motels in the area.[24] The motel was saved from demolition in 2004, when it was purchased by George Miller and Caroline Emigh, who succeeded in getting the property placed on the national historic registry. After reading the book, How to Doo Wop: the Wildwoods-by-the-Sea Handbook of Design Guidelines published by the Doo Wop Preservation League, they were so impressed by the suggested designs of Philadelphia architect Anthony Bracali that they hired him to over see restoration of the motel. The interior design was done by Darleen Lev, a designer from New York City who was staying at the motel around the time that Miller and Emigh bought the property. An admirer of the Technicolor film process, Lev's designs are modeled on movie sets of the 1950s, as well as reflecting the motel's Caribbean motif. The Caribbean Motel was owned by the Rossi family for more than 30 years, until the early 1990s.[9]
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 1970s. 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.
| 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. 2007 | 5,291 | [3] | −2.7% |
| Population 1930 - 1990[25] | |||
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 5,436 people, 2,333 households, and 1,273 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,212.6 people per square mile (1,627.0/km2). There were 6,488 housing units at an average density of 5,027.9/sq mi (1,941.9/km2). 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. Downtown Wildwood has a large Mexican community.
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.
Wildwood is governed by a three-member commission under the Walsh Act Commissioner form of municipal government.[1]
Wildwood's commission consists of Mayor Ernest Troiano, Jr., Gary S. DeMarzo and William Davenport, Jr.[26]
Wildwood City is in the Second Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 1st Legislative District.[27]
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 City). 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 Jeff Van Drew (D) and in the Assembly by Nelson Albano (D, Vineland) and Matthew W. Milam (D, Dennis Township).[28] The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).[29]
Cape May County is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders consisting of five members, elected at large in partisan elections to serve staggered three-year terms in office. Cape May County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Daniel Beyel (Upper Township, term expires December 31, 2008), Freeholder Vice-Director Ralph E. Sheets, Jr. (2008), Ralph E. Bakley, Sr. (2010), Leonard C. Desiderio (Sea Isle City, 2009) and Gerald M. Thornton (2010).[30]
The Wildwood Public School District serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[31]) are Glenwood Elementary School (K-5; 394 students), Wildwood Middle School (6-8; 173 students) and Wildwood High School (9-12; 284 students).
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.[32]
There are also two Catholic schools on the island: St. Ann's Elementary in Wildwood, and Wildwood Catholic High School in North Wildwood. North Wildwood also has the public school Margaret Mace Elementary.
Portions of Wildwood are part of an Urban Enterprise Zone in The Wildwoods. In addition to other benefits to encourage employment within the Zone, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3½% sales tax rate (versus the 7% rate charged statewide).[33]
Notable current and former residents of Wildwood include:
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