Cape May, New Jersey

Cape May (sometimes Cape May City) is a city and seaside resort located at the southern tip of Cape May Peninsula in Cape May County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located on the Atlantic Ocean near the mouth of the Delaware Bay, it is one of the country's oldest vacation resort destinations. The city, 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. It is the southernmost municipality in New Jersey.

As of the 2020 United States census, the city's resident population was 2,768, In the summer, Cape May's population is expanded by as many as 40,000 to 50,000 visitors. It is part of the South Jersey region of the state.

History

17th and 18th centuries

thumb|thumbtime=45|upright=1.2|A Stroll along Beach Avenue, Cape May, New Jersey (Video 3:35)

The area that is now Cape May was originally inhabited by the Kechemeche Native American tribe, a subgroup of the Lenape people. The Kechemeche first encountered Europeans around 1600. The city takes its name from the Dutch captain Cornelius Jacobsen Mey, who charted the coast between 1611 and 1614 and claimed it for the province of New Netherland. It was later settled by New Englanders from the New Haven Colony.

Cape May began hosting vacationers from Philadelphia in the mid-18th century and is recognized as the country's oldest seaside resort.

19th century

Following the construction of Congress Hall in 1816, Cape May became increasingly popular in the 19th century and was considered one of the finest resorts in America by the 20th century.

What is now Cape May was formed as the borough of Cape Island by the New Jersey Legislature on March 8, 1848, from portions of Lower Township. It was reincorporated as Cape Island City on March 10, 1851, and was renamed Cape May City on March 9, 1869.

Tourism to the city was boosted in 1863 with the opening of the Tuckahoe and Cape May Railroad.

The city suffered devastating fires in 1869 and 1878. In the early hours of August 31, 1869, a fire broke out in the Japanese store on Washington Street. The fire destroyed the post office and at least thirty-five other buildings. Press reports at the time did not mention any deaths. In 1878, a five-day-long fire destroyed 30 blocks of the town center. Replacement homes were almost uniformly of Victorian style, and more recent protectionist efforts have left Cape May with many famously well-maintained Victorian houses—the second largest collection of such homes in the nation after San Francisco

The Cape May City Athletic Association was founded in 1886 and opened the Cape May Athletic Park in 1887. Cape May attracted the Philadelphia Phillies who held spring training in Cape May at the Athletic Park in 1888, the Gas House field in 1891, and again at the Athletic Park in 1898. The Athletic Association fielded a collegiate baseball team that played every summer against other local clubs, as well as semi-professional and professional teams including African-American and Major League teams. President Benjamin Harrison visited Cape May in August 1891 and visited the Athletic Park where he saw Cape May lose 5 to 0 to the Gorham African-American club.

20th century

Because of the World War II submarine threat off the East Coast of the United States, especially off the shore of Cape May and at the mouth of the Delaware Bay, numerous United States Navy facilities were located here in order to protect American coastal shipping. Cape May Naval facilities, listed below, provided significant help in reducing the number of ships and crew members lost at sea.

Naval Air Station, Cape May
Naval Base, Cape May
Inshore Patrol, Cape May
Naval Annex, Inshore Patrol, Cape May
Joint Operations Office, Naval Base, Cape May
Welfare and Recreation Office, Cape May
Dispensary, Naval Air Station, Cape May
Naval Frontier Base, Cape May
Degaussing Range (Cold Spring Inlet), Naval Base, Cape May
Joint Operations Office, Commander Delaware Group, ESF, Cape May
Anti-Submarine Attack Teacher Training Unit, U.S. Naval Base, Cape May
Naval Annex, Admiral Hotel, Cape May

In 1976, Cape May was designated a National Historic Landmark as the Cape May Historic District, making Cape May the only city in the U.S. to be wholly designated as a national historic district. That designation is intended to ensure the architectural preservation of these buildings.

Geography

thumb|upright=1.2|Cape May Harbor as seen from Devil's Reach

thumb|upright=1.2|The [[Emlen Physick Estate in Cape May in 1879. Frank Furness was the architect of this Victorian house, which is now a museum located at 1048 Washington Street]]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Cape May had a total area of 2.90 square miles (7.50 km2), including 2.47 square miles (6.41 km2) of land and 0.42 square miles (1.10 km2) of water (14.59%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the city include Poverty Beach.

Cape May borders the Cape May County municipalities of Lower Township and West Cape May Borough and the Atlantic Ocean. The Cape May–Lewes Ferry provides transportation across the Delaware Bay between North Cape May, New Jersey, and Lewes, Delaware.

Cape May Harbor, which borders Lower Township and nearby Wildwood Crest allows fishing vessels to enter from the Atlantic Ocean, was created as of 1911, after years of dredging completed the harbor which covers . Cape May Harbor Fest celebrates life in and around the harbor, with the 2011 event commemorating the 100th anniversary of the harbor's creation.

Cape May is the southernmost point in New Jersey. It is at approximately the same latitude as Washington, D.C., and Arlington County, Virginia, and equidistant to Manhattan and Virginia.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Cape May has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) with hot, humid summers, cool winters and year-round precipitation. Its climate resembles that of its neighbor, the Delmarva Peninsula. During the summer months in Cape May, 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 . During the winter months, episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values . The hardiness zone of Cape May is 8a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of . The average seasonal snowfall total is around , and the average snowiest month is February which corresponds with the annual peak in nor'easter activity.

Ecology

According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Cape May would have a dominant vegetation type of Northern Cordgrass (73) with a dominant vegetation form of Coastal Prairie (20).

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Cape May had a population of 2,768. The median age was 58.3 years. 13.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 39.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 86.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 87.1 males age 18 and over.

All residents lived in urban areas.

There were 1,382 households in Cape May, of which 15.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.6% were married-couple households, 17.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 42.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 28.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census,

There were 1,821 households, out of which 18.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.2% were non-families. 39.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02 and the average family size was 2.69.

Cape May has been a popular resort for French Canadian tourists for several decades. Cape May County established a tourism office in Montreal, Quebec, but around 1995 it closed due to budget cuts. By 2010, the tourism office of Cape May County established a French language coupon booklet.

Prior to the 1980s, many temporary seasonal workers originated from the Philadelphia and, to a lesser extent, the New York City areas. That decade, there had been a wave of temporary workers from Ireland. By 2004, an improvement in the Irish economy meant that not as many Irish people came in that role, and that many of the temporary workers were now from Eastern Europe.

Arts and culture

thumb|The [[Harriet Tubman Museum in Cape May]]

thumb|Cape May Rotary Park

Cape May has become known both for its Victorian gingerbread homes and its cultural offerings. The town hosts the Cape May Jazz Festival, the Cape May Music Festival and the Cape May, New Jersey Film Festival. Cape May Stage, an Equity theater founded in 1988, performs at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse on the corner of Bank and Lafayette Streets. East Lynne Theater Company, an Equity professional company specializing in American classics and world premieres, has its mainstage season from June–December and March, with school residencies throughout the year. Cape May is home to the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC), established in 1970 by volunteers who succeeded in saving the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate from demolition. MAC offers a wide variety of tours, activities and events throughout the year for residents and visitors and operates three Cape May area historic sites—the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate, the Cape May Lighthouse and the World War II Lookout Tower. The Center for Community Arts (CCA) offers African American history tours of Cape May, arts programs for young people and is transforming the historic Franklin Street School, constructed in 1928 to house African-American students in a segregated school, into a Community Cultural Center.

Cape May is the home of Cape May diamonds, which show up at Sunset Beach and other beaches in the area. These are in fact clear quartz pebbles that wash down from the Delaware River. They begin as prismatic quartz (including the color sub-varieties such as smoky quartz and amethyst) in the quartz veins alongside the Delaware River that get eroded out of the host rock and wash down 200 miles to the shore. Collecting Cape May diamonds is a popular pastime and many tourist shops sell them polished or even as faceted stones.

The Cape May area is also world-famous for the observation of migrating birds, especially in the fall. With over 400 bird species having been recorded in this area by hundreds of local birders, Cape May is arguably the top bird-watching area in the entire Northeastern United States. The Cape May Warbler, a small songbird, takes it name from this location. The Cape May Bird Observatory is based nearby at Cape May Point.

Cape May is also a destination for marine mammal watching. Several species of whales and dolphins can be seen in the waters of the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean, many within of land, due to the confluence of fresh and saltwater that make for a nutrient rich area for marine life. Whale and dolphin watching cruises are a year-round attraction in Cape May, part of an ecotourism / agritourism industry that generated $450 million in revenue in the county, the most of any in the state.

The Harriet Tubman Museum in downtown Cape May features the life and work of Harriet Tubman, an abolitionist and social activist.

Fisherman's Memorial

Cape May Fisherman's Memorial, located at Baltimore and Missouri Avenues, was built in 1988. It features a circular plaza reminiscent of a giant compass, a granite statue of a mother and two small children looking out to Harbor Cove, and a granite monument listing the names of 75 local fishermen who died at sea. The names begin with Andrew Jeffers, who died in 1893, and include the six people who died in March 2009 with the sinking of the scalloping boat Lady Mary. The granite statue was designed by Heather Baird with Jerry Lynch. The memorial is maintained by the City of Cape May and administered by the Friends of the Cape May Fisherman's Memorial. Visitors often leave a stone or seashell on the statue's base in tribute to the fishermen.

Government

thumb|upright=1.2|Cape May Municipal Office was originally [[Cape May High School.]]

thumb|upright=1.2|Cape May Housing Authority

Local government

Effective July 1, 2004, Cape May switched to a Council-Manager form of government under the Faulkner Act, after having used Plan A of the Faulkner Act Small Municipality form since 1995. The city is one of 42 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government. The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the four-member City Council, with all positions elected at-large to four-year terms of office on a non-partisan basis as part of the November general election in even-numbered years. The Mayor is elected directly by the voters. The Borough Council is elected to serve four-year terms on a staggered basis, with three seats coming up for election together and then the mayor and the fourth council seat up for vote together two years later. Following the 2004 elections, the first under the new form of government, lots were drawn to determine which of the newly elected members would serve a four-year term, with the other three serving two-year terms. A city manager is responsible for the city's executive functions, managing Cape May's activities and operation. Voters approved a November 2010 referendum to shift the city's elections from May to November, with city officials estimating that the change would save $30,000 in costs that had been associated with each May election.

In March 2015, Councilman Jerry Inderwies Jr. resigned to protest what he called a "witch hunt" against the police chief. In the November 2015 general election, Roger Furlin was elected to fill the balance of the council seat vacated by Inderwies.

In January 2021, the city council selected Lorraine Baldwin to fill the council seat expiring in 2022 that had been held by Zachary Mullock until he resigned to take office as mayor. Baldwin served on an interim basis until the November 2021 general election, when voters chose her to serve the balance of the term of office.

, the Mayor of Cape May City is Zachary Mullock, whose term of office ends December 31, 2028. Other members of the Cape May City Council are Deputy Mayor Maureen K. McDade (2026), Lorraine M. Baldwin (2026), Shaine P. Meier (2026), and Steve Bodnar (2028).

Federal, state, and county representation

thumb|upright=1.2|Cape May Post Office

Cape May City is located in the 2nd Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 1st state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 1,932 registered voters in Cape May City, of which 452 (23.4%) were registered as Democrats, 838 (43.4%) were registered as Republicans and 640 (33.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 2 voters registered as either Libertarians or Greens.

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 52.2% of the vote (745 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 46.9% (669 votes), and other candidates with 0.9% (13 votes), among the 1,442 ballots cast by the city's 1,925 registered voters (15 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 74.9%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 50.9% of the vote (817 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama, who received 46.4% (745 votes), with 1,605 ballots cast among the city's 1,940 registered voters, for a turnout of 82.7%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 53.8% of the vote (942 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry, who received around 44.0% (771 votes), with 1,752 ballots cast among the city's 2,276 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 77.0.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 72.9% of the vote (737 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 25.8% (261 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (13 votes), among the 1,036 ballots cast by the city's 1,902 registered voters (25 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 54.5%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 52.1% of the vote (608 ballots cast), ahead of both Democrat Jon Corzine with 39.1% (457 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 6.8% (80 votes), with 1,168 ballots cast among the city's 2,069 registered voters, yielding a 56.5% turnout.

Infrastructure

thumb|left|Current Cape May fire station

Cape May established a desalinization plant in the late 1990s to manage salt going into its water aquifers.

Cape May's current sewage plant in 1960 or 1961, less than a year after the New Jersey Attorney General's deadline for Cape May Point to have a sewage plant, as it had previously dumped sewage in the Delaware Bay; the New Jersey Department of Health had warned the borough about this in 1951. Despite the borough missing the deadline, the state never fined the borough as the Attorney General removed his judgment.

Education

thumb|upright=1.2|[[Cape May City Elementary School]]

thumb|upright=1.2|Franklin Street School, a former [[Black school|elementary school for black children and the current site of the Cape May Library]]

thumb|upright=1.2|The former Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic School, which merged into what later became [[Wildwood Catholic Academy in 2010]]

For pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, public school students attend Cape May City Elementary School as part of the Cape May City School District. As of the 2024–25 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 151 students and 25.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 6.1:1. Also attending are students from Cape May Point, a non-operating district, as part of a sending/receiving relationship, with most students in the district coming from the United States Coast Guard Training Center Cape May.

For seventh through twelfth grades, public school students attend the schools of the Lower Cape May Regional School District, which serves students from Cape May, 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 (with 2024–25 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are

Richard M. Teitelman Middle School with 394 students in grades 7–8 and

Lower Cape May Regional High School with 717 students in grades 9–12. The high school district's board of education is comprised of nine members, who are elected directly by voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with three seats up for election each year. Seats on the board are allocated based on population, with Cape May assigned one seat.

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. Special needs students may be referred to Cape May County Special Services School District in the Cape May Court House area.

The nearest private Catholic school serving Cape May is Wildwood Catholic Academy (Pre-K12) in North Wildwood, under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden.

Colleges and universities in the Cape May area include Atlantic Cape Community College, Rutgers University–Camden, and the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences.

The Cape May Branch of the Cape May County Public Library is located in Cape May City. The library was previously in city hall but later moved to a standalone building. In 2009 an estimated $507,800 renovation was to take place with $395,300, or about 78% of the expenses, paid by Cape May County. In 2024 it moved from a previous location to the renovated Franklin Street School. A task force convened by Cape May City Council stated that the former library on Ocean Street should be used as a community center.

History of education

According to an 1868 article in The Inkwell by William Lycett, historically Cape May had a school known as the "Indian Queen.", until another school opened in 1868. He also stated that his father operated a private educational institution.

The first Cape May High School, built in 1901, was designed by Seymour Davis and built for $35,000. In 1917 a new Cape May High School facility was built, with the 1901 building becoming an elementary school. Cape May High School educated students of all races. Cape May High closed effective December 22, 1960, and LCMRHS opened in 1961. the first Cape May High School building was demolished, and was replaced with an Acme Markets location that occupied the site starting in the 1970s. The St. Raymond School closed in 2007 with students sent to Our Lady Star of the Sea. In 2010 Our Lady Star of the Sea merged into Cape Trinity Regional School (Pre-K–8) in North Wildwood. That school in turn merged into Wildwood Catholic Academy in 2020.

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.

The Franklin Street School opened as the current library due to a renovation worth $11,000,000. About one and one half years was the duration of the project completion. The opening ceremony involved a chain of people moving books between the old and new libraries with their hands.

Transportation

thumb|upright=1.2|[[New Jersey Route 109|Route 109 northbound in Cape May]]

Roads and highways

, the city had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality and by Cape May County.

Route 109 leads into Cape May from the north and provides access to the southern terminus of the Garden State Parkway along with U.S. Route 9 in neighboring Lower Township. U.S. Route 9 leads to the Cape May–Lewes Ferry, which heads across the Delaware Bay to Lewes, Delaware.

Public transportation

thumb|upright=1.2|[[Cape May Station and Welcome Center (bus station and former train station)]]

NJ Transit provides service to Philadelphia on the 313 and 315 routes and to Atlantic City on the 552 route, with seasonal service to Philadelphia on the 316 route and to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on the 319 route.

The Great American Trolley Company operates trolley service in Cape May daily during the summer months, running along a loop route through the city.

The city is served by rail from the Cape May City Rail Terminal, offering excursion train service on the Cape May Seashore Lines from the terminal located at the intersection of Lafayette Street and Elmira Street.

The city last had regional passenger train service by the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines in the mid-1960s. Final service into Camden, New Jersey (across the Delaware River from Philadelphia) ended in January 1966, while service to Lindenwold station ended in October 1981.

Ferry transport

The Delaware River and Bay Authority operates the Cape May-Lewes Ferry year-round, a 70-85 minute across Delaware Bay to Lewes, Delaware, carrying passengers and cars. The ferry constitutes a portion of U.S. Route 9.

The Delaware River and Bay Authority operates a shuttle bus in the summer months which connects the Cape May Welcome Center with the Cape May–Lewes Ferry terminal.

Media

thumb|upright=1.2|Cape May Star and Wave offices

Cape May is served by several media outlets including WCFA-LP 101.5 FM, a commercial-free jazz and community station, the weekly Cape May Star and Wave, two free weekly newspapers, The Cape May Gazette and Exit Zero, and local websites CapeMay.com and Cape May Times.

The countywide newspaper is Cape May County Herald.

The regional newspapers for the area including Cape May County are the Press of Atlantic City, and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The name Exit Zero refers to the town's location at the far southern end of the Garden State Parkway near the intersection with Route 109. Informally, the entire town is sometimes called Exit Zero.

Coast Guard Training Center Cape May

thumb|upright=1.2|The [[United States Coast Guard Training Center Cape May|U.S. Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May]]

The United States Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, New Jersey is the nation's only Coast Guard Recruit Training Center. In 1924, the U.S. Coast Guard occupied the base and established air facilities for planes used in support of United States Customs Service efforts. During the Prohibition era, several cutters were assigned to Cape May to foil rumrunners operating off the New Jersey coast. After Prohibition, the Coast Guard all but abandoned Cape May leaving a small air/sea rescue contingent. For a short period of time (1929–1934), part of the base was used as a civilian airport. With the advent of World War II, a larger airstrip was constructed and the United States Navy returned to train aircraft carrier pilots. The over the water approach simulated carrier landings at sea. The Coast Guard also increased its Cape May forces for coastal patrol, anti-submarine warfare, air/sea rescue and buoy service. In 1946, the Navy relinquished the base to the Coast Guard. The Cape May Airport still houses the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum.

In 1948, all entry-level training on the U.S. East Coast was moved to the U.S. Coast Guard Recruit Receiving Station in Cape May. The U.S. Coast Guard consolidated all recruit training functions in Cape May in 1982. Over 350 military and civilian personnel and their dependents are attached to the Cape May Training Center.

In popular culture

Cape May is the subject of the song "On the Way to Cape May", originally sung by Cozy Morley.
The 1980s horror film The Prowler was filmed entirely on location in Cape May.
The town lends its name to the Cape May Cafe, a restaurant in the Beach Club Resort at Walt Disney World.
In The Blacklist, Cape May is the setting in the episode "Cape May".
Scenes for the film A Complete Unknown, a biopic about Bob Dylan featuring Timothée Chalamet, were filmed in Cape May in the spring of 2024. Cape May served as a suitable location to mimic Newport, Rhode Island and the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, where Dylan first performed in public with an electric guitar. Minimal redress was needed, given the resort's commitment to its designation as a National Historic Landmark, with its concentration of Victorian architecture as well as other 19th and 20th century architectural motifs.
On 8/28/2025 the single "Ode to Cape May," A song by Nikki Fournier was released by Partridge Records and Music, LLC

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Cape May include:

Douglas Adams (1876–1931), cricketer, who played for the Gentlemen of Philadelphia in First class cricket
Cliff Anderson (1929–1979), football player who played two seasons in the NFL with the Chicago Cardinals and New York Giants
Nan Brooks (1935–2018), children's book illustrator
Thomas Cannuli, professional poker player, known for finishing 6th place in the 2015 WSOP Main Event and winning a WSOP bracelet in the $3,333 WSOP.com Online No-Limit Hold'em High Roller
Frederick B. Dent (1922–2019), politician who served as the United States Secretary of Commerce from 1973 to 1975
Eugene Grace (1876–1960), president of Bethlehem Steel Corporation from 1916 to 1945
Bubba Green (born 1957), football player who played defensive lineman for one season for the Baltimore Colts
T. Millet Hand (1902–1956), politician who represented New Jersey's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives and served as mayor of Cape May
Thomas H. Hughes (1769–1839), the founder and owner of the Congress Hall Hotel, and a Democratic-Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey
Chris Jay (born 1978), musician, actor and screenwriter. Founding member of the band, Army of Freshmen
Alan Kotok (1941–2006), computer scientist known for his work at Digital Equipment Corporation and at the World Wide Web Consortium
John Henry Kurtz (1945–2008), singer-songwriter and actor best known for performing the song "Drift Away"
John D. Lankenau (1817–1901), German-American businessman and philanthropist
Jarena Lee (1783–1864), the first woman authorized to preach by Richard Allen, founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, in 1819
Anthony Maher (born 1979), professional soccer forward
Myles Martel (born 1943), communication adviser
Sylvius Moore (1912–2004), football player and coach who was head coach of the Hampton Pirates football team
Richie Phillips (1940–2013), sports union leader
Bill Pilczuk (born 1971), competitive swimmer
Louis Purnell (1920–2001), curator at the National Air and Space Museum and earlier in life, a decorated Tuskegee Airman
Emil Salvini (born 1949), author, historian and host / creator of PBS's Tales of the Jersey Shore
Charles W. Sandman Jr. (1921–1985), politician who represented New Jersey's 2nd congressional district and was the party's candidate for Governor of New Jersey in 1973
I. Grant Scott (1897–1964), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly, the New Jersey Senate and as Mayor of Cape May
Barbara Lee Smith (born 1938), mixed media artist, writer, educator and curator
Witmer Stone (1866–1939), ornithologist who did much of his research in Cape May
Julius H. Taylor (1914–2011), professor emeritus at Morgan State University who was chairperson of the department of physics.
Harriet Tubman (1822–1913), abolitionist and social activist who, after escaping slavery, made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people; she is honored with a museum in the city
John B. Walthour (1904–1952), 4th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

References

External links

Cape May City official website
Cape May New Jersey Information, Directions and History