Middle Township is a township in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township, 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. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 20,380, The township's Cape May Court House section is the county seat of Cape May County.
History
Middle Township was formed as a precinct on April 2, 1723, and was incorporated by Township Act of 1798 of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798 as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships. Portions of the township have been taken to form Anglesea Borough (on June 13, 1885; now North Wildwood), Avalon (April 18, 1892), Wildwood (May 1, 1895), Stone Harbor (April 3, 1914) and West Wildwood (April 21, 1920). The township's name came from its location when Cape May was split into three townships in 1723 at the same time that Lower Township and Upper Township were created.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 82.92 square miles (214.77 km<sup>2</sup>), including 70.24 square miles (181.92 km<sup>2</sup>) of land and 12.69 square miles (32.86 km<sup>2</sup>) of water (15.30%). Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Del Haven, Dias Creek, Goshen, Goshen Landing, Green Creek, Holly Beach, Mayville, Norburys Landing, Nummytown, Pierces, Pierces Point, Reeds Beach, Shellbed Landing, Swain Point, Swainton, Wildwood Gardens and Wildwood Junction.
The township borders the Cape May County municipalities of Avalon Borough, Dennis Township, Lower Township, North Wildwood City, Sea Isle City, Stone Harbor Borough, Wildwood City and West Wildwood Borough, along with the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay.
Ike's Point is a small, swampy point that protrudes into the western side of Jenkins Sound. Ike's Point is one of five federally-recognized place names in the United States with a possessive apostrophe. When the name was made official in 1944, the United States Board on Geographic Names allowed the apostrophe as the name "would be unrecognizable otherwise".