West Cape May is a Walsh Act borough in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The borough, and all of Cape May County, is part of the South Jersey region of the state and of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area, which 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 borough's population was 1,010,
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 borough's name derives from Cape May, which was named for 1620 Dutch captain named Cornelius Jacobsen May who explored and charted the area between 1611 and 1614, and established a claim for the province of New Netherland.
During Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, West Cape May was hit by of rain, the most of any place in the state.
West Cape May had been a dry town until May 2012, when a new store opened after the Board of Commissioners approved the sale of a liquor license for more than $600,000. In 2008, voters approved a referendum that allowed the issuance of a single license for retail liquor sales and another for sale of alcoholic beverages at a restaurant. The borough had been dry for 128 years, where alcohol cannot be sold, affirmed by the results of a referendum held in 1940, joining Cape May Point, Ocean City and Wildwood Crest among municipalities in Cape May restricting the sale of alcohol.
History
thumb|left|West Cape May Volunteer Fire Company
The borough's history goes back to the time of the Lenape Native Americans. Several buildings in the borough 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 has been known as the "Lima Bean Capital of the World." The Lima Bean Festival is an annual event held in West Cape May, New Jersey, the "Lima Bean Capital of the World", and is the world's only such celebration. It is held annually on the Saturday of Columbus Day weekend in Wilbraham Park.
West Cape May, once 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.
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 continued to do 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.
Historic sites
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.
Whilldin-Miller House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 12, 2003. The original timber frame two-story house remaining in the rear was built by Joseph Whilldin about 1715, while the front portion of the house was built in 1860, making it one of the oldest remaining houses on Cape Island.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.19 square miles (3.07 km<sup>2</sup>), including 1.17 square miles (3.04 km<sup>2</sup>) of land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km<sup>2</sup>) of water (1.09%).
Demographics
2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 1,024 people, 493 households, and 294 families in the borough. The population density was . There were 1,043 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 85.84% (879) White, 8.69% (89) Black or African American, 0.78% (8) Native American, 0.20% (2) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 3.13% (32) from other races, and 1.37% (14) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.98% (51) of the population.
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census
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. Julie Lasky of The New York Times wrote that "until recently" the African-American community was "vibrant" but that by 2020 the percentage declined to 5%.
Government
Local government
The Borough of West Cape May has operated under the Walsh Act form of government since 1948. The borough is one of 30 municipalities (of the 564) statewide to use the commission form of government, down from a peak of 60 early in the 20th century and with most remaining municipalities using the form being shore communities. The Board of Commissioners is comprised of three members, who are elected at-large in non-partisan elections held as part of the November general election and serve four-year, concurrent terms of office. Once the Commissioners take office, they divide up responsibility for the municipal departments, with each Commissioner serving as a Department Director and holds all the executive, administrative, judicial and legislative powers, with no single chief executive. An ordinance adopted by the Board of Commissioners in December 2012 shifted the borough's municipal elections from May to November.
, the borough's commissioners are
Mayor Carol E. Sabo (Commissioner of Revenue and Finance),
Deputy Mayor George Dick (Commissioner of Public Works, Parks and Public Property; elected to serve an unexpired term) and
Giacomo "Jack" Antonicello (Commissioner of Public Affairs and Public Safety; elected to serve an unexpired term), who are all serving concurrent terms of office that end December 31, 2025.
In October 2022, Alan Crawford was appointed to fill the seat vacated by Peter C. Burke the previous month. In January 2023, George Dick was appointed to fill the vacant seat as commissioner that had been held by Daniel M. Kurkowski until he resigned from office the previous month. Dick served on an interim basis until November 2023 general election, when he and Giacomo "Jack" Antonicello were elected to serve the remainder of the terms of office expiring in December 2025. Kaithern, Burke and Sabo were all re-elected in November 2013.
Federal, state and county representation
West Cape May 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 776 registered voters in West Cape May, of which 249 (32.1%) were registered as Democrats, 284 (36.6%) were registered as Republicans and 241 (31.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 2 voters registered as either Libertarians or Greens.
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In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 61.0% of the vote (385 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 37.2% (235 votes), and other candidates with 1.7% (11 votes), among the 640 ballots cast by the borough's 830 registered voters (9 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 77.1%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 62.9% of the vote (387 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain, who received 35.0% (215 votes), with 615 ballots cast among the borough's 752 registered voters, for a turnout of 81.8%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 60.5% of the vote (377 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush, who received around 38.5% (240 votes), with 623 ballots cast among the borough's 818 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 76.2.
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; font-size:95%;"
|+ Presidential elections results
|- bgcolor=lightgrey
! Year
!Republican
!Democratic
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2024
| style="text-align:center;" |40.0% 283
| style="text-align:center;" |58.3% 413
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2020
| style="text-align:center;" |37.9% 276
| style="text-align:center;" |61.1% 445
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2016
| style="text-align:center;" |38.0% 234
| style="text-align:center;" |57.6% 354
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2012
| style="text-align:center;" |37.2% 235
| style="text-align:center;" |61.0% 385
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2008
| style="text-align:center;" |35.0% 215
| style="text-align:center;" |62.9% 387
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2004
| style="text-align:center;" |38.5% 240
| style="text-align:center;" |60.5% 377
|}
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 59.8% of the vote (329 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 37.6% (207 votes), and other candidates with 2.5% (14 votes), among the 582 ballots cast by the borough's 816 registered voters (32 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 71.3%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 52.2% of the vote (245 ballots cast), ahead of both Republican Chris Christie with 39.0% (183 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 6.0% (28 votes), with 469 ballots cast among the borough's 778 registered voters, yielding a 60.3% turnout.
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Education
thumb|left|[[West Cape May Elementary School]]
The West Cape May School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade at West Cape May Elementary School. As of the 2024–25 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 86 students and 9.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 8.9:1. In the 2016–17 school year, the district had 98 students, making it the eighth-smallest district in the state.
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 West 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.
History
Previously a West Cape May High School existed. In an era of de jure educational segregation in the United States normally only white students were permitted to attend though the state made exceptions. Ordinarily black students attended a different industrial high school. The district maintained separate white and black elementary schools.
Transportation
thumb|right|[[County Route 607 (Cape May County, New Jersey)|County Route 607 in West Cape May]]
Roads and highways
, the borough had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality and by Cape May County.
No Interstate, U.S., state or major county highways serve West Cape May. The most significant roads in the borough are minor county routes, such as County Route 607.
Public transportation
NJ Transit offers bus service between Cape May and Atlantic City on the 552 route.
Parks and recreation
thumb|Wilbraham Park
Wilbraham Park is in West Cape May. Every October the lima bean festival is held in that park. There is also a strawberry festival in West Cape May, sponsored by the West Cape May Business Association.
Wineries
- Willow Creek Winery
References
External links
- West Cape May Borough website
- West Cape May Commissioners for All the People website
- West Cape May Business Association website
- The Cape May Gazette – Weekly newspaper covering West Cape May