Wildwood Crest, New Jersey

Wildwood Crest is a 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 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 borough's population was 3,101,

Wildwood Crest was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 6, 1910, from portions of Lower Township. The area of the borough was first developed by Philip Baker in the 1910s as a southern extension to the resort of Wildwood. The borough's name comes from Wildwood, which in turn was named for the area's wild flowers.

It is a dry town, where alcohol cannot be sold, affirmed by the results of a referendum held in 1940. Wildwood Crest joins Cape May Point and Ocean City among municipalities in Cape May restricting the sale of alcohol. Adjoining Wildwood allows the sale of alcohol, including at bars on its boardwalk.

The borough was ranked the second-best beach in New Jersey in the 2008 "Top 10 Beaches Contest" sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium. Wildwood Crest is one of five municipalities in the state that offer free public access to oceanfront beaches monitored by lifeguards, joining Atlantic City, North Wildwood, Wildwood and Upper Township's Strathmere section.

History

alt=|thumb|upright=1.1|The [[Caribbean Motel, an architectural landmark of the "Doo Wop" era]]

The motels of Wildwood Crest are characterized by a distinctive "Doo Wop" or Googie style of architecture. Collectively, Wildwood and Wildwood Crest contain the nation's largest collection of mid-century "Doo Wop" resort architecture.

The term "Doo Wop" was coined by the Mid-Atlantic Center For The Arts in the early 1990s to describe the unique, space-age architectural style that was common in the 1950s and 1960s. The first motel to reflect this style was the Ebb Tide Motel, constructed in 1957, which was designed and built by Will and Lou Morey, who specialized in such designs.

In recent years, historic "Doo Wop" motels have been demolished to make way for the construction of condominiums, leading to organized efforts to preserve the remaining examples. . There is a nature trail one may take through the dunes to explore this sheltered area of the beach.

Wildwood Crest borders the Diamond Beach section of Lower Township to the south, the City of Wildwood to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Wildwood Crest had a population of 3,101.

The median age was 56.3 years. 13.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 32.0% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.7 males age 18 and over.

There were 1,473 households, of which 17.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.3% were married-couple households, 19.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

2000 census

As of the 2000 U.S. census,

There were 1,833 households, out of which 20.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.76. In addition to other benefits to encourage employment and investment within the Zone, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3.3125% sales tax rate (half of the % rate charged statewide) at eligible merchants. Established in September 2002, the borough's Urban Enterprise Zone status expires in December 2023. The joint UEZ is overseen by the Enterprise Zone Development Corporation of the Wildwoods Board, which includes representatives from all four municipalities.

Notable motels in Wildwood Crest include the Caribbean Motel, built in 1957 in the Doo-Wop style and added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 24, 2005.

Parks and recreation

thumb|upright=1.1|The Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet memorial in Wildwood Crest to the seamen and officers of the Brigantine [[Nancy (1775)|Nancy]]

The borough is bordered on the bay side by Sunset Lake. This was once connected to the Atlantic Ocean by Turtle Gut Inlet, which was closed in 1922. The Sunset Lake and Turtle Gut Park is located at New Jersey and Miami Avenues. A nearby memorial commemorates the Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet fought on June 29, 1776. This was the only American Revolutionary War battle fought in Cape May County.

Government

Local government

thumb|upright=1.1|Wildwood Crest Borough Hall

Wildwood Crest has been governed under the Walsh Act, by a three-member commission, since 1937. The borough is one of 30 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use the commission form of government. The governing body is comprised of three commissioners, who are elected at-large on a non-partisan basis to serve concurrent four-year terms of office, with the vote taking place as part of the November general election. At a reorganization conducted after each election, the commission selects one of its members to serve as mayor and gives each commissioner an assigned department to oversee and operate. As part of an effort to reduce the costs of conducting a standalone election for commissioners and to generate greater participation from voters, the election for borough commissioners was shifted from May to November by an ordinance passed in 2012, with the first November election held in 2013.

, the Board of Commissioners consists of Mayor Don Cabrera (Commissioner of Public Works, Parks and Public Property),

Deputy Mayor Joseph Franco Jr. (Commissioner of Revenue and Finance) and Joseph Schiff (Commissioner of Public Safety), all serving concurrent terms of office ending December 31, 2025.

Federal, state, and county representation

Wildwood Crest 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 2,341 registered voters in Wildwood Crest, of which 436 (18.6%) were registered as Democrats, 1,052 (44.9%) were registered as Republicans and 850 (36.3%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 3 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 61.1% of the vote (1,046 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 38.5% (659 votes), and other candidates with 0.4% (6 votes), among the 1,724 ballots cast by the borough's 2,419 registered voters (13 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 71.3%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 59.2% of the vote (1,090 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama, who received 39.6% (729 votes), with 1,842 ballots cast among the borough's 2,319 registered voters, for a turnout of 79.4%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 60.4% of the vote (1,203 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry, who received around 38.4% (766 votes), with 1,993 ballots cast among the borough's 2,644 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 75.4.

{| 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;" |63.0% 1,160

| style="text-align:center;" |35.1% 647

| style="text-align:center;" |2020

| style="text-align:center;" |61.9% 1,237

| style="text-align:center;" |36.5% 729

| style="text-align:center;" |2016

| style="text-align:center;" |65.5% 1,137

| style="text-align:center;" |31.5% 546

| style="text-align:center;" |2012

| style="text-align:center;" |61.1% 1,046

| style="text-align:center;" |38.5% 659

| style="text-align:center;" |2008

| style="text-align:center;" |59.2% 1,090

| style="text-align:center;" |39.6% 729

| style="text-align:center;" |2004

| style="text-align:center;" |60.4% 1,203

| style="text-align:center;" |38.4% 766

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 77.4% of the vote (920 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 20.9% (249 votes), and other candidates with 1.7% (20 votes), among the 1,233 ballots cast by the borough's 2,410 registered voters (44 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 51.2%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 60.8% of the vote (806 ballots cast), ahead of both Democrat Jon Corzine with 32.9% (436 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 4.5% (59 votes), with 1,325 ballots cast among the borough's 2,448 registered voters, yielding a 54.1% turnout.

Education

thumb|upright=1.1|[[Wildwood Crest Memorial School]]

thumb|upright=1.1|Wildwood Crest Library

The Wildwood Crest School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade at Crest Memorial School. As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 230 students and 34.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 6.7:1.

For ninth through twelfth grades, public school students from Wildwood Crest attend Wildwood High School in Wildwood as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Wildwood Public School District, together with students from North Wildwood and West Wildwood. As of the 2023–24 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 255 students and 24.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.4:1.

Students are also eligible to attend Cape May County Technical High School in the Cape May Court House area, 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.

Wildwood Catholic Academy in North Wildwood (prior to 2020 it was two separate schools: Cape Trinity Catholic elementary school and Wildwood Catholic High School) operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden.

Cape May County Library operates the Wildwood Crest Library.

Transportation

thumb|right|upright=1.1|[[County Road 621 (Cape May County, New Jersey)|CR 621 in Wildwood Crest]]

Roads and highways

The borough has a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality and by Cape May County.

County Route 621 (Pacific Avenue/New Jersey Avenue) runs for through the borough, from Lower Township to the south to Wildwood in the north.

Parking in the beach area of Wildwood Crest is regulated by parking meters between mid-May and mid-September.

Public transportation

NJ Transit provides bus service to Philadelphia on the 313 and 315 routes, 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 Wildwood Crest during the summer months. The company runs a trolley route that provides service from Wildwood Crest to the boardwalk at Schellenger Avenue in Wildwood daily during the evening hours. The Great American Trolley Company also runs trolley service to the Irish Fall Festival in North Wildwood, with a route connecting Wildwood Crest to the festival site during the weekend of the festival.

Landmarks

Crest Fishing Pier
Sunset Lake

Religion

Notre Dame de la Mer Catholic Parish, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden has a worship site in Wildwood Crest active in the summer. Previously it was a standalone church, Assumption Church. In 2008 the diocese announced that it would merge into St. Ann's Church of Wildwood, and the merger occurred in 2010.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Wildwood Crest has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) with hot, moderately humid summers, cool winters and year-around precipitation. Cfa climates are characterized by all months having an average mean temperature above , at least four months with an average mean temperature at or above , at least one month with an average mean temperature at or above and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. During the summer months in Wildwood Crest, 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 below . The plant hardiness zone at Wildwood Crest Beach is 7b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of . The average seasonal (November–April) snowfall total is , 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, Wildwood Crest would have a dominant vegetation type of Northern Cordgrass (73) with a dominant vegetation form of Coastal Prairie (20).

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Wildwood Crest include:

J. Thompson Baker (1847–1919), one of the original developers of Wildwood and Wildwood Crest, who was also a politician who represented New Jersey's 2nd congressional district from 1913 to 1915
Kenneth A. Black Jr. (1932–2019), politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from District 3A from 1968 to 1974
Aliki Brandenberg (born 1929), children's literature author
John F. Callinan (1935-2025), judge of the New Jersey Superior Court
Joe Maloy (born 1985), professional triathlete
Bill Osborn (born ), football scout and color analyst who played in the National Football League, World League and the Arena Football League
Bernie Parent (1945–2025), goalie for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and most notably Philadelphia Flyers where he back-stopped the team to two consecutive Stanley Cups
Frank Vogel (born 1973), head coach of the Phoenix Suns

Gallery

File:Wildwood Crest Fire Station 2.jpg|Fire Station

File:Wildwood Crest “Shore is Beautiful” Sign.jpg|"Shore is Beautiful"

</gallery>

References

External links

Wildwood Crest official website
Wildwood Crest history