Woodbine, New Jersey

Woodbine 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 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 2,128,

Woodbine was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 3, 1903, from portions of Dennis Township.

History

Woodbine was founded in 1891 as a settlement for Eastern European Jews. The Baron DeHirsch Fund, organized by philanthropist Maurice de Hirsch, purchased of land in Dennis Township in Cape May County to start a settlement. Immigrants from Poland and Russia were invited to settle the new community. Within two years, they cleared the forest and built a settlement with thriving farms, with of land set aside as town lots. The residential center of Woodbine still uses the same grid that was originally laid out in 1891. Using modern agricultural practices under the direction of agriculturist and chemist Hirsch Loeb Sabsovich, the first colonists (Woodbine was sometimes called the "Jewish Colony" in the early days) turned Woodbine into a model agricultural community. The Woodbine colony and all other South Jersey Jewish farming colonies actively sought out and encouraged non-Jews to settle in the colony as part of their sociological model.

The community started the Baron DeHirsch Agricultural College in 1894. Until it was closed during World War I (1917), the college was a model of progressive education. The college and its graduates won many state, national, and international awards. World War I, however, signaled a change in the community from an agricultural economy to one with a light manufacturing economy. The Baron DeHirsch Agricultural College became what is today the Woodbine Developmental Center, a state-run facility for training the mentally handicapped. The Developmental Center is Cape May County's largest employer.

During World War II, the United States Army built an airfield in Woodbine to be used as a training base and as a base for anti-submarine patrols. German U-boats were very active off the East Coast of America, especially off the Jersey coast. Today, Woodbine Municipal Airport is the center of Woodbine's redevelopment efforts.

In 1946 and 1947, the airfield was used for secret night flights of arms and munitions to support the creation of a Jewish State, Israel.

By the 1980s, several of the colony's original buildings had been demolished, including the synagogue situated on the grounds of Woodbine Hospital.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Woodbine has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Woodbine had a population of 2,128. The median age was 42.5 years. 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 108.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 114.2 males age 18 and over.

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 727 households in Woodbine, of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.3% were married-couple households, 20.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 35.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census

There were 773 households, out of which 41.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% were married couples living together, 27.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.21. The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle. The borough form of government used by Woodbine is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.

thumb|Borough hall

, the mayor of Woodbine is Republican William Pikolycky, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2026. The members of the Woodbine Borough Council are David Bennet (R, 2026), Hector L. Cruz (R, 2026), Joseph E. Johnson III (R, 2027), Eduardo Ortiz (R, 2028), Mary Helen Perez (R, 2028) and Barbara Prettyman (R, 2027).

In 2018, the borough had an average property tax bill of $1,947, the lowest in the county, compared to an average bill of $4,301 in Cumberland County and $8,767 statewide.

Federal, state and county representation

Woodbine 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 1,470 registered voters in Woodbine, of which 286 (19.5%) were registered as Democrats, 537 (36.5%) were registered as Republicans and 647 (44.0%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 71.6% of the vote (641 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 27.4% (245 votes), and other candidates with 1.0% (9 votes), among the 917 ballots cast by the borough's 1,410 registered voters (22 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 65.0%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 66.4% of the vote (708 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain, who received 29.8% (318 votes), with 1,066 ballots cast among the borough's 1,386 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.9%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 59.0% of the vote (526 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush, who received around 38.6% (344 votes), with 891 ballots cast among the borough's 1,344 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 66.3.

{| 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;" |47.6% 384

| style="text-align:center;" |50.3% 406

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

| style="text-align:center;" |41.3% 375

| style="text-align:center;" |58.0% 527

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

| style="text-align:center;" |37.5% 302

| style="text-align:center;" |59.4% 479

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

| style="text-align:center;" |27.4% 245

| style="text-align:center;" |71.6% 641

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

| style="text-align:center;" |29.8% 318

| style="text-align:center;" |66.4% 708

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

| style="text-align:center;" |38.6% 344

| style="text-align:center;" |59.0% 526

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 49.3% of the vote (302 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 46.3% (284 votes), and other candidates with 4.4% (27 votes), among the 793 ballots cast by the borough's 1,387 registered voters (180 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 57.2%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 56.5% of the vote (476 ballots cast), ahead of both Republican Chris Christie with 29.2% (246 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 3.3% (28 votes), with 842 ballots cast among the borough's 1,540 registered voters, yielding a 54.7% turnout.

Education

thumb|[[Woodbine School District|Woodbine Elementary School]]

thumb|upright=1.1|Woodbine branch of the Cape May Public Library, which is a part of the school property

The Woodbine School District serves students in public school for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade at Woodbine Elementary School. As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 239 students and 29.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 8.2:1.

Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Middle Township High School as part of a sending/receiving relationship that began with the 2013–14 school year; students from Avalon, Dennis Township and Stone Harbor also attend the school. As of the 2022–23 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 790 students and 65.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.2:1. In previous eras prior to 2013, students were sent to Millville Senior High School; after 2013, attendance at Middle Township High was phased in.

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 Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden operates Bishop McHugh Regional School, a Catholic K–8 school, in the Ocean View area, in Dennis Township, which has a Cape May Court House postal address. It is the parish school of Marmora/Woodbine Catholic Church and three other churches.

The Cape May County Public Library operates the Woodbine Branch.

Infrastructure

The Cape May County Municipal Utilities Authority's Sanitary Landfill is in Woodbine.

Transportation

thumb|right|[[County Route 550 (New Jersey)|County Route 550 westbound in Woodbine]]

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. or state highways traverse Woodbine. The most significant roads serving the borough are County Route 550 and County Route 557.

Public transportation

NJ Transit offers the 313 inter-city bus route that runs between Cape May and Philadelphia.

Culture

Stockton University maintains the Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage, located in the Woodbine Brotherhood Synagogue.

Notable people

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

Samuel Gallu (1918–1991), writer and producer and director of film and television
Bubba Green (born 1957), former defensive lineman who played in the NFL for one season for the Baltimore Colts
Jacob Goodale Lipman (1874–1939), professor of agricultural chemistry and researcher in the fields of soil chemistry and bacteriology
Calvin Murray (born 1958), running back who played in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles
Gregory Goodwin Pincus (1903–1967), biologist and researcher who co-invented the combined oral contraceptive pill
Joseph Rabinowitz, founder of the Woodbine Children's Clothing Company, the community's largest employer, who was elected at age 37 in 1910 as third mayor of Woodbine; his descendants include grandson, Jay Rabinowitz, former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alaska; Robert Rabinowitz, creator of Beatlemania, clinical psychologist Barrie R. Cassileth and Olympic athlete Judy Rabinowitz
Herman Rosenthal (1843–1917), author, editor and librarian
Hirsch Loeb Sabsovich (1860–1921), agronomist, chemist and agricultural educator who served as the first mayor of Woodbine

References

External links

Woodbine Borough website
Woodbine School District
School Data for the Woodbine School District, National Center for Education Statistics
The Cape May County Gazette Local community newspaper
The Beachcomber