Cape May

Cape May
	; Cape May Beach Ave from the seaside, 2013
Location in New Jersey
	Cape May
	Cape May
Basic data
Foundation :	1611
State :	United States
State :	New Jersey
County :	Cape May County
Coordinates :	38 ° 56 ′ N , 74 ° 54 ′ W Coordinates: 38 ° 56 ′ N , 74 ° 54 ′ W
Time zone :	Eastern ( UTC − 5 / −4 )
Residents :	3,809 (as of 2006)
Population density :	595.2 inhabitants per km 2
Area :	7.3 km 2 (approx. 3 mi 2 ) of; which 6.4 km 2 (approx. 2 mi 2 ) is land
Height :	3 m
Postal code :	08204
Area code :	+1 609
FIPS :	34-10270
GNIS ID :	0885178
Website :	www.capemaycity.com
Mayor :	Edward J. Mahaney

Cape May is a city in the south of the US state New Jersey on the east coast of the USA in Cape May County . In 2000 the city had 4,034 year-round residents. In addition, up to 100,000 vacationers live in the resort during the vacation periods.

Location & history

Cape May is located on the extreme southern tip of the Cape May Peninsula between Delaware Bay and the Atlantic, making it the southernmost city of New Jersey. The city was founded in 1620 by the Dutch captain Cornelis Jacobszoon May , making it one of the oldest settlements of European settlers on the east coast of the USA. Cape May has made a name for itself among affluent citizens of New York and Philadelphia as an attractive summer retreat since the 18th century . Mainly because of this, Cape May is proud of the official motto The Nation's Oldest Seashore Resort (" The nation's oldest seaside resort"). Since the beginning as a holiday resort, summer visitors also began to build their own houses in Cape May, many of which are still preserved today (see below).

In the 1920s there was a US Navy airship hangar .

Attractions

The main attraction of the place, besides the excellent beaches, is certainly the large number of Victorian villas from the 19th century. Since the tourist interest of the townspeople has been increasing southwards since the railway was built and especially at the beginning of the 20th century. B. to Florida, most of the predominantly wooden villas were not replaced by more lucrative new buildings in the course of time, but have been preserved up to our time. The pastel-colored paintwork of most of the houses has become a trademark of the villas in Cape May. Due to the unusually well-preserved neighborhood, Cape May was recognized as a National Historic Landmark of the United States on May 11, 1976 . In addition, three other structures in Cape May are registered in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) (as of September 27, 2018).

Cape May has also been home to the United States Coast Guard's only training center , the US Coast Guard , since 1924 .

Economy, transport and media

By far the most important industry is tourism. In addition, fishing and sport fishing are still important today. There is also a small wine-growing area nearby, the products of which are sold in local wine shops. In the numerous bakeries and pastry shops in Cape May, numerous German specialists also work as temporary workers in the high season.

From Cape May there is a ferry service across Delaware Bay to Lewes in Delaware .

The radio station WNJZ broadcasts the WHYY Philadelphia public radio program for Cap May .