Wildwood Crest, New Jersey

Wildwood Crest, New Jersey
Borough
Wildwood Crest arch
Wildwood Crest arch
Official seal of Wildwood Crest, New Jersey
logo
Location of Wildwood Crest in Cape May County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Cape May County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Location of Wildwood Crest in Cape May County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Cape May County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Census Bureau map of Wildwood Crest, New Jersey
Census Bureau map of Wildwood Crest, New Jersey
Wildwood Crest is located in Cape May County, New Jersey
Wildwood Crest
Wildwood Crest
Location in Cape May County
Wildwood Crest is located in New Jersey
Wildwood Crest
Wildwood Crest
Location in New Jersey
Wildwood Crest is located in the United States
Wildwood Crest
Wildwood Crest
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 38°58′N 74°50′W / 38.97°N 74.83°W / 38.97; -74.83[1][2]
Country United States
State New Jersey
County Cape May
IncorporatedApril 6, 1910
Government
[6]
 • TypeWalsh Act
 • BodyBoard of Commissioners
 • MayorDonald Cabrera (term ends December 31, 2025)[3][4]
 • Municipal clerkPatricia A. Feketics[5]
Area
[7]
 • Total1.48 sq mi (3.84 km2)
 • Land1.30 sq mi (3.36 km2)
 • Water0.18 sq mi (0.48 km2)  12.50%
 • Rank452nd of 565 in state
13th of 16 in county[1]
Elevation
[8]
3 ft (0.9 m)
Population
 (2020)[9]
 • Total3,101
 • Estimate 
(2023)[10]
3,063
 • Rank445th of 565 in state
8th of 16 in county[11]
 • Density2,388.6/sq mi (922.2/km2)
  • Rank260th of 565 in state
2nd of 16 in county[11]
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code
08260[12][13]
Area code609[14]
FIPS code3400981200[1][15][16]
GNIS feature ID0885445[1][17]
Websitewww.wildwoodcrest.org

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.[18] As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 3,101,[9] a decrease of 169 (−5.2%) from the 2010 census count of 3,270,[19][20] which in turn reflected a decline of 710 (−17.8%) from the 3,980 counted in the 2000 census.[21]

Wildwood Crest was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 6, 1910, from portions of Lower Township.[22] The area of the borough was first developed by Philip Baker in the 1910s as a southern extension to the resort of Wildwood.[23] The borough's name comes from Wildwood, which in turn was named for the area's wild flowers.[24]

It is a dry town, where alcohol cannot be sold, affirmed by the results of a referendum held in 1940.[25][26] Wildwood Crest joins Cape May Point and Ocean City among municipalities in Cape May restricting the sale of alcohol.[27] Adjoining Wildwood allows the sale of alcohol, including at bars on its boardwalk.[28]

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.[29] 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.[30]

  1. ^ a b c d 2019 Census Gazetteer Files: New Jersey Places, United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 1, 2020.
  2. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Commissioners was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ 2023 New Jersey Mayors Directory, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, updated February 8, 2023. Accessed February 10, 2023.
  5. ^ Municipal Clerk, Borough of Wildwood Crest. Accessed August 19, 2022.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference DataBook was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  8. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Borough of Wildwood Crest, Geographic Names Information System. Accessed March 14, 2013.
  9. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference LWD2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference PopEst was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ a b Population Density by County and Municipality: New Jersey, 2020 and 2021, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed March 1, 2023.
  12. ^ Look Up a ZIP Code for Wildwood Crest, NJ, United States Postal Service. Accessed December 10, 2011.
  13. ^ Zip Codes, State of New Jersey. Accessed November 10, 2013.
  14. ^ Area Code Lookup - NPA NXX for Wildwood Crest, NJ, Area-Codes.com. Accessed November 11, 2013.
  15. ^ U.S. Census website, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  16. ^ Geographic Codes Lookup for New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed April 1, 2022.
  17. ^ US Board on Geographic Names, United States Geological Survey. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  18. ^ New Jersey: 2020 Core Based Statistical Areas and Counties, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 22, 2022.
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference Census2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference LWD2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  22. ^ Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 116. Accessed May 30, 2024.
  23. ^ Strauss, Robert. "Real Estate; Save Our Mansion", The New York Times, December 5, 2004. Accessed August 7, 2018. "So far, Wildwood Crest, founded and developed by Philip Baker in the 1910s, at the same time the house was built, has eluded much of the tear-down syndrome."
  24. ^ Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed October 29, 2015.
  25. ^ New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control. New Jersey ABC list of dry towns (May 1, 2013)
  26. ^ Giordano, Rita. "More towns catching liquor-license buzz; Moorestown considers ending its dry spell", The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 24, 2007. Accessed February 16, 2014.
  27. ^ Schaad Jr., Jacob. "Bizarre History of Cape May - Wet or dry?", The Cape May Gazette, October 30, 2013. Accessed November 11, 2013. "Wildwood Crest, Ocean City, West Cape May and Cape May Point have opted to stay dry while the 12 other communities in the county still permit their people to lift a few."
  28. ^ Hart, Joe. "Boardwalk Alcohol Gets First Nod in Wildwood", Cape May County Herald, March 23, 2010. Accessed October 16, 2017. "Wildwood Crest is a dry town, thus no alcoholic beverages can be sold."
  29. ^ Urgo, Jacqueline L. "Triumph for South Jersey", The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 23, 2008. Accessed October 29, 2015. "Neighboring Wildwood Crest came in second, followed by Ocean City, North Wildwood, Cape May, Asbury Park in Monmouth County, Avalon, Point Pleasant Beach in northern Ocean County, Beach Haven in southern Ocean County and Stone Harbor."
  30. ^ Spoto, MaryAnn. "Surfers fighting to save dwindling free beaches", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 20, 2015. Accessed October 30, 2015. "New Jersey has five free guarded ocean beaches – Atlantic City, Wildwood, North Wildwood, Wildwood Crest and the Strathmere section of Upper Township."