Sea Isle City, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Sea Isle City is a city
City (New Jersey)
A City in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....

 in Cape May County
Cape May County, New Jersey
-Climate:Being the southernmost point in New Jersey, Cape May has fairly mild wintertime temperatures. Contrary to that, the summertime has lower temperatures than most places in the state, making the county a popular place to escape the heat. It is in zone 7a/7b, which is the same as parts of...

, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

, United States. It is part of the Ocean City
Ocean City, New Jersey
Ocean City is a city in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is the principal city of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Cape May County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 11,701...

 Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 2,114. Visitors raise the population to as much as 40,000 during the peak summer season from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Sea Isle City is located on Ludlam Island
Ludlam Island
Ludlam Island is a barrier island in southern New Jersey, on which Sea Isle City, and Strathmere, a part of Upper Township are located.Joseph Ludlam purchased the island in the late 17th century, and grazed cows and sheep on it. In the 1880s, developer Charles K. Landis founded the City of Sea...

, which also contains part of Dennis Township
Dennis Township, New Jersey
Dennis Township is a township in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. The township population was 6,492 as of the United States 2000 Census...

.

Sea Isle City was originally incorporated as a borough
Borough (New Jersey)
A borough in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....

 on May 22, 1882, from portions of Dennis Township
Dennis Township, New Jersey
Dennis Township is a township in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. The township population was 6,492 as of the United States 2000 Census...

, based on the results of a referendum held six days earlier. The borough was reincorporated on March 31, 1890. On April 30, 1907, the area was reincorporated as the City of Sea Isle City, based on the results of a referendum held on April 20, 1907.

History

Sea Isle City was founded in 1882 by Charles K. Landis
Charles K. Landis
Charles Kline Landis was a property developer in South Jersey, who was the founder and developer of Vineland and Sea Isle City....

, who was also the founder of Vineland, New Jersey
Vineland, New Jersey
Vineland is a city in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 60,724...

. The main street in town, Landis Avenue, is named for the town's founder. The oldest building in Sea Isle City is The Colonnade Inn
The Colonnade Inn (Sea Isle City)
The Colonnade Inn is one of the oldest historical buildings in Sea Isle City, New Jersey. It stands as the last Old Style Victorian building in Sea Isle City, and serves as the sole testimony to the city's rich architectural past.-History:...

 a Victorian building dating back to the 1800s. From 1885 until 1924, Sea Isle City was the location of Ludlam's Beach Lighthouse
Ludlam's Beach Lighthouse
Ludlam's Beach Light was a lighthouse formerly located in Sea Isle City, New Jersey. It was decommissioned in 1924 and converted to a private residence which was demolished in September 2010.- History :...

. The structure was moved to the corner of Landis Avenue and 35th Street (3414 Landis Ave), and was a private residence (rental) for many years. A non-profit group, The Friends of the Ludlam Beach Lighthouse, was unsuccessful in its efforts to raise enough money to save the building from demolition by moving it to a new location and restoring it. It was demolished on September 21, 2010, to make way for new town homes.

The oil tanker
Oil tanker
An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a merchant ship designed for the bulk transport of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers: the crude tanker and the product tanker. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries...

 MV Sea Isle City
MV Sea Isle City
MV Sea Isle City, ex-Umm al Maradem, was a Kuwait Oil Company oil tanker that reflagged during Operation Earnest Will. The ship was completed in 1981 by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Japan, as hull number 1867, for the Kuwait Oil Tanker Company....

 was renamed for this city when it was reflagged and registered in the United States in 1987 during Operation Earnest Will
Operation Earnest Will
Operation Earnest Will was the U.S. military protection of Kuwaiti owned tankers from Iranian attacks in 1987 and 1988, three years into the Tanker War phase of the Iran–Iraq War. It was the largest naval convoy operation since World War II.The U.S. Navy warships that escorted the tankers, part of...

. It was struck by a Silkworm missile off Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...

 on October 16, 1987, wounding 18 crew members and seriously damaging the ship.

Coastal storms

There have been many hurricanes and huge storms that have hit the small island of Sea Isle City, New Jersey. The storms of the 1890s, 1920s, and the 1944 Great Atlantic Hurricane
1944 Great Atlantic Hurricane
The Great Atlantic Hurricane in 1944 was an intense Atlantic hurricane sometimes compared to the New England Hurricane of 1938.-Meteorological history:...

 have been some of the worst natural disasters to hit the coast of New Jersey. The Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962
Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962
The Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962 occurred on March 6–8, 1962 along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. It was considered by the U.S. Geological Survey to be one of the most destructive storms ever to affect the mid-Atlantic states...

, a major Nor'easter
Nor'easter
A nor'easter is a type of macro-scale storm along the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada, so named because the storm travels to the northeast from the south and the winds come from the northeast, especially in the coastal areas of the Northeastern United States and Atlantic Canada...

 that hit on March 6, 1962, tops all other storms that have hit the area in the recent past. The storm lasted three days of continuous rain. Many people evacuated in time to save their lives, but came back to find their homes and assets destroyed. Eventually, the only way out of town was the causeway, and when that flooded, rescuers had to use helicopters to evacuate the rest of the town. It was categorized as a "100-year storm," in which almost every beach front home or property was destroyed or damaged.

About a week later when the storm had subsided, Sea Isle City citizens moved back into their homes and began the needed revisions. As a result of the storm, a "dune line" was formed, and this caused beach front businesses and homes to move back from the shoreline an average of one block.

Tourism

Sea Isle City is popular with summer visitors. As of 2001, the only amusement park, Fun City, was closed and the land was sold for development of beach homes. In 2009 Fun City re-opened at a new Location on JFK Boulevard. Sea Isle City's signature water tower always had "Welcome to Sea Isle City" painted on it until 2002 when the printed message was change to "Smile! You're in Sea Isle City". "Sara The Turtle Day" is the city's local holiday, celebrating a fictional turtle named Sara who became the city's unofficial mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...

. The city also hosts an annual Polar Bear Plunge
Polar bear plunge
A polar bear plunge is an event held during the winter where participants enter a body of water despite the low temperature. In the United States polar bear plunges are usually held to raise money for a charitable organization, while in Canada they are associated with New Year's Day.-Canada:In...

 every February.

In 2011, Sea Isle City embarked on a $14 million makeover to create a public corridor from the bay to the ocean. Plans include building a new boathouse on the marina next to the Fun City amusement park, installing a new playground and basketball courts on JFK Boulevard and erecting a pavilion and band shell at Excursion Park on the city’s Promenade overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Sea Isle City became one of the first towns in New Jersey, along with Salem City
Salem, New Jersey
Salem is a city in Salem County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the city population was 5,146. It is the county seat of Salem County, the most rural county in the state of New Jersey. The name Salem is related to the Hebrew word shalom, meaning "peace".The town and...

 and Egg Harbor City
Egg Harbor City, New Jersey
Egg Harbor City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 4,243....

, to receive LED streetlights powered solely by wind and solar energy. The lights were installed at the Promenade at JFK Boulevard by the South Jersey Economic Development District and the New Jersey Institute of Technology
New Jersey Institute of Technology
New Jersey Institute of Technology is a public research university in Newark, New Jersey. It is often also referred to as Newark College of Engineering ....

.

Geography

Sea Isle City is located along the Atlantic Ocean at 39.145755°N 74.698654°W (39.145755, -74.698654). Technically speaking, Sea Isle is not an "island city" as it shares its land on Ludlam Island
Ludlam Island
Ludlam Island is a barrier island in southern New Jersey, on which Sea Isle City, and Strathmere, a part of Upper Township are located.Joseph Ludlam purchased the island in the late 17th century, and grazed cows and sheep on it. In the 1880s, developer Charles K. Landis founded the City of Sea...

 with Strathmere
Strathmere, New Jersey
Strathmere is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Upper Township, in Cape May County, New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the United States 2000 Census, the CDP population was 175....

. Neighboring Ocean City, however, is an island city as the entire land mass surrounded by water, belongs to the town. Strathmere (located at the north end of Ludlam Island) is not part of Sea Isle City. It is part of Upper Township
Upper Township, New Jersey
Upper Township is a large township in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. The township population was 12,115 as of the United States 2000 Census...

. Townsend Inlet, located at the south of the island, is part of the city

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²), of which, 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of it (13.73%) is water.

Sea Isle City borders Upper Township
Upper Township, New Jersey
Upper Township is a large township in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. The township population was 12,115 as of the United States 2000 Census...

, Dennis Township
Dennis Township, New Jersey
Dennis Township is a township in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. The township population was 6,492 as of the United States 2000 Census...

, Middle Township
Middle Township, New Jersey
Middle Township is a township in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 16,405....

, Avalon Borough
Avalon, New Jersey
As of April 2009, the average home sales price in Avalon was $1,567,662 .As of the census of 2000, there were 2,143 people, 1,045 households, and 668 families residing in the borough. The population density was 508.4 people per square mile...

, and the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 2,835 people, 1,370 households, and 794 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 1,287.3 people per square mile (497.5/km2). There were 6,622 housing units at an average density of 1, 162.2/km2 (3,006.9/sq mi). The racial makeup of the city was 97.88% White, 0.28% African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.07% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.06% of the population.

As of the 2000 census, 30.5% of Sea Isle City residents were of Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 ancestry, the 34th-highest percentage of any municipality in the United States, and sixth-highest in New Jersey, among all places with more than 1,000 residents identifying their ancestry.

There were 1,370 households out of which 15.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.0% were non-families. 37.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.71.

In the city the population was spread out with 15.7% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 20.8% from 25 to 44, 31.4% from 45 to 64, and 27.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,708, and the median income for a family was $62,847. Males had a median income of $42,713 versus $31,375 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the city was $28,754. About 6.4% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

Sea Isle City is a beach town with most of its housing used for vacation rentals and second homes. It has a 1.5-mile beachfront promenade and several arcades, shops, restaurants and bars in the center of town. The epicenter of the town is 48th street.

Local government

Sea Isle City had been governed under the Walsh Act
Walsh Act (New Jersey)
The Walsh Act is legislation in the U.S. state of New Jersey that permits municipalities to adopt a non-partisan commission form of government. The legislation was signed by Governor of New Jersey Woodrow Wilson on April 25, 1911. The commissions in Walsh Act municipalities are composed of either...

 form of New Jersey municipal government, by a three-member commission, starting in 1913. As of July 1, 2007, Sea Isle City is governed under a Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council)
Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council)
The Faulkner Act, or Optional Municipal Charter Law, provides for New Jersey municipalities to adopt a Mayor-Council government.This form of government provides for election of a mayor and five, seven, or nine council members...

 form of government by a mayor and a five-member city council.

, the Mayor of Sea Isle City is Leonard C. Desiderio, whose term of office ends on June 30, 2015. Members of the Council are John J. Divney (2013), Frank P. Edwardi, Jr. (2015), William J. Kehner (2015), Michael J. McHale (2013) and Mary Tighe (2013).

Federal, state and county representation

Sea Isle City is in the 2nd Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 1st state legislative district. The legislative district was kept unchanged by the New Jersey Apportionment Commission
New Jersey Apportionment Commission
The New Jersey Apportionment Commission is a constitutionally-created ten-member commission responsible for apportioning the forty districts of the New Jersey Legislature. The commission is convened after each decennial U.S. Census, and the districts are to be in use for the legislative elections...

 based on the results of the 2010 Census.




Education

The Sea Isle City School District
Sea Isle City School District
The Sea Isle City School District is a community public school district that serves students in pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade from Sea Isle City, New Jersey, United States....

 serves public school students in pre-kindergarten
Pre-Kindergarten
Pre-kindergarten refers to the first formal academic classroom-based learning environment that a child customarily attends in the United States. It begins between the ages of 3-5 depending on the length of the program...

 through fourth grade. The Sea Isle City School had an enrollment of 64 students in the 2009-10 school year. The school graduated its last eighth grade class in June 2009. Starting with the 2010-11 school year, students from Sea Isle City attend the Ocean City schools starting in fifth grade.

For grades 5-12, public school students attend School in Ocean City
Ocean City, New Jersey
Ocean City is a city in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is the principal city of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Cape May County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 11,701...

, as part of a sending/receiving relationship
Sending/receiving relationship
A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts have grown as part of a historical relationship...

 with the Ocean City School District
Ocean City School District
The Ocean City School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade from Ocean City, in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States....

.

Transportation

Exit 17 on the Garden State Parkway
Garden State Parkway
The Garden State Parkway is a 172.4-mile limited-access toll parkway that stretches the length of New Jersey from the New York line at Montvale, New Jersey, to Cape May at New Jersey's southernmost tip. Its name refers to New Jersey's nickname, the "Garden State." Most New Jersey residents refer...

 provides access to Sea Isle City via Sea Isle Boulevard which becomes JFK Blvd.

Sea Isle City has a trolley service that runs down Landis Avenue during the summer months. New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...

 offers the 315 inter-city bus route that runs through the town once a day and shuttles people to and from Philadelphia and the 319 to the Port Authority Bus Terminal
Port Authority Bus Terminal
The Port Authority Bus Terminal is the main gateway for interstate buses into Manhattan in New York City...

 in Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...

.

Rail service was provided to the island by both the Atlantic City Railroad
Atlantic City Railroad
The Atlantic City Railroad was a Philadelphia and Reading Railway subsidiary that became part of Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines in 1933.- History :...

, a subsidiary of the Philadelphia and Reading Railway, and the West Jersey and Seashore Railroad
West Jersey and Seashore Railroad
The West Jersey and Seashore Railroad was a Pennsylvania Railroad subsidiary that became part of Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines in 1933.-History:...

, owned by the rival Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....

. The Atlantic City Railroad's line was a continuation of its line to Ocean City, running across Corson's Inlet and through Strathmere. The West Jersey and Seashore Railroad tracks branched from the Cape May Line at Sea Isle Junction, and entered the city at 41st Street, from where it continued south to Stone Harbor. The train was in use from the early 1900s until the mid-1930s after the merger of the two railroads
Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines
Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines was a railroad that operated in southern New Jersey in the 20th century. It was created as a joint venture of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Reading Company .- History :...

 when the tracks were removed and the streets were paved due to increase use of cars.

Notable residents

Current and former notable residents of Sea Isle City include:
  • Richard M. Atwater
    Richard M. Atwater
    Richard Mead Atwater, Sr. was a chemist and public official in New Jersey and Pennsylvania involved in early scientific glass-making.-Early years:...

     (1844–1922), chemist and glassmaker, who served as mayor of Sea Isle City from 1913-1917.
  • Jeff Carter
    Jeff Carter
    Jeff Carter is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre, an alternate captain for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League...

     (born 1985), professional hockey player for the Columbus Blue Jackets
    Columbus Blue Jackets
    The Columbus Blue Jackets are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio, United States. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

    .
  • John C. Gibson
    John C. Gibson
    John C. "Jack" Gibson is an American Republican politician, who served in the New Jersey General Assembly where he represented the 1st legislative district from 2004-2006. Gibson also served in the Assembly from 1992-2002...

     (born 1934), former member of the New Jersey General Assembly
    New Jersey General Assembly
    The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...

    .
  • Josh Lomberger (born 1980), play-by-play commentator
    Sports commentator
    In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...

     with WWE.
  • John Stevens (born 1966), former defenseman who has coached in the NHL at various levels.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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