Woodbine, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Woodbine, New Jersey
Borough
Woodbine Brotherhood Synagogue
Seal
Motto(s):  "Gateway to the Jersey Cape"
Location of Woodbine 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 Woodbine, New Jersey
Woodbine, New Jersey Location in Cape May County, New Jersey Show map of Cape May County, New Jersey Woodbine, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Woodbine, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Cape May
Incorporated	March 3, 1903
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	8.02 sq mi (20.77 km2)
• Land	8.02 sq mi (20.77 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0.00%
Area rank	232nd of 565 in state 6th of 16 in county
Elevation	33 ft (10 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,128
• Estimate  (2023)	2,136
• Rank	482nd of 565 in state 10th of 16 in county
• Density	265.4/sq mi (102.5/km2)
• Density rank	486th of 565 in state 14th of 16 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	08270
Area code(s)	609 Exchanges: 628, 861
FIPS code	3400981890
GNIS feature ID	0885446
Website

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, a decrease of 344 (−13.9%) from the 2010 census count of 2,472, which in turn reflected a decline of 244 (−9.0%) from the 2,716 counted in the 2000 census.

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 5,300 acres (21 km²) 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 800 acres (3.2 km²) 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.

Woodbine was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 3, 1903, from portions of Dennis Township. Because most of the original settlers were Jewish, Woodbine became known as "the first self-governing Jewish community since the fall of Jerusalem."

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.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 8.02 square miles (20.77 km²), all of which was land.

The borough borders Dennis Township and Upper Township.

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

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 2,472 people, 757 households, and 516 families in the borough. The population density was 308.2 per square mile (119.0/km²). There were 1,079 housing units at an average density of 134.5 per square mile (51.9/km²). The racial makeup was 58.21% (1,439) White, 24.72% (611) Black or African American, 0.24% (6) Native American, 0.73% (18) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 12.30% (304) from other races, and 3.80% (94) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.22% (574) of the population.

Of the 757 households, 27.7% had children under the age of 18; 38.0% were married couples living together; 23.4% had a female householder with no husband present and 31.8% were non-families. Of all households, 26.3% were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.13.

20.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 33.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.0 years. For every 100 females, the population had 135.0 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 143.1 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $28,125 (with a margin of error of +/− $7,957) and the median family income was $25,254 (+/− $5,816). Males had a median income of $35,500 (+/− $7,453) versus $31,298 (+/− $9,891) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $15,734 (+/− $2,126). About 33.9% of families and 38.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.8% of those under age 18 and 15.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Woodbine branch of the Cape May Public Library

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 Courthouse 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

County Route 550 westbound in Woodbine

Roads and highways

As of May 2010^[update], the borough had a total of 32.45 miles (52.22 km) of roadways, of which 19.61 miles (31.56 km) were maintained by the municipality and 12.84 miles (20.66 km) 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
• 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

See also

In Spanish: Woodbine (Nueva Jersey) para niños