Welcome to Cape May ...
The coastal city of Cape May is located in Cape May County<1> and is the County Seat for Cape May County.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Cape May, you might get a feel for it by knowing that during our research the earliest mention that we found (so far) was in a book dated 1895.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Cape May has a population of 3,422 people<2> (see below for details).
Cape May is near sea level<3>.
Time Zone: Cape May lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
The telephone area code for Cape May: (609)
The ZIP code for Cape May: 08204<4>
Websites for Cape May ...
Official Website: www.capemaycity.com/
Chamber of Commerce: www.capemaycountychamber.com/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Cape May had an population of 3,422 people. This is a decrease of 5.13% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 15.17% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Cape May had a population of 3,607 people. This makes Cape May the county's 4th most populous community.
The population of Cape May represents 0.04% of the total population of New Jersey (which has 8,791,894 people), making it the state's 64th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 3,607 people, the population of Cape May decreased 10.59% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 4,034 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Cape May.
Communities near Cape May ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Cape May.
- Wildwood
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast) - North Wildwood
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Wildwood have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Wildwood
- North Wildwood is located in Cape May County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,739 people
- Lewes
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lewes have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewes
- Lewes is located in Sussex County (DE)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,417 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lewes <6>
- Sea Isle City
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sea Isle City
- Sea Isle City is located in Cape May County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,019 people
- Rehoboth Beach
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rehoboth Beach
- Rehoboth Beach is located in Sussex County (DE)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,592 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rehoboth Beach <6>
- Dewey Beach
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dewey Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewey Beach
- Dewey Beach is located in Sussex County (DE)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 411 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dewey Beach <6>
- Henlopen Acres
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Henlopen Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henlopen Acres
- Henlopen Acres is located in Sussex County (DE)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 148 people
- North Cape May
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Cape May have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Cape May
- North Cape May is located in Cape May County
- Rio Grande
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rio Grande
- Rio Grande is located in Cape May County
- Former name for Rio Grande:
- Crandol Town
- Rio Grande has also been known as:
- Hildreth
- Leamings
- Villas
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Cape May. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Cape May.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Cape May. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Cape May.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Cape May. See our Newspapers Page for Cape May.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Cape May ...
Looking for more information about Cape May? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Cape May, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Cape May.
Adding Cape May to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Cape May in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Cape May was in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
We also found Cape May on a map titled George#&160;F. Cram Map (1905).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Cape May.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Cape May: www.capemaycity.com/
The official website for Cape May County: www.co.cape-may.nj.us/
The official website for State of New Jersey: https://www.state.nj.us/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of New Jersey's counties, including Cape May, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Cape May. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Cape May - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Cape May). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Cape May or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <5> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |