Strathmere is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

(CDP) located within Upper Township in

Cape May County Cape May County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Much of the county is located on Cape May bound by Delaware Bay to its west and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and east. Adjacent to the Atlantic coastline are f ...

, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, the CDP's population was 137, a decrease of 21 (−13.3%) from the 158 counted at the

2010 U.S. census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...

,DP-1 – Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Strathmere CDP, New Jersey
,

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

. Accessed October 19, 2012. which reflected a decrease of 17 (−9.7%) from the 175 enumerated at the 2000 census. With its beaches in the Strathmere section, Upper Township is one of five municipalities in the state that offer free public access to oceanfront beaches monitored by lifeguards, joining Atlantic City,

North Wildwood North Wildwood is a city located on the Jersey Shore in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 3,621, a decre ...

, Wildwood, and

Wildwood Crest Wildwood Crest is a borough in Cape May County, New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area in the South Jersey region of the state. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 3,101, a decrease ...

History

The earliest known people on Ludlam Island (where Strathmere is located) were the Lenape Native Americans, who came to the island in the summertime to hunt fish and crustaceans. Along the northern portion of the island was a community named Corson's Inlet, after the

waterway A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other languages. A first distinction is necessary b ...

separating the island and Ocean City to the north. A part of Upper Township and Dennis Township became a part of neighboring

Sea Isle City Sea Isle City is a city in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's year-round population was 2,104, a decrease of 10 (−0.5 ...

in 1905, also on Ludlam Island. That same year, Sea Isle City sold Corson's Inlet to Upper Township for $31,500 (equivalent to $ in ) to pay off municipal debt. In 1912, the community of Corson's Inlet was renamed Strathmere. The Whale Beach section of Strathmere got its name from the whales that would periodically beach themselves there. In 2007, Citizens for Strathmere and Whale Beach petitioned to leave Upper Township and join neighboring Sea Isle City, citing an unfair tax burden, inadequate municipal services, and a lengthy wait time for the police. The local planning board held 18 meetings over the next two years, and the township recommended against de-annexation in 2009, noting that taxes would increase school taxes by 20% for the remainder of Upper Township. The group in favor of de-annexation filed a suit with the

New Jersey Superior Court The Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with statewide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The New Jersey Constitution of 1947 establishes the power of the New Jersey courts.Jeffrey S. Mandel, New Jersey Appellate Pr ...

, which ruled against the petition in 2010. An appeal to the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging th ...

was denied in January 2013.

Geography

According to the

, the CDP had a total area of 0.760 square miles (1.968 km²), including 0.598 square miles (1.549 km²) of land and 0.162 square miles (0.419 km²) of water (21.29%).Gazetteer of New Jersey Places

. Accessed July 21, 2016.US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990

. Accessed September 4, 2014.

Demographics

2010 census

The

2010 United States census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...

counted 158 people, 82 households, and 49 families in the CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 447 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 98.73% (156)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.00% (0) Black or African American, 0.00% (0) Native American, 0.00% (0)

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.63% (1)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.00% (0) from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.63% (1) from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, for example, by the United States ...

of any race were 0.63% (1) of the population. Of the 82 households, 9.8% had children under the age of 18; 52.4% were married couples living together; 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 40.2% were non-families. Of all households, 36.6% were made up of individuals and 20.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.93 and the average family size was 2.49. 8.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 10.1% from 25 to 44, 42.4% from 45 to 64, and 34.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 57.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 102.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 108.7 males.

2000 census

As of the

2000 United States census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...

there were 175 people, 93 households, and 54 families residing in the CDP. The

was 104.0/km² (269.6/mi²). There were 464 housing units at an average density of 275.6/km² (714.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.71%

, 1.14%

, and 1.14% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.71% of the population.DP-1 – Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 from the Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Strathmere CDP, New Jersey
,

. Accessed October 19, 2012. Of the 93 households; 7.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.9% were non-families. 38.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.88 and the average family size was 2.44. In the CDP the population was spread out, with 8.0% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 17.1% from 25 to 44, 36.6% from 45 to 64, and 34.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 58 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.3 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $78,709, and the median income for a family was $77,783. Males had a median income of $40,972 versus $43,750 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the CDP was $52,045. None of the population or families were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

Climate

According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Strathmere has a humid subtropical climate (''Cfa'') with hot, moderately humid summers, cool winters and year-around precipitation. Cfa climates are characterized by all months having an average mean temperature above , at least four months with an average mean temperature at or above , at least one month with an average mean temperature at or above and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. During the summer months in Strathmere, a cooling afternoon

sea breeze A sea breeze or onshore breeze is any wind that blows from a large body of water toward or onto a landmass; it develops due to differences in air pressure created by the differing heat capacities of water and dry land. As such, sea breezes ar ...

is present on most days, but episodes of extreme heat and humidity can occur with

heat index The heat index (HI) is an index that combines air temperature and relative humidity, in shaded areas, to posit a human-perceived equivalent temperature, as how hot it would feel if the humidity were some other value in the shade. The result is als ...

values at or above . During the winter months, episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values below . The

plant hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...

at Strathmere Beach is 7b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of . The average seasonal (November–April) snowfall total is between and the average snowiest month is February which corresponds with the annual peak in

nor'easter A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below), or an East Coast low is a synoptic-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. The original use ...

activity.

Ecology

According to the

A. W. Kuchler August William Kuchler (born ''August Wilhelm Küchler''; 1907–1999) was a German-born American geographer and naturalist who is noted for developing a plant association system in widespread use in the United States. Some of this database has bec ...

U.S.

potential natural vegetation In ecology, potential natural vegetation (PNV), also known as Kuchler potential vegetation, is the vegetation that would be expected given environmental constraints (climate, geomorphology, geology) without human intervention or a hazard event ...

types, Strathmere would have a dominant vegetation type of Northern

Cordgrass ''Spartina'' is a taxon of plants in the grass family, frequently found in coastal salt marshes. Its species are commonly known as cordgrass or cord-grass, and are native to the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean in western and southern Europe, north ...

(''73'') with a dominant vegetation form of

Coastal The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in ...

Prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

(''20'').

Education

As with other parts of Upper Township, the area is zoned to Upper Township School District (for grades K-8) and

Ocean City School District The Ocean City School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Ocean City, in Cape May County, New Jersey. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, ...

(for high school). The latter operates

Ocean City High School Ocean City High School (OCHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Ocean City, in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Ocean C ...

. Countywide schools include

Cape May County Technical High School Cape May County Technical High School, located in Middle Township, which provides vocational and technical education to students in ninth through twelfth grades from Cape May County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Cape May ...

and

Cape May County Special Services School District The Cape May County Special Services School District (CMCSSSD) is a special education public school district headquartered in Middle Township, in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States, whose schools offer educational and therapeutic services ...

References

External links

Strathmere web site

The Upper Township Gazette serving Strathmere
Local community newspaper {{Authority control Census-designated places in Cape May County, New Jersey Census-designated places in New Jersey Jersey Shore communities in Cape May County Upper Township, New Jersey