Strathmere is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

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 counte ...

(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 the Cape May peninsula, bound by the Delaware Bay to its west and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and east. Adjacent to the Atlantic ...

, 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 so ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 137, a decrease of 21 (−13.3%) from the 158 counted at the 2010 U.S. census,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, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

. 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 Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

, North Wildwood, Wildwood, and Wildwood Crest.

History

The earliest known people on Ludlam Island (where Strathmere is located) were the

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

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 Navigability, 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 ways. A first distinction is ...

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 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: under Article Six of the State Consti ...

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

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the supreme court, 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 cha ...

was denied in January 2013.

Geography

According to the

, the CDP had a total area of , including of land and 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 counted 158 people, 82 households, and 49 families in the CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

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 chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.00% (0) Black or African American, 0.00% (0) Native American, 0.00% (0) Asian, 0.63% (1)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.00% (0) from other races, and 0.63% (1) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino 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 there were 175 people, 93 households, and 54 families residing in the CDP. The

was . There were 464 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.71%

, 1.14% Asian, and 1.14% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino 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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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 average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

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 ...

Climate

According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Strathmere has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(''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 a wind that blows in the afternoon from a large body of water toward or onto a landmass. By contrast, a land breeze or offshore breeze is a wind that blows in the night from a landmass toward or onto a large ...

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 shade (shadow), 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 (s ...

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

wind chill Wind chill (popularly wind chill factor) is the sensation of cold produced by the wind for a given ambient air temperature on exposed skin as the air motion accelerates the rate of heat transfer from the body to the surrounding atmosphere. Its va ...

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 widely ...

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) is a large-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. Typically, such storms originate as a low ...

activity.

Ecology

According to the

A. W. Kuchler August William Kuchler (born ''August Wilhelm Küchler''; 26 July 1907 – 17 June 1999) was a German-born American geographer and naturalist who is noted for developing a plant association system that has become widely used in the United Sta ...

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 genus of plants in the grass family, frequently found in coastal salt marshes. Species in this genus are commonly known as cordgrass or cord-grass, and are native to the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean in western and southern Eu ...

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

Coastal A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

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, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2022–23 school ...

(for high school). The latter operates

Ocean City High School Ocean City High School (OCHS) is a four-year comprehensive high school, comprehensive state school, public Secondary education in the United States, high school located in Ocean City, New Jersey, Ocean City, in Cape May County, New Jersey, Cap ...

. 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, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Cap ...

and Cape May County Special Services School District.

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