Sea Isle City, New Jersey

Sea Isle City was originally incorporated as a borough on May 22, 1882, from portions of Dennis Township, based on the results of a referendum held six days earlier. The borough was reincorporated on March 31, 1890. On April 20, 1907, the area was reincorporated as the City of Sea Isle City, based on the results of a referendum held on April 30, 1907.⁶

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.6 km²), of which, 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.9 km²) of it (13.73%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census³ of 2000, there were 2,835 people, 1,370 households, and 794 families residing in the city. The population density 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, 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 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.⁹

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 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 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.

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 have been some of the worst natural disasters to hit the coast of New Jersey. The Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962, a major Nor'easter 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. It was categorized as a "100-year storm." Almost every beach front home or property was destroyed or damaged. 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.

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.

Government

Local government

Sea Isle City had been governed under the Walsh Act form of New Jersey municipal government, by a three-member commission, starting in 1913.¹⁰¹¹ As of July 1, 2007, Sea Isle City is now governed under a Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) form of government by a mayor and a five-member city council.¹²

The Mayor of Sea Isle City is Leonard C. Desiderio.¹³ Members of the Council are Council President Michael J. McHale, John J. Divney, Frank P. Edwardi, Jr., William J. Kehner and Mary Tighe.¹⁴

Federal, state and county representation

Sea Isle City is in the Second Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 1st Legislative District.¹⁵

Education

The Sea Isle City School District serves public school students in pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade. The Sea Isle City School had an enrollment of 98 students in the 2005-06 school year.¹⁹

Transportation

Exit 17 on the Garden State Parkway 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 offers the 315 inter-city bus route that runs through the town once a day and shuttles people to and from Philadelphia

There was a train service that ran the length of the island on Pleasure Avenue. The train was in use from the early 1900s until the mid 1930s when the tracks were removed and the streets were paved due to increase use of cars.

Notable residents

Miscellaneous

Trivia

References

^ USGS GNIS: City of Sea Isle City, Geographic Names Information System, accessed January 4, 2008.
^ ^a ^b Census data for Sea Isle City city, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 11, 2007.
^ ^a ^b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
^ A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 14, 2008.
^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 115.
^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
^ Irish Communities, Epodunk. Accessed June 9, 2007.
^ The Commission Form of Municipal Government, p. 53. Accessed August 11, 2007.
^ 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 8.
^ Burczewski, Ron. "Sea Isle City 11/07/07 Our new government", Cape May County Herald, November 7, 2007. Accessed April 30, 2008.
^ Mayor, Sea Isle City. Accessed April 30, 2008.
^ Council, Sea Isle City. Accessed April 30, 2008.
^ 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 64. Accessed August 30, 2006.
^ Legislative Roster: 2008-2009 Session, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed June 6, 2008.
^ About the Governor, New Jersey. Accessed June 6, 2008.
^ Freeholders Home Page, Cape May County, New Jersey. Accessed January 30, 2008.
^ Data for the Sea Isle City School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 30, 2008.
^ Ocean City High School 2006 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 7, 2007. "Ocean City is a comprehensive high school serving the communities of Ocean City, Upper Township, Sea Isle City, and Corbin City, with an enrollment of over 1,400 students."
^ 2006 Distinguished Service Award Recipients, New Jersey Department of Agriculture, accessed April 14, 2007. "Jack Gibson's roots are deeply imbedded in South Jersey. He was born in Atlantic City and has been a life long resident of Sea Isle City."

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