Cape May facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cape May |
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Aerial view of Cape May Peninsula
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 Location in Cape May County, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Coordinates | 38°57′33″N 74°55′39″W / 38.95917°N 74.92750°W |
| Geology | Peninsula |
Cape May is a cool place in New Jersey, USA. It's a peninsula, which means it's a piece of land mostly surrounded by water but connected to the mainland on one side. Cape May also includes some barrier islands.
This area stretches south from the main part of New Jersey. It separates the Delaware Bay from the big Atlantic Ocean. The very tip of Cape May is the southernmost point in both New Jersey and the northeastern United States.
Many popular beach towns are found along the Atlantic side of Cape May. These include Ocean City, which is the biggest town here. You'll also find The Wildwoods, famous for its unique hotel buildings. The city of Cape May itself has been a vacation spot since the 1700s, making it one of the oldest resorts in the U.S.
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Naming Cape May
The Cape May peninsula is named after Cornelius Jacobsen May. He was a Dutch explorer who worked for the Dutch East India Company. He explored this area a long time ago.
Exploring Cape May's Nature and Towns
Cape May is made up of several towns and areas. Some of these include Avalon, Cape May, Stone Harbor, and The Wildwoods. Many tourists from Quebec, Canada, love to visit this region.
The city of Cape May is special because it's the oldest seaside resort in the country. People have been vacationing here since the 1700s! The whole city was named a National Historic Landmark in 1976. This means it's a very important historical place. Many buildings are original Victorian homes kept in great shape.
Cape May is also home to the only basic training center for the United States Coast Guard. Recruits come here for eight weeks of training before they start their service.
Birdwatching Paradise
Cape May is super famous for birding, which means watching birds. It's one of the best places in North America to see many different kinds of birds. Because it's at the southern tip of New Jersey, lots of birds stop here during their long migrations in spring and fall.
There are many parks and nature areas where you can spot birds. The Cape May Bird Observatory helps organize birding activities. They even host the World Series of Birding every May. This is a fun competition where teams try to spot as many bird species as possible in one day.
Cape Island: A Special Spot
Cape Island is a unique part of Cape May County. It's a man-made island at the very southern tip. The island includes the cities of Cape May, Cape May Point, and West Cape May.
What makes it an island? It's separated from the mainland by the Cape May Canal. This canal is about 2.9 miles long. It connects Cape May Harbor to the Delaware Bay. Before the canal was built, the area was still somewhat separated by natural waterways.
Cape May's Past
The first people to live in the Cape May area were the Kechemeche tribe, part of the Lenni Lenape Native American group. They would spend their summers here to escape the heat. They fished, hunted, and gathered fruits before returning to their inland homes for autumn.
The first European to see Cape May was Henry Hudson in 1609. He was exploring for a way to sail to Asia. His ship, the Halve Maen, got stuck on a sandbar near Cape May. His first mate, Robert Juet, wrote about this event.
News of Hudson's discovery led other explorers to the area. English explorer Samuel Argall named the bay after a governor. The Dutch also sent explorers, including Cornelis Henderson, Adriaen Block, and Cornelis Jacobsen Mey.
The recorded history of Cape May dates back to 1620. That's when Captain Cornelius Jacobsen Mey explored and named the area after himself. It started as a small settlement and grew into the big beach resort we know today. People from Philadelphia began visiting as early as 1766. Hotels were already open by 1834.
During the American Revolutionary War in 1782, a young American naval officer named Joshua Barney fought a battle near Cape May. His small group of three ships battled a larger British force. The Americans won, sinking two British ships.
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