Stone Harbor, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stone Harbor, New Jersey
Borough
Bayside Harbor sunset
Seal
Motto(s):  "The Seashore at its Best"
Location of Stone Harbor in Cape May County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Cape May County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Census Bureau map of Stone Harbor, New Jersey
Stone Harbor, New Jersey Location in Cape May County, New Jersey Show map of Cape May County, New Jersey Stone Harbor, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Stone Harbor, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Cape May
Incorporated	April 28, 1914
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	2.19 sq mi (5.68 km2)
• Land	1.42 sq mi (3.68 km2)
• Water	0.77 sq mi (2.01 km2)  35.34%
Area rank	394th of 565 in state 11th of 16 in county
Elevation	7 ft (2 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	796
• Estimate  (2023)	791
• Rank	541st of 565 in state 14th of 16 in county
• Density	560.7/sq mi (216.5/km2)
• Density rank	435th of 565 in state 11th of 16 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	08247
Area code(s)	609 Exchanges: 368, 967
FIPS code	3400971010
GNIS feature ID	0885410

U.S. Life-Saving Station No. 35

Stone Harbor is a borough in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The borough, and all of Cape May County, is part of the South Jersey region of the state and of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area, which is part of the Philadelphia-Wilmington-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD combined statistical area, also known as the Delaware Valley or Philadelphia metropolitan area. It occupies the southern portion of Seven Mile Island together with its northern neighbor Avalon. It is a resort community that attracts visitors looking to enjoy its beaches, sailing facilities and commercial center. The community attracts a large number of vacationers from the Mid-Atlantic region and Quebec.

As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 796, a decrease of 70 (−8.1%) from the 2010 census count of 866, which in turn had reflected a decline of 262 (−23.2%) from the 1,128 counted in the 2000 census. The borough has a summer population in excess of 20,000, who are generally wealthier than full-time residents.

The New York Times described Stone Harbor as a place of "gleaming McMansions and elegant shops", with an average single-family home selling for $2.5 million in 2008. In 2017, Stone Harbor was the third-most expensive ZIP Code in New Jersey based on median home sale price, and had the second-priciest residential real estate transaction in the state that year at $10 million. In 2014, Forbes magazine ranked Stone Harbor (ZIP Code 08247) at the 191st spot on its list of the most expensive ZIP Codes in the United States.

History

Development began in the late 19th century as a beach resort along the West Jersey and Seashore Railroad line. The community was marketed to wealthy residents of Philadelphia seeking a resort destination for a second home.

Stone Harbor was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 3, 1914, from portions of Middle Township, based on the results of a referendum held on April 28, 1914. The borough gained a portion of Avalon on December 27, 1941. The borough is said to be named for an English sea captain named Stone who sought shelter from a storm in the area.

In 2015, a contract was awarded to dredge adjacent bodies of water. In early 2016, during the dewatering stage of the operation, a total of three geotubes discharged a small quantity of sediment containing several contaminants. Dredging was halted pending development of a plan to prevent future such spills.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 2.19 square miles (5.68 km²), including 1.42 square miles (3.68 km²) of land and 0.77 square miles (2.01 km²) of water (35.34%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the borough include Seven Mile Beach.

Stone Harbor borders Avalon Borough, Middle Township, North Wildwood City and the Atlantic Ocean.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 866 people, 441 households, and 256 families in the borough. The population density was 619.6 per square mile (239.2/km²). There were 3,247 housing units at an average density of 2,323.3 per square mile (897.0/km²). The racial makeup was 97.11% (841) White, 1.62% (14) Black or African American, 0.00% (0) Native American, 0.12% (1) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.69% (6) from other races, and 0.46% (4) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.35% (29) of the population.

Of the 441 households, 10.2% had children under the age of 18; 49.2% were married couples living together; 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present and 42.0% were non-families. Of all households, 37.4% were made up of individuals and 21.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.96 and the average family size was 2.54.

10.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 11.8% from 25 to 44, 31.4% from 45 to 64, and 41.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 60.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 89.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 84.2 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $69,286 (with a margin of error of +/− $8,969) and the median family income was $92,083 (+/− $19,643). Males had a median income of $55,417 (+/− $23,166) versus $70,208 (+/− $15,479) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $60,057 (+/− $10,700). About 2.8% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Stone Harbor School

Stone Harbor Library

The Stone Harbor School District serves public school students in kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 99 students and 11.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.0:1. In the 2016–17 school year, Stone Harbor had the 4th-smallest enrollment of any school district in the state, with 75 students.

Starting with the 2011–12 school year, in an agreement with the Avalon School District, public school students in grades K–4 from both communities attend school in Stone Harbor while all students in grades 5–8 attend school in Avalon.

Students in public school for ninth through twelfth grades attend Middle Township High School in Cape May Court House, as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Middle Township Public Schools, together with students from Avalon, Dennis Township and Woodbine. As of the 2018–19 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 767 students and 64.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.9:1.

Students are also eligible to attend Cape May County Technical High School in Cape May Court House, which serves students from the entire county in its comprehensive and vocational programs, which are offered without charge to students who are county residents. Special needs students may be referred to Cape May County Special Services School District in the Cape May Court House area.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden operates Bishop McHugh Regional School, a Catholic K–8 school, in Ocean View, Dennis Township, which has a Cape May Courthouse postal address. It is the parish school of Avalon/Stone Harbor Catholic Church and three other churches.

Cape May County Library operates the Stone Harbor Library.

Transportation

County Route 619 in Stone Harbor

Roads and highways

As of May 2010^[update], the borough had a total of 24.11 miles (38.80 km) of roadways, of which 21.38 miles (34.41 km) were maintained by the municipality and 2.73 miles (4.39 km) by Cape May County.

No Interstate, U.S., state or major county highways pass through Stone Harbor. The most significant roads are minor county routes such as County Route 619, which follows Ocean Drive, and County Route 657, which provides access to the mainland and connects to the Garden State Parkway and U.S. Route 9.

Public transportation

NJ Transit offers the 315 inter-city bus route that runs through the town three times a day and shuttles people to and from Philadelphia, and the 319 route to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan.

Points of interest

Water Tower and 1924 pumping station

The Stone Harbor Water Tower pumping station, built in 1924, is the oldest municipal structure still in use in Stone Harbor. The tower, 133 feet (41 m) high, can be seen from almost anywhere on the island. It holds 500,000 US gallons (1,900,000 L; 420,000 imp gal) of water and is supplied by four individual fresh water wells 890 feet (270 m) deep that tap the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer. In 2005, artist Peter Max developed a plan to cover the water tower with a mural made up of digital version of his paintings and artworks that covered 30 by 170 feet (9.1 by 51.8 m) that would be glued to the tower from June through September, with facsimiles of the art sold through Ocean Galleries as a fundraiser to benefit The Wetlands Institute and other charities.

Stone Harbor attractions include The Wetlands Institute, the Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary and the Stone Harbor Museum. The Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, maintain the Villa Maria by the Sea convent, which opened in June 1937. The beach fronting the Villa is called Nun's Beach and is a well known surfing spot.

Stone Harbor's oceanfront was ranked the tenth-best beach in New Jersey in the 2008 Top 10 Beaches Contest sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Stone Harbor 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 32.0 °F (0.0 °C), at least four months with an average mean temperature at or above 50.0 °F (10.0 °C), at least one month with an average mean temperature at or above 71.6 °F (22.0 °C) and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. During the summer months in Stone Harbor, a cooling afternoon sea breeze is present on most days, but episodes of extreme heat and humidity can occur with heat index values at or above 95.0 °F (35.0 °C). During the winter months, episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values below 0.0 °F (−17.8 °C). The plant hardiness zone at Stone Harbor Beach is 7b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 6.0 °F (−14.4 °C). The average seasonal (November–April) snowfall total is 12 to 18 inches (300 to 460 mm), and the average snowiest month is February which corresponds with the annual peak in nor'easter activity.

Ecology

According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Stone Harbor would have a dominant vegetation type of northern cordgrass (73) with a dominant vegetation form of coastal prairie (20).

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Stone Harbor include:

• Joseph Hergesheimer (1880–1954), writer of the early 20th century known for his naturalistic novels of decadent life among the very wealthy
• Owen Murphy (1893–1965) , songwriter, film maker, and writer for radio, film, and theatre
• Clarence Charles Newcomer (1923–2005), United States federal judge
• Taylor Swift (born 1989), summered until age 14, describing Stone Harbor as a "pretty magical place to grow up"
• Donald Voorhees (1903–1989), composer and conductor who received an Emmy Award nomination for "Individual Achievements in Music" for his work on the television series, The Bell Telephone Hour

See also

In Spanish: Stone Harbor para niños