Two Mile Beach facts for kids
Two Mile Beach is a long, narrow strip of land along the Jersey Shore in Cape May County, New Jersey. It's a special type of island called a barrier island. Since 1922, it has been connected to another island called Five Mile Beach.
Where is Two Mile Beach?
Two Mile Beach sits right next to the Atlantic Ocean. It's located between two former waterways called Turtle Gut Inlet (to the northeast) and Cape May or Cold Spring Inlet (to the southwest). An "inlet" is a narrow arm of the sea, like a small channel connecting the ocean to a bay.
What separates Two Mile Beach from the mainland? There's a lake called Sunset Lake and a body of water called Jarvis Sound. You'll also find large areas of salt marsh and tidal channels. Salt marshes are wetlands flooded by ocean tides, and tidal channels are small waterways where water flows in and out with the tides.
Something important happened in 1922: the Turtle Gut Inlet closed. This event made Two Mile Beach join up with Five Mile Beach, so they are now one continuous landmass.
What Can You Find on Two Mile Beach?
The only town or "community" you'll find on Two Mile Beach is Diamond Beach. This area is part of Lower Township. Diamond Beach is partly on Two Mile Beach itself and partly on land that was created when the Turtle Gut Inlet closed.
Most of Two Mile Beach is a protected area. It's home to the Two Mile Beach Unit of the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge is a special place where animals and plants can live safely. There was also once a site for a United States Coast Guard LORAN station, which was used for navigation.
