Lower Township, New Jersey | |
---|---|
Township | |
Township of Lower | |
Nickname(s): "Home of the Best Sunsets" | |
Lower Township highlighted in Cape May County. Inset map: Cape May County highlighted in the State of New Jersey. |
|
Census Bureau map of Lower Township, New Jersey |
|
Coordinates: 38°59′02″N 74°54′41″W / 38.983768°N 74.911308°WCoordinates: 38°59′02″N 74°54′41″W / 38.983768°N 74.911308°W | |
Country | United States |
State | New Jersey |
County | Cape May |
Established | April 2, 1723 (as precinct) |
Incorporated | February 21, 1798 (as township) |
Government | |
• Type | Faulkner Act (Council-Manager) |
• Body | Township Council |
• Mayor | Erik Simonsen (R, term ends December 31, 2020) |
• Manager | Jim Ridgway |
• Municipal clerk | Julie Picard |
Area | |
• Total | 31.015 sq mi (80.327 km2) |
• Land | 27.740 sq mi (71.846 km2) |
• Water | 3.275 sq mi (8.482 km2) 10.56% |
Area rank | 85th of 566 in state 4th of 16 in county |
Elevation | 20 ft (6 m) |
Population (2010 Census) | |
• Total | 22,866 |
• Estimate (2016) | 22,007 |
• Rank | 110th of 566 in state 1st of 16 in county |
• Density | 824.3/sq mi (318.3/km2) |
• Density rank | 404th of 566 in state 10th of 16 in county |
Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
• Summer (DST) | Eastern (EDT) (UTC-4) |
ZIP code | 08251 - Villas |
Area code(s) | 609 exchanges: 884, 886, 889, 898 |
FIPS code | 3400941610 |
GNIS feature ID | 0882044 |
Website | www |
Lower Township is a township in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 22,866, reflecting a decrease of 79 (-0.3%) from the 22,945 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 2,125 (+10.2%) from the 20,820 counted in the 1990 Census.
New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Lower Township as its 34th best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.
Lower Township was formed as a precinct on April 2, 1723, and was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships established by the Township Act of 1798.
Portions of the township were taken to form Cape Island Borough (March 8, 1848, now known as Cape May city), Cape May Point borough (created April 19, 1878, restored to Lower Township on April 8, 1896, recreated April 6, 1908), Holly Beach (April 14, 1885, now part of Wildwood city), South Cape May (August 27, 1894; restored to Lower Township after the borough was dissolved on April 30, 1945), Wildwood Crest (April 6, 1910) and North Cape May (March 19, 1928; restored to Lower Township after it was dissolved on April 30, 1945). The township's name came from its location when Cape May was split into three townships in 1723 at the same time that Middle Township and Upper Township were created.