The Wildwoods are a group of five municipalities in Cape May County

Cape May County, New Jersey

-Climate:Being the southernmost point in New Jersey, Cape May has fairly mild wintertime temperatures. Contrary to that, the summertime has lower temperatures than most places in the state, making the county a popular place to escape the heat. It is in zone 7a/7b, which is the same as parts of...

, New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

, all of which are situated on the Island of Five Mile Beach, a barrier island

Barrier island

Barrier islands, a coastal landform and a type of barrier system, are relatively narrow strips of sand that parallel the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a few islands to more than a dozen...

 facing the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

. These Jersey shore

Jersey Shore

The Jersey Shore is a term used to refer to both the Atlantic coast of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the adjacent resort and residential communities. . The New Jersey State Department of Tourism considers the Shore Region, Greater Atlantic City, and the Southern Shore to be distinct, each having...

 communities have relatively small year-round populations and swell significantly during the summer with vacationers.

While each community has its own independent government, and the five municipalities have no shared governance (other than Cape May County), the term is often used to refer collectively to the area.

The five communities from (south to north) are:

• Diamond Beach
  Diamond Beach, New Jersey
  Diamond Beach is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Lower Township, in Cape May County, New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area...
  
   (2000 Census population of 218), a place in Lower Township
  Lower Township, New Jersey
  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 United States 2000 Census, the township population was 22,945....
  
  
• Wildwood Crest
  Wildwood Crest, New Jersey
  Wildwood Crest is a borough in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 United States Census, the borough population was 3,980....
  
   (3,980)
• Wildwood
  Wildwood, New Jersey
  Wildwood is a city in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area and is a popular summer resort destination. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's year-round population was 5,325...
  
   (5,436)
• West Wildwood
  West Wildwood, New Jersey
  West Wildwood is a borough 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 borough population was 603....
  
   (448)
• North Wildwood
  North Wildwood, New Jersey
  North Wildwood is a city located on the Jersey Shore in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. 4,935 residents were counted during the United States 2000 Census...
  
   (4,935)

Wildwoods Shore Resort Historic District

The Wildwoods is home to over 200 motels, built during the Doo-Wop

Googie architecture

Googie architecture is a form of modern architecture, a subdivision of futurist architecture influenced by car culture and the Space and Atomic Ages....

 era of the 1950s and 1960s, in an area recognized by the state of New Jersey, known as the Wildwoods Shore Resort Historic District. The term doo-wop was coined by Cape May

Cape May

Cape May is a peninsula and island ; the southern tip of the island is the southernmost point of the state of New Jersey, United States. It runs southwards from the New Jersey mainland, separating Delaware Bay from the Atlantic Ocean...

's Mid-Atlantic Center For The Arts in the early 1990s to describe the unique, space-age architectural style, which is also referred to as the Googie or populuxe style.

See also

For other groups of similarly named municipalities in New Jersey, see:

• The Amboys
  The Amboys
  The Amboys are a pair of municipalities in Middlesex County, New Jersey, both of which have the word Amboy in their name. The two municipalities are the City of Perth Amboy and the City of South Amboy, located across from each other on the Raritan Bay....
  
  
• The Brunswicks
  The Brunswicks
  The Brunswicks are a group of four municipalities in Middlesex County, New Jersey, all of which have the word Brunswick in their name. New Brunswick, New Jersey, the first formed of the four, was named in 1730 after the British royal House of Brunswick...
  
  
• The Caldwells
  The Caldwells
  The Caldwells are a group of three municipalities in Essex County, New Jersey, all of which have the word Caldwell in their name. All of these communities are named after the Reverend James Caldwell, a Patriot who played an active role supporting the Continental Army during the American...
  
  
• The Oranges
  The Oranges
  The Oranges are a group of four municipalities in Essex County, New Jersey, all of which have the word Orange in their name. All of these communities were named for the ruler of England, William III of England, also known as William of Orange...
  
  
• The Plainfields
  The Plainfields
  The Plainfields are a group of municipalities spanning the convergence of Somerset, Union, and Middlesex Counties in New Jersey, all of which have the word Plainfield in their name. They are the Borough of North Plainfield , City of Plainfield , and the Borough of South Plainfield...
  
  
• The Ridgefields
  The Ridgefields
  The Ridgefields are a pair of municipalities in Bergen County, New Jersey, both of which have the word Ridgefield in their name. The two municipalities are the Borough of Ridgefield and the Village of Ridgefield Park....