W
oodbine
was founded in 1891 as a haven for Eastern European Jews who were being
persecuted in the Czarist pogroms. The Baron DeHirsch Fund, organized
by the millionaire 
railroad tycoon Baron DeHirsch, purchased 5300 acres of land
in Dennis Township, Cape May County, NJ to start a settlement.
Immigrants from Poland and Russia were invited to settle the new
community. Within two years, they cleared the forest and built a town
and thriving farms. 800 acres of land were set aside as town lots. The
residential center of Woodbine still uses the same grid that was
originally laid out in 1891. Using modern agricultural practices, the
first colonists (Woodbine was sometimes called the "Jewish Colony" in
the early days) turned Woodbine into a model agricultural community.
Woodbine was incorporated as a Borough in 1903, and was no longer part
of Dennis Township. Because most of the original settlers were Jewish,
Woodbine became known as the "First self-governed Jewish community
since the fall of Jerusalem".
The community started the Baron DeHirsch Agricultural College in 1894. Until it closed during World War I (1917), the college was a model of progressive education. The college and its graduates won many state, national, and international awards. World War I, however, signalled a change in the community from a community with an agricultural economy to one with a light manufacturing economy. The Baron DeHirsch Agricultural College became what is today the Woodbine Developmental Center, a state run facility for training mentally-handicapped men. The Developmental Center is Cape May County's largest employer.
After World War II, many of the founding families left Woodbine for the new suburbs that were springing up around America's cities. At the time, new settlers arrived looking for a good place to live, this time from the American South and the Caribbean. They have settled into the community and helped created a vibrant, multi-ethnic community in the middle of the Cape May County mainland with the same spirit of Brotherhood that enlivened the original colonists.
501 Washington Avenue, Woodbine, NJ 08270 609-861-2153
2012 State of the Borough speech
Pay your real estate taxes online
On-Line Tax Payments:There are three options available for on-line tax payments: credit card, debit card or by e-check. There are fees associates with paying your bill online. If you pay by ACH or e-check, there is a $1.05 convenience fee. If you pay by VISA debit card, there is a $3.95 convenience fee. The fee for all other debit and credit card payments will be approximately 2.95% of your total bill.
Notice of Solicitation of Request for Proposals for professional services.
Should your business be in our
Business Park? Check out the Airport Business Park page.
NJDOT's transportation (roads, public transportation, etc.) page that shows delays, problems, etc.
Access the Official Borough Calendar pages here
Access the Official Borough Agendas and Minutes pages here
Click here for the National
Weather Service site for Woodbine.
Click here for the NJ
Weather and Climate Network page for Woodbine.
Woodbine is a Sustainable Jersey Champion!
Public Advocate's Tenant's rights in foreclosure web page
