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1955 Map of Wildwood

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Wildwood
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1990
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1990

About this map

Wildwood and its neighboring barrier island communities are depicted during a period of significant mid-century development. The map details the transition from the dense urban grid of North Wildwood and Wildwood Crest to the expansive wetlands of the back bays. This environment is defined by the Intracoastal Waterway and a complex network of sounds, including Richardson Sound and Jarvis Sound. The transportation infrastructure of the era is prominent, featuring the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines providing rail access to the shore, while the iconic Boardwalk lines the Atlantic Ocean front.

Industrial and military footprints are visible at the southern end of Five Mile Beach, where the U.S. Coast Guard Reservation sits adjacent to the Cape May Inlet. Inland, the map captures smaller settlements like Shawcrest and West Wildwood, connected by bridges across the tidal thoroughfares. This survey provides a clear look at the coastal topography before later decades of intense shoreline management and modernization altered the tidal flow around Turtle Gut Shoals.