Fortescue is a community and census-designated place (CDP) in Downe Township, Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The community is located on the state's southern coast, on the Delaware Bay, surrounded on three sides by marshland. The area was named for John Fortescue, a local property owner at the time of American independence. As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 189. During the late 1970s and mid 1980s, Fortescue experienced the best fishing it had ever seen. Anglers were catching enormous numbers of weakfish every summer. Fortescue was the self-proclaimed "weakfish capital of the world". Overfishing led federal authorities to establish limits in the mid-1970s on the weakfish catch, though by 1990 the fish population had crashed, severely impacting the commercial fishing economy in the area. Fortescue is part of the Fortescue State Wildlife Management Area which covers 1311.92 acres.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, the area had a population of 189.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Fortescue has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.