Mays Landing is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Hamilton Township in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. At the 2010 U.S. census, May's Landing's population was 2,135. It is the county seat of Atlantic County, which itself is a part of the South Jersey region of New Jersey.

History

The community was named for Captain George May, who sailed the Great Egg Harbor River in 1740, and purchased land in the area in 1756. The location was suitable for building ships using local timber and iron from Weymouth foundries. In February 1837, Atlantic County was created and Mays Landing was established as the county seat. The Atlantic County Courthouse was built here in 1838.

Historic district

The Mays Landing Historic District is a 147 acre historic district encompassing East and West Main streets and intersecting streets in the community. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 23, 1990, for its significance in architecture, community planning, industry, and politics. The district has 259 contributing buildings, four contributing sites, three contributing structures, and three contributing objects. Contributing buildings include the Mays Landing Presbyterian Church and the Samuel Richards Hotel, which were previously listed individually on the NRHP. The Abbott House features Second Empire architecture. The Champion House has Italianate architecture and Doric columns. The owner, John E. Champion, was once the owner of the Samuel Richards Hotel, then known as the American Hotel.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Mays Landing had a total area of 1.885 mi2, including 1.660 mi2 of land and 0.225 mi2 of water (11.91%). The community is located 20 mi west of Atlantic City. The community known as Mizpah is located 5 mi west of Mays Landing on U.S. Route 40 but is sometimes considered part of it, with ZIP codes of 08330 and 08342. McKee City is an unincorporated area 4 mi east of Mays Landing on US 40.

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, Mays Landing has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 2,135 people, 859 households, and 572 families in the CDP. The population density was 1286.2 /mi2. There were 949 housing units at an average density of 571.7 /mi2. The racial makeup was 88.99% (1,900) White, 5.48% (117) Black or African American, 0.47% (10) Native American, 0.98% (21) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 1.92% (41) from other races, and 2.15% (46) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.26% (155) of the population. Of the 859 households, 26.2% had children under the age of 18; 46.9% were married couples living together; 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present and 33.4% were non-families. Of all households, 25.3% were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.93. 20.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 33.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 92.5 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 88.4 males.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 2,321 people, 892 households and 599 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 527.1 /km2. There were 952 housing units at an average density of 216.2 /km2. The racial makeup of the CDP was 91.25% White, 5.00% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.22% Pacific Islander, 0.78% from other races, and 1.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.96% of the population. There were 892 households, of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.12. 25.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males. The median household income was $52,628 and the median family income was $60,000. Males had a median income of $41,432 compared with $30,154 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $23,477. About 4.9% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over. The Atlantic County Special Services School is a public school which services students with disabilities from the ages of 3 1/2 to 21.

Education

Mays Landing is served by Oakcrest High School, part of the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District. Schools operated by the Hamilton Township Schools are William Davies Middle School, the George L. Hess Educational complex and the Shaner School. The Atlantic County Institute of Technology, established in 1974 and located on a campus covering 58 acres, provides vocational instruction to high school students and adults from across Atlantic County, and was one of eight schools in the state recognized in 2008 as a Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education. Saint Vincent de Paul Regional School is a Catholic elementary school in Mays Landing, serving students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade since 1961 and operated under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Camden. Atlantic Cape Community College was the second community college to be established in New Jersey, and moved to its campus in Mays Landing in February 1968 where it now serves students from both Atlantic County and Cape May County.

Transportation

NJ Transit provides bus service to Philadelphia on the 315 route and to Atlantic City on the 553 route.

Winery

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Mays Landing include: