Palermo, New Jersey

Palermo, New Jersey
Census-designated place
Palermo Location in Cape May County Show map of Cape May County, New Jersey Palermo Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Palermo Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 39°14′24″N74°40′21″W / 39.24000°N 74.67250°W / 39.24000; -74.67250
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Cape May
Township	Upper
Area [1]
• Total	3.18 sq mi (8.23 km2)
• Land	3.11 sq mi (8.06 km2)
• Water	0.06 sq mi (0.16 km2)
Elevation	16 ft (5 m)
Population  (2020) [2]
• Total	3,183
• Density	1,022.81/sq mi (394.86/km2)
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (EDT)
FIPS code	34-55710 [3]
GNIS feature ID	879097 [4]

Palermo is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) ^[5] located in Upper Township, in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ^{[6] [4]}

Palermo is located 14 mi (23 km) northeast of Cape May Court House.

The Palermo Air Force Station, closed in 1970, was located south of Palermo. ^[7]

History

An early settler, Henry Young, arrived in New Jersey aboard a whaling vessel prior to 1700, and established a plantation extending west from Palermo. ^[8]

The Friendship School in Palermo was built around 1830 and was restored in 1980. It is one of the oldest schools in Upper Township. ^[9]

A post office was established in 1872. ^[10]

The Ocean City Railroad constructed a line through Palermo, and a station was erected there in 1897. The line later became part of the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines. ^[11] The line is now abandoned. ^[12]

In 1953, a proposed extension of the Garden State Parkway was to be constructed through Palermo. Several Upper Township farmers complained about the route, including one from Palermo who claimed "the parkway went through the center of his piggery". ^{[13] : 234} A commission was established to settle disputes between farmers and the Parkway Authority. ^[13]

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 3,183. ^[2]

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2020	3,183		—
U.S. Decennial Census [14] 2020 [2]

Education

As with other parts of Upper Township, the area is zoned to Upper Township School District (for grades K-8) and Ocean City School District (for high school). The latter operates Ocean City High School.

Countywide schools include Cape May County Technical High School and Cape May County Special Services School District.

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
2. Census Data Explorer: Palermo CDP, New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 15, 2023.
3. Geographic Codes Lookup for New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed June 9, 2023.
4. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Palermo
5. State of New Jersey Census Designated Places - BVP20 - Data as of January 1, 2020, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 1, 2022.
6. Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed June 9, 2016.
7. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Palermo Air Force Station (historical)
8. Ray, Wynn, ed. (1913). The Young Family. The History of Petersburg, N.J. H. Stanley Craig. p.  12.
9. "Jersey Cape's Historic Sites". Cape May County Department of Tourism. June 20, 2012.
10. Law, Mary (March 1993). "Postal History of Upper Township in Cape May County, NJ" (PDF). Journal of the New Jersey Postal History Society. New Jersey Postal History Society. 21 (2): 40. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
11. Treese, Lorett (2006). Railroads of New Jersey: Fragments of the Past in the Garden State Landscape. Stackpole Books. p. 200. ISBN   9780811732604.
12. "Ocean City Railroad". Abandoned Rails. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
13. Dorwart, Jeffery M. (1992). Cape May County, New Jersey: The Making of an American Resort Community. Rutgers University. p. 234. ISBN   9780813517841.
14. Census of Population and Housing, United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 1, 2023.