North Wildwood

North Wildwood — The Northern Gateway to Five Mile Beach

North Wildwood sits at the top of Five Mile Beach, separated from Stone Harbor by Hereford Inlet. The 1920 aerial shows the community developing around the ferry connection across the inlet — before a bridge, this was the only way to reach the Wildwoods from Stone Harbor. By 1933, North Wildwood had grown substantially and the community's grid of streets was largely built out. The 1944 Great Atlantic Hurricane struck Five Mile Beach hard, and the North Wildwood aerial from that year shows the storm's impact on the northern beach — one of the more exposed portions of the Wildwood barrier system. Hereford Inlet's 1920 configuration and the changes in its shoaling by 1944 are particularly visible in these aerials.