Wildwood

Wildwood — The Island That Grows

Wildwood is one of the great exceptions to the New Jersey Shore erosion story: it has been gaining beach steadily since the early 20th century, as longshore drift piles sand on the northern end of the Five Mile Beach barrier. The 1920 aerial shows Wildwood's famous boardwalk amusement piers and the beach in front — already wide by national standards. By 1933, the beach had grown wider. The 1944 Great Atlantic Hurricane caused damage to the boardwalk amusement area — several structures visible in the 1933 aerial were gone by 1944 — but the beach itself absorbed the storm energy across its extraordinary width. These three aerials document Wildwood's remarkable counter-trend: while the rest of the Shore was losing beach, Wildwood was gaining it.