Rio Grande () is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) located within Middle Township and Lower Township in

Cape May County Cape May County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Much of the county is located on the Cape May peninsula, bound by the Delaware Bay to its west and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and east. Adjacent to the Atlantic ...

, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. Though for the 1990 to 2010 U.S. censuses the CDP was entirely located within Middle Township, a small section at the southern edge of the community, located in Lower Township, is sometimes called Rio Grande. For the 2020 U.S. Census, the boundary was redrawn so that portions of Lower Township were included in the Rio Grande CDP. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 3,610, its highest decennial census count ever and an increase of 940 (+35.2%) from the 2,679 counted at the 2020 census,DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Rio Grande CDP, New Jersey
,

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

. Accessed October 18, 2012. which in turn had reflected an increase of 226 (+9.2%) from the 2000 census of 2,444.

History

According to Jeffrey M. Dorwart, Rio Grande was founded in the mid-nineteenth century around a country store owned by the Hildreth family. The community was originally called Hildreth for that reason. George F. Boyer and J. Pearson Cunningham explain that, during the colonial period, Aaron Leaming, the Hildreths and the Cresses had plantations in that area. Where the King's Highway crossed the road coming from Dennisville and Goshen a stage coach terminal was set up, and the spot became the center for trade for the local farming families. Boyer and Cunningham say that the area was known as "Leamings," for the prominent landholders, or as "Hildreth," the family who ran the local store. (p. 121-122) They continue, "The name, Rio Grande, was suggested by the seventh Aaron Leaming who thought this southern United States river had an attractive sound."

Geography

According to the

, the CDP had a total area of , including of land and of water (1.26%).Gazetteer of New Jersey Places

. Accessed July 21, 2016.US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990

. Accessed September 4, 2014.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Rio Grande has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 2,670 people, 1,115 households, and 730 families in the CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 1,489 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 86.44% (2,308)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 5.54% (148) Black or African American, 0.26% (7) Native American, 2.51% (67) Asian, 0.04% (1)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 3.22% (86) from other races, and 1.99% (53) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.68% (205) of the population. Of the 1,115 households, 20.8% had children under the age of 18; 45.4% were married couples living together; 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 34.5% were non-families. Of all households, 29.1% were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.85. 18.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 31.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 97.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 96.4 males.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 2,444 people, 1,029 households, and 658 families living in the CDP. The

was . There were 1,294 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.79%

, 4.50%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.29% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 1.10% from other races, and 2.37% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 3.03% of the population.DP-1 - Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 from the Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Rio Grande CDP, New Jersey
,

. Accessed October 18, 2012. There were 1,029 households, out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them; 46.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together; 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present; and 36.0% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.93. In the CDP the population was spread out, with 21.6% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $28,424, and the median income for a family was $38,007. Males had a median income of $32,935 versus $19,643 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $18,792. About 20.9% of families and 21.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 32.5% of those under age 18 and 17.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The areas within Middle Township, including almost all of Rio Grande CDP, are in the

Middle Township Public Schools The Middle Township Public Schools are a comprehensive community state school, public school district that serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade from Middle Township, New Jersey, Middle Township, in Cape May County, New Jersey, C ...

; it operates its campuses in Cape May Court House, including Middle Township High School. The areas within Lower Township, including a sliver of the CDP, are in the Lower Township School District for elementary grades and the

Lower Cape May Regional School District The Lower Cape May Regional School District (LCMR School District) is regional public school district headquartered in Lower Township, New Jersey, Lower Township, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, that serves students in seventh grade, seventh th ...

for secondary grades. The elementary school district operates Douglass School (PreK and Kindergarten) in Villas CDP and three schools in Cold Spring: Mitnick School (1–2), Abrams School (3–4), and Sandman School (5–6). The secondary school district Teitelman Middle School and Lower Cape May Regional High School in the Erma area. Countywide schools include Cape May Technical High School (for technical school students) and Cape May County Special Services School District (for special needs students) in the Cape May Court House area. In the era of

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' (; ; ) describes practices that are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. The phrase is often used in contrast with '' de facto'' ('from fa ...

educational segregation in the United States School segregation in the United States was the segregation of students in educational facilities based on their race and ethnicity. While not prohibited from having or attending schools, various minorities were barred from most schools that ad ...

, a school for white children in grades 1-6 was maintained in Rio Grande and a school for black children was maintained in Whitesboro in grades 1–8. White children in Rio Grande were sent to

West Cape May School District West Cape May School District is a community state school, public school district located in West Cape May, New Jersey, West Cape May in Cape May County, New Jersey, Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, that serves students in pre-k ...

for grades 7–12.

Transportation

Rio Grande is situated at the junction of U.S. Route 9 and Route 47. U.S. Route 9 runs south to

Cape May Cape May consists of a peninsula and barrier island system in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is roughly coterminous with Cape May County and runs southwards from the New Jersey mainland, separating Delaware Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. Th ...

and north toward the

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

area while Route 47 runs southeast to Wildwood and north to Millville and the Camden area. Rio Grande is accessible from the

Garden State Parkway The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a Controlled-access highway, controlled-access toll road that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May, New Jersey, Cape May north to the New York ...

at exit 4 northbound and exit 4B southbound.

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. I ...

offers bus service from Rio Grande to Cape May and

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

on the 313, 315 and 316 (seasonal only) routes, to Cape May and the

Port Authority Bus Terminal The Port Authority Bus Terminal (colloquially known as the Port Authority and by its acronym PABT) is a bus station, bus terminal located in Manhattan in New York City. It is the busiest bus terminal in the world by volume of traffic, serving ab ...

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...

on the 319 route, to Wildwood on the

510 __NOTOC__ Year 510 ( DX) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severinus without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1263 ''Ab urbe condita''). The d ...

route, and to Cape May and

on the 552 route. The Great American Trolley Company operates trolley service from North Wildwood and Wildwood to shopping centers in Rio Grande on Mondays through Fridays in the summer months. Cape May Airport, established in 1941 as NAS Rio Grande, is located in the area,Linehan, Mary
"Air station looks to solve identity crisis"
, ''The Cape May Gazette'', April 30, 2013. Accessed May 4, 2013. "According to the DRBA maintained website for the Cape May Airport, 'this well-maintained 1,000-acre general aviation airport' is located in Rio Grande, New Jersey, approximately five miles from Cape May. The site does list the airport's address as being in Erma. Rio Grande is part of Middle Township and Erma is in Lower Township." in adjacent Lower Township.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Rio Grande include: * Jane Moffet (1930–2018), utility player who played for four seasons in the

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley, which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Uni ...

Weinberg, David
"Weinberg: Former baseball player Jane Moffet was a pioneer"
''

The Press of Atlantic City ''The Press of Atlantic City'' is the fourth-largest daily newspaper in New Jersey. Originally based in Pleasantville, New Jersey, Pleasantville, it is the primary newspaper for southeastern New Jersey and the Jersey Shore. The Designated marke ...

'', March 24, 2018. Accessed January 5, 2022. "Jane Moffet never intended to be a baseball pioneer. The Rio Grande resident, who died at 87 on March 16, was a 17-year-old freshman at East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania when a friend coaxed her into joining her at a tryout for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL)."

Gallery

File:RIoGrandeNJFireSTation.jpg, Rio Grande Fire Station

References

External links

The Cape May County Gazette
Local community newspaper
The Beachcomber

Cape May County Herald
{{Authority control Census-designated places in Cape May County, New Jersey Census-designated places in New Jersey Middle Township, New Jersey Lower Township, New Jersey