Wildwood won New Jersey’s annual best beaches contest for the fourth time in the past five years, the Sea Grant Consortium announced Thursday. The Consortium runs the contest to garner a sense of pride in the state’s coastline and to encourage both residents and visitors to respect it.
Though many Philadelphians associate the town with novelty pet hermit crabs and creaky carnival rides – the stuff of childhood summer trips – Wildwood has a storied history. The local vacation hotspot is reportedly home to the largest collection of “doo-wop architecture” in the country.
Ocean City – which briefly stole the top spot in 2009 – came in second in the contest, while Long Beach Island placed third. The rankings take into account both online voting and scientific analyses of the beaches’ environment.
