Editing Sea Isle City, New Jersey (section)

==History==
[[File:Seaislecity-nj-usa.jpg|thumb|upright=2.5|View from the beach]]
Sea Isle City was founded in 1882 by [[Charles K. Landis]], who was also the founder of [[Vineland, New Jersey]]. The main street in town, Landis Avenue, is named for its founder. The oldest building in Sea Isle City is The Colonnade Inn, a [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]] building dating back to the 1800s. From 1885 until 1924, Sea Isle City was the location of [[Ludlam's Beach Lighthouse]].  The structure was moved to the corner of Landis Avenue and 35th Street (3414 Landis Avenue), and was a private residence (offered for rental) for many years.  A non-profit group, The Friends of the Ludlam Beach Lighthouse, was unsuccessful in its efforts to raise enough money to save the building from demolition by moving it to a new location and restoring it. It was demolished on September 21, 2010, to make way for new town homes.<ref>Greenberg, Ted. [http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Historic-Lighthouse-Demolished--103436419.html "Historic Lighthouse Gets Demolished"], [[WCAU]], September 22, 2010. Accessed November 5, 2013. "Demolition began Tuesday on a Sea Isle City landmark after a failed bid to save it. The former 1885 Ludlam Beach Lighthouse, situated about a block from the beach at 3414 Landis Ave., was torn down to make way for new homes."</ref>

The [[oil tanker]] [[MV Sea Isle City|MV ''Sea Isle City'']] was renamed for this city when it was reflagged and registered in the United States in 1987 during [[Operation Earnest Will]]. It was struck by a [[Silkworm (missile)|Silkworm missile]] off [[Kuwait]] on October 16, 1987, wounding 18 crew members and seriously damaging the ship.<ref>Mann, Jim. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-11-25-mn-16268-story.html "Silkworm Missile Off World Market, China's Envoy Says"], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', November 25, 1987. Accessed August 4, 2011. "On Oct. 16, a Silkworm apparently fired by Iranian forces heavily damaged the Sea Isle City, one of the Kuwaiti oil tankers re-registered under the American flag as part of the U.S. tanker escort effort."</ref>

===Coastal storms===
There have been many hurricanes and huge storms that have hit the small island of Sea Isle City, New Jersey.  The storms of the 1890s, 1920s, and the [[1944 Great Atlantic Hurricane]] have been some of the worst natural disasters to hit the coast of New Jersey.  The [[Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962]], a major [[Nor'easter]] that hit on March 6, 1962, tops all other storms that have hit the area in the recent past, with three days of continuous rain. Many people evacuated in time to save their lives, but came back to find their homes and assets destroyed.  Eventually, the only way out of town was the causeway, and when that flooded, rescuers had to use helicopters to evacuate the rest of the town. It was categorized as a "100-year storm," in which almost every beachfront home or property was destroyed or damaged.<ref>Urgo, Jacqueline. [https://archive.today/20120701124040/http://articles.philly.com/2009-11-07/news/25283083_1_pocket-parks-parking-lot-spaces "Face-lift for Sea Isle City Shore resort embarks on a $13.4 million project to spiff up its entryway."], ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]'', November 7, 2009. Accessed August 4, 2011. "Building booms occurred after severe storms battered much of the New Jersey coastline in 1944 and 1962. In Sea Isle, the 1962 nor'easter destroyed or significantly damaged nearly every beachfront structure."</ref>

About a week later when the storm had subsided, Sea Isle City citizens moved back into their homes and began the needed revisions.  As a result of the storm, a "dune line" was formed, and this caused beachfront businesses and homes to move back from the shoreline an average of one block.

===Tourism===
Sea Isle City has long been popular with summer visitors. In 2002, the printed message on its signature water tower was changed from "Welcome to Sea Isle City" to "Smile! You're in Sea Isle City". The word "City" was later removed from the message in 2018.

The "Sara the Turtle Festival" is one of the city's annual festivals, celebrating a [[fictional]] turtle named Sara. Aimed towards families with young children, the festival features live animal exhibits and face painting meant to educate children about the local environment.<ref>[http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/article/arts+and+entertainment/sea+isle+city/92974-sea+isle+city039s+2013+sara+turtle+festival+was+largest+date "Sea Isle City's 2013 Sara the Turtle Festival Was Largest to Date"], ''[[Cape May County Herald]]'', June 21, 2013. Accessed November 5, 2013. "Sea Isle City – The 2013 Sara the Turtle Festival attracted hundreds of children and their families to Sea Isle City's Excursion Park on June 20. The annual event, which is hosted by Sea Isle's Division of Tourism, featured live animal and environmental exhibits, a 'Diaper Derby' for crawling babies, 'Turtle Races' on the sand for older children, a live performance by 'The Turtlesingers' and other free entertainment."</ref> The city hosts a [[Polar bear plunge]] every February, holding the 25th annual event in 2019, featuring many participants dressed in costume.<ref>Rose, Lisa. [http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/02/speedos_bikinis_at_polar_bear.html "Polar Bear Plunge in Sea Isle City features sleet, Speedos and bikinis"], ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'', February 19, 2013. Accessed November 5, 2013. "Sleet rained down on folks in Speedos and bikinis in Sea Isle City this past weekend, as the town hosted its 19th annual Polar Bear Plunge. The cold jump in the ocean was only part of the politically incorrect spectacle, which featured a phantasmagoric costume contest and a ceremonial crowning of a Polar Bear King and Queen."</ref>

In 1999, the city's only amusement park, Fun City, was closed and the land was sold for development of beach homes. In 2009, a new amusement park called Gillian's Funland was opened on JFK Boulevard by the bay as a public-private venture between Sea Isle City and neighboring [[Ocean City, New Jersey|Ocean City]] mayor Jay Gillian. Funland was permanently removed, however, following the 2013 summer season for financial reasons in part due to losses from [[Hurricane Sandy]].<ref>Ianieri, Brian [http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/business/sea-isle-amusement-park-closes-for-good/article_51f0c614-8adf-54b4-ab62-38b3f21882fb.html],  "Sea Isle amusement park closes for good", ''[[Press of Atlantic City]]'', February 22, 2014. Accessed July 21, 2014</ref>

In 2011, Sea Isle City began a $14 million makeover to create a public corridor from the bay to the ocean. Plans included a new boathouse on the marina, installing a new playground and basketball courts on JFK Boulevard and erecting a pavilion and band shell at Excursion Park on the city's Promenade overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.<ref>Miller, Michael. [http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/sea-isle-city-officials-hope-bay-to-ocean-corridor-will/article_a68b8614-76cb-11e0-9dd0-001cc4c03286.html "Sea Isle City officials hope bay-to-ocean corridor will lead visitors to local attractions"], ''[[The Press of Atlantic City]]'', May 5, 2011. Accessed July 22, 2014.</ref> Sea Isle City became one of the first municipalities in New Jersey, along with [[Salem, New Jersey|Salem]] and [[Egg Harbor City, New Jersey|Egg Harbor City]], to implement LED streetlights powered solely by wind and solar energy. The lights were installed at the Promenade at JFK Boulevard by the South Jersey Economic Development District and the [[New Jersey Institute of Technology]].<ref>Procida, Lee. [http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/communities/hammonton_egg-harbor-city/egg-harbor-city-and-sea-isle-city-to-test-hybrid/article_010b8076-7b6d-11e0-9ff4-001cc4c002e0.html "Egg Harbor City and Sea Isle City to test hybrid streetlights"], ''[[The Press of Atlantic City]]'', May 11, 2011. Accessed July 22, 2014. "Egg Harbor and Sea Isle cities will join Salem as the first in the state to get streetlights powered solely by the wind and sun, a technology with the potential to take tens of thousands of lampposts off the electricity grid in southern New Jersey."</ref>