Whitesboro, New Jersey

Whitesboro, New Jersey
Census-designated place
Whitesboro School
Map of the former Whitesboro-Burleigh CDP in Cape May County. Inset: Location of Cape May County in New Jersey.
Whitesboro Location in Cape May County Show map of Cape May County, New Jersey Whitesboro Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Whitesboro Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 39°02′32″N 74°52′05″W / 39.042252°N 74.868134°W / 39.042252; -74.868134
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Cape May
Township	Middle
Named for	George Henry White
Area [1]
• Total	3.56 sq mi (9.22 km2)
• Land	3.54 sq mi (9.17 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2)  0.50%
Elevation [2]	20 ft (6 m)
Population  (2020)[3]
• Total	2,300
• Density	649.72/sq mi (250.83/km2)
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	08252 - Cape May[4]
Area code(s)	609 and 640
FIPS code	34-80855[5][6][7]
GNIS feature ID	02390509[5][8]

Whitesboro is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Middle Township in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.^[9] Until the 2000 census the area had been part of the Whitesboro-Burleigh CDP, which was split in 2010 into separate CDPs for Burleigh and Whitesboro.^[10] As of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP's population was 2,205.^[11] Whitesboro was founded as a planned residential community for African Americans and has the majority of the township's black population.

Whitesboro was founded about 1901 by the Equitable Industrial Association, which had prominent black American investors including Paul Laurence Dunbar, the educator Booker T. Washington and George Henry White, the leading investor and namesake. He was an attorney who had moved to Philadelphia after serving as the last black Republican congressman representing North Carolina's 2nd congressional district. White and his fellow entrepreneurs wanted to create a self-reliant community for blacks without the discrimination faced by black residents of the southern states. Shares in the planned community were sold to African Americans from North and South Carolina and Virginia.^[12]

In 2006, the Johnson Family Historical Trust discovered the value of its original deed to Whitesboro property from the George H. White Realty Company. It has been called one of "America's Untold Treasures" by appraiser Phillip Merrill. The Johnson Family Historical Trust holds rare items important to Whitesboro, such as a 1936 radio formerly owned by James L. Johnson, a nationally recognized ham radio operator. His radios are of interest to Whitesboro and national history in technology.^{[citation needed]}

There are more than 50 known and appraised artifacts from the original investors of the town that will be featured in Whitesboro in upcoming years. A dig for national history is planned to uncover more artifacts at various historical sites in Whitesboro, hosted by the Johnson Family Historical Trust.^{[citation needed]}

In 2024 there was a group, the one controlling the Whitesboro Historic Preservation Project, advocating for establishing Whitesboro as an independent municipality.^[13]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP had a total area of 3.632 square miles (9.406 km²), including 3.614 square miles (9.360 km²) of land and 0.018 square miles (0.047 km²) of water (0.50%).^[5][14]

The 2010 United States census counted 2,205 people, 870 households, and 572 families in the CDP. The population density was 610.2 per square mile (235.6/km²). There were 1,072 housing units at an average density of 296.6 per square mile (114.5/km²). The racial makeup was 53.02% (1,169) White, 37.05% (817) Black or African American, 0.45% (10) Native American, 1.13% (25) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 3.13% (69) from other races, and 5.22% (115) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.75% (193) of the population.^[11]

Of the 870 households, 23.2% had children under the age of 18; 42.0% were married couples living together; 18.3% had a female householder with no husband present and 34.3% were non-families. Of all households, 30.2% were made up of individuals and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.15.^[11]

24.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 21.9% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.5 years. For every 100 females, the population had 89.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 84.8 males.^[11]

The township's Martin Luther King Junior Community Center is located in Whitesboro.^[15]

It is within the Middle Township School District,^[16] which operates Middle Township High School.

Countywide schools include Cape May County Technical High School^[17][18] and Cape May County Special Services School District.

In the era of de jure educational segregation in the United States, a school for black children was maintained in Whitesboro for grades 1-8.^[19]

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Whitesboro include:

• Stedman Graham (born 1951), a 1,000-point scorer for the Middle Township High School boys varsity basketball team; he is an educator, author, businessman, and speaker who is the longtime partner of media mogul Oprah Winfrey.^[20]

• 
  World War I memorial
• 
  Martin Luther King Community Center
• 
  St. Stephen AME Church

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Whitesboro, New Jersey.

• Whitesboro Historic Preservation Project
• Barlow, Bill (July 30, 2024). "Could Whitesboro be its Own Borough?". The Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
• The Cape May County Gazette, community newspaper
• The Beachcomber