City in the county of the same name, located at the southern tip of New Jersey, bordered by Delaware Bay on the west and the Atlantic Ocean on the east. Originally known as Cape Island, Cape May's current name comes from Dutch explorer Cornelius Jacobsen Mey, who explored the area in 1623.
The city is notable for being the oldest beach resort in the United States, a tourist attraction dating back to 1801. Cape May still thrives on tourism, although the fashionable history of the place is perhaps more attractive than the beaches. During the 1850s, the city's Mount Vernon was the largest resort hotel in the country; it has since been destroyed by fire. Hundreds of Victorian buildings still remain, and Cape May lighthouse and Cape May Point State Park also draw visitors.