Fortescue, New Jersey
Fortescue is a community and census-designated place (CDP) in Downe Township, Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The community is located on the state's southern coast, on the Delaware Bay, surrounded on three sides by marshland. The area was named for John Fortescue, a local property owner at the time of American independence. As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 189.
Fortescue, New Jersey | |
|---|---|
Fortescue Beach | |
Fortescue Location in Cumberland County Fortescue Location in New Jersey Fortescue Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 39°14′15″N 75°10′18″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Cumberland |
| Township | Downe |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.32 sq mi (0.81 km2) |
| • Land | 0.29 sq mi (0.75 km2) |
| • Water | 0.03 sq mi (0.06 km2) |
| Elevation | 7 ft (2 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 189 |
| • Density | 651.7/sq mi (251.6/km2) |
| ZIP Code | 08321 |
| FIPS code | 34-24360 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0876423 |
During the late 1970s and mid 1980s, Fortescue experienced the best fishing it had ever seen. Anglers were catching enormous numbers of weakfish every summer. Fortescue was the self-proclaimed "weakfish capital of the world". Overfishing led federal authorities to establish limits in the mid-1970s on the weakfish catch, though by 1990 the fish population had crashed, severely impacting the commercial fishing economy in the area.
Fortescue is part of the Fortescue State Wildlife Management Area which covers 1,311.92 acres (530.92 ha).