[21] Woodbine was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 3, 1903, from portions of Dennis Township.

The Baron DeHirsch Fund, organized by philanthropist Maurice de Hirsch, purchased 5,300 acres (21 km2) of land in Dennis Township in Cape May County to start a settlement.

Within two years, they cleared the forest and built a settlement with thriving farms, with 800 acres (3.2 km2) of land set aside as town lots.

Using modern agricultural practices under the direction of agriculturist and chemist Hirsch Loeb Sabsovich,[24][25] the first colonists (Woodbine was sometimes called the "Jewish Colony" in the early days) turned Woodbine into a model agricultural community.

Woodbine was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 3, 1903, from portions of Dennis Township.

The Baron DeHirsch Agricultural College became what is today the Woodbine Developmental Center, a state-run facility for training the mentally handicapped.

[28] According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 8.02 square miles (20.77 km2), all of which was land.

[29][30][31] The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.

[6] The borough form of government used by Woodbine is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie.

The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council.

[42][43] As of 2023[update], the mayor of Woodbine is Republican William Pikolycky, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2026.

[52][53][54] For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 2nd congressional district is represented by Jeff Van Drew (R, Dennis Township).

[56] For the 2024-2025 session, the 1st legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Mike Testa (R, Vineland) and in the General Assembly by Antwan McClellan (R, Ocean City) and Erik K. Simonsen (R, Lower Township).

[57] Cape May County is governed by a five-person Board of County Commissioners whose members are elected at-large on a partisan basis to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year; At an annual reorganization held each January, the commissioners select one member to serve as director and another to serve as vice-director.

[58] As of 2025[update], Cape May County's Commissioners are Director Leonard C. Desiderio (R, Sea Isle City, 2027),[59] Robert Barr (R, Ocean City; 2025),[60] Will Morey (R, Wildwood Crest; 2026),[61] Melanie Collette (R. Middle Township; 2026),[62] and Vice-Director Andrew Bulakowski (R, Lower Township; 2025).

[73][74] In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 66.4% of the vote (708 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain, who received 29.8% (318 votes), with 1,066 ballots cast among the borough's 1,386 registered voters, for a turnout of 76.9%.

[75] In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 59.0% of the vote (526 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush, who received around 38.6% (344 votes), with 891 ballots cast among the borough's 1,344 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 66.3.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden operates Bishop McHugh Regional School, a Catholic K–8 school, in the Ocean View area, in Dennis Township,[97] which has a Cape May Courthouse postal address.

NJ Transit offers the 313 inter-city bus route that runs between Cape May and Philadelphia.