Honoring Our History

Cape May County has played host to the U.S. Coast Guard for nearly 100 years, which is why it is affectionately known as ‘the Coast Guard’s hometown.’ This isn’t just a slogan. This is a tangible, very real part of living in Cape May. The sentiment can be measured by the amount of Coast Guard flags or stickers seen displayed in store windows, or on the sign declaring Cape May County a “proud Coast Guard community” as you enter any of the townships within the county. It can be counted by the amount of times you hear, “Thank you for your service,” by residents who happen to encounter Coast Guard recruits during their off-base liberty, or echoed in the obvious nostalgia of former “coasties” who return to visit their old stomping grounds.
Since World War I, the Coast Guard has held a presence in the area.
Beginning with small air craft used to support U.S. Customs service efforts, and later with cutters used to foil rumrunners during Prohibition, the Coast Guard has become woven into the very fabric of this community.
“We aren’t just a government organization that operates here in Cape May,” said Capt. Owen Gibbons, commanding officer of Coast Guard Training Center Cape May. “We are your friends and neighbors. Our children go to school with one another. Here, we aren’t just THE Coast Guard, we’re YOUR Coast Guard.”
Since 1948, entry level, or basic training for the Coast Guard has taken place in Cape May. By 1982, the training center in Cape May was the service’s only enlisted accession point. Today, the training center graduates approximately 4,200 recruits a year.
 “The graduates of our training center make up 80 percent of our entire workforce,” said Gibbons. “What they all share is that they spent those formative eight weeks right here in Cape May. This is where is all begins for them. That’s a connection felt throughout our entire service. If that doesn’t make this our hometown, I don’t know what does.”
As a result of the enduring relationship between Cape May and the Coast Guard, Cape May County was honored with the designation as a Coast Guard Community in 2014. Cape May is one of only 22 cities in the United States to hold the designation.