Rio Grande, NJ News
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About Rio Grande
At a glance. Rio Grande is a community in Middle Township, Cape May County, along Route 47. Township offices are at 33 Mechanic Street in Cape May Court House. It had 3,610 people in the 2020 census. Most of the community is in Middle Township, with a small southern part in Lower Township.
Parks. The Ockie Wisting Recreation Complex on Fulling Mill Road is the township's largest park at 82 acres. The township describes walking trails, a wildlife observation deck, a boardwalk and fishing pier at the pond, a playground, a disc golf course, soccer fields and an amphitheater. Railroad Avenue Park, at 11 North Railroad Avenue, sits along the township bike path. The township describes a dog park, two playgrounds, eight pickleball courts and a basketball court there.
History. Rio Grande grew up in the mid-1800s around a country store run by the Hildreth family, and was first called Hildreth. Aaron Leaming, a local landowner, suggested the name Rio Grande.
Getting around. Rio Grande sits where U.S. Route 9 meets Route 47, near exit 4 of the Garden State Parkway.
Schools. Most of Rio Grande is served by Middle Township Public Schools and Middle Township High School.
Selling a home. New Jersey requires a certificate for working smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms and a portable fire extinguisher before a one- or two-family home gets a new owner or tenant. Ask the Middle Township construction office whether anything else is checked before a sale. Rules change, so check with the town before listing.
Sources: NJ Department of Labor: 2020 census population by municipality · Middle Township: A destination to discover · Middle Township · Wikipedia: Rio Grande, New Jersey · N.J.A.C. 5:70-2.3: smoke alarm, carbon monoxide alarm and fire extinguisher certificate. Last reviewed October 13, 2026.