Ocean City

Ocean City, officially the Town of Ocean City, is an Atlantic resort town in Worcester County, Maryland along the East Coast of the United States. The population was 6,844 at the 2020 U.S. census, although during summer weekends the city hosts between 320,000 and 345,000 vacationers, and up to 8 million visitors annually. During the summer, Ocean City becomes the second most populated municipality in Maryland, after Baltimore. The land upon which the city was built, as well as much of the surrounding area, was obtained by Englishman Thomas Fenwick from the Native Americans. In 1869, businessman Isaac Coffin built the first beach-front cottage to receive paying guests. By 1878 tourists could come by the Wicomico & Pocomoke Railroad from Berlin to the shores of Sinepuxent Bay across from the town. In 1964, with the completion of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, a whole new pathway to the south was opened. This tunnel connects Northhampton County on the Delmarva Peninsula to Southeast Virginia. By the 1970s, big business flourished and gave birth to the 15,000 condominiums creating high-rise buildings that gave investors a glimpse of the ocean. In the late 1980s, the boardwalk was turned into a laser tag museum and a New Orleans-style Wax Museum on the beach side. The Ripley's Believe It Or Not! laser tag building now houses a small water park and giant walk-through haunted house.

History

The first beach-front cottage opened in Ocean City in 1869. The Atlantic Hotel, the first major hotel in the town, opened July 4, 1875. In 1952, with the completion of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Ocean City became easily accessible to people in the BaltimoreWashington metropolitan area. In the late 1930s, the Army Corps of Engineers dredged a new channel on the bayside of Ocean City to allow larger boats to have access to Sinepuxent Bay. By the 1970s, big business flourished and gave birth to the construction of more than 15,000 condominium units, creating high-rise condominiums that gave investors a glimpse of the ocean and pounding surf. A fire during the annual Sunfest destroyed five boardwalk businesses in 1994. The Ripley's Believe it or Not! museum was turned into a Hollywood-style tag tag arena in the late 1980s. In 2002, the city undertook the most recent, multimillion-dollar beach restoration program, in an attempt to slow the westward migration of its beaches. It was part of the Micropolitan Statistical Area until the 2006 Pines Pines Statistical Area was established. It is now part of Ocean Pines, a statistical area that covers parts of Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey. The city is located on the Atlantic seaboard of the U.S. east of the Delmarva Peninsula and the West Coast of the United States west of the New Jersey Turnpike. Ocean City is one of the largest tourist destinations on the East Coast.

Economy

Ocean City now extends just more than 9 mi (14 km) from the southern inlet to the Delaware line. The southern tip houses the Ocean City Boardwalk. The boardwalk is the main shopping district and entertainment area of the town. The downtown neighborhood, Old Town, is marked by Victorian style houses and other older buildings. The town bills itself as the "White Marlin Capital of the World" During the summer numerous charter and private boats fish for billfish, tuna, wahoo, and other game fish. In early August, one of the largest fishing tournaments in the world, the White Marlin Open, is held. Prize money for the largest White Marlins, Blue Marlin, and Tuna can range over 1 million dollars. The Boardwalk has two amusement parks, Trimpers Rides and The Pier, which was recently renamed Jolly Roger at The Pier. The city is home to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Oceanographic and Climate Center, which monitors the health of the Great Lakes region of the United States. It is also the home of the U.S. Coast Guard, which is based in the town of Ocean City, New Jersey. The state's largest employer is the tourism industry, which employs more than 1,000 people. It has a population of more than 2,000,000 (as of 2011). The town's economy is based on tourism, which has been the city's main source of revenue for more than 50 years.

Geography

Ocean City is located at 38°2329N 75°0411W. It has a humid subtropical climate with long, warm to humid summers, cool winters and year-round precipitation. Ocean City receives 2300 hours of sunshine annually (higher than the USA average) Temperatures are moderated in Ocean City due to its location on the Atlantic coast. In 2010 the temperature rose to 103 °F (39 °C) which was the hottest air temperature on record, and episodes of extreme heat combined with tropical humidity can occur. The Atlantic hurricane season extends from June 1 through November 30, sharply peaking from late August through September. The average seasonal (Dec-Mar) snowfall total is small, with 6 to 12 in (15 to 30 cm), and the average snowiest month is February which corresponds with the annual peak in nor'easter activity. In the summer months, a cooling afternoon sea breeze is present on most days with an average of only 10 days annually reaching 90°F (32 °C). In the winter months, Ocean City has cool weather with anAverage high of 45 F (7.5 C), however periods of mild temperatures in the 50 to 60 F range are common. The air temperature fails to rise above freezing 5.8 days on average and the plant hardiness zone is 7b with an annual extreme minimum air temperature of 9.1 °C (12.7 °C), on rare occasion, episodes ofextreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values under 5 °F.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 7,102 people, 3,852 households, and 1,784 families residing in the town. There were 30,119 housing units at an average density of 6,829.7 per square mile (2,637.0/km²) The racial makeup of the town was 92.2% White, 2.7% African American, 0.2%. Native American, 1.3% Asian, 2%.2% from other races and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.9% of the population. The median income for a household in the city was $35,772, and $44,614 for a family. The per capita income for the town is $26,078. About 6.0% of families and 8.4%. of the residents were below the poverty line, including 23.0.% of those under the age of 18 and 3.9%. of those ages 65 and older. The town is located in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers's New Mexico Field Station. The U.N. State Department has a contract with the town to train military personnel in New Mexico. The contract is expected to last until the end of the year, when it will be renegotiated with the State of New Mexico, and possibly with the federal government. It is the only town in the state to have a contract to train troops in the area.

Government

Ocean City has a council-manager system of government with a Mayor and seven-member City Council. As of 2017, the Mayor of Ocean City is Rick Meehan and the members of City Council are Council President Lloyd Martin, Council Secretary Mary Knight, Dennis Dare, Tony DeLuca, John Gehrig Jr., Wayne Hartman, and Matt James. The Mayor represents the town to state and local agencies. Both the Mayor and City Council hire a City Manager who is in charge of all daily operations of the town and serves as its chief financial officer. Police services in Ocean City are provided by the Ocean City Police Department, which consists of 105 full-time officers and between 100 and 110 seasonal officers. Fire protection is provided by a fire department that consists of over 200 volunteer members and over 100 career members. The City Council elects a Council President who presides over and sets the agenda for City Council meetings. Ocean City's elections are non-partisan and the Mayor is elected at-large to staggered four-year terms in a two-year term. The Council Manager is the head of the City Manager's office, which is responsible for all day-to-day operations and the city's financial operations. The mayor's office is the chief financial office, and the City Council hires a City manager to be its chieffinancial officer. The city manager is the top official in the city and serves a four-month term until the end of the year. The council president is the council president's deputy.

Infrastructure

Ocean City has only a single major northsouth thoroughfare, Maryland Route 528, known as the Coastal Highway for most of its length. Coastal Highway continues north into Delaware as Delaware Route 1. The Hugh T. Cropper Inlet Parking Lot is located just north of the Ocean City Inlet adjacent to the beach and boardwalk and offers 1,200 spaces, with paid parking from April to October. The West Ocean City Park and Ride offers free parking, with bus service into Ocean City. The Boardwalk Tram operates during the summer months along the entire length of theOcean City Boardwalk, using a dedicated path south of 5th Street and running along the boardwalk north of5th Street. Ocean City's transit service connects with Shore Transit, where patrons can travel to or from destinations on the Eastern Shore such as from Salisbury and to Pocomoke City along Route 432 and to Salisbury along Route 452. The Coastal Highway Beach Bus, which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week year-round, runs along Baltimore Avenue and Philadelphia Avenue in the downtown area and Coastal Highway further north between the South Division Street Transit Center and 145th Street near the Delaware border. The Express Beach Bus operates service for special events throughout theSummer months, providing service to events from remote parking areas. Our Thruway provides intercity bus service between Ocean City and Annapolis, Maryland, during summer months, stopping at Baltimore-Washington International Airport and the BWI Rail Station.

Tourism

The Ocean City Boardwalk is home to food, shops, arcades, and amusements. Trimper's Rides is a historic amusement park that was founded in 1893 as "The Windsor Resort", and is over 100 years old. North Ocean City stretches from 91st Street up to the Delaware border at 146th Street. The Midtown section of the city stretches from 28th Street to 90th Street, home to dining along the bay and nightlife. There are many historic sites located in Ocean City, Maryland, including the Sailboat Wreck, the original Atlantic Hotel and the Ocean City Life Saving Museum. In recent years, there have been more deer sightings and more red foxes as development has increased on the island. On September 15, 2019, a young sperm whale died and washed up on the beach of 114th Street and died of an undiagnosed heart condition. A 12.8-foot-long, 1,000-pound tiger shark was spotted in the middle of the Isle of Wight Bay on August 1, 2014. The female shark was nicknamed Septima by scientists, and has traveled over thousands of miles along the East Coast since being tagged in South Carolina. Some biologists believe that this may be a result of the fishermen who are attempting to catch sand sharks through bait that they have placed in the ocean. There have been sightings of sand sharks and Tiger Sharks as well in recent years. The city has seen several shark sightings in the past few years.

Ecology

According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Ocean City, Maryland would have a dominant vegetation type of Oak/Hickory/Pine (111) The dominant vegetation form of Southern Mixed Forest (26) would also be dominant in the area. Ocean City is located on the Atlantic seaboard of the United States. It has a population of about 2,000 people. It is located in the Eastern Seaboard, the westernmost part of the Eastern United States, and the western tip of the Mid-Atlantic region of the West Coast. The city's name is derived from the word "Ocean" which means "glass" or "glass-like" in English. It also means "Ocean City" in Spanish, "Oceano" in Portuguese, and "Océano" means "city" in Italian. The town's name means "town" or "city" and "ocean" in both Spanish and Portuguese. It was founded in 1788 and was named after the town of Ocean City in Maryland. The current mayor of the city is Thomas J. O'Neill, who was elected in 2008. He was re-elected in 2012 and is currently in his third term. The mayor has been in office since 2010. The City's name has been changed to "Oceanside" in honor of the town's former mayor, Thomas "Tom" O 'Neill. The name "Oleson" is also used to refer to the city's former owner, Thomas Oleson.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Ocean City, Worcester County, Maryland = 85. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 60. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 99. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Ocean City = 3.9 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 6,844 individuals with a median age of 47.9 age the population dropped by -0.91% in Ocean City, Worcester County, Maryland population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,510.48 residents per square mile of area (583.22/km²). There are average 1.86 people per household in the 3,828 households with an average household income of $45,134 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 10.00% of the available work force and has growths 7.93% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 45.86%. The number of physicians in Ocean City per 100,000 population = 155.2.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Ocean City = 46.2 inches and the annual snowfall = 13 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 114. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 205. 87 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 27.1 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 44, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Ocean City, Worcester County, Maryland which are owned by the occupant = 8.72%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 27 years with median home cost = $298,290 and home appreciation of -6.93%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $7.54 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $7,762 per student. There are 13.2 students for each teacher in the school, 359 students for each Librarian and 325 students for each Counselor. 4.61% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 20.18% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 7.71% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).