Ocean City, New Jersey

Not to be confused with Ocean City, Maryland.

Ocean City, New Jersey
City
City of Ocean City[1]
Ocean City beach from Music Pier, August 2023
Ocean City beach from Music Pier, August 2023
Flag of Ocean City, New Jersey
Flag
Official seal of Ocean City, New Jersey
Seal
Motto: 
"America's Greatest Family Resort"[2]
Location of Ocean City in Cape May County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Cape May County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Location of Ocean City in Cape May County highlighted in red (left). Inset map: Location of Cape May County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (right).
Census Bureau map of Ocean City, New Jersey
Census Bureau map of Ocean City, New Jersey
Ocean City is located in Cape May County, New Jersey
Ocean City
Ocean City
Location in Cape May County
Ocean City is located in New Jersey
Ocean City
Ocean City
Location in New Jersey
Ocean City is located in the United States
Ocean City
Ocean City
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 39°16′10″N 74°35′59″W / 39.269523°N 74.599797°W / 39.269523; -74.599797[3][4]
Country United States
State New Jersey
County Cape May
IncorporatedMay 3, 1884 (as borough)
ReincorporatedMarch 25, 1897 (as city)
Government
[9]
 • TypeFaulkner Act (mayor–council)
 • BodyCity Council
 • MayorJay A. Gillian (term ends June 30, 2026)[5][6]
 • AdministratorGeorge Savastano[7]
 • Municipal clerkMelissa Rasner[8]
Area
[10]
 • Total
11.55 sq mi (29.93 km2)
 • Land6.75 sq mi (17.49 km2)
 • Water4.80 sq mi (12.44 km2)  41.87%
 • Rank196th of 565 in state
5th of 16 in county[3]
Elevation
[11]
7 ft (2 m)
Population
 (2020)[12][13]
 • Total
11,229
 • Estimate 
(2023)[12][14]
11,242
 • Rank222nd of 565 in state
4th of 16 in county[15]
 • Density1,662.8/sq mi (642.0/km2)
  • Rank324th of 565 in state
5th of 16 in county[15]
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code
08226[16]
Area code(s)609 Exchanges: 391, 398, 399, 525, 814[17]
FIPS code3400954360[3][18][19]
GNIS feature ID0885332[3][20]
Websitewww.ocnj.us

Ocean City is a city in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the principal city of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Cape May County, and is part of the Philadelphia-Wilmington-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD combined statistical area, also known as the Delaware Valley or Philadelphia metropolitan area.[21] It is part of the South Jersey region of the state.

As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 11,229,[12][13] a decrease of 472 (−4.0%) from the 2010 census count of 11,701,[22][23] which in turn reflected a decline of 3,677 (−23.9%) from the 15,378 counted in the 2000 census.[24] In summer months, with an influx of tourists and second homeowners, there are estimated to be 115,000 to 130,000 within the city's borders.[25][26]

Ocean City originated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 3, 1884, from portions of Upper Township, based on results from a referendum on April 30, 1884, and was reincorporated as a borough on March 31, 1890. Ocean City was incorporated as a city, its current government form, on March 25, 1897.[27][28] The city is named for its location on the Atlantic Ocean.[29][30]

Known as a family-oriented seaside resort, Ocean City has not allowed the sale of alcoholic beverages within its limits since its founding in 1879,[31][32] offering miles of guarded beaches, a boardwalk that stretches for 2.5 miles (4.0 km), and a downtown shopping and dining district.[33]

Travel Channel rated Ocean City as the Best Family Beach of 2005.[34] It was ranked the third-best beach in New Jersey in the 2008 Top 10 Beaches Contest sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium.[35] In the 2009 Top 10 Beaches Contest sponsored by NJ.com, Ocean City ranked first.[36]

  1. ^ Municipal Code, City of Ocean City. Accessed May 16, 2023.
  2. ^ Home page Archived October 12, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, Ocean City. Accessed January 19, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d 2019 Census Gazetteer Files: New Jersey Places Archived March 21, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 1, 2020.
  4. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990 Archived August 24, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mayor was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ 2023 New Jersey Mayors Directory, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, updated February 8, 2023. Accessed February 10, 2023.
  7. ^ Business Administrator, Ocean City. Accessed May 2, 2022.
  8. ^ City Clerk, Ocean City. Accessed May 2, 2022.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference DataBook was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  11. ^ "City of Ocean City". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
  12. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Census2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference LWD2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference PopEst was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ a b Population Density by County and Municipality: New Jersey, 2020 and 2021, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Accessed March 1, 2023.
  16. ^ Look Up a ZIP Code for Ocean City, NJ Archived June 1, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 6, 2011.
  17. ^ Area Code Lookup - NPA NXX for Ocean City, NJ Archived October 20, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Area-Codes.com. Accessed October 8, 2014.
  18. ^ U.S. Census website Archived December 27, 1996, at the Wayback Machine , United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  19. ^ Geographic Codes Lookup for New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed April 1, 2022.
  20. ^ US Board on Geographic Names Archived February 12, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, United States Geological Survey. Accessed September 4, 2014.
  21. ^ New Jersey: 2020 Core Based Statistical Areas and Counties, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 22, 2022.
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference Census2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference LWD2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  25. ^ Lawlor, Julia. "Weekender | Ocean City, N.J." Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, May 7, 2004. Accessed January 17, 2012. "Population -- 15,378 year-round; about 115,000 in summer"
  26. ^ Miller, Michael. "Ocean City Seeks New Ways to Surf at Beach" Archived June 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, The Press of Atlantic City, February 9, 2007. Accessed January 17, 2012. "Ocean City, with a year-round population of 15,500, swells to more than 130,000 in the summer."
  27. ^ Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 115. Accessed May 30, 2024.
  28. ^ Honeyman, Abraham Van Doren. Index-analysis of the Statutes of New Jersey, 1896-1909: Together with References to All Acts, and Parts of Acts, in the 'General Statutes' and Pamphlet Laws Expressly Repealed: and the Statutory Crimes of New Jersey During the Same Period Archived May 7, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, p. 209. New Jersey Law Journal Publishing Company, 1910. Accessed September 12, 2015.
  29. ^ Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names Archived November 15, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 13, 2015.
  30. ^ Gannett, Henry. The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, p. 228. United States Government Printing Office, 1905. Accessed September 13, 2015.
  31. ^ New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control. New Jersey ABC list of dry towns (May 1, 2013)
  32. ^ Giordano, Rita. "More towns catching liquor-license buzz; Moorestown considers ending its dry spell" Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 24, 2007. Accessed February 16, 2014.
  33. ^ Genovese, Peter. "Down the Shore 2011: South Jersey" Archived October 28, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, Inside Jersey / The Star-Ledger, May 2011. Accessed October 27, 2019. "For those who swear by Seaside, Ocean City's boardwalk will come as a shock. No boardwalk is better, or more relentlessly maintained; cups, straws and fast-food wrappers are quickly snatched up by cleanup crews.If you're looking for a good time in 'America's Greatest Family Resort,' it'll have to be alcohol-free. Ocean City is a dry town, which means no liquor stores and no bringing wine or beer to a restaurant."
  34. ^ Best Family Beach of 2005 Archived November 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Travel Channel, March 2005.
  35. ^ Urgo, Jacqueline L. "Sandy laurels for South Jersey; Seven of the Top 10 N.J. beaches are in Cape May County" Archived April 2, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 23, 2008. Accessed September 13, 2015. "Neighboring Wildwood Crest came in second, followed by Ocean City, North Wildwood, Cape May, Asbury Park in Monmouth County, Avalon, Point Pleasant Beach in northern Ocean County, Beach Haven in southern Ocean County and Stone Harbor."
  36. ^ Spoto, MaryAnn. "Ocean City wins No. 1 beach in New Jersey for '09" Archived May 22, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 19, 2009. Accessed September 13, 2015. "The town is dry and charges beach fees, but Ocean City had enough quaint charm to knock its rowdier neighbor Wildwood out of the top spot of best beach in the state this year."