Ocean City, New Jersey
Ocean City is a town in Cape May County, New Jersey in the United States of America.
According to the United States Census 2000, the winter population is 15,378. During the summer months, the population is estimated at 115,000 to 130,000.
The city, located directly on Atlantic Beach, is known as "America's largest family resort," due in part to the fact that the sale of alcohol is prohibited in the city. It wasn't until 1986 that businesses were allowed to open on Sunday. Among Ocean City's many famous guests, most of them regulars, have been and still are Grace Kelly, later Princess Gracia Patricia of Monaco, her movie partner from The Window to the Court James Stewart, Kevin Bacon, Mike Tyson and many others. Despite this, the place is very quiet and down to earth and still lives up to its self-proclaimed image.
Ocean City is an island connected to the mainland by four bridges. In between is marshy marshland, where duck hunting in particular is practiced. On the side facing the Atlantic Ocean, there are over 12 km of sandy beaches and sandbars, some of which allow for an above average surfing experience. Ocean City is about 20 minutes from Atlantic City and about 70 minutes from Philadelphia, and is connected via the Garden State Parkway Exit 25. Increasingly, Ocean City is also being used by New Yorkers (about 175 miles away) as a summer home. In 2008, Ocean City was named the third best beach in all of New Jersey in the "10 Beaches Contest" sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium.
In addition to the miles of public sandy beach, Ocean City is especially known for its Boardwalk. This is a mile-long wooden pier along the beach with fairground-like attractions such as roller coasters, miniature golf and carousels in addition to shopping and restaurants. In addition, a ship parade, the so-called "Night in Venice", takes place in July, which attracts about 100,000 visitors.
The town's districts include the historic Ocean City Residential Historic District. In addition, the town has five other listings on the National Register of Historic Places (as of September 27, 2018).
Ocean City has, among other things, a high school with about 1300 students and 125 teachers.
Originally, the island was used by whalers for temporary storage of whales beginning in the 17th century; then as pasture land. It was not until the mid-19th century that Ocean City was first inhabited year-round, and was soon transformed into a Christian seaside resort by parceling out and selling the land. A number of buildings from this period can still be found, especially in what is known as the Historic District. Increasingly, however, smaller apartment buildings are replacing the old structures.
Sons and daughters of the city
- Preston Foster (1900-1970), actor
- Keith Andes (1920-2005), actor
- Walter Trout (* 1951), composer, guitarist and singer
- Gay Talese (* 1932), journalist and co-founder of literary journalism
