Ocean City, New Jersey
Ocean City, New Jersey | |
|---|---|
| City of Ocean City | |
Ocean City beach from Music Pier, August 2023 | |
| Motto: "America's Greatest Family Resort" | |
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 | |
Location in Cape May County Location in New Jersey | |
| Coordinates: 39°16′10″N 74°35′59″W / 39.269523°N 74.599797°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Cape May |
| Incorporated | May 3, 1884 (as borough) |
| Reincorporated | March 25, 1897 (as city) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Faulkner Act (mayor–council) |
| • Body | City Council |
| • Mayor | Jay A. Gillian (term ends June 30, 2026) |
| • Administrator | George Savastano |
| • Municipal clerk | Melissa Rasner |
| Area | |
• Total | 11.55 sq mi (29.93 km2) |
| • Land | 6.75 sq mi (17.49 km2) |
| • Water | 4.80 sq mi (12.44 km2) 41.87% |
| • Rank | 196th of 565 in state 5th of 16 in county |
| Elevation | 7 ft (2 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 11,229 |
• Estimate (2023) | 11,242 |
| • Rank | 222nd of 565 in state 4th of 16 in county |
| • Density | 1,662.8/sq mi (642.0/km2) |
| • Rank | 324th of 565 in state 5th of 16 in county |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT)) |
| ZIP Code | 08226 |
| Area code(s) | 609 Exchanges: 391, 398, 399, 525, 814 |
| FIPS code | 3400954360 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0885332 |
| Website | www |
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. 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, a decrease of 472 (−4.0%) from the 2010 census count of 11,701, which in turn reflected a decline of 3,677 (−23.9%) from the 15,378 counted in the 2000 census. 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.
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. The city is named for its location on the Atlantic Ocean.
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, offering miles of guarded beaches, a boardwalk that stretches for 2.5 miles (4.0 km), and a downtown shopping and dining district.
Travel Channel rated Ocean City as the Best Family Beach of 2005. 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. In the 2009 Top 10 Beaches Contest sponsored by NJ.com, Ocean City ranked first.