Ocean City might be the most aptly named city in the country. Everything here is about the ocean. Beautiful beaches? Check. Lively boardwalks, beach shops, and carnivals? Triple check. Great Seafood? You betcha. That annoying yet somehow simultaneously relaxing sound that seagulls make? Oh yeah. If you long for the nostalgic beach vacations of your youth, let Ocean City take it from here.

**A note from a long-time beach-goer about how to do the beach right:**
*We don't go to the beach in the morning because it is crazy crowded. Mornings are for board games, puzzles, mini golf, going to see a movie. Afternoons are for the beach when it is less crowded. Since we stay so close to the beach, we do not make it big production and only take towels, water bottles, some sand toys, boogie boards.
People call the beaches nasty but at least up north, they drag them every night so they are actually pretty clean. The lifeguards are top flight...we have had the same guard for the past 20 years.*

For more reviews of Ocean City from locals check out: [**The Buzz**](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/ocean-city?page=buzz)


The “Ocean” Part

The Best Thing About Ocean City? 

Move away from the shores and there are definitely some cons. Ocean City’s got a reputation of not being safe during some hours of the day throughout the summer, highlighted by crime rates well above the national average. During those summer months, traffic around town can be brutal with all of the tourists coming in, and the presence of drug usage does not go unnoticed, typically stemming from groups of high school and college age kids that frequently set up camp for a week or two. It’s a paradise, don’t get me wrong, but be prepared to share it with all different kinds of people throughout the summer who see it that way too.

**Cautionary note from a long-time visitor:** 
*We stay in the same place up on 140th Oceanside and have for the past 45 years. It is quiet and very family oriented up there, everything within walking distance, same people own the restaurants, the same lifeguard has been riding the 140th street chair for the past 20 years (shoutout to Jake!). It is certainly more built up but still pretty chill. My kids and I have met some good friends on that stretch of beach. Would I go to the Boardwalk at night these days? No way. We have only gone during the early afternoon for the past 10 years.*

The “City” Part

The Worst Thing About Ocean City? 

Most full time residents own homes rather than rent. West Ocean City is a great example of the typical vibes here, with a lot of suburban type, medium sized single family housing less than a ten minute walk from the ocean. Housing prices are a little above the national average, but definitely below what you might expect for a town as close to the ocean and with all of the amenities that Ocean City offers. One neighborhood in particular that’s a little different than this is North Ocean City, which is right in the heart of the action. Due to its location, you’re probably going to be living in a nice condo or a more expensive home up there.

If you're interested in what happens in Ocean City check out the calendar of events: https://www.ococean.com/events

Lifestyle of Ocean City

Unlike most of the other coastal towns you might stop in on a summer road trip, Ocean City is actually a great place to live year round as well. The nightlife here makes Ocean City a solid spot for younger people, and the great public schools and laid back vibe in residential areas make Ocean City a great place to move to whether you’re starting a family or looking to retire. Especially in an age where more and more jobs are going remote and many now find themselves sitting in front of a computer all day, the time has never been better to move to one of the best beach cities in the states.

Not just a tourist town.

Why You Should Move Here Now? 

**The Best Thing About Ocean City?** The “Ocean” Part

Ocean City might be the most aptly named city in the country. Everything here is about the ocean. Beautiful beaches? Check. Lively boardwalks, beach shops, and carnivals? Triple check. Great Seafood? You betcha. That annoying yet somehow simultaneously relaxing sound that seagulls make? Oh yeah. If you long for the nostalgic beach vacations of your youth, let Ocean City take it from here.

**The Worst Thing About Ocean City?** The “City” Part

Move away from the shores and there are definitely some cons. Ocean City’s got a reputation of not being safe during some hours of the day throughout the summer, highlighted by crime rates well above the national average. During those summer months, traffic around town can be brutal with all of the tourists coming in, and the presence of drug usage does not go unnoticed, typically stemming from groups of high school and college age kids that frequently set up camp for a week or two. It’s a paradise, don’t get me wrong, but be prepared to share it with all different kinds of people throughout the summer who see it that way too.

**How You Living?** Somewhere you can smell the ocean

Most full time residents own homes rather than rent. West Ocean City is a great example of the typical vibes here, with a lot of suburban type, medium sized single family housing less than a ten minute walk from the ocean. Housing prices are a little above the national average, but definitely below what you might expect for a town as close to the ocean and with all of the amenities that Ocean City offers. One neighborhood in particular that’s a little different than this is North Ocean City, which is right in the heart of the action. Due to its location, you’re probably going to be living in a nice condo or a more expensive home up there.


**Why You Should Move Here Now?** Not just a tourist town

Unlike most of the other coastal towns you might stop in on a summer road trip, Ocean City is actually a great place to live year round as well. The nightlife here makes Ocean City a solid spot for younger people, and the great public schools and laid back vibe in residential areas make Ocean City a great place to move to whether you’re starting a family or looking to retire. Especially in an age where more and more jobs are going remote and many now find themselves sitting in front of a computer all day, the time has never been better to move to one of the best beach cities in the states.


Ocean City, like a lot of beach towns, doesn’t have a traditional Young Professional community that lives here for the Downtown business district. Instead you tend to get seasonal workers and some full-time, all year round service/tourist industry workers who live in the Downtown apartment communities, with their families a bit further out. Downtown is convenient if they’re working on the beach or in the service economy but again, it’s largely a tourist scene so there is a transience to the community that makes the Downtown less appealing to permanent residences. 
- Downtown


Young Professionals

Downtown

West Ocean City is on the Sinepuxent Bay and is the home of fishing charters, marinas and seafood restaurants to many of the people and families who live in the area work in that industry. Generally the suburban areas of the area are filled with locals and the waterfront properties are more second homes or top of the food chain locals. Locals like living here because while you can live quietly you’re also close to downtown so you get a bit of both worlds. 
North Ocean City is another option although generally these are condo housing options so there is a tendency to find younger families in the neighborhood. Ocean Pines is the most popular choice for families that crave to be away from Downtown and embrace the peace and quiet the more wooded section of Ocean City has to offer. The area also has Ocean Pines Golf Club and Yacht Club so plenty of hoi polloi available as well. 
- West Ocean City
- North Ocean City
- Ocean Pines


Families

West Ocean City

Ocean City

**What should people expect of Ocean City Maryland?**

Basically there are multiple Ocean Cities that exist depending on when you go.

During summer, it’s families. Exactly what you’d expect from a cross section of a diverse state. Mini golf, boardwalk fun time, beach, souvenir shops, and so on. Restaurant scene is markedly improved over the last decade.

In the off season it is much quieter but stays interesting until winter really kicks in, and until spring is serious about being here.

Then there are event weeks, both official and unofficial. Pay attention to those. They can make it less family friendly.

**What should people expect of Ocean City Maryland?**

I have gone to OC every summer for 46 years and with my kids for the past 13. Same place, oceanside, up north near the DE border. Lots of families there. It has changed a lot over the past decades but what hasn't?

For me, what to expect depends on how you do it. With kids I also don't look at it as a vacation but a family trip. For me a vacation kid free and I laze around, do nothing but read, and someone brings me a drink with an umbrella in it. Kids require considerably more effort.

If you stay in a hotel, you will be eating out the whole time and that can be expensive. We stay in a house with a kitchen and only eat out a few times. I bring tons of food. So I still cook and have dishes and such. We completely unplug do no TV, no video games, no phones except for texting and calling friends. We do not plan every moment of our time but figure it out as we go.

We don't go to the beach in the morning because it is crazy crowded. Mornings are for board games, puzzles, mini golf, going to see a movie. Afternoons are for the beach when it is less crowded. Since we stay so close to the beach, we do not make it big production and only take towels, water bottles, some sand toys, boogie boards.

We never go anywhere at night because everything is just packed. If we go to the boardwalk, we go early and just to play games. The early evening on the beach is always fun, before it gets dark. We do not like crowds in general so we tend to avoid events, but that is just how we are (has nothing to do with the pandemic).

People call the beaches nasty but at least up north, they drag them every night so they are actually pretty clean. The lifeguards are top flight...we have had the same guard for the past 20 years. We always get Scopes.

I accept that people can be jerks but we also always make "beach friends" every year.

So that is my take on it. Not everyone will agree with me and that is OK. We keep it mellow, accept that nothing is perfect. I have never felt unsafe there but again, we tend to avoid crowds and going places at night.

**What is it like to live in Ocean City, MD?**

It's becoming more and more of a year round city. But compared to now with approximately 10 - 20,000 people in town, it swells at mid June through Labor Day with 250,000 people (at least) bustling along an 11 mile, 6 block average with peninsula. There are the sweet spots/times in April, May and then especially in September, October and November. The registered voters, full-time residents number under 10,000 people and many of them go to a warmer climate in the winter. From the staying in Florida or traveling to surf at Costa Rico, Panama and other Central American countries. Since the 60's and prior to 9/11, many surfers from Ocean City went across the globe to seek out far away places to surf. Like Indonesia, Morocco, the Caribbean, Central and South America. 

If you live there for a Summer, You Will make some lifelong friends with people you normally of would not associated with or even have met. But if you are an introvert, you would go "crazy" in season but love the off season when the town is virtually empty. Salt air, sun, sand and surf during the day with a vibrant nightlife. That's the summer. Crowded perhaps, but you can easily escape the crowds within a 20 drive into rural Delmarva. Traffic is crazy in the summer. People get around on bikes, scooters and an inexpensive, reliable and numerous bus Mass Transit. Ocean City is "The Family Resort", low crime, kind of expensive (supply and demand) but you can find local eateries for the cheap. Plus, there are plenty of performers of various media providing free live entertainment on the boardwalk every night. 

The Ocean City Department of Recreation and Parks is probably the finest organization and facilities, I have ever scene or participated in and continue today with my kids. They host a plethora of organized events, sports, indoor and out, co-ed, recreational, drop-ins, activities for all ages, dog obedience classes, Tai-Chi, "Date Nights"(parents can drop off the kids for fun activities while they go out together). Literally, they offer SO MUCH.

Ocean City, Maryland

Boardwalk Empire

Looklyloo Score: 72

We're on it!