Ocean City, can you handle all of this love?
Today, citing the relatively low cost of living on the shore,
"There are two or three ultra-cool cities that everyone wants to live in,” says Sherry Chris, chief executive of BHG Real Estate. “The problem is it’s very expensive to live in those cities, so that eliminates them as a possibility for many people.”
The median price of a home in Ocean City is $243,600, just a tad above the median for the state.
And again, Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate, used math to determine its rankings. Along with data partner Onboard Informatics, it analyzed more than 6,000 Zip codes nationwide that had homes with median prices within 20 percent of the state median. Here's where it gets good - it then selected the Zip codes with the largest number of bars and restaurants as of July. Score!
After Ocean City, the Ala Moana-Kakaako section of Honolulu came in second, followed by Tempe, Ariz., Scottsdale, Ariz., and Greenville, S.C.
I contacted the Town of Ocean City just to see if they had enough space on their walls to add yet another city of distinction award. They do! Of course.
They also kindly provided a list of what's sitting on Ocean City's trophy mantle. Here are some of the highlights:
- America’s Most Affordable Fun City – Bloomberg Businessweek - 2011
- Top 10 Best Boardwalks – National Geographic – 2011
- Second Most Popular Beach in the U.S. – The Daily Beast – 2011
- Yahoo Travel Top 10 Family Destination - 2011
- Ten Best U.S. Boardwalks - Sherman’s Travel - 2010
- All-America City – 2001, National Civic League
- AAA Top Member Auto Travel Destination – 2003-2006
- Beach Buddy 2004 – One of four beaches recognized by the Natural Resource Defense Council for environmental achievements.
- One of the “Best Boardwalks in America” – The Travel Channel - 2004
- “One of the 10 Great Places to have Fun on the Boardwalk” – USA Today - 2005
- “Top 10 Family-Favorite Beach Towns in the Country” by the readers of FamilyFun Magazine - 2005
- One of America’s “Best Seaside Strolls” Reader’s Digest - 2006
- “Ten Best U.S. Beaches” by Woman’s Day Online – 2007
- Top 50 Motorcoach Destinations, National Motorcoach Network Inc. – 2008
- Top 10 Amusement Parks and Boardwalk in the U.S., Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice - 2011