Ocean City

Ocean City is Maryland's primary resort town. Things got started rather slowly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but the town really boomed with the opening of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, making it much easier for vacationers to make the trip from the Baltimore and Washington, DC areas. Today, even after years of growth, it can be hard to find an available Ocean City hotel room on busy weekends.

It's hard to define a "commercial center" of a resort town, when everything in the city is aimed at commercial activity. There's a seemingly unending trail of restaurants, bars, and shops from one end of the Coastal Highway to the other, although things are a little more concentrated in southern half of the city. At least during the beach-going season, you'll never have trouble finding a restaurant, but it make take awhile to get seated. Traditional favorites include Phillips Seafood (which started in Ocean City over 50 years ago before spreading throughout the East Coast), The Embers, M.R. Ducks, several editions of The Dough Roller, and a couple of Greene Turtles.

Cultural activities are centered on the shows that come to the Ocean City Convention Center. Salisbury, less than an hour to the west, has its own convention center, Salisbury State University, and a minor league baseball team.

Nature lovers will enjoy the easy access available to the Assateague Island National Seashore and Assateague State Park. The largest chunk of oceanfront property in Maryland is preserved by these state and federal lands, but they're open year-round to visitors. The National Seashore continues south across the Virginia border and has a second entry point near Chincoteague, Virginia. However, you can't travel within the park by car from Maryland to Virginia or vice-versa.

Ocean City is governed by a mayor and a city council consisting of seven council members elected on an at-large basis. Ocean City is in Worcester County, which has seven commissioners elected by district. A county administrator oversees the day-to-day business of the county.