Photo Caption: New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium Communications Specialist Samantha Kreisler, Ocean City Council President Pete Madden, Councilman Jody Levchuk, Council Vice President Karen Bergman, Sea Grant Consortium Executive Director Dr. Peter Rowe, Martin Z. Mollusk, Mayor Jay Gillian, Councilman Tom Rotondi, Councilman Bobby Barr, Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Michele Gillian and Councilman Terry Crowley celebrate Ocean City’s selection as “New Jersey’s Favorite Beach.”
For the ninth consecutive year, beachgoers chose Ocean City as "New Jersey's Favorite Beach" in a statewide poll.
Representatives of the N.J. Sea Grant Consortium announced the winners of the annual contest in a presentation on the Ocean City Music Pier on Friday morning.
The New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium introduced the survey in 2008 to “inspire pride in and stewardship of New Jersey’s beaches while promoting a little healthy competition between New Jersey’s favorite beach towns.”
The contest is decided by online voters who are prevented from voting more than once. Winners were announced on the eve of the big Fourth of July weekend for all shore towns. This year, the contest again included winners for the four coastal counties, and Ocean City was the top beach in Cape May County. The Wildwoods were second overall and second in Cape May County.
Ocean City in recent years has been named “Best Beach in America” and “Best Beach” in many other statewide polls. “America’s Greatest Family Resort” also has been recognized for its boardwalk, downtown, ecotourism, family destinations, women-owned businesses and more.
“It’s great to see Ocean City achieve this honor,” Mayor Jay Gillian said. “Every year, we face new challenges. But Ocean City remains the best beach in the state and a tradition for generations of families. I want to congratulate and thank the city team, our public safety departments, the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Tourism Development Commission, the Boardwalk and Downtown Merchants associations, local businesses, all volunteer groups and the entire community in making Ocean City a wonderful place to live, work and play.”
