By MADDY VITALE
They’ve done it again. Ocean City continues to reign supreme when it comes to having the favorite beach.
Beachgoers selected the resort’s beaches as No. 1 in a statewide poll for “New Jersey’s Favorite Beaches” for the 10th year in a row.
On Friday morning, representatives of the N.J. Sea Grant Consortium announced the winners of the annual contest in a presentation at the Ocean City Music Pier.
The contest included winners for the four coastal counties, and Ocean City was the top beach in Cape May County, in addition to being overall winner.
Sea Isle City was second in Cape May County and second overall.
“It’s great to see Ocean City achieve this honor,” Mayor Jay Gillian said in a news release.
“Every year, we face new challenges. But Ocean City remains the best beach in the state and a tradition for generations of families,” he added.
Gillian went on to congratulate and thank the city team, the 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.”
The N.J. Sea Grant Consortium introduced the contest 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.
Michele Gillian, the executive director of the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce, noted that even though voters have chosen the resort as the top beach in the state for 10 straight years, it is a major honor each time the award is announced.
“We are over-the-top happy that Ocean City has been recognized as New Jersey’s Favorite Beach for 2023,” she said. “Ocean City is so fortunate to have so many guests and homeowners who love our eight miles of beautiful beaches – what a great community to be a part of.”
Ocean City has had its share of honors over the years for all that it has to offer residents and visitors.
Among the honors bestowed upon the city, it has been named “Best Beach in America” and “Best Beach” in other polls. “America’s Greatest Family Resort” has also been recognized for its Boardwalk, downtown, ecotourism, family destinations and women-owned businesses.
