Profile: Ocean City, MD

ON THE BEACH IN OCEAN CITY. gulls call, waves break and kids giggle as they practice somersaults in the sand. The boardwalk, the city’s gem, stretches for 2.5 miles from the inlet to 27th Street. The smells of popcorn, pizza and french fries mix to create the scent of summer. Signs announce henna tattoos and eateries. Racks of T-shirts front beachwear stores and whirligigs spin in the breeze, enticing browsers into souvenir shops. Ocean City’s boardwalk starts at an amusement park where the willing get happily tossed on spin rides, dropped on a roller coaster and carried airborne on the giant Ferris wheel that glints in the sun. An iconic set piece, the boardwalk and the beach are a draw for many who return to live in Ocean City, pulled by their good memories. These new residents soon discover what longtime locals always knew: Ocean City is a vibrant community with parks, a performing arts center, a year-round recreational program and scores of golf courses.

Many with fond childhood memories of the boardwalk and beaches return to Ocean City for retirement because of its friendly, laid-back atmosphere and bevy of year-round activities.

Jennifer Snider-Tornetta and her husband, Chuck Tornetta, from Sayreville, NJ, began searching for retirement places in 2003. They checked out Florida and the Carolinas, but nothing felt right until they visited a cousin in Ocean City a few years ago. “As soon as we came over the bridge, my heart started to pound and I was smiling,” Jennifer says. “When I was a child, my parents always brought me to Ocean City in the summer. I have fond memories of going to Phillips (Seafood) for dinner, playing at the arcade and riding bikes.”

The couple purchased a home in 2013 at The Parke at Ocean Pines, a 55-plus community in nearby Ocean Pines, 10 miles from the beach. Chuck, 67, who worked as a missile and space engineer, and Jennifer, 55, a former insurance executive, rented out their house until Jennifer retired in July 2016. Later that year, the couple moved here full time.

Their neighborhood is an enclave of 503 homes within the larger multigenerational development of Ocean Pines. “The Parke’s amenities are the best,” Jennifer says. “The fitness room is large. There’s an indoor pool and sauna and the property has ponds, nature trails and a crabbing pier.”

The outdoorsy offerings attracted the couple. “I go fishing in the ponds at The Parke;’ Chuck says. Jennifer walks the trails, strolls the boardwalk and suns on the beach. Through their home’s f1oor-to-ceiling windows, “I look out at a preserve with tall trees,” she says.

Living here is quite different than New Jersey, the couple agree. “Everyone here truly wants to help you,” Jennifer says. “I feel like I am in a sorority.”

Golf courses add more appeal. The Ocean Pines Golf Club, the only one on Maryland’s eastern coast designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., is one of about 20 golf facilities stretching between Ocean City and the neighboring Delaware beaches. Deer Run Golf Club, Eagle’s Landing Golf Course, Ocean City Golf Club and GlenRiddle Golf Club are in nearby Berlin.

Like any coastal location, Ocean City occasionally feels the wrath of hurricanes. A massive storm in August 1933 caused waves and rain so fierce that the back bays flooded. A monster nor’easter struck in 1962; Hurricane Gloria whipped through in 1985; Hurricane Irene hit in 2011; and Hurricane Sandy clipped the town in 2012.

The couple aren’t worried about storms, however. “I don’t even think about it,” Jennifer says. Summers have high humidity and temperatures can reach 90 degrees, but ocean breezes keep the area reasonably comfortable. Fall, with temperatures in the 60s, is some residents’ favorite time. Although winter snowfall is modest, Ocean City can feel damp and cold in January and February.

Chuck likes Ocean City’s friendliness and location. “It’s a nice town. We meet a lot of people from all over the place – Chicago, France, London – some vacationing here, some working here.”

Several urgent-care centers operate here and Berlin and Salisbury have full-service hospitals. “I was concerned about health care before I did some research,” Jennifer says. “I can walk from my house and within a mile, I hit six doctor’s offices.”

Plus, moving to Ocean City proved cost-effective for Jennifer and Chuck. “The taxes are much lower here than in New Jersey,” Jennifer says.

Some 7,000 people live year-round in Ocean City, part of Worcester County, whose population hovers at 51,000. Eight million people visit in the summer, says Melanie Pursel, executive director of The Greater Ocean City, Maryland Chamber of Commerce.

Debbie and Vernon Betkey made their longtime vacation destination their home. Now they enjoy the relaxed pace of the off-season as well as getting out in nature where they ride bikes, kayak and firsh.

Tourism played a major role in the city’s history, and visitors increased with the construction of railroads and bridges to the island. By 1876, trains came from Berlin, crossed Sinepuxent Bay on a wooden railroad bridge and carried vacationers directly into Ocean City. The opening of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in 1952 gave residents of Baltimore and Washington, DC, direct access to the resort town. The adjoining tunnel opened in 1964, allowing Virginians to get here easily, too.

But what about those tourist throngs? Full-time residents learn timesaving tips. “During summer, you know not to go to the grocery store during the day and to make restaurant reservations in advance,” says Debbie Betkey, who relocated here with husband Vernon in September. “The big crowds only last for 10 weeks. Then we have the off-season the rest of the year.”

The Betkeys, former residents of Bel Air, 150 miles northwest, vacationed and visited family in Ocean City for years. “Whenever we were down here, whether it was for two hours, two days or two months, we never wanted to leave,” says Vernon, 64, a retired police officer who works for the Governors Highway Safety Association, mostly from his home office but with monthly trips to Washington, DC. “The beach is something that gets into your blood.”

Ocean City is laid-back and relaxing, says Debbie, 63, who manages a product promotion business from home. “We are in the north end of town where it’s always quiet.” The Betkeys ride bikes around the city and kayak through wet-lands. “Some of the views are breathtaking,” says Vernon, who likes to fish and has caught many red drum and kingfish.

A ride on U.S. Route 50 across the Harry W. Kelley Memorial Bridge links the island to the mainland. The natural settings and wildlife surprise those who are familiar only with Ocean City’s bustling beach and boardwalk. Kayakers in Berlin’s Ayers Creek might catch sight of bald eagles, ospreys and ducks in the salt marshes. Assateague Island, a 37-mile barrier island just south of Ocean City, is home to Assateague Island National Seashore, Assateague State Park and Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. On Assateague Island, breezes often bring sounds of snow geese honking and wild ponies neighing. The island, famous for its horses, also provides a haven for white-tailed deer and more than 300 species of birds.

Downtown centers around the boardwalk. Midtown, from 28th Street to 90th Street, has additional stores, restaurants, the convention center and condos. North Ocean City has many year-round residents. Several shopping centers and a mall are in Ocean City. Nearby West Ocean City also has a mall and a Tanger Outlet complex.

The town doesn’t shut down in the off-season. “There’s a lot of activity in the winter,” Vernon says. “We have a network of friends that meet every Friday for happy hour. We also watch the (Baltimore) Ravens play football at different hosted parties at restaurants.”

Many eateries sponsor deals to entice locals. Jennifer and Chuck go to BJ’s on the Water for its bayfront dining and to Pickles Pub, known for its happy hour and wings. In West Ocean City, diners at The Shark on the Harbor savor sunset views.

Karen Shockley likes eating at Adolfo’s on the Ocean. “You can sit and look at the ocean and some nights there’s entertainment,” says Karen, 65, a widow who relocated here from Salisbury in 2016. A former public relations and marketing specialist, Karen works part time as an administrative assistant at the Ocean City Recreation and Parks department. She purchased an oceanside condo in the north end of town.

During her childhood, Karen and her family vacationed in Ocean City each June. “I have so many wonderful memories of the boardwalk and the rides,” she says.

She and other retirees find plenty to do here. The 58-acre Northside Park on the bay provides walking trails, two piers, several ballfields plus an indoor recreation complex with pickleball courts.

The park’s department also hosts water aerobics, yoga, dance, tai chi and other activities. “We offer 30 to 40 classes in fall, winter and spring and more than 100 in summer,” says Kate Gaddis, recreation superintendent for the town. “We also run drop-in classes. Pickleball is huge. We get SO to 60 people on any given day and we have a bowling league October through April with 120 participants.”

Karen has taken classes in tap, jazz dancing and exercise. “The recreation center is a great resource,” she says. “They have Sunday concerts in the park and a huge calendar of events.”

The Ocean City Performing Arts Center, housed in the convention center) hosts a variety of performances. “I went to a doo-wop group performance and saw Irish dancing like in “Riverdance,” Karen says.

She also takes advantage of the Art League of Ocean City, which features a two-story gallery and programs for children and adults in painting, photography, jewelry beading and pottery.

“Many registrants are baby boomers,” says Rina Thaler, the league’s executive director. “They worked their whole lives and now it’s their time to do something creative, something for themselves. Participants tell me that the classes have made a great difference in their lives, especially for retirees. The classes serve as a creative outlet and a social outlet. People find like-minded people. They become friends.”

Karen crafted a pot at the center and often attends events. A local restaurant provides free hors d’oeuvres and wine.

“Before I moved to Ocean City, people told me I’d be bored in winter,” Karen says. “But I am not. There’s so much to do year-round. I’ve been pleasantly surprised.”