Tides & Towns
Maryland and Delaware · MD

Ocean City

Maryland's beach town, cut off from Assateague by a 1933 hurricane.

Year-round population
6,844 (2020 census)
Summer weekends
Up to about 345,000 people
Boardwalk
2.25 miles
Tides
Two highs, two lows a day

Then

  1. 1875

    The Atlantic Hotel opens on July 4, the resort's first major hotel.

  2. 1878–1881

    A railroad brings visitors to the shore of Sinepuxent Bay by 1878 and into town by 1881. Ocean City incorporates in 1880.

  3. 1902

    The first boardwalk is built.

  4. 1933

    An August hurricane cuts the Ocean City Inlet, separating the town from Assateague Island and washing out the rail line. The Army Corps of Engineers makes the inlet permanent.

  5. 1952

    The Chesapeake Bay Bridge opens, putting Ocean City within easy reach of Baltimore and Washington and turning it into one of the East Coast's biggest vacation spots.

  6. 1962

    After a storm wrecks the boardwalk, it is rebuilt to its current 2.25 miles.

Now

Ocean City draws up to 8 million visitors a year. On summer weekends it becomes Maryland's second-most-populated place, after Baltimore.

The White Marlin Open each August bills itself as the largest billfishing tournament in the world. Spring and fall bring events like Sunfest, Springfest and the Winterfest of Lights.

On the water

From NOAA's predictions for Ocean City Inlet, MD over the next 365 days. Heights are in feet above mean lower low water (MLLW).

Pattern
Two highs and two lows a day, close in size
Typical daily range
2.3 ft
Biggest swing
3.4 ft on Jan 22
Smallest swing
1.3 ft on May 25
Highest high
3.1 ft, Oct 1 at 9:22 AM
Lowest low
−0.8 ft, Jan 23 at 1:35 AM

6 tide stations around Ocean City

Sources