Welcome to Ocean City ...
The coastal city of Ocean City is located in Cape May County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Ocean City, you might consider that their post office opened in 1881.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Ocean City has a population of 10,981 people<2> (see below for details).
Ocean City is near sea level<3>.
Time Zone: Ocean City lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Area Codes for Ocean City: 609 & 640<4>
The ZIP code for Ocean City: 08226<5>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Ocean City had an population of 10,981 people. This is a decrease of 6.15% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 28.59% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Ocean City had a population of 11,701 people (or 12.04% of the total population of Cape May County). This makes Ocean City the county's most populous community.
The population of Ocean City represents 0.13% of the population of New Jersey (which has 8,791,894 people), making it the state's 41st most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 11,701 people, the population of Ocean City decreased 23.91% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 15,378 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Ocean City.
Communities Also Named Ocean City ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 3 communities that are also named Ocean City - they are located in Florida, Maryland and Washington.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Ocean City.
Websites for Ocean City ...
Chamber of Commerce: www.capemaycountychamber.com/
Although we don't have any websites that are specific to Ocean City, the following might be of interest:
Communities near Ocean City ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Ocean City.
- Atlantic City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Pleasantville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Ventnor City
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ventnor City have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ventnor City
- Ventnor City is located in Atlantic County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,872 people
- Absecon
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Brigantine
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Northfield
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Northfield have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northfield
- Northfield is located in Atlantic County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,047 people
- Egg Harbor City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Sea Isle City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Estell Manor
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Estell Manor have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estell Manor
- Estell Manor is located in Atlantic County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,738 people
- Port Republic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Ocean City. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Ocean City.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Ocean City. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ocean City.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Ocean City. Our list includes 5 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Ocean City.
Adding Ocean City to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Ocean City in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Ocean City was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
From that list, the Ocean City post office opened in 1881.
We also found Ocean City in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Ocean City.
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of New Jersey's counties, including Cape May, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Ocean City. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Ocean City - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | When there's a risk of an area code running out of phone numbers, an 'Overlay Area Code' is created that has the same geographic boundaries as the existing area code. In this case, the 609 code has been Overlayed with the 640 area code. New phone numbers in the Ocean City area will be assigned with one of these codes: 609 or 640. As a result, placing a call in the Ocean City area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number). |
| <5> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Ocean City). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Ocean City or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <6> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at:
https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |