Is Ocean City, N.J., really ‘America’s Happiest Seaside Town’?

Memorial Day visitors to Ocean City beamed when asked if the South Jersey town is, in fact, “America’s Happiest Seaside Town,” a title designated by Coastal Living after its annual nationwide competition. Many weren’t aware of the title, but they wholeheartedly agreed and were happy to stop and explain why.

Sure, Ocean City has white beaches, a two-mile boardwalk, and a sparkling bay under blue skies, but they listed a host of other reasons the town deserves the distinction — hands down (even though alcohol sales are banned).

“It’s great; I’ve been coming here all my life, like since I was born,” said Cynthia Juliana, a hostess at the Dockside Kitchen, who wore a T-shirt that said, fittingly, “Don’t Be Crabby.”

Juliana, 19, of Media, Pa., laughed when she heard about the competition and said it’s true that “no one complains” when they are in this popular vacation spot.

Coastal Living, a website and magazine, bestowed the top honor on Ocean City last year, but the town still holds the crown. The website cited the town’s “old-fashioned spirit,” Victorian bungalows, grand boardwalk, beaches, and the scenic Corson’s Inlet at the southern end of the island.

Since 2012, Coastal Living has nominated seaside towns based on the number of sunny days — really, it’s tied to a formula — their charm, and their vibe, and then asked readers to vote on which ones should be ranked in the Top 10. Since 2012, the only other town in New Jersey to make the cut was Cape May, a contender in 2017.

As much as she loves Ocean City, Juliana wanted to set one record straight: “I don’t believe it’s always sunny.” Still, she couldn’t find fault, saying rainy days are good days “to go to a movie.”

Another hostess at the restaurant, Valerie Highley, 21, of Glassboro, said “all the things to do” are what make Ocean City such a happy place. She listed the boardwalk, delicious pizza at Three Brothers, amusement rides, and beaches, which all put everyone in a good mood.

On the boards, visitors flocked to the quaint jewelry and clothing shops and lined up to get soft-serve ice cream, caramel popcorn, and fresh fudge. Smiles were plentiful as customers picked out their salt water taffy flavors at Shriver’s and watched workers operate the machines that stretch and pull the taffy and then cut and wrap it before packaging.

At the Music Pier, a marquee announced Chubby Checker would be coming in July.

At the town’s southernmost beach, David Ludwig, 50, who lives nearby in Northfield, was glad Ocean City was getting recognition. He and his wife, Rachel, 51, had just kayaked across Corson’s Inlet with their little dogs, Oreo and Scoop, as a warm breeze rippled the water on Monday afternoon.

“Well, it’s pretty great here ... it’s relaxing, a great place to go and just be you and not worry about the problems of the world,” he said as they pulled up and settled down on the secluded beach off the inlet.

Rachel Ludwig, a preschool administrator, said she enjoys hunting for shells and playing with the dogs on the beach. She also enjoys the Ocean City boardwalk because it is “so wholesome, a place where you feel kind of safe, with no alcohol, no addiction, no gambling, and no smoking.” It’s a great place to take children, she said.

Farther up the beach, Olivia Glenn, 50, of Pennsauken, said she came down for a day of fun on the beach with her husband, Kobie, and their three children, ages 2, 9, and 11.

“We like to play in the sand and put our toes in the water. It’s too cold to go in now,” she said.

She couldn’t think of any downside to Ocean City — except the flies, she said, flicking off a few that had landed on her head. They are a nuisance every so often when there’s a land breeze.

Traffic to Ocean City also can be painful, and parking can at times be difficult, but once you arrive, well, it’s time to just enjoy all that’s there.

Last Memorial Day, the Glenn family came down for the day, but they had so much fun they decided to stay over because they didn’t want it to end. They booked a room at “a big tall pink hotel on the boardwalk," the Port-O-Call. "It’s so peaceful here, good for unplugging,” Glenn said.