Ocean City favorite beach again with Margate coming in second

Ocean City’s beaches remain “New Jersey’s Favorite Beach” in a statewide poll for the 11th straight year, reinforcing the message that “America’s Greatest Family Resort” truly is loved the most.

Representatives of the N.J. Sea Grant Consortium announced the winners of the annual contest in a presentation on the Ocean City Music Pier on Friday morning. Voters of an online poll could only vote once.

Unfortunately, soggy weather that chased people off the beach forced the ceremony under the cover of the Ocean City Music Center’s loggia.

Margate in Atlantic County garnered the second spot for favorite beach, overall.

The contest includes winners in all four coastal counties. Ocean City received the top beach honor for Cape May County as well. Cape May beaches were No. 2.

Margate representatives Superintendent of Public Works Pat Power, left, and Public Works employee Dominick Marchiani smile for a winning photo.

Margate received the top spot for Atlantic County beaches and Brigantine was the second spot. In Ocean County, pollsters selected Point Pleasant Beach as the favorite beach, while Seaside Heights took second. In Monmouth County, Asbury Park was tops and Spring Lake garnered the second favorite beach accolade.

Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian thanked the Sea Grant Consortium and the voters for selecting the town as the favorite New Jersey beach overall.

He called it “humbling.”

“It’s great to see Ocean City achieve this honor,” Gillian said. “It humbles us to think we have the best beach at the Jersey Shore. We are proud of that. We have a great team, great community, we have great traditions. It’s safe. Everyone is happy. Where else would you want to be?”

Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian and his wife, Michele Gillian, executive director of the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce, display the award certificates. (Photo courtesy of Ocean City)