NEW YORK :Meredith Corporation’s Coastal Living, the leading authority on coastal home and travel, announced today the Happiest Seaside Town in America 2018 is Ocean City, New Jersey. The number-one ranking of Ocean City, along with the rankings of all the Top Ten Happiest Seaside Towns, is the result of an online vote. Now in its seventh year, the 2018 Happiest Seaside Towns ranked list is available online. It will also be featured in the July/August 2018 issue of Coastal Living, on newsstands June 15.

“This Jersey Shore city is pure Americana—a 19th century resort town that thrives on a recipe of boardwalk amusements, funnel cakes, and saltwater taffy. Ocean City’s status as a ‘dry town’ keeps the whole vibe there very family-friendly – and it keeps people coming back year after year,” said Sid Evans, Editor-in-Chief of Coastal Living.

The Coastal Living 2018 Top Ten Happiest Seaside Towns in America, in Ranked Order:

#1: Ocean City, New Jersey

#2: Traverse City, Michigan

#3: Cape Charles, Virginia

#4: Vero Beach, Florida

#5: Bluffton, South Carolina

#6: Anna Maria, Florida

#7: Cambria, California

#8: Hampton/Hampton Beach, New Hampshire

#9: Bellport, New York

#10: Cannon Beach, Oregon

“Ocean City’s Residential Historic District is full of Victorian bungalows and beach cottages making year-round life feel like an old-fashioned vacation. Furthermore, the city has eight miles of broad, pale-sand beaches—including a surfing beach at its north end and the serene remove of Corson’s Inlet State Park to the south. And that’s a very happy way to live,” said Tracey Minkin, Senior Editor, Travel and Features, of Coastal Living.

 

To choose the 2018 finalists for America’s Happiest Seaside Towns, Coastal Living editors reviewed more than 300 towns nominated via social media. They collected each town’s ranking on the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index, percentage of sunny days, air quality, healthiness of beaches, commute times, crime ratings, walkability, geographic diversity, standard of living, and editors’ assessment of each town’s “coastal vibe.” A proprietary formula yielded 10 finalists; the ranking was determined by an online vote in January/February 2018.