Finding the Best Places to Retire Since 2006!
Ocean Pines, Maryland
Wooded Ocean Pines, Part Town and Part HOA Community, is on Maryland's Eastern Shore and has a Beach Club, a Golf Course, a Tennis Complex, a Dog Park and More
Wooded Ocean Pines is part planned community and part census designated place. It sits on Maryland's Eastern Shore, just south of the Delaware border and about eight miles west of Ocean City, a popular beachfront resort.
Ocean Pines started out as a retirement resort in 1968 and essentially still is one today, charging assessment and amenity fees, but it has the characteristics of a town, too, with its own police department, fire department, water department, etc. It also has restaurants, shops, a dog park, a farmers' market, a community garden and extensive recreation facilities, including two marinas, five swimming pools, a golf course, a tennis complex, a yacht club and a beach club, which is actually in Ocean City. The assessment fees run $983 to $1,498 annually, depending on a home's location. Membership amenity fees are a few hundred dollars to about $1,000 annually and vary depending on type (swim, golf, tennis, etc.). Boat slip rentals are higher.
Housing is not cookie cutter and ranges from manufactured homes and ranch ramblers to cottages and Cape Cods. Residences along the navigable canals have a boat dock.
Population: 13,000 (city proper)
Age 45 or Better: 68%
Cost of Living: Meets the national average
Median Home Price: $410,000
Climate: Summer temperatures are in the 80s and 90s, and winter temperatures are in the 20s, 30s and 40s. On average, the area receives 45 inches of rain and 8 inches of snow each year.
At Least One Hospital Accepts Medicare Patients? No, but Atlantic General Hospital is five miles away in Berlin and accepts Medicare patients.
At Least One Accredited by Joint Commission? No, but Atlantic General Hospital is five miles away in Berlin and is accredited.
Public Transit: Yes, provided by Shore Transit
Crime Rate: Well below the national average
Public Library: Yes
Political Leanings: Conservative
College Educated: 34%
Is Maryland Considered Tax Friendly for Retirement? Somewhat
Cons: None
Notes: Ocean Pines has grown 20% within the last decade and offers quite a bit for the price. Home prices have increased 7% since last year.
Recommended as a Retirement Spot? Yes
Maryland:
Charles I of England granted a royal charter for Maryland in 1632, and English settlers arrived in 1634. Early on, it was primarily home to indentured servants, convicts and Catholics (and was one of the only early settlements to have Catholics in positions of power).
The Mason Dixon Line was created in the mid-1700s, and Maryland gave away some land in 1791 to create the District of Colombia, which is now the location of the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives and the White House. British troops attempted to capture Baltimore in 1814, prompting Francis Scott Key to write The Star Spangled Banner. Maryland was a slave state during the Civil War but stayed in the Union.
Maryland covers both sides of Chesapeake Bay, and it has one of the longest waterfronts of any state. A few vital agricultural products are nursery and greenhouse products, dairy products, chickens, soybeans and eggs. The waters from Chesapeake Bay grow clams, finned fish, oysters and crabs.
Baltimore is home to Johns Hopkins University and Hospital, and Annapolis, the state capital, is the site of the U.S. Naval Academy. Popular sites for visitors include Harpers Ferry, Fort McHenry, Antietam National Battlefield, the U.S.S. Constellation, the National Aquarium and the Goddard Space Flight Center.
Webwerxx, Inc. Copyright (c) 2006-2024. All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced in any way without the express written consent of Webwerxx, Inc. Reproducing any original part of this publication without written permission from Webwerxx, Inc. is plagiarism. Numerous attempts were made to verify the accuracy of the information contained in this website, but some information may have changed since each article and/or report went online, and Webwerxx, Inc. is not liable for inaccurate information contained in its articles and/or reports.