Development of Ocean
Pines did as much to alter the landscape of the coastal region as the
appearance of high-rise condominiums in Ocean City. This month, the community
will celebrate a milestone anniversary with a host of events.

In 45 years, Ocean Pines has
evolved from a rural vacation home and campground in its earliest years to an
Eastern Shore retirement mecca in the 1980s and 1990s, and today has become
home to a diverse demographic mix of retirees, vacation property owners and
young families.

Ocean Pines is now home
to 8,870 households, with 5,471 occupied year-round and 11,710 full-time
residents, making it the largest community in Worcester County. More than 16
percent of resident households have children under 18 attending Worcester
County Schools.

Like many other
communities where residents are passionate in their beliefs, Ocean Pines has
its share of contentious politics, but it is, in fact, a beautiful, mostly
wooded community resting on almost 70 acres across the bay from the island
resort.

In addition to a varied
housing, from simple A-frame cottages to mansions on the bay, the community
also offers an array of amenities, from a first-class golf course, a community
center, marinas, pools, tennis courts, sports fields and playgrounds and a private
beach club, along with a whole host of activities for the young and old alike.

While the current board
is looking to put in place a roadmap for the future, as some of its facilities
have aged more gracefully than others, we think everyone can agree that at 45
Ocean Pines has grown up beautifully.