More historic than 7% of U.S. towns · #239 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Most of Ocean Pines was built recently: 0.7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1992. Below: maps from 1901 on and the census since 1990.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ocean Pines is more historic than 7% of U.S. towns, #239 of 261 in Maryland. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ocean Pines’ overall grade.
Few Maryland towns list much on the Register (a typical Maryland town has 0.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Ocean Pines’ 0.0 sits below most of its state (20% of Maryland towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±0.5 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Ocean Pines’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Prior to the late 1960s, Ocean Pines was a small community, composed primarily of retirees. On May 16, 1968, the Eastern Shore Times newspaper reported the rumor that a multi-million dollar land development project was being considered by the Boise Cascade Corporation in the "Hog Skull" area just north of Berlin. The company began development of the first phase of Ocean Pines on July 12, 1968 and continued at a rapid pace throughout the 1970s. Boise Cascade utilized unique marketing strategies to sell lots "in the middle of nowhere", including Hawaiian luaus, a private clubhouse and pool on the beach of Ocean City, and transportation to Ocean Pines by a double-decker bus and an engine-operated paddlewheel boat named the "Amy Ross". During the 1980s and 1990s, it was normal for 400 new homes to be constructed in the area annually. At the end of 1996, there were 7,381 platted lots and 5,2…
Ocean Pines is more historic than 7% of U.S. towns, #239 of 261 in Maryland. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Ocean Pines?
0.7% of Ocean Pines’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 1992.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (4), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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