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Ocean City Retains Title As New Jersey's Most Popular Beach

OCEAN CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The winner and still champion of New Jersey's Top Ten Beaches contest is...Ocean City!

The southern New Jersey beach town that bills itself as "America's Greatest Family Resort'' was named the state's most popular beach for the second straight year Thursday.

It also won in 2009.

Ocean City Retains Title As New Jersey's Most Popular Beach

Ocean City is known for its popular boardwalk, amusement rides and mini golf courses, restaurants and bayfront boating and water sports.

"Belmar has clubs, Asbury Park has its restaurants and its clubs," said the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium Sea Grant Consortium's Matther McGrath, adding, "The people who are looking for a wild party, a good time, the clubs along the Jersey Shore, I don't think they're the ones that tend to be voting in this as much as it is people with families."

This year, Ocean City won the online vote for best beach; best day-trip beach; best family vacation beach; and top beach for ecotourism. It is a dry town, where the sale of alcohol is prohibited. Many residents and vacationers say that contributes to the family-friendly reputation of the resort.

As usual, Cape May County beaches dominated the voting, taking the top five slots.

This year's runners up were: Wildwood; Wildwood Crest; Sea Isle City; North Wildwood; Asbury Park; Manasquan; Belmar; Brigantine and Long Beach Township.

Asbury Park Residents

Asbury Park came in sixth, and many residents think it should've taken the top spot.

"The beach looks nice every morning, it's a great place to be," a lifeguard told 1010 WINS' Rebecca Granet.

"Asbury Park should be number one, hands down," a man, who has a tattoo of Asbury Park's famous "Tillie Face" on his arm, said.

But Jenny said she wants to keep Asbury all to herself.

"I want to keep it nice and calm, I want to be able to come in here and choose any spot on the beach that I want," she said.

Since the contest began in 2008, either Ocean City or the Wildwoods (the three Wildwood municipalities used to compete as a single entity) has won the vote.

The contest is sponsored by the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium and Stockton College as a way of making people feel more connected to and protective of the state's 127-mile coastline.

In the day-trip category, runners up were: Wildwood; Sea Isle City; Wildwood Crest; North Wildwood; Asbury Park; Belmar; Manasquan; Point Pleasant Beach; and Brigantine.

In the best family vacation category, runners up were: Wildwood; Wildwood Crest; Sea Isle City; North Wildwood; Manasquan; Belmar; Point Pleasant Beach; Long Beach Township and Brigantine.

In the best ecotourism category, runners up were: Wildwood; Wildwood Crest; Sea Isle City; North Wildwood; Island Beach State Park; Cape May Wildlife Refuge; Sandy Hook; Belmar and Brigantine.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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