Ocean View, Delaware
Encyclopedia
As of the census
of 2000, there were 1,006 people, 458 households, and 321 families residing in the town. The population density
was 495.0 people per square mile (191.3/km²). There were 751 housing units at an average density of 369.6 per square mile (142.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.42% White, 1.09% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.50% Asian, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.19% of the population.
There were 458 households out of which 19.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.0% were married couples
living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.61.
In the town the population was spread out with 16.0% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 27.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $47,500, and the median income for a family was $52,125. Males had a median income of $37,614 versus $31,333 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $27,188. About 1.5% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.
and a four-person town council
. The town charter of April 1, 2003, lays out the structure of the towns government.
and may serve an unlimited number of terms during his or her lifetime, but may serve no more than two consecutive terms as mayor. After leaving office, a former mayor must wait at least one year before being eligible to seek another term as mayor. However, an outgoing mayor may run for a town council seat immediately upon leaving office as mayor. Anyone 18 years of age or older who is registered to vote in Ocean View may run for mayor provided he or she has lived in Ocean View for at least two years prior to the date of the election.
The four town council members are each elected by a plurality of all registered town voters to three-year terms of office. The town is divided into four electoral districts, one for each council member's seat, which are redrawn every ten years based upon U.S. Census results as well as when town boundaries change. Although elected by a plurality of the entire town voters, each council member must reside in the district he or she represents. The terms of the council members are staggered so that at least one council members seat is up for election every year. Like the mayor, each council member may serve an unlimited number of terms on the council during his or her lifetime, but no more than two terms consecutively, and must wait at least one year after leaving office before being eligible to run for another term on the council. However, a council member may run for mayor immediately upon leaving office as a council member. Anyone 18 years of age or older who is registered to vote in Ocean View may run for the town council provided he or she has lived in Ocean View for at least one year prior to the date of the election.
Elections take place every year on the second Saturday in April. Elected candidates take office seven days after the election.
Gordon Wood is currently the town's mayor; he took over for former mayor Gary Meredith, who reached his term limit, in the June 2008 election. Other council members include Perry Mitchell, Dr. Richard Nippes, Robert Lawless, and Bill Wichmann.
, the Director of Finance
, and the Chief of Police
.
The Ocean View Police Department polices the town. Ocean View has no fire department of its own, instead relying on the services of the Millville Volunteer Fire Company in neighboring Millville.
The town manager is Dr. Conway Gregory and the police department is led by Chief Ken McLaughlin.
. The land became known as Middlesex Plantation. After Scarborough died, the land passed into the hands of the Hazzard family.
The Hall family eventually came into possession of the land. W. S. Hall opened a general store
on his farm
there shortly after 1800. A village known as Hall's Store—the future Ocean View—soon sprang up around the store, and for this reason the Hall family are considered the founders of Ocean View. In 1822 a post office
was established in Hall's Store.
Legend has it that a young man climbed a tree in the area and saw the Atlantic Ocean, hence the name Ocean View. At any rate, after the American Civil War
(1861–1865) people began to take an interest in visiting the Atlantic beach
es to the east of Hall's Store and it was discovered that the Atlantic Ocean was visible from the second story of some buildings in the village; because of this, Hall's Store was renamed Ocean View.
Ocean View was incorporated on April 13, 1889, and held its first town council meeting on April 20, 1889.
In 1923, Ocean View became the birthplace of the commercial broiler
industry when Mrs. Cecilie Long Steele raised the first commercial flock of broiler-fryer
chicken
s there. Although Ocean View itself is no longer involved in the raising of chickens, the industry went on to become Delaware's most important agricultural
activity.
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,006 people, 458 households, and 321 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 495.0 people per square mile (191.3/km²). There were 751 housing units at an average density of 369.6 per square mile (142.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.42% White, 1.09% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.50% Asian, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.19% of the population.
There were 458 households out of which 19.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.61.
In the town the population was spread out with 16.0% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 27.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $47,500, and the median income for a family was $52,125. Males had a median income of $37,614 versus $31,333 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $27,188. About 1.5% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Ocean View has a council-manager form of government. It is governed by mayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
and a four-person town council
Town council
A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
. The town charter of April 1, 2003, lays out the structure of the towns government.
Elected officials
The mayor presides over town council meetings and represents the town during emergencies and at ceremonial events, but otherwise has no policymaking powers or administrative responsibilities. The mayor is considered equal in powers and duties to each of the council members. The mayor is elected by a plurality of all registered town voters to a three-year term of officeTerm of office
Term of office or term in office refers to the length of time a person serves in a particular office.-Prime Minister:In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister has no term limits...
and may serve an unlimited number of terms during his or her lifetime, but may serve no more than two consecutive terms as mayor. After leaving office, a former mayor must wait at least one year before being eligible to seek another term as mayor. However, an outgoing mayor may run for a town council seat immediately upon leaving office as mayor. Anyone 18 years of age or older who is registered to vote in Ocean View may run for mayor provided he or she has lived in Ocean View for at least two years prior to the date of the election.
The four town council members are each elected by a plurality of all registered town voters to three-year terms of office. The town is divided into four electoral districts, one for each council member's seat, which are redrawn every ten years based upon U.S. Census results as well as when town boundaries change. Although elected by a plurality of the entire town voters, each council member must reside in the district he or she represents. The terms of the council members are staggered so that at least one council members seat is up for election every year. Like the mayor, each council member may serve an unlimited number of terms on the council during his or her lifetime, but no more than two terms consecutively, and must wait at least one year after leaving office before being eligible to run for another term on the council. However, a council member may run for mayor immediately upon leaving office as a council member. Anyone 18 years of age or older who is registered to vote in Ocean View may run for the town council provided he or she has lived in Ocean View for at least one year prior to the date of the election.
Elections take place every year on the second Saturday in April. Elected candidates take office seven days after the election.
Gordon Wood is currently the town's mayor; he took over for former mayor Gary Meredith, who reached his term limit, in the June 2008 election. Other council members include Perry Mitchell, Dr. Richard Nippes, Robert Lawless, and Bill Wichmann.
Government operations
A town manager oversees day-to-day town operations. He or she is assisted by three department heads: the Administratuve Official/Director of Public WorksPublic works
Public works are a broad category of projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community...
, the Director of Finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
, and the Chief of Police
Chief of police
A Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...
.
The Ocean View Police Department polices the town. Ocean View has no fire department of its own, instead relying on the services of the Millville Volunteer Fire Company in neighboring Millville.
The town manager is Dr. Conway Gregory and the police department is led by Chief Ken McLaughlin.
History
The origins of Ocean View date to 1688, when a 500 acres (202.3 ha) tract of land was given to Matthew Scarborough by Lord BaltimoreCecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore
Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, 1st Proprietor and 1st Proprietary Governor of Maryland, 9th Proprietary Governor of Newfoundland , was an English peer who was the first proprietor of the Province of Maryland. He received the proprietorship after the death of his father, George Calvert, the...
. The land became known as Middlesex Plantation. After Scarborough died, the land passed into the hands of the Hazzard family.
The Hall family eventually came into possession of the land. W. S. Hall opened a general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
on his farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
there shortly after 1800. A village known as Hall's Store—the future Ocean View—soon sprang up around the store, and for this reason the Hall family are considered the founders of Ocean View. In 1822 a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
was established in Hall's Store.
Legend has it that a young man climbed a tree in the area and saw the Atlantic Ocean, hence the name Ocean View. At any rate, after the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
(1861–1865) people began to take an interest in visiting the Atlantic beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
es to the east of Hall's Store and it was discovered that the Atlantic Ocean was visible from the second story of some buildings in the village; because of this, Hall's Store was renamed Ocean View.
Ocean View was incorporated on April 13, 1889, and held its first town council meeting on April 20, 1889.
In 1923, Ocean View became the birthplace of the commercial broiler
Broiler
A broiler is a type of chicken raised specifically for meat production. Modern commercial broilers, typically known as Cornish crosses or Cornish-Rocks are specially bred for large scale, efficient meat production and grow much faster than egg or traditional dual purpose breeds...
industry when Mrs. Cecilie Long Steele raised the first commercial flock of broiler-fryer
Fried chicken
Fried chicken is a dish consisting of chicken pieces usually from broiler chickens which have been floured or battered and then pan fried, deep fried, or pressure fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or crust to the exterior...
chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
s there. Although Ocean View itself is no longer involved in the raising of chickens, the industry went on to become Delaware's most important agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
activity.