Beach Life: A Primer

The beach season begins today - good for sand lovers, good for cash registers.

By Labor Day, 4.1 million visitors will have traveled to Ocean City and 3 million to the Delaware beaches, officials say.

In Ocean City, the population grows 37 times larger than the off-season, ballooning from 8,248 to an average of 305,300 on a summer day. How do they know? The sewage. They calculate how much moves through the septic system.

The population boom drives the town's $1.2 billion tourism industry, generating enough revenue in three months to keep hotels, restaurants and taffy shops afloat all year. Summer tourism has remained static in recent years, and hotel and condominium development has slowed.

-- Philip Rucker

When to Hit the Road

More than 350,000 vehicles are expected to pass over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge this weekend, up 3 percent from last year. The best times to travel: Today before noon or after 10 p.m.; Monday before 11 a.m. or after 5 p.m.

Standing Guard

There will be 219 lifeguards this summer in Ocean City. Last year, the patrol rescued 2,847 swimmers, dealt with 685 lost people and administered first aid 2,231 times. The starting wage is $13.72 an hour.

The Party

This will be the 27th summer Mike Beatty, a.k.a. DJ Batman, has played music in Ocean City's nightclubs and bars. He is so popular in town that officials call him "the nighttime mayor of Ocean City." He thinks late '80s and early '90s music will be hot this year.

The Hotels

Ocean City offers 9,867 hotel rooms and 26,000 condominium rentals to house summer visitors. The largest hotel is the Carousel Resort Hotel (259 rooms); the smallest is the Secrets Hotel (7 rooms).

The Boardwalk

Ocean City's three-mile boardwalk is made up of 52,800 planks. Bring footwear: The temperature of the boards can reach 100 degrees, but that's cooler than the sand (up to 120 degrees).

The Hot Buttered Snack

Fisher's Popcorn, which sells popcorn at the beaches in Maryland and Delaware, will pop 192,500 pounds of corn kernels this summer.

The Dress Code

Casual, but changing. Not long ago, vacationers would go out at night in their swimwear. No longer, says DJ Batman. Now beachgoers tend to primp before going out. "Everyone's getting a little more gussied up."

Keeping the Peace

The No. 1 seasonal crime in Ocean City is the "peace and good order violation" (making noise). The city's police force estimates that it will issue about 3,000 citations to minors for drinking alcohol or to vendors for selling alcohol to underage drinkers.