c center which offers retail shopping (including an outlet mall), service businesses, and which is home to the Ocean City airport. Ocean City Boardwalk is a strong draw for tourists, as well, offering retail stores, restaurants and entertainment ("Ocean City" 1).
The Ocean City area can be accessed by road, airplane or train, and the Ocean City airport is no more than 30 minutes from any point in the county. Although the entire county of Worcester has only approximately 40,000 residents, the county is close to Washington, DC, Norfolk, Baltimore and Philadelphia, all of which provide tourists and visitors to the region. During the peak summer months, the population swells to more than 300,000 ("Location" 1).
Key to the success of restaurants in the area is the fact that Ocean City is located within easy reach of the mid Atlantic and Northeast metropolitan areas. Whether traveling by car, train or air, visitors from more populated and commercial areas are within a day's travel of Ocean City. This is important because it means that Ocean City's restaurants can depend on tourists who might be day visitors and who thus are not relying on finding a room for the night. In those resorts where visitors must stay overnight, the success (and number) of restaurants is constrained by the number and availability of hotel rooms.
Seasonal operators must also be aware that there are three institutions of higher learning located in the Worcester area. These include Wor-Wic Community College, Salisbury State University, and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore ("Schools" 1).
Wor-Wic Community College is a two-year school which offers associate degrees in ten fields; students can also transfer to four-year institutions after completing their general education requirements at Wor-Wic. Wor-Wic also has strong ties to the community, and offers continuing education at its two campuses, both of which are located within 30 minutes from ne...