Development of Ocean Pines did as much to alter the landscape of the coastal region as the appearance of high-rise condominiums in Ocean City. This month, the community will celebrate a milestone anniversary with a host of events.

In 45 years, Ocean Pines has evolved from a rural vacation home and campground in its earliest years to an Eastern Shore retirement mecca in the 1980s and 1990s, and today has become home to a diverse demographic mix of retirees, vacation property owners and young families.

Ocean Pines is now home to 8,870 households, with 5,471 occupied year-round and 11,710 full-time residents, making it the largest community in Worcester County. More than 16 percent of resident households have children under 18 attending Worcester County Schools.

Like many other communities where residents are passionate in their beliefs, Ocean Pines has its share of contentious politics, but it is, in fact, a beautiful, mostly wooded community resting on almost 70 acres across the bay from the island resort.

In addition to a varied housing, from simple A-cottages to mansions on the bay, the community also offers an array of amenities, from a first-class golf course, a community center, marinas, pools, tennis courts, sports fields and playgrounds and a private beach club, along with a whole host of activities for the young and old alike.

While the current board is looking to put in place a roadmap for the future, as some of its facilities have aged more gracefully than others, we think everyone can agree that at 45 Ocean Pines has grown up beautifully.