Community Profile
Berlin is located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, 8 miles west of the Atlantic Ocean, Ocean City and Assateague Island with easy access to U.S. Route 50 and U.S. Route 113. As of 2010, the census of Berlin was around 4,500 and includes 4 public schools as well as one private school. The Town services include electric, water, wastewater, garbage and recycling collection. The Town has two parks which provide tennis, basketball, handball, a walking path, playground equipment, pavilions and a nature trail. Berlin also has a 62-bed hospital, a 192-bed nursing facility and two senior living communities.
Berlin offers a very affordable cost of living with real estate taxes at the current rate set at .68 per $100. State tax rate is 6 percent. Cost of living is 3/1 percent less than the Maryland average.
Berlin is a thriving and diverse community designated by the Maryland Main Street Community and the Arts and Entertainment District. Berlin offers visitors a variety of shopping and dining experiences boasting over 50 retail shops and 10 dining establishments, coffee shops, bakeries, antiques and more. Berlin is also host to galleries of fine art, individual studios and local and national handcrafts. Top employers in the area are Worcester County Public Schools and Atlantic General Hospital.
Berlin has diverse neighborhoods and a wide variety of housing. The town has undergone considerable revitalization of its historic downtown commercial and adjacent residential areas. Berlin’s historic residential areas feature architectural heritage from the Federal, Victorian and 20th Century periods with 47 structures noted in the National Register of Historic Places.
Berlin is one of five municipalities that owns, operates and supplies its electric, water and wastewater utilities. Berlin also operates the largest spray irrigation facility in the State of Maryland. Electric rates are some of the lowest in the area. The water plant capacity is 600,000 GPD and the wastewater treatment capacity is 750,000 GPD. The current usage is 420,000 GPD.