Where Ocean Park is
Ocean Park is part of the City of Surrey, not White Rock, although many homes here have White Rock mailing addresses. It sits on the Semiahmoo Peninsula with water on two sides: Semiahmoo Bay to the south and Boundary Bay to the west. White Rock borders it to the east, at about 136 Street, and Crescent Beach sits at its northwest corner.
On the MLS®, the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board groups Ocean Park and Crescent Beach into one sub-area called Crescent Bch Ocean Pk. The listings and numbers on this page use that same sub-area, so they match what you’d see in an MLS search. It runs from the water to about 136 Street, and from the south bluffs up past 24 Avenue. For the Crescent Beach end of it, see my Crescent Beach page.
What it’s like to live here
Ocean Park feels like a small town inside a big city. Life centres on Ocean Park Village, the cluster of shops and restaurants around 128 Street and 16 Avenue, with a Surrey Public Library branch and the Ocean Park Community Hall, which neighbours built by fundraising and opened in 1925.
The water is the other half of the story. 1001 Steps Park, at the foot of 128 Street, has a long stairway down to the shoreline and its walking trails. Kwomais Point Park sits on land that was once Camp Kwomais, a church summer camp that opened in 1910; the last of it passed to the City as parkland in 2007. “Kwomais” comes from the Semiahmoo people’s name for the point, often translated as “place of vision”, for its long views across the bay. Crescent Beach, Blackie Spit and Crescent Park are all a few minutes away. Weighing up the area against its neighbours? See Ocean Park vs Crescent Beach vs White Rock.
The neighbourhood has its quirks too. Its first post office, opened in 1921, measured six feet by six feet and made it into Ripley’s Believe It or Not! as the world’s smallest.
Homes and prices
Ocean Park is mostly detached homes on generous lots. You’ll find original 1950s to 1970s ranchers and cottages on big treed lots, newer custom homes where those older houses have been rebuilt, and ocean-view homes along the bluffs. A few townhouse and condo buildings sit close to the village.
Most detached homes here list between about $1.5 million and $3 million, with ocean-view, larger-lot and waterfront homes above that. The live numbers at the top of this page show where the market sits today. Prices can change a lot from one street to the next, depending on view, lot size and whether the house or the land is what you’re paying for, so I always price from recent sales on the same streets. For the month-by-month numbers, see my Ocean Park market report.
Schools
Elementary schools serving Ocean Park include Ocean Cliff Elementary, Ray Shepherd Elementary, Crescent Park Elementary (French Immersion) and Laronde Elementary (French Immersion). The nearby high schools are Elgin Park Secondary on 24 Avenue and Semiahmoo Secondary on 148 Street, an International Baccalaureate World School since 1981. Catchment boundaries change, so check any address with Surrey Schools’ school locator before you buy.
Getting around
Ocean Park is quiet partly because it’s not on the way to anywhere. Highway 99 is about ten minutes away via 16 Avenue or King George Boulevard, which puts downtown Vancouver about 45 minutes away outside rush hour. The Peace Arch border crossing is about 15 minutes away. TransLink buses 350 and 352 connect the neighbourhood to White Rock Centre and beyond.
Buying in Ocean Park: what to check
- View and slope. Bluff and view lots can need a geotechnical report before you renovate or rebuild. Ask about retaining walls and drainage.
- Trees. Surrey’s tree protection bylaw applies to many of the large trees that make Ocean Park special. Removing them needs a permit, which affects rebuild plans.
- Older homes. For homes from before the 1970s, ask about the age of the plumbing, electrical and roof, and whether an old oil tank was ever removed.
- House or land. Many older homes sell for close to lot value. Know whether you’re buying a home to live in or a site to build on, because it changes what you should pay.
Selling in Ocean Park
Ocean Park buyers are usually local families moving up, people coming from Vancouver for more space, and downsizers who want to stay near the water. They compare carefully. Pricing from the right comparable sales, presenting the home and the lifestyle well, and reaching buyers beyond the MLS® make the difference. See how I market homes, read my guide to selling a home in Ocean Park, or get a free valuation of your Ocean Park home.
Homes I’ve sold here
A few of the Crescent Beach and Ocean Park homes I’ve listed and sold. See all of my recent sales.
12978 15A Avenue
4 bd · 4 ba · 3,495 sqft
Listed at $2,199,000 · Sold
1845 Laronde Drive
3 bd · 3 ba · 2,803 sqft
Listed at $2,149,800 · Sold
12970 14A Avenue
4 bd · 4 ba · 3,010 sqft
Listed at $2,249,000 · Sold
13156 14A Avenue
5 + den bd · 5 ba · 4,466 sqft
Listed at $2,860,000 · Sold
