[5] The City of Ocean Shores occupies the Point Brown Peninsula on the Washington coast.

Long before the arrival of European explorers and settlers, the peninsula was used by the various local tribes for trading and other purposes.

Damon took over the entire peninsula from McGee, and the land was passed along to his grandson, Ralph Minard, who used the area as a cattle ranch from 1929 until he sold to the Ocean Shores Development Corporation in 1960 for $1,000,000.

Even though the first roads were only 20 miles (32 km) in length, the downtown area had mercury vapor lights to show that this was a booming city.

In the first year 25 homes were constructed and their owners had charter membership certificates in the Ocean Shores Community Club.

In fact, on its opening night, chartered planes flew up a whole contingent of Hollywood stars, and 11,000 people turned out at Bowerman Basin to see the celebrities.

By December 1960, 25 miles (40 km) of canals were planned, a six-hole golf course was drawing players, and the mall shopping area was ready for the 1961 Ocean Shores Estates construction boom.

The mall, 100 motel units, three restaurants and an airstrip sprang up from the sandy ground, with the marina opening in 1963.

[6] By 1969, Ocean Shores was declared the "richest little city" per capita in the country,[7] with an assessed valuation of $35 million and 900 permanent residents.

The climate is similar to nearby Aberdeen, situated slightly farther inland, but Ocean Shores experiences a narrower range of temperatures and is significantly less susceptible to extremes of heat in the summer, caused by hotter, inland air masses being pushed into the region.

[13] Ocean Shores Municipal Airport lies within the city limits, at 13 feet (4.0 m) above sea level.

[14] Ocean Shores lies at sea level and is vulnerable to potential tsunamis that would be created by a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake.

A bond measure to create a tsunami evacuation shelter and relocate a school to higher ground was rejected by voters in 2022.

The state government and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) allocated $5 million in funds to construct a vertical evacuation shelter with capacity for 800 people; later designs are planned to be scaled back due to rising costs.

One of the Asians, Minh Duc Hong, fatally stabbed Chris Kinison, who was from the Ocean Shores area.

His trial ended in a hung jury, 11–1 in favor of acquittal; prosecutors decided not to retry the case.