Top 5 Stories of 2011: Beach Rebirth

All week, we've been counting down the Top 5 Stories of 2011 as a retrospective to some of the things that had a monumental influence on the year that was.

Today is the culmination of that list, which is topped by the one story that will have the largest impact on the Seacoast in 2012 and for many, many generations to come.

A reflection on the story is below, but first let's repost that Top 5 list along with some honorable mentions:

5.
4.
3.
2.
1.

Honorable mentions: Town Manager Contract Extension Creates a Controvers y; ; .

Enough yammering — it's time now for the big look back at the No. 1 story of 2011:

No other story arguably made bigger waves on the Seacoast area in 2011, as the newly-completed Seashell Complex and Oceanfront Pavilion will be the main focus for hundreds of thousands of beachgoers on any given day next summer and every summer in the near future.

Hampton Beach residents and officials have been planning the of the beach for years, and in 2011 most of those dreams came true, as both sides of Ocean Boulevard now look dramatically different than they did as little as one year ago.

The , - is a great thing for the entire Seacoast area, especially since it is the region's sparkling crown jewel and is expected to pave the way for a whole new level of economic and social prosperity.

Major roadwork and other improvements are still needed, and while the Hampton Beach Area Commission won't get a , they do have a pared-down $300,000 to $400,000 proposal to help bring public transportation to the beach and officials have said they will continue to work to find grant money for the rest of the work.

The official completion celebration for the Oceanfront Pavilion portion of the revitalization project is scheduled for tonight as a part of a , and it's fitting that the biggest story of 2011 helps carry us into 2012.

What do you think? Why was this memorable to you? Tell us what you think in the comments, and good luck and thank you to all of you that have helped make 2011 a great success for Hampton-North Hampton Patch!