A California organization has included Seaside in its list of the To 10 Urban Beaches in the country.

The Surfrider Foundation, an international nonprofit company dedicated to the protection of the world's oceans, waves and beaches, named Seaside as the tenth best urban beach in the United States in its first State of the Beaches Report.

"The study analyzed six key areas to the beach health," said Lela Coutsoftides of Hill and Knowlton, a public relations firm in Irvine Ca, Working in association with Surfider.  "Beach access, surf zone , water quality, shoreline structures , surfing areas, beach erosion and beach nourishment were all factors in the analysis."

South Beach in Miami, FL, ranked first in the study, followed by Waikiki Beach in Honolulu; Panama City, FL Beach; and East Beach in Santa Barbara, CA.

Newport Beach, CA  ranked in fifth placed, followed by Myrtle Beach, S.C.; South Padre Island, TX, Cape May, N.J.; Main Beach in Santa Cruz, CA ; and Seaside.

"If we continue to take our beaches for granted, we will destroy our coastlines as we know them," said Chris Evans, executive director of the Surfrider Foundation.  "Our goal was to recognize the local and state governments who are doing it right and encourage others to follow their example.   Conversely, we want the groups who are doing a poor job of reporting potential beach hazards to made accountable."

The State of the Beach report was produced by Surfrider in collaboration with the country's leading coastal scientists and underwritten by Mazda North American Operations.  The report is designed to educate the public on the uncertain status of America's beaches and to highlight success stories.

The 61-page report state that an estimated 180 million people will visit American beaches this year, producing 85 percent of the country's tourist revenue.

Coutsoftides said that according tot he U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, more than half of the country's population is living within 50 miles of the coast.  More than 75 percent of the population will live within 80 mile of the beach by 2026, she added.

"Beaches are the top vacation destination in the country,"  Coutsoftides said.  " Coastal tourism, attributable in part to clean beaches, generates substantial revenues for state and local governments."

The Top 10 list was released Tuesday to cities across the nation, Coutsoftides said, and was the subject of a CNN television report.