Eastern Shore of Maryland
Eastern Shore of Maryland | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 38°42′N 75°48′W / 38.7°N 75.8°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Maryland |
Largest city | Salisbury |
Counties | |
Population (2020 Census) EDT ) |
The Eastern Shore of Maryland is a part of the U.S. state of Maryland that lies mostly on the east side of the Chesapeake Bay. Nine counties are normally included in the region. The Eastern Shore is part of the larger Delmarva Peninsula that Maryland shares with Delaware and Virginia.
As of the 2020 census, its population was 456,815, with about 7% of Marylanders living in the region. The region is politically more conservative than the rest of the state, generally returning more votes for Republicans than Democrats in statewide and national elections.
Developed in the colonial and federal period for agriculture, the Eastern Shore has remained a relatively rural region. Salisbury is the most populous community on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The region's economy is dominated by three industry sectors: fishing along the coasts, especially for shellfish such as the blue crab; farming, especially large-scale chicken farms; and tourism, especially centered on the Atlantic coast and beach resort of Ocean City. Because of its coastal and low-lying geography, the region is vulnerable to
The region contains a few major roads; the main connection to the other parts of Maryland is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which carries U.S. Route 50 and U.S. Route 301. U.S. Route 13 connects the southern part of the Eastern Shore to both Delaware and points north and Virginia and points south.
Geography
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2019) |
This section possibly contains original research. (February 2019) |
The Eastern Shore of Maryland comprises Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester counties.[2] These lie on the eastern side of the Chesapeake Bay and Susquehanna River, which is the western border of Cecil County with Harford County. The region borders the Mason–Dixon line with Delaware to the east and north, the Atlantic Ocean on the east, and Virginia's Eastern Shore on the south. Maryland's and Virginia's Eastern Shores, along with most of Delaware, form the Delmarva Peninsula.
The location of the southern border with Virginia was a cause for significant dispute amongst colonists prior to 1668, when
Like
The
The north–south section of the Mason–Dixon line forms the border between Maryland and Delaware. The border was originally marked every mile by a stone, and every five miles by a "crownstone". The line is not quite due north and south, but is as straight as survey methods of the 1760s could make it. It was surveyed as a compromise solution to a century-long wrangle over colonial territory between the Penn and Calvert families of England. If the Chesapeake Bay/Delaware Bay watershed divide had been taken as the borderline, the state of Delaware would be about half its current size.
History
Early history
Formation of counties
- 1642 Kent County - In 1642, the governor and council appointed commissioners for the Isle and County of Kent. This act appears to have led to the establishment of Kent County, named after the county of Kent in England.
- 1661 Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore.
- 1666 Somerset County - named for Mary, Lady Somerset, the wife of Sir John Somerset and daughter of Thomas Arundell, 1st Baron Arundell of Wardour.
- 1669 Dorchester County - Named for the Earl of Dorset, a family friend of the Calverts (the founding family of the Maryland colony). Dorchester is the County Town of Dorset in England.
- 1674 Cecil County.
- 1706 Queen Anne's County - formed from northern parts of Talbot and southern portions of Kent. Name after Queen Anne of Great Britain who reigned when the county was established.
- 1742 Worcester County - named for the Earl of Worcester.
- 1773 Caroline County - formed from parts of Dorchester and Queen Anne's counties. The county derives its name from Lady Caroline Eden, wife of Maryland's last colonial governor of the Province of Maryland, Robert Eden.
- 1867 Wicomico County.
19th century
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2019) |
Ocean City was founded on July 4, 1875,[4] when the Atlantic Hotel opened on Assateague Island. At the time, Assateague Island was continuous from the Delaware state line to well south of Ocean City: the Ocean City Inlet was not formed until a hurricane in August 1933 cut across the south end of the town. The inlet was cut not by waves sweeping inland, but by 4 or 5 days' worth of freshwater runoff from the coastal creeks running seaward. By 1935, government money had built jetties to make the inlet permanent, dividing Fenwick Island (north) from Assateague Island (south). Early transportation to the island was by train.
Until the 1820s, travel and commerce between the Eastern Shore and Baltimore were less important than the connections between it and Philadelphia. Water travel by sailboat and steamer linked the Eastern Shore to Baltimore more tightly beginning about 1813, when the first steamboat traveled the Bay. By the 1880s, railroad lines linked the Eastern Shore to Philadelphia and later,
Commercial east–west ties between Delaware towns and Maryland towns were culturally significant in Colonial and Early American periods despite the border line, which largely cut through woods and swamps. Trade with Philadelphia was conducted by overland routes to Delaware towns such as Odessa (then called Cantwell's Bridge) and Smyrna, then called Duck Creek. Agricultural products and milled grain were taken up the Delaware River by "shallop men" in small vessels called shallops. These cultural connections continue to this day.
20th and 21st centuries
An east–west rail route ran from a ferry terminal at Claiborne, west of St. Michaels, to Ocean City, via the Baltimore and Eastern Shore Railroad and the Wicomico and Pocomoke Railroad. Travelers could also take a ferry to Love Point on Kent Island, board a Queen Anne's Railroad train, and travel east to Lewes and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Automobile transportation across the Chesapeake Bay was by ferryboat until 1952, when the first Chesapeake Bay Bridge was opened for traffic.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, developers began selling lots on Assateague Island, south of the inlet. However, a storm on March 6, 1962 destroyed houses, shacks, and roads.[5] The state and federal governments intervened before reconstruction by creating the Assateague Island National Seashore and Assateague State Park to preserve this area rather than have it be developed.
An
Demographics
Although the Eastern Shore comprises a large part of Maryland's land area, it had a population of 456,815 as of the 2020 Census, representing about 7.4% of Maryland's total population.[1][7] The most populous city in the region is Salisbury, and the most populous county is Cecil.[8][1]
Elections
The Eastern Shore is considerably more conservative than the more densely populated and urban Western Shore. Since the late 20th century, when conservative whites shifted to the Republican Party, the region has strongly supported Republican candidates for governor. The three Republican nominees for governor from 1994 to 2018 –Ellen Sauerbrey, Bob Ehrlich, and Larry Hogan– swept all nine counties. This streak ended in 2022 when Democrat Wes Moore won Kent and Talbot counties, though Republican Dan Cox still won the Eastern Shore overall.
At the presidential level, the Eastern Shore also leans Republican. But Kent and Somerset counties have flipped back and forth in supporting Democratic and Republican presidential candidates. The last Democrat to win Dorchester County was
The Eastern Shore has long been a part of
In the Maryland General Assembly, the Eastern Shore encompasses a portion of district 35B and all of districts 35A, 36, 37A and 37B, 38A, 38B and 38C. All seats are held by Republicans except for a state delegate seat in district 37A.
Year | Republican | Democratic | Other | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
2022[11] | 55.33% 91,425 | 41.24% 68,137 | 3.43% 5,661 | 165,223 |
2018[12] | 75.80% 131,649 | 23.02% 39,986 | 1.16% 1,279 | 173,657 |
2014[13] | 71.45% 100,608 | 26.93% 37,919 | 1.62% 2,277 | 140,804 |
2010[14] | 59.35% 92,231 | 38.19% 59,343 | 2.46% 3,827 | 155,401 |
2006[15] | 62.05% 90,319 | 36.92% 53,748 | 1.03% 1,502 | 145,569 |
2002[16] | 68.07% 90,000 | 31.19% 41,241 | 0.73% 970 | 132,211 |
1998[17] | 59.02% 66,434 | 40.94% 46,079 | 0.04% 50 | 112,563 |
1994[18] | 62.60% 65,585 | 37.40% 39,187 | 0.00% 3 | 104,775 |
1990[19] | 59.43% 52,288 | 40.57% 35,692 | 0.00% 0 | 87,980 |
Year | Democratic | Republican | Others |
---|---|---|---|
2020
|
41.0% 94,716 | 56.6% 130,622 | 2.4% 5,588 |
2016
|
36.3% 77,104 | 58.4% 123,991 | 5.3% 11,329 |
2012
|
42.0% 86,879 | 56.0% 115,669 | 2.0% 4,062 |
2008
|
42.9% 87,700 | 55.5% 113,518 | 1.6% 3,285 |
2004
|
38.8% 71,435 | 60.1% 110,661 | 1.1% 1,942 |
2000
|
43.0% 64,336 | 53.7% 80,329 | 3.2% 4,787 |
1996
|
42.8% 54,537 | 46.7% 59,522 | 10.6% 13,510 |
1992
|
36.5% 50,121 | 44.1% 60,518 | 19.4% 26,713 |
1988
|
36.3% 41,797 | 63.3% 72,886 | 0.5% 551 |
1984
|
32.5% 34,934 | 67.1% 72,235 | 0.4% 454 |
1980
|
42.9% 43,447 | 51.3% 52,000 | 5.8% 5,919 |
1976
|
48.6% 43,838 | 51.4% 46,301 | – |
1972
|
27.5% 23,215 | 71.2% 60,020 | 1.3% 1,088 |
1968
|
30.0% 25,506 | 46.6% 39,578 | 23.3% 19,808 |
1964
|
57.0% 45,899 | 43.0% 34,585 | – |
1960
|
47.1% 38,722 | 52.9% 43,534 | – |
Economy
Tourism
Tourists visit St. Michaels on a neck surrounded by water; the colonial former port of Oxford; Chestertown; and isolated Smith Island in the Chesapeake Bay. North of Crisfield is Janes Island State Park, with camping and kayaking trails through marshlands. Cambridge continues to be a popular destination for tourism because of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, the Hyatt Chesapeake Bay Resort, Spa & Marina, and the Harriet Tubman National Park.
Fishing
At the southern end of the Chesapeake coast of Maryland, the town of Crisfield is home to a fishing, crabbing, and seafood processing industry.
Agriculture
In the 21st century, the main economic activities on the Eastern Shore are vegetable and grain
Energy
Energy in the Eastern shore is provided by five oil and natural gas plants.[22]
Pipeline
Environment
As part of the broader
Because of its low-lying geography and sandy soil, the region is particularly vulnerable to sea level rise and salt water intrusion.[23] Moreover, because of the coastal geography, infrastructure is already being damaged both due to sea level rise, and storm surge from tropical storms and hurricanes.[23]
The Eastern Shore's economy depends on the larger fisheries and farming, both of which are sensitive to climate change.[23]
Transportation
Various waterways provide a medium for commerce and boaters: the Atlantic Ocean,
There are three major routes to the Eastern Shore:
- The Kent Island, site of the first English settlement on the Shore, has become a bedroom community for Washington, DC; Annapolis, and Baltimore. Kent Island is part of Queen Anne's County.
- U.S. Route 13
- Maryland Route 213
The two major highways on the Eastern Shore are U.S. Route 13 and U.S. Route 50, which meet in Salisbury.
Airports
Airports for private aircraft include:
- Bay Bridge Airport in Stevensville[26]
- Crisfield Municipal Airport in Crisfield.[28]
- Easton Airport, in Easton[29]
- Ocean City Municipal Airport in Ocean City[30]
Secession
The Eastern Shore has made several attempts to separate from Maryland. Proposals were debated in Maryland's General Assembly in 1833–1835, 1852, and 1998. There were earlier proposals visualizing a state encompassing the Delmarva Peninsula. The 1998 proposal by state Senators Richard F. Colburn and J. Lowell Stoltzfus did not specify a status for Eastern Shore's nine counties following secession, but suggested the new state's name could be "Delmarva".[31]
Sports
The
Notable people
- John Andrews, clergyman. Born in Cecil County.
- Frank "Home Run" Baker, baseball player.
- John Barth, fiction writer. Born in Cambridge, Dorchester County.
- Fannie Birckhead, community organizer and first black woman to serve as mayor on the Eastern Shore. Born in Worcester County.[32]
- Janeen L. Birckhead, military officer and adjutant general of Maryland. Born in Worcester County.[33]
- Erin Burnett, News Anchor. Born in Mardela Springs, Wicomico County.
- Gilbert Byron, "Poet of the Chesapeake".
- William Claiborne, first English settler within Maryland. Settled in Kent County.
- Frederick Douglass, abolitionist. Born in Talbot County.
- Jimmie Foxx, baseball player. Born in Sudlersville, Queen Anne's County.
- Robert Goldsborough, delegate to the Continental Congress.
- Lambert Wickes, Revolutionary War naval hero.
- Linda Hamilton, actress. Born in Salisbury, Wicomico County.
- Edward Lloyd, delegate to the Continental Congress. Born in Talbot County.
- Dale Midkiff, actor. Born in Chance, Somerset County.
- John Needles, Quaker abolitionist and a master craftsman of fine furniture.
- Bill Nicholson, baseball player.
- Frank Perdue, entrepreneur. Born in Salisbury, Wicomico County. Former CEO of Perdue Farms.
- Earl S. Richardson, 11th President of Morgan State University. Born in Westover, Somerset County.[34]
- Maggie Rogers, singer. From Easton, Talbot County.
- J. Millard Tawes, 54th Governor of Maryland. Born in Crisfield, Somerset County.
- Matthew Tilghman, delegate to the Continental Congress.
- Tench Tilghman, aide-de-camp to George Washington.
- Harriet Tubman, abolitionist, political activist, and Underground Railroad conductor.
- Harold Baines, baseball player. Born in Talbot County.
- Paul Sarbanes, former US Senator. Born in Salisbury, Wicomico County.[35]
Towns and cities
County seats:
- Denton – Caroline County
- Elkton – Cecil County
- Cambridge – Dorchester County
- Chestertown – Kent County
- Centreville – Queen Anne's County
- Princess Anne – Somerset County
- Easton – Talbot County
- Salisbury – Wicomico County
- Snow Hill – Worcester County
See also
- Battle of Kedges Strait - the last naval engagement of the American Revolution
References
- ^ a b c Maryland Department of Planning. "2020 and 2010 Census Population by Jurisdiction" (PDF). Maryland.gov. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- ^ "About Maryland's Eastern Shore". Maryland.com.
- OCLC 3198545.
- ^ Ocean City History Archived 2008-05-13 at the Wayback Machine. ococean.com. Retrieved July 1, 2008.
- ^ Assateague Island Administrative History Archived 2011-06-29 at the Wayback Machine The Becoming of the Seashore
- ^ MLB Top 100 Teams Archived 2008-06-22 at the Wayback Machine. MLB.com. Retrieved July 1, 2008.
- ^ "QuickFacts: Maryland". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- ^ "Maryland Regions". VisitMaryland. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’ Archived 2016-11-16 at the Wayback Machine; America Magazine, in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
- ^ "Maryland Election Districts Map". mdelect.net. Retrieved 4 May 2018.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Official 2022 Gubernatorial General Election Results for Governor / Lt. Governor". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
- ^ "Data Files for the 2018 Gubernatorial Election Results". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
- ^ "2014 Gubernatorial Election". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
- ^ "2010 Gubernatorial Elections". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
- ^ "2006 Gubernatorial Election". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
- ^ "2002 Gubernatorial Election". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
- ^ "1998 Gubernatorial Elections". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
- ^ "1994 Gubernatorial Elections". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
- ^ "1990 Gubernatorial Elections". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
- ^ "Our Campaigns". Retrieved February 20, 2021.
- ^ The Encyclopedia Americana: A Library of Universal Knowledge, Encyclopedia Americana Corp., 1919, p. 352, retrieved 2008-03-02
- ^ "The Future of Power Generation on the Eastern Shore". www.commonsenseeasternshore.org. 2019-03-20. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
- ^ a b c "What Climate Change Means for Maryland" (PDF). United States Environmental Protection Agency. August 2016.
- ^ Baltimore Sun - Chesapeake Bay Bridge Summary. baltimoresun.com. Retrieved July 1, 2008.
- ^ Wicomico County Tourism Transportation
- ^ Queen Anne's County Bay Bridge Airport
- ^ Dorchester County, Maryland Archived 2011-04-01 at the Wayback Machine Airport Division
- ^ Somerset County, Maryland Airport
- ^ Talbot County Government Archived 2011-04-19 at the Wayback Machine Airport Information
- ^ Town of Ocean City Archived 2011-04-02 at the Wayback Machine Official Ocean City Municipal Airport
- ^ Michael Dresser (February 11, 1998). "Saying so long to city bullies". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on January 11, 2013.
- ^ Lynch, Heather (1998-02-11). "Johnson recalled in a landside". The Daily Times. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-07-15 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Birckhead Appointed Adjutant General By Governor; Snow Hill Alumna Becomes Nation's First Black Woman To Lead State Military In Country". News Ocean City Maryland Coast Dispatch Newspaper. 2023-04-11. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
- ^ "Education Makers, Earl S. Richardson". The History Makers (www.thehistorymakers.com). Retrieved May 1, 2015.
- ^ "Paul S. Sarbanes, U.S. Senator (Maryland)". msa.maryland.gov. Archived from the original on 2 March 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2018.