The Eastern Shore of Maryland is composed of the state's nine counties east of the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay is the largest Estuary in the United States. They are Caroline County, Cecil County, Dorchester County, Kent County, Queen Anne's County, Somerset County, Talbot County, Wicomico County, Worcester County. Caroline County is a wholly rural County located in the US state of Maryland on its Eastern Shore. Cecil County is a County located in the US state of Maryland. Dorchester County is a County located in the US state of Maryland on its Eastern Shore. Kent County is a County located in the US state of Maryland, on its Eastern Shore. Queen Anne's County is a County located on the Eastern Shore of the U Somerset County is the southernmost County in the US state of Maryland, located on the state's Eastern Shore. Talbot County is a County located in the US state of Maryland. Wicomico County is located in the southeastern part of the US Worcester County (pronounced as "Wis-ter" "Wuss-ster" or "Wuhr-shter" is the easternmost County located in the U

Caroline County has no Bay shoreline. Only Worcester County has seashore, consisting of coastal bays and marshes behind two barrier islands. The number of barrier islands on the Maryland seacoast and the location of inlets has varied over the years.

Contents 1 North and South Boundaries 2 Travel and Commerce 3 Area and Population 4 Tourism 5 Regional Characteristics 6 Sports and the Eastern Shore 7 Eastern Shore Development, Preservation and Ecology 8 Political Environment 9 Towns and Cities 10 See also 11 Notes 12 External links

North and South Boundaries

On the south, the Calvert-Scarborough Line separates the Eastern Shore of Maryland from that of Virginia. A modern Worcester County highway map (PDF) shows its location. While not exactly where it was laid down in the 1600-1700s, it has moved little once everyone could agree on where Watkins Point, on the western side of the peninsula, is and where the shore of the Bay began (since the bay side peters out into marshes and wetlands).

In 1668, Philip obtained recognition from Virginia of Maryland's claims to what is now Somerset County and actually participated in the survey of the dividing line between the two colonies with the Surveyor General of Virginia, Edmund Scarborough. At about the same time, he negotiated treaties with Lower Eastern Shore Indian tribes who were harassing English settlers. The terms of these treaties established rules of behavior in Indian-English relations that applied to whites as well as Indians, and on the whole, kept peace in the area thereafter. ^[1]

The northern limit is harder to place.

Some dispute Cecil County as a true Shore county, however, because of the presence of I-95 and related development, proximity to and influence from nearby urban areas such as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Wilmington, Delaware, and the state of New Jersey, as well as its position straddling the Elk River - leaving half geographically west of the Shore, if the Elk River is taken as its northern edge. Interstate 95 in Maryland is a major highway that runs diagonally from northeast to southwest from Maryland's border with Delaware, to the Woodrow Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. The Elk River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the Delmarva Peninsula.

Land and water both figure in the argument about whether Cecil County is part of the Eastern Shore, and so do man-made features.

Why isn't western Cecil Co. connected to Harford County? Cecil County is separated from Harford Co. Harford County is a County in the US state of Maryland. In 2004 its Population was estimated to be 233340 and the western part of Maryland by the Susquehanna River. The Chesapeake Bay is the drowned valley of the Susquehanna. Some might consider everything east of the Susquehanna to be part of the Eastern Shore.

Like New Castle County Delaware, Cecil County is crossed by the fall line, a geologic division where the rockier highlands of the Piedmont region becomes the coastal plain, a flat, sandy area that forms the coast. In Geomorphology, a fall line (at times referred to as a fall zone) marks the area where an upland region (continental Bedrock) and a Coastal plain Piedmont is a plateau region located in the eastern United States between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching The Atlantic Coastal Plain is the flat stretch of land that borders the Atlantic Ocean (including the Gulf of Mexico) The coastal plain includes the Delmarva Peninsula and that includes the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The geology of Delmarva is an inseparable part of the Eastern Shore, which has few rocky outcrops south of Kent County, Md.

The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal crosses from Back Creek on the Elk River to Port Penn, Del. While it was a shallow canal with locks after its construction in 1829, it was deepened in the early 20th century to sea level, and physically separates the Delmarva Peninsula from the rest of the United States. Maryland, south of the canal, is usually considered the Eastern Shore by residents. (There is no capitalized "western shore" region in Maryland).

The north-south section of the Mason-Dixon Line forms the border between Maryland and Delaware. Like the canal, it's a manmade construct, 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 and is completely artificial.

It was surveyed as a compromise solution to a century-long wrangle between the Penn and Calvert families of England. If the Chesapeake Bay/Delaware Bay watershed was taken as the borderline, Delaware would be about half its current size.

Finally, although this has received less attention than other parts of Eastern Shore culture, 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 like 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. A pleasure barge is a flat bottomed slow moving Boat used for Leisure. These cultural connections continue to this day.

Travel and Commerce

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, Norfolk, Va. by way of a railroad line straight south from Wilmington, to Dover, Salisbury, and Cape Charles, Va. Maryland's Eastern Shore was served by branch lines running generally southwest from the main route. See Delmarva Railroad Lines. This is a list of all Freight railroad (not Streetcar or Rapid transit) lines that have been built in the Delmarva Peninsula south of the Philadelphia The Eastern Shore's many branchlines were built after the Civil War by local companies; eventually all were controlled by the Pennsylvania Railroad (which also bought control of the steamboat and ferry routes); then Conrail; and now Norfolk Southern.

A west-east 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, Del. The Queen Anne’s Railroad was a Railroad that ran from Love Point, Maryland to Lewes, Delaware and was connected to Baltimore

Area and Population

Although the Eastern Shore comprises more than a third of Maryland's land area, it has a population of only 420,792 (2004 census estimate), about 8% of Maryland's population.

The main economic activities on the Eastern Shore are vegetable and grain farming, seafood, large-scale chicken breeding (Perdue Farms was founded in Salisbury, Maryland and is headquartered there today), and tourism. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture Seafood is any Sea Animal or Seaweed that is served as Food, or is suitable for eating particularly saltwater animals such Perdue Farms is a major chicken processing company based in Salisbury Maryland, United States. Salisbury (ˈsælzbəri or /sɔːɫzbəɹi/ is the County seat of Wicomico County Maryland. Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel Tobacco was grown during Colonial times but no longer. The farm economy switched to grain in the second quarter of the 1700s. ^[2]

Tourism

Ocean City is a modern resort on what was once called the "seaside" or "seaboard side". Ocean City, sometimes known as OC, is an Atlantic Ocean Resort town in Worcester County, Maryland It is on a long north-south sandspit that is essentially a barrier island. ^[3]

Ocean City has long been popular with Baltimoreans, thus rendering the flavor of Ocean City life unlike that of the rest of the Shore. The skyline, featuring many tall hotels and condominiums, is also a stark contrast to the rest of Delmarva. The Delmarva Peninsula is a large Peninsula on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by portions of three U

Ocean City was founded July 4, 1875 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. Early transportation to the island was by train.

There was no Ocean City Inlet 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. The inlet divides Fenwick's Is. (north) from Assateague Is. (south).

In the early 1960s developers began selling lots on Assateague Island, south of the inlet. However, a hurricane in the middle fof the decade wiped houses, shacks and roads off. The state and federal governments intervened and created the Assateague Island National Seashore and Assateague State Park. Assateague Island National Seashore is a unit of the National Park Service occupying much of Assateague Island Assateague State Park is a public beach and state park of Maryland that lies at the northern end of Assateague Island.

Other picturesque tourist destinations include the town of St. Michael's on a neck surrounded by water; Colonial Chestertown; and isolated Smith Island in the Chesapeake Bay. Chestertown is a town in Kent County, Maryland, United States. Smith Island is a Census-designated place (CDP in Somerset County, Maryland, United States.

Automobile transportation across the Chesapeake Bay was by ferryboat until 1952, when the first Chesapeake Bay Bridge was opened for traffic. Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge (commonly known as the Bay Bridge) is a major dual-span Bridge in the U The bridge spans 4. 35 miles (7. 00 km) of the Chesapeake Bay and is the longest continuous over-water steel structure. The Chesapeake Bay is the largest Estuary in the United States. A second parallel span was added in 1973 and a third has been discussed, most recently in 2006. A third span would not open, according to state officials, until about 2025.

The bridges made Kent Island, site of the first Englsh settlement on the Shore, into a bedroom community for Washington, Annapolis and Baltimore. Kent Island is part of Queen Anne's County. The county is included in the Washington-Baltimore SMSA.

Regional Characteristics

The Eastern Shore has always been a distinctive region, and has several times attempted to split off from the state of Maryland. Proposals have been debated in the Maryland General Assembly in 1833-1835, 1852 and recently in 1999 for the Eastern Shore becoming its own state. The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U Early proposals encompassed a state of the entire Delmarva Peninsula. The Delmarva Peninsula is a large Peninsula on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by portions of three U The proposal in 1999 by state Senators Richard F. Colburn and J. Lowell Stoltzfus did not specify the status of the nine counties of the Eastern Shore after secession. Richard F Colburn (born February 9, 1950) is a Republican State Senator for District 37 in Maryland J Lowell Stoltzfus (born July 15, 1949) is a Republican Senator former Minority Leader, representing Maryland 's 38th Legislative

The advent of easy transportation and tourism to the Eastern Shore did much to erode its distinctive culture and its many accents that date to the 17th and 18th centuries, but which persist in remote places like Smith Island. Southern accents are still sometimes found in this part of Maryland, usually in the Southern Eastern Shore near Salisbury, and also near Cambridge. Salisbury (ˈsɒlzbri ˈsɔːlzbri ('Solzbry' or ˈzɔːwzbri ('Zawzbry' — moving from RP to local dialect) is a cathedral city in the Cambridge is a city in Dorchester County, Maryland, United States. The other areas of Maryland where southern accents can be found are in Southern Maryland on the Western Shore, especially in St. Mary's County and in Charles County near Hughesville, Nanjemoy, Newburg, and by some of the residents of Waldorf. Southern Maryland in popular usage is composed of the state's southernmost counties on the "Western Shore" of the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland's Western Shore, not to be confused with Western Maryland, is an area of Maryland west of the Chesapeake Bay. Saint Mary's County (often abbreviated as St Mary's County) is a County located in the U Charles County is a County in the south central portion of the U Hughesville is the name of several places in the United States: Hughesville Maryland Hughesville Missouri Nanjemoy is a large rural area in Charles County, Maryland, United States more or less bounded by the Nanjemoy Creek and the Potomac River

Sports and the Eastern Shore

An Eastern Shore Baseball League operated on three different occasions between the 1922 and 1949. The Eastern Shore Baseball League was a Class D Minor league baseball league that operated on the Delmarva Peninsula for parts of three different decades It was a Class D minor league with teams in all three states of Delmarva.

Duck and goose hunting from raised platforms ("blinds") is popular, and carved wooden duck decoys are prized as works of art.

Eastern Shore Development, Preservation and Ecology

The population of fish and other marine life is threatened by pollution and development, most of which originates elsewhere.

"Delmarva Bays" are upland kettleholes or circular wetlands, ranging from large to small, of uncertain origin. See

Political Environment

Though seven of the nine counties have a majority of Democratic-registered voters, most elected officials are Republican. The entire Eastern Shore is in Maryland's 1st Congressional district. The First Congressional District of Maryland elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives every two years

Nine-term Republican Congressman Wayne T. Gilchrest was defeated for his party's nomination in February 2008. Wayne Thomas Gilchrest (born April 15 1946 is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives representing since 1991 The 2008 race for Congress will be between state Senator Andy Harris and Queen Anne's County district attorney Frank Kratovil. Andrew P Harris (born January 25, 1957) is an American Physician and Politician who currently serves in the Senate The 2008 congressional elections in Maryland will be held on November 4, 2008 to determine who will represent the state of Maryland in the

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

• Maryland's western shore
• Eastern Shore of Virginia
• Delmarva Peninsula
• Eastern Shore Baseball League
• WBOC-TV
• Salisbury University

Notes

External links

• Delmarva Bays, Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources

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