Eastern Shore of Maryland | |
|---|---|
 The counties of the Eastern Shore ofMaryland | |
| Coordinates:38°42′N75°48′W / 38.7°N 75.8°W /38.7; -75.8 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maryland |
| Largest city | Salisbury |
| Counties | |
| Population (2020 Census)[1] | |
• Total | 456,815 |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
TheEastern Shore of Maryland is a part of the U.S. state ofMaryland that lies mostly on the east side of theChesapeake Bay. Nine counties are normally included in the region. The Eastern Shore is part of the largerDelmarva Peninsula that Maryland shares withDelaware andVirginia.
As of the 2020 census, its population was 456,815, with about 7% of Marylanders living in the region. The region is politically moreconservative than the rest of the state, generally returning more votes forRepublicans thanDemocrats 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 theblue crab; farming, especially large-scale chicken farms; and tourism, especially centered on the south Atlantic coast and beach resort ofOcean City. Because of its coastal and low-lying geography, the region is vulnerable toextreme weather events, includinghurricanes and larger environmental issues likeclimate change andrising sea levels.
The region contains a few major roads; the main connection to the other parts of Maryland is theChesapeake Bay Bridge, which carriesU.S. Route 50 andU.S. Route 301.U.S. Route 13 connects the southern part of the Eastern Shore to both Delaware and points north andVirginia and points south.
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The Eastern Shore of Maryland comprisesCaroline,Cecil,Dorchester,Kent,Queen Anne's,Somerset,Talbot,Wicomico, andWorcester counties.[2] These lie on the eastern side of theChesapeake Bay andSusquehanna River, which is the western border of Cecil County withHarford County. The region borders theMason–Dixon line withDelaware to the east and north, theAtlantic Ocean on the east, andVirginia's Eastern Shore on the south. Maryland's and Virginia's Eastern Shores, along with most of Delaware, form theDelmarva Peninsula.
The location of the southern border with Virginia was a cause for significant dispute amongst colonists prior to 1668, whenPhillip Calvert of Maryland andEdmund Scarborough of Virginia demarcated the Calvert-Scarborough Line. This line ran northeast from Watkins Point in the Chesapeake through theJames L. Horsey Farm and beyond to the Atlantic, but was ultimately never observed due to poor marking. The line in use today was established under the Award of 1877; this line travels east from Watkins Point, then up the middle of the Pocomoke River before heading due east along the Calvert-Scarborough Line at the point where it intersects the river.[3]
LikeNew Castle County, Delaware, Cecil County is crossed by theFall Line, a geologic division where the rockier highlands of thePiedmont region meet theAtlantic coastal plain, a flat, sandy area that forms the coast. The coastal plain includes theDelmarva Peninsula and hence 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.
TheChesapeake and Delaware Canal crosses from Back Creek on the Elk River toPort Penn, Delaware. 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 considered the Eastern Shore by residents. The termWestern Shore is used by Eastern Shore residents to describe all the counties of Maryland west of the Chesapeake Bay, but especially those of the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area andSouthern Maryland.
The north–south section of theMason–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.
William Claiborne was granted land that was then part of theColony of Virginia in 1629. He named it "Kent County". In 1631, he sailed north up theChesapeake Bay from its south and west side to the area known today asKent Island. There he made a fortified settlement that is considered to be the first English settlement within theProvince of Maryland.Talbot County was formed in 1662.Cecil County was formed in 1674, by proclamation of the Governor, from eastern portions ofBaltimore County and the northern portion of Kent County.Wicomico County was formed in 1867, as the 9th and last county, created from Somerset and Worcester counties.
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Ocean City was founded on July 4, 1875,[4] when the Atlantic Hotel opened onAssateague 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 untila 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 builtjetties to make the inlet permanent, dividingFenwick 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,Norfolk, Virginia, by way of a railroad line straight south fromWilmington toDover,Delmar,Salisbury, andCape Charles. Maryland's Eastern Shore was served by branch lines running generally southwest from the main route. SeeList of railroad lines in the Delmarva Peninsula. The Eastern Shore's many branchlines were built after theCivil War by local companies; by the late nineteenth century, all were controlled by thePennsylvania Railroad (which also bought control of the steamboat and ferry routes), thenConrail andNorfolk Southern. Today the remaining active railroad tracks on the Eastern Shore are operated by short-line railroadsDelmarva Central Railroad and theMaryland and Delaware Railroad.
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 withPhiladelphia was conducted by overland routes to Delaware towns such asOdessa (then called Cantwell's Bridge) andSmyrna, then called Duck Creek. Agricultural products and milled grain were taken up theDelaware River by "shallop men" in small vessels calledshallops. These cultural connections continue to this day.
An east–west rail route ran from a ferry terminal atClaiborne, west ofSt. Michaels, to Ocean City, via theBaltimore and Eastern Shore Railroad and theWicomico and Pocomoke Railroad. Travelers could also take a ferry toLove Point on Kent Island, board aQueen Anne's Railroad train, and travel east toLewes andRehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Automobile transportation across the Chesapeake Bay was by ferryboat until 1952, when the firstChesapeake 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 theAssateague Island National Seashore andAssateague State Park to preserve this area rather than have it be developed.
AnEastern Shore Baseball League operated during three periods between 1922 and 1949.[6] It was a Class D minor league with teams in all three states of Delmarva.
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 isSalisbury, and the most populous county isCecil.[8][1]
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 from1994 to2018 –Ellen Sauerbrey,Bob Ehrlich, andLarry Hogan– swept all nine counties. This streak ended in2022 when DemocratWes Moore wonKent andTalbot counties, though RepublicanDan 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 wasBill Clinton from Arkansas in1996. Cecil County has not gone Democratic sinceJimmy Carter from Georgia won the county in1976. Queen Anne's, Caroline, Wicomico, and Worcester counties have voted Republican at every election subsequent toLyndon Johnson's landslide. Up until 2020, this was true for Talbot County as well, but it was won byJoe Biden.[9]
The Eastern Shore has long been a part ofMaryland's 1st Congressional district.[10] DemocratRoy Dyson represented the 1st district from 1981 until 1990, when he was defeated by RepublicanWayne Gilchrest. Gilchrest held the seat until 2008, when State SenatorAndy Harris defeated him in the Republican primary. Harris narrowly lost the subsequent general election to DemocratFrank Kratovil, Queen Anne's County state's attorney. In 2010, Harris again ran for the district and handily defeated Kratovil after a single term in office. Harris has held the seat without serious difficulty since.
In theMaryland 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 | – |
Ocean City's skyline, containing tall hotels and condominiums, stands out withinDelmarva. At the southern end of the town, a recreationalboardwalk spans over thirty blocks, containing carnival rides and games, restaurants, bars, arcades, and clothing boutiques.
Tourists visitSt. Michaels on a neck surrounded by water; the colonial former port ofOxford;Chestertown; and isolatedSmith Island in the Chesapeake Bay. North of Crisfield isJanes Island State Park, with camping and kayaking trails through marshlands.Cambridge continues to be a popular destination for tourism because of theBlackwater National Wildlife Refuge, the Hyatt Chesapeake Bay Resort, Spa & Marina, and the Harriet Tubman National Park.
At the southern end of the Chesapeake coast of Maryland, the town ofCrisfield is home to a fishing, crabbing, and seafood processing industry.
In the 21st century, the main economic activities on the Eastern Shore are vegetable and grainfarming,seafood, large-scale chicken breeding (Perdue Farms was founded inSalisbury and is still headquartered there today), andtourism.Tobacco was the chief commodity crop during colonial times. The agricultural economy switched to mixed products, including grain, in the second half of the 18th century.[21][unreliable source?]
Energy in the Eastern shore is provided by five oil and natural gas plants.[22]
As part of the broaderChesapeake Bay watershed, the Eastern Shore confronts common environmental issues of the watershed, such as nutrient runoff from agriculture, but it is alsovulnerable to climate change.
Because of its low-lying geography and sandy soil, the region is particularly vulnerable tosea level rise andsalt water intrusion.[23] Moreover, because of the coastal geography, infrastructure is already being damaged both due to sea level rise, andstorm 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]
Various waterways provide a medium for commerce and boaters: the Atlantic Ocean,Chesapeake Bay, theSusquehanna River, and theChesapeake and Delaware Canal.
There are three major routes to the Eastern Shore:
The two major highways on the Eastern Shore areU.S. Route 13 andU.S. Route 50, which meet inSalisbury.
Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Regional Airport, in Salisbury,[25] is the only commercial airport on theDelmarva Peninsula.
Airports for private aircraft include:
The Eastern Shore has made several attempts to separate from Maryland. Proposals were debated inMaryland's General Assembly in 1833–1835, 1852, and 1998. There were earlier proposals visualizing a state encompassing theDelmarva Peninsula. The 1998 proposal by state SenatorsRichard F. Colburn andJ. 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]
TheDelmarva Shorebirds are a minor league baseball team who playClass Abaseball in theCarolina League atArthur W. Perdue Stadium inSalisbury, affiliated with theBaltimore Orioles.
County seats:
