Maury Island

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Detailed map of Vashon-Maury Island, Washington

Maury Island is a small island in Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is connected to Vashon Island by an isthmus built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Prior to construction of the isthmus, the island was connected to Vashon only during low tide. The island is rural with large areas of excellent farmland, forest, and relatively undeveloped shoreline. Currently, South Maury Island environmental issues are under considerable scrutiny.

Maury Island was named in honor of William Lewis Maury during the Wilkes Expedition. It was the site of the Maury Island Incident, an unusual case of an alleged encounter with a UFO.

The actor John Ratzenberger once lived on Maury Island.

Maury and Vashon Islands are home to the Vashon-Maury Island Community Council. In the 1940s, Vashon had a chamber of commerce which acted more like a community council than a traditional chamber. By the 1950s, the precursor to today's community council was organized and called itself the "Civic Assembly." Today, the Community Council is charged with working to preserve the rural nature of Vashon and Maury Islands.