| Smith Island, Maryland | |
|---|---|
| — CDP — | |
| Nickname(s): the island | |
| Motto: when the pottin' get tough the bay gets tougher | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maryland |
| County | Somerset |
| Area | |
| • Total | 9.2 sq mi (23.8 km2) |
| • Land | 4.5 sq mi (11.5 km2) |
| • Water | 4.7 sq mi (12.2 km2) |
| Elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 364 |
| • Density | 81.7/sq mi (31.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| FIPS code | 24-72887 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1852600 |
Smith Island is a census-designated place (CDP) in Somerset County, Maryland, United States. It is included in the Salisbury, Maryland Metropolitan Statistical Area.
In the last 150 years, Smith Island has lost over 3,300 acres (13 km2) of wetlands due to erosion into the Chesapeake Bay. To prevent the island from being lost to erosion, restoration efforts will be ongoing for the next 50 years to restore 1,900 acres (8 km2) of submerged aquatic vegetation and 240 acres (1.0 km2) of wetlands.[1]
People traveling to Smith Island can only access it by boat. Passenger-only ferries connect Smith Island at Ewell to Solomons, Maryland, to the west, and Crisfield, Maryland, to the east. Tourists arriving by ferry can sleep in a guest house and enjoy seafood meals. Visitors are also charmed by the islanders' hardy fishing livelihood and devotion to the Methodist church. One visitor, the author William Least Heat-Moon, described his conversations with islanders in his best-selling book Blue Highways.
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Smith Island is located at (37.968632, -76.022849)[2].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 9.2 square miles (24 km2), of which, 4.4 square miles (11 km2) of it is land and 4.7 square miles (12 km2) of it (51.42%) is water.
The Island (actually there are several islands) are predominantly low, salt marsh with an elevation of less than four feet. There are three communities: Ewell and Rhodes Point - connected by a 1.5 mile single lane road - and Tylerton, accessible only by boat. As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 364 people, 167 households, and 112 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 81.7 people per square mile (31.6/km²). There were 256 housing units at an average density of 57.5/sq mi (22.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 98.08% White, 0.82% African American, 0.27% Native American, and 0.82% from two or more races.
There were 167 households out of which 19.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.5% were married couples living together, 4.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.69.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 14.6% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 34.6% from 45 to 64, and 23.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $26,324, and the median income for a family was $29,375. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $28,750 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $23,996. About 14.4% of families and 22.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.9% of those under age 18 and 67.9% of those age 65 or over.
British settlers arrived on the island in the 17th century, arriving from Cornwall and Wales via Virginia.[4]
The most notable feature of the island is the local dialect which is like the dialect of the West Country of England. The dialect contains some relict features indicative of its origins but is not, as is often claimed, a surviving pocket of Shakespearean-era English.[5] This dialect is like the Ocracoke Brogue,[6] sometimes referred to as the Outer Banks Brogue.[7][8]
Smith Island has its own region-specific traditional cuisine. The most famous dish is a locally produced cake featuring 8 to 15 thin layers[9] filled with creme, frosting and/or crushed candy bars. The cake is iced with a cooked chocolate icing. The cake is often made using a commercial cake mix but with unique additions such as condensed milk. It can also be made from scratch using flour.[10] The most common flavor is yellow cake with chocolate icing but other flavors such as coconut, fig, strawberry, lemon, and orange are also common. Known simply as the Smith Island Cake, the dessert is baked for any occasion and not reserved only for holidays.[11] The cake is also baked as the feature prize for a local fundraising tradition called a cake walk which is a game played like musical chairs where donated cakes serve as the prize. Great attention is paid to the perfection of the pencil-thin layers that form the distinctive cake[12]. Before each round, the prize cake at stake is cut in half and shown to the players who pay to participate in the game. A poorly stacked cake may not attract many players and as a result, not raise as much money as a more perfectly executed cake.[13]
On April 24, 2008, Smith Island cake was designated as the official dessert of the state of Maryland.[14]
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