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The Eastern Shore of Maryland is composed of the state's nine counties east of the Chesapeake Bay . The counties are Caroline County , Cecil County , Dorchester County , Kent County , Queen Anne's County , Somerset County , Talbot County , Wicomico County , Worcester County . Although the Eastern Shore comprises more than a third of Maryland's land area, it only has a population of 420,792 (2004 census estimate), about 8% of Maryland's population. The main economic activities on the Eastern Shore are Farming , Seafood , and services related to Tourism . Ocean City is an oft-visited resort destination on the Eastern Shore. The Eastern Shore has always been a distinctive region, and has often 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. Early proposals encompassed a state of the entire Delmarva Peninsula . The proposal in 1999 by State Senators Richard Colburn and J. Lowell Stoltzfus did not specify the status of the nine counties of the Eastern Shore after secession. Transportation across Chesapeake Bay was by ferries until 1952 , when the first William Preston Lane, Jr. Memorial Bridge was opened for traffic. The Bridge spans 4.35 miles of the Chesapeake Bay and is the longest continuous over-water steel structure. A second span was added in 1973 and a third is in the planning stages. 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 . An Eastern Shore Baseball League operated on three different occasions between the 1920s and 1950. It was a Class D minor league with teams in all three states of Delmarva. SEE ALSO REFERENCES |
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