Smith Island: Maryland's Only Remaining Inhabitated Offshore Island Group

Read about my summer weekend on Smith Island in the Chesapeake Bay. Life slows down here.

Smith Island: Maryland’s Only Remaining Inhabited Offshore Island Group | Smith Island is Maryland’s only inhabited island with no bridge connection to the mainland. It’s an archipelago, with a population of about 180 spread across three tight-knit communities: Ewell, Rhodes Point and Tylerton.

9/25/25 update: High-speed internet and 5G cell service arrives on Smith Island, thanks to a Biden-era federal grant. (And the island population is up to 212.) Read about it in this Washington Post article.