Assawoman Bay (), once called Assawoman Sound, is a lagoon that is located between

Ocean City, Maryland Ocean City, officially the Town of Ocean City, is an Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic resort city in Worcester County, Maryland, Worcester County, Maryland, along the East Coast of the United States. The population was 6,844 at the 2020 United States c ...

and mainland

Delmarva The Delmarva Peninsula, or simply Delmarva, is a peninsula on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by the majority of the state of Delaware and parts of the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Eastern Shore of Virginia. The peninsula is l ...

. The bay is located on the northern end of the city, and the bay on the southern end is called the

Isle of Wight Bay Isle of Wight Bay is a lagoon that separates part of mainland Worcester County, Maryland Worcester County is the easternmost county of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 52,460. Its county seat is Snow Hi ...

. The name "Assawoman Bay" comes from the Algonquian meaning "midway fishing stream". Another bay called Little Assawoman Bay extends into southern Delaware, and is geologically separated from the main estuaries, by a narrow strait locally referred to as "The Ditch" which crosses the

Transpeninsular Line The Transpeninsular Line (at approximately 38°27′ N) is a surveyed line, the eastern half of which forms the north–south border between Delaware and Maryland. The border turns roughly north from the midpoint of the line towards the Twelve-M ...

. The larger bay is sometimes called "Big Assawoman Bay", to distinguish it from the smaller bay, though this is often meant to be a

tongue-in-cheek Tongue-in-cheek is an idiom that describes a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walte ...

rendering of the name. The health of the bay is impacted by urban development of the surrounding watershed, in Delaware and Ocean City. The bay is known for its recreational activities, notably for anglers.

References

External links

Assawoman Bay watershed profile
delawarewatersheds.org Bays of Delaware Bays of Maryland Bodies of water in Sussex County, Delaware Bodies of water of Worcester County, Maryland Lagoons of the United States {{WorcesterCountyMD-geo-stub