Gibson Island, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
. It is part of Anne Arundel County
Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Anne Arundel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is named for Anne Arundell , a member of the ancient family of Arundells in Cornwall, England and the wife of Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Its county seat is Annapolis, which is also the capital of the state...
and is the eastern terminus of Maryland Route 177
Maryland Route 177
Maryland Route 177 is a state route in Anne Arundel County, beginning at MD 2 in Pasadena and ending at Gibson Island. It is named 'Mountain Road' for its entire length.-Route description:...
. It is connected by a causeway
Causeway
In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
to Pasadena
Pasadena, Maryland
Pasadena is a census-designated place in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 12,093 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Pasadena is located at ....
, of which it is sometimes considered a part. The two locations do not share a ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
.
Gibson Island’s rich and colorful history includes its use as a summer residence by Native Americans in the 17th century. Captain John Smith
John Smith of Jamestown
Captain John Smith Admiral of New England was an English soldier, explorer, and author. He was knighted for his services to Sigismund Bathory, Prince of Transylvania and friend Mózes Székely...
sailed past it in his voyage up the Chesapeake Bay in 1608. By 1663, the first land had been granted. There were many owners between these original grants and the purchase and consolidation of the island in the 1920s. W. Stuart Symington, the founder of Gibson Island as it is known, bought the three existing island farms with his brother Thomas. They envisioned and developed it as a residential community where families from the Baltimore/Washington area could spend summers. One of the early owners was a man named Gibson, after whom the island is named.
The Symington brothers set certain areas aside for community facilities and divided the remaining land into building lots offered for sale through the Gibson Island Company, now known as Gibson Island Corporation. From that time to the present, Gibson Island has had its own real estate department specifically handling the listing and selling of island properties. Revenue generated from these sales is returned to the community for its upkeep and beautification.
The Symingtons, upon the advice of Edward H. Bouton, the developer of Roland Park and Guilford
Guilford, Baltimore
Guilford is a neighborhood located in the northern part of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is bounded roughly by Coldspring Lane on the north, York Road/Greenmount Avenue on the east, convergence of St. Paul Street and Greenway Street at University Parkway on the south, and Charles Street...
neighborhoods in Baltimore, hired Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.
Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.
Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. was an American landscape architect best known for his wildlife conservation efforts. He had a lifetime commitment to national parks, and worked on projects in Acadia, the Everglades and Yosemite National Park. Olmsted Point in Yosemite and Olmsted Island at Great Falls...
to create a master plan for the island. One of the premier landscape architects of his time, he designed many landmarks across the country, including the National Mall
National Mall
The National Mall is an open-area national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The National Mall is a unit of the National Park Service , and is administered by the National Mall and Memorial Parks unit...
, Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park is a large urban natural area with public park facilities that bisects Washington, D.C. The park is administered by the National Park Service.-Rock Creek Park:The main section of the park contains , or , along the Rock Creek Valley...
and the Jefferson Memorial
Jefferson Memorial
The Thomas Jefferson Memorial is a presidential memorial in Washington, D.C. that is dedicated to Thomas Jefferson, an American Founding Father and the third President of the United States....
. In 1925, the first deed and agreement was adopted and recorded. This provides Gibson Island Corporation with architectural oversight, helping to maintain the beauty and tranquility of the island over the years.
The Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
halted rapid development of the island. In 1936, a group of men deeply interested in the future of the island reorganized its ownership, passing control to its homeowners, thus allowing those with the greatest interest to preserve the island’s ambiance. Succeeding generations have carefully maintained the island's natural environment, with about two-thirds of its land set aside for recreation, forestry and open space.
Today, home prices on the island start at $US 1 million-plus, with the median home price being $3,031,923 (according to Altos Research). This makes Gibson Island the 12th most expensive zip code in the country, just ahead of Snowmass, Colorado
Snowmass, Colorado
Snowmass is an unincorporated town and a U.S. Post Office located in Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. It is situated in the valley of the Roaring Fork River, near the mouth of Snowmass Creek along State Highway 82 between Aspen and Basalt...
, and just behind Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
. Gibson island is a gated community
Gated community
In its modern form, a gated community is a form of residential community or housing estate containing strictly-controlled entrances for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, and often characterized by a closed perimeter of walls and fences. Gated communities usually consist of small residential...
, limiting access to the island and its facilities to residents or those with a formal reason for visiting.