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U.S. States with Shortest Maximum Distances to the Ocean

Which U.S. states are 165 miles or less from the sea at every point within the state?
Distances are approximate
Quiz by
interopia
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Last updated: August 12, 2025
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First submittedSeptember 30, 2020
Times taken20,576
Average score80.0%
Rating4.66
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miles
state
km
22
Delaware
35
25
Rhode Island
40
28
Hawaii
45
56
New Jersey
90
59
Connecticut
95
miles
state
km
75
Florida
120
103
Massachusetts
165
115
Maine
185
115
New Hampshire
185
165
Maryland
265
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20 Comments
CatcoolH
+5
Level 69
Sep 30, 2020
Could do with some more time.
zack22
+3
Level 66
Apr 28, 2021
Maybe add a caveat that the Gulf of Mexico counts as the ocean here.
Fabilur
+34
Level 63
Jul 12, 2021
What would the Gulf of Mexico otherwise be? A lake?
Dollyfroggy
+9
Level 63
Oct 30, 2024
JetPunk standard is that marginal seas are considered part of the ocean.
EnlightWolif
+1
Level 51
Oct 22, 2025
when would one not consider that?
PapaFurchetta
+4
Level 94
Aug 12, 2025
For Maryland, this counts the Chesapeake Bay as the “ocean.” I don’t think many Marylanders would think about the Bay if you tell them you’re “Goin’ downee ocean, Hon!” Excluding the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays, far western Maryland is about 242 miles from the Atlantic Ocean at Cape Henlopen, Delaware.
MasterRocket
+17
Level 83
Aug 12, 2025
It's connected to the ocean, any body of water that isn't a lake or a river is part of the wider global ocean.

Take the Mediterranean as an example, while it itself is a sea, it is part of the ocean.

IsleAuHaulte
+2
Level 92
Aug 12, 2025
For Maine now I'm curious at what point the St. Lawrence River becomes wide enough and salty enough after draining the entire Great Lakes basin to be considered ocean.

I know they have considerably high tides as the river broadens, and you can't see from one side to the other. Cool little quest detour coming up.

hwes
+2
Level 89
Aug 12, 2025
Good question. It has always been my impression that anything east of Quebec City (or Ile d'Orleans) is sea water.
IsleAuHaulte
+1
Level 92
Aug 12, 2025
I found out that at Rimouski salinity is about like the Gulf Of Maine, although not on the very surface due to runoff. And depth is over 300 meters whereas G.O.M. 100 meters is deep, with less than 200m being the maximum. I know New England commercial fishing boats used to go for the same species from home all the way well past Anticosti Island before Reagan started enforcing the Magnuson Act with his executive order to extend U.S. waters from 3 nautical miles to 12.
plattitude
+1
Level 94
Sep 9, 2025
Here's a great explanation of the transition from river to estuary to gulf. So depending on whether or not you count an Estuary as part of the ocean, it would either start at Ile d'Orleans at Quebec City, or at Pointe-des-Monts where the channel deepens and widens into a gulf.

Another argument could be made for Tadoussac/Prince Shoal Light as the point where the channel becomes the ocean. At that point the estuary reaches average sea level and becomes fully saline. The tidal upwelling of deeper sea water there results in an abundance of sea life in the area.

geographyisthebestsubject
+2
Level 66
Aug 12, 2025
Delaware represent!
Sifhraven
+2
Level 76
Aug 13, 2025
Things like shortest maximum and maximal minimum always fry my brain... the 165 miles or less in the description helped ( well, not the miles part.. ) otherwise I would have sat here for minutes trying to assure myself what the concept of the quiz is haha.
theenforcer22
+1
Level 70
Oct 22, 2025
Full marks for The Robbster.
jsmith1
+1
Level 48
Oct 22, 2025
California
sSubatonic
+1
Level 26
Oct 22, 2025
Good quiz, though I'm a little confused about what you mean by maximum distance. Could you perhaps explain it to me?
interopia
+1
Level 90
Oct 22, 2025
For each state you find the point in the state that is furthest from the sea. That is the maximum distance. Then you find the states where that distance is the shortest.
Neodymium
+1
Level 63
Oct 22, 2025
Is it possible to js say "Most Coastal US States" or "Most Ocean-Proximate US States" or "US States Least Far From the Ocean" and say the methodology in the desc? Or would thatn't work
undeadwarrior
+2
Level 66
Oct 23, 2025
I forgot Hawaii! Now that's just stupid!
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