Today, prices vary greatly on the island and on the adjacent mainland, also called Neale Sound. Most of the estimated 250 houses on Cobb Island were built on lots 25 feet wide and 150 feet long, though over the years some people have built on two adjoining lots. Of course, the price depends on whether the property is on the waterfront, and also on the condition and size of the house, both of which vary greatly, too. The island, once populated mostly by local, longtime residents, has become popular with people who move from Montgomery County and Northern Virginia, White said. Boaters who work in the metropolitan area are attracted to the island because it is a 90-minute drive from Washington, she said.
Houses stay in families for generations, though there always seem to be a few on the market.
The first recorded history of Cobb Island shows that in 1642, it was owned by James Neale, a ship captain whose speciality was capturing Spanish treasure ships in the West Indies. Confiscated Spanish dollars were cut into cobbs, coins used by the colonists, thus giving the island its name. In 1889 George Vickers built the island s first permanent home and began farming. A historic marker on the island also commemorates the first transmission using electronic magnetic waves, which occurred on Cobb Island in 1900. By 1922 roads were built and a development was started.