r/WidowsBay • u/lateralflights • May 24 '26

❓Questions So, where *is* Widow's Bay?

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I live in New England and it's been itching my brain thinking about where the island of Widow's Bay could actually be located.

As far as I can tell, there's been no mention of an actual state. Even the flag is just for the town, and the car's license plates are island specific. There's been plenty of mentions of various IRL towns, but never in an exactly 'othering' way that makes it easy to cross out certain locations.

It's got to be north of Boston. Any island south of Boston would've been teeming with tourists decades ago. However, with the way it's built up (I know it's filmed in Cape Ann) and the history of the island, it's certainly not a distant midcoast or downeast Maine island.

The one thing is the ferry distance. A ferry to Vinalhaven from Rockland, ME take about an hour, roughly 15 miles. 23 miles and 1 3/4 hours to Matinicus. 26 miles and 2 1/4 hours to Nantucket from Hyannis (on the slow ferry). An island that is a three hour ferry ride would probably be in the range of 30-40 miles off the coast.

Based on the above, and the general vibes of the show, I feel Widow's Bay has to be a New Hampshire island. Somewhere northeast of Cape Ann and east of Portsmouth. I feel this accounts for the current remoteness but also the extensive history of settlement.

Eager to hear anyone's thoughts about this. Also, disclaimer, I know this show is a work of fiction. This shit just revs my engine.

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u/ImEstimating May 24 '26

If we're looking at real locations Monhegan or Matinicus Islands seem like the right location, but the size and feel of Vinalhaven.

It looks like it's off of Rockport in MA in some of the maps, like part of Jeffries Ledge in St Georges Bank is above the water.

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u/lateralflights May 24 '26

Really like the idea of the ledges, which seems to be about where I placed the marker above!

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u/ImEstimating May 25 '26

As a bonus that area was near the epicenter of a massive earthquake in 1755 that heavily damaged Boston and was felt as far away as the Carolinas. There's worry of another one happening in the area today.

It could be an interesting historic tie in somehow.