Tangier, Virginia

Tangier, Virginia
Town
Water tower in the heart of town
Location of Tangier, Virginia
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	Accomack
Area
• Total	0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2)
• Land	0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	3 ft (1 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	604
• Density	2,448.2/sq mi (945.2/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	23440
Area code	757
FIPS code	51-77520Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	1500206Template:GR

Tangier is a town in Accomack County, Virginia, United States, on Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay. The population was 604 at the 2000 census. The tiny island community has attracted the attention of linguists because its people speak a unique English Restoration era dialect of American English. Each of the original surnames and several of the present surnames on the island originated in the United Kingdom, predominantly from Scotland.

History

Prior to the arrival of the American colonists to Tangier, it was a summer retreat to native Americans for centuries. Although not much is known about these people, their existence is evidenced by the thousands of stone arrow heads that have been found all over the island. Almost any morning after gale force winds have been blowing all night, new arrow heads can be found on the beach, uncovered by the blowing away of sand. The discovery of an ancient oyster midden offshore, thousands of years old, consisting of a huge pile of shells which could only have been deposited by humans, is further evidence that there was a regular population on Tangier, at least in the warm part of the year, long before it had an English name and long before John Smith or John Crocket set foot on it. The enormous amounts of arrow heads and spear points found here suggest the island was probably a lot larger than recorded history can verify and home to many more species of animals.

The first known explorer of the island was John Smith. He named Tangier and the surrounding islands the "Russel Isles" after the doctor on board his ship.

In 1670, Ambrose White received a patent for 400 acres (1.6 km²) called an Island in the Chesapeake Bay. The next year White assigned his patent to Charles and John West. In 1673 William Walton was granted 400 acres (1.6 km²) on the western island which was formerly patented by White. There is a similar entry in the patent book three years later but Scarburgh and West were the recipients instead of Walton and in 1678 a formal patent was issued to both of them. Charles Scarburgh (often now spelled Scarborough) left his interest to his wife Elizabeth in 1702 and John West’s interest went to his eldest son a year later. In 1713, two patents were granted to Elizabeth Scarburgh and Anthony West for Tangier Islands. One was for 900 acres (3.6 km²) which included the original 400 acres (1.6 km²) and 500 acres (2 km²) more found within its bounds. The other grant was for 170 acres (0.7 km²) of new land south of Tangier called “Sandy Beach Island” which was probably the hook shaped part that is now attached to the main of the island. This was the first time Tangier Islands was named in the records. Although Elizabeth Scarburgh left her interest to her daughters, the title went to her oldest son, Bennett. It then passed to Henry Scarburgh and then to a Charles Scarburgh. In 1762, Charles Scarburgh confirmed an undeeded sale of his half to Colonel Thomas Hall. The next year Hall sold this to William Andrews as 475 acres (1.9 km²).

John Crockett settled the island in 1686. Many of the inhabitants still have the surname Crockett. Pruitt, Thomas, Marshall, Charnock, Dise, and Parks are other common surnames on the island. The population of Tangier was 79 in the 1800 census. By 1900 there were 1064 inhabitants.

The British used the island as a staging area during the War of 1812; there were as many as 1200 British troops recorded on the island at once. Tangier was used for the failed British assault on Baltimore, which was the influence for Francis Scott Key's writing of the Star Spangled Banner.

The largest church on the island was established in 1835, and is still on the island today. It is Swain Memorial Methodist Church. The other church is called New Testament, and is a Christian, non-denominational church. The original church on the island was called Bethel, New Site. A bench marking its location is in the graveyard in Canton. It was burned down sometime in the nineteenth century. An old custom once common in America and Britain prevailed into the early twentieth century: families often buried their deceased relatives in the lawns of their homes. This custom was abandoned because of the space limitation of the small yards on Tangier. There are now cemeteries located in the churchyards.

A typical cemetery on the island, showing overcrowding

Two recent hurricanes, Isabel and Ernesto, flooded much of the island. A few houses have been abandoned while several others are being elevated on new foundations.

Geography

Tangier is located on an island in a part of the Chesapeake Bay called the Lower Eastern Shore. It is made up of many small islands divided by marshes and small tidal streams. The islands are connected by wooden bridges. The main island has three ridges, called Main Ridge, Canton, and West Ridge by the inhabitants. North of Tangier is an island which was abandoned after the stream between the two islands (Oyster creek) became too wide to build a bridge over. This northernmost area is called Uppards, and originally had a neighborhood called Canaan. The only structures left on Uppards are duck hunting lodges from 1928. A few of the homes on Main Ridge were moved from Uppards before flooding became a major problem. Each of the ridges have neighborhoods. On the Northern part of Main Ridge, the neighborhood is called Meat Soup. On the Northern part of West Ridge it is called Sheep's Hill. On the Southern part of Main Ridge it is called Black Dye, and on the Southern part of West Ridge it is called Hog Ridge. Canton in the most Southeastern area of the island and is reached via a bridge from Black Dye. The bridges over the largest channel, called The Big Gut, are, to the South, Long Bridge, then coming North, School Bridge, and the farthest South is Heisten Bridge.

The marshes outside of town

Because of its distance from the mainland, Tangier is very isolated, its nearest neighbors being other islands such as Smith Island. The only methods of transportation off the island are boats and airplane. There is an airport, open from dawn to dusk. There are two boats that travel regularly from Crisfield, Maryland across Tangier Sound to Tangier. Passengers and the mail are carried on these boats. The Courtney Thomas leaves Tangier at 8:00 am, and leaves Crisfield at 12:30 pm. The Steven Thomas, a 300-passenger cruise boat, leaves Crisfield, at 12:30 pm during the summer season from Memorial Day weekend through mid October; departs Tangier at 4:00 pm. In the summer season, the Chesapeake Breeze travels daily from Reedville, Virginia on the Western Shore, leaving there at 10:00 am, and leaving Tangier at 2:00 pm. The service from Onancock, Virginia was revived in 2009.

With all of these means of transportation, residents have regular ways of staying in touch with the mainland, and the addition of cable television keeps them in touch with the rest of the world. There is still a calm, peaceful atmosphere on the island, with only one pay phone, four or five gift shops, a few restaurants, and a hardware store as the only retail establishments. There are no arcades, no drug stores or department stores, no traffic lights, and violent crime is non-existent. There are three Tangier Bed and Breakfasts for overnight guests, and a wild beach without a boardwalk or concessions. Visitors will need to bring cash since there are no ATMs on the island. Most of the gift shops, eating establishments, and overnight accommodations have begun to accept credit and debit cards. Attractions include a small museum in the back of Sandy's gift shop and a soft shell crab exhibit next to Wanda's gift shop. Tangier is known for its seafood dishes, especially its soft shell crab sandwiches. These can be found at its restaurants including the Waterfront Restaurant. The most unusual attraction is hearing the unusual and old accent of the watermen. Because of the centuries of isolation, the islanders still speak in a unique island way that is similar to the speech spoken when Tangier was settled in 1686. It is still strong enough some people will not be able to understand everything that is said. Children sell lemonade and Rice Krispie treats and Christmas decorations made from sea shells to the tourists. In the evenings, the playground across from the school is a nice place for children to unwind, or the fifties style, centrally air conditioned ice-cream parlor on Main Ridge, called Spanky's.

There are few places in the United States with more waterfowl. Tangier marshes are home to many birds, including pelicans, blue herons, rails, egrets, several variety of ducks and geese and osprey.

Tangier is located at 37°49′33″N 75°59′32″W.Template:GR According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²), all of it land. The erosion problem was eliminated by the building of a stone jetty in the 1990s on the Western Shore of the island, along the side of the airport landing strip. Very little land mass has been lost since that time.

Economy

Today, the inhabitants of Tangier rely on crabbing to make a living. Tangier is often referred to as the 'soft shell crab capital of the world'. Most fishermen catch and sell crabs and oysters. North of the island are many free-standing docks not connected to land which fishermen use to hold crabs while they moult. Oystering is also a major industry. The Island also has a long history of graduates joining the military.

Typical transport on the island

The only industry on the island besides fishing is tourism. Interestingly, the tourist trade is run almost exclusively by women. During the summer, several cruise ships come to the island each day, allowing passengers to explore and buy goods from the islanders. Two bed-and-breakfast inns can accommodate a limited number of overnight guests. There are several restaurants and gift shops for the tourist-trade. Some residents outfit golf carts with passenger trailers to sell "historical tours" of the island. The roads on Tangier are only wide enough for two golf carts to pass each other. Few cars are present on the island because they are not able to get over the small wooden bridges. Tourists and islanders all get around on golf carts, boats, mopeds, and bikes.

Isolation

Because of the island's isolation, the people's lifestyles are laid-back and "folksy." A few of the older residents stick close to the island and rely on more mobile residents, and occasionally day trippers from the mainland. A near-constant presence is the large number of stray cats that inhabit the island.

Swain Memorial United Methodist Church

There is only one school on the island, with fewer than ten children in each grade. The residents were given access to cable television and internet through a new microwave tower in the spring of 2010. There are phone lines on the island. Two doctors live on the island currently, but practice in Delaware. One doctor, David Nichols, comes one day a week to treat residents. In January 2007, he was profiled by ABC World News Tonight as its Person of the Week. Emergency patients travel by helicopter to Crisfield or Salisbury hospitals in Maryland. Although the island has one power plant, it is mainly used for emergencies, but is operational. Power comes in from the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

Sport Enthusiasm

File:Tangiersportstown.jpg

Press conference celebrating Tangier Island as the biggest 'sports" town, per capita, in America. Alisa Bailey, Virginia Tourism Authority and Mayor of Tangier Island, James Eskridge.

According to the current Mayor of Tangier, James "Ooker" Eskridge, many island inhabitants were concerned the way of life on the island would change as the result of getting high speed Internet in the spring of 2010. However, he indicated the change was for the better as islanders "developed quite the appetite for streaming sports." Recognizing the impact of sports on the island community, and believing it may be a boost to the island's tourism, the Virginia Tourism Authority (VTA) declared Tangier Island the biggest sports town in America, per capita. Alisa Bailey, a representative of VTA, presented the island with a plaque to commemorate the occasion.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 605 people, 244 households, and 181 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,448.2 people per square mile (932.8/km²). There were 270 housing units at an average density of 1,094.4/sq mi (417.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.50% White and 0.50% African American. In 2006, there are four people from Eastern India, one African American, one Pacific Islander, several people of American Indian extraction. A number of people have familial ties with residents of the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

There were 244 households out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the town the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 101.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,607, and the median income for a family was $28,636. Males had a median income of $19,167 versus $20,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,042. About 22.6% of families and 27.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.8% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

External links

• National Review Online: "Exotic Tangier: An island far away, so close"
• Transportation To Tangier Island, Va
• Tangier Island Va, Transportation, Accommodations, Lodging, Restaurants, History, more
• Experience the Waterman's Life
• Tangier Island Airport FAA Information
• Virginia Tourism Announcement of Tangier Island being the biggest sports town in America, per capita