Tangier, Virginia
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Tangier is a town on Tangier Island in Chesapeake Bay. It is a part of Accomack County, Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 604. The tiny island community has attracted the attention of linguists because its people speak a totally unique dialect of American English, theorized to be nearly unchanged since the days of its first occupation by English colonists.
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Geography
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Location of Tangier, Virginia
Tangier is located on an island in a part of the Chesapeake Bay called the Eastern Bay. It is in fact 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. It has been uninhabited since 1928. Now, all of the residents live on the main island on or around the main ridge. The island has eroded since colonial times, and is often flooded when the tide rises because the island is not high above sea level.
Because of its distance from the mainland, Tangier is very isolated, its nearest neighbors being other islands such as Smith Island. The only method of transportation off the island are boat and airplane.
Tangier is located at 37°49'33" North, 75°59'32" West (37.825761, -75.992159)Template:GR. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²). 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.
History
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 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, some how 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 Crocket settled the island in 1686. Still, many of the inhabitants have the surname Crocket. The other common surname on the island is Pruitt. The population of Tangier was 79 in the 1800 census. By 1900 there were 1064 inhabitants.
The British used the island during as a staging area during the war of 1812. There were as many as 1200 British troops recorded on the island at once.
The first church on the island was established in 1835, and is still on the island today. It is a methodist church, and is now one of only two churches on the island.
Today, the inhabitants of Tangier rely on crabbing to make a living. Tangier is often referred to as the soft shell crab capitol 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 only industry on the island besides fishing is tourism. During the summer, several cruise ships come to the island each day, letting passengers out to explore and buy goods from the natives. The people speak with an Elizebethan accent, and are often hard to understand. There are several restaurants and gift shops to accommodate the tourists. 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 wouldn't be able to get over the small wooden bridges. Tourists and natives all get around on golf carts, boats, mopeds, and bikes.
Because of the island's isolation, the people are very old-fashioned. Many have never been on the mainland and their only source of information about life off the island is the tourists who come through each day during the summer. There is only one school on the island, with less than ten children in each grade. The residents were recently given access to cable television and internet through a new microwave tower. There are phone lines on the island. No doctors live on the island currently, but medical help can be flown in via the island's small airstrip. Although the island has one power plant, it is not operational. Power comes in from the eastern shore.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 604 people, 244 households, and 181 families residing in the town. The population density is 932.8/km² (2,448.2/mi²). There are 270 housing units at an average density of 417.0/km² (1,094.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 99.50% White, 0.50% African American, 0.00% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 0.00% from two or more races. 0.00% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 244 households out of which 27.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% are married couples living together, 9.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% are non-families. 25.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 16.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.48 and the average family size is 2.94.
In the town the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 43 years. For every 100 females there are 101.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 100.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $26,607, and the median income for a family is $28,636. Males have a median income of $19,167 versus $20,750 for females. The per capita income for the town is $24,042. 27.5% of the population and 22.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 39.8% of those under the age of 18 and 12.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.