Eastern Shore · VA
Tangier Island
The soft-shell crab capital of the world, slowly slipping into the bay.
- Population
- 436 (2020 census)
- Land lost since 1850
- 67%
- Getting there
- Boat or plane only
Then
- 1608
John Smith visits the island, then uninhabited.
- 1770s
Settlers arrive; John Crockett becomes the first permanent one.
- 1813–1814
The British build Fort Albion here, with up to 1,200 troops, and launch the attack that ends in the burning of Washington.
- 2017
After a CNN story, President Trump calls the mayor to say the island will be fine.
Now
Tangier has lost two-thirds of its land since 1850, and studies suggest it may have to be abandoned within decades. Crabbing is the main living, and islanders speak a dialect all their own.
Islanders get around by golf cart, bike and boat. Ferries run from Onancock, Crisfield and Reedville.