When entering the harbor you'll see crab shanties on both sides of the channel. The shanties are where the crabbers keep their supply of harvested peeler crabs. When the peelers shed their hard shells, they'll be harvested as soft-shell crabs and shipped off to the markets. The Chesapeake Bay's strong currents have caused severe erosion over the years and have reduced the island to where it's only about a mile wide by three miles long. The land is flat and marshy with the highest point on the island at about seven feet above sea level.
Most people get around by foot, bicycle or motorized golf carts.
Besides houses, the island has two churches, a school, a post office, a fire house, two grocery stores and a handful of restaurants and gift shops. Tangier Island has become a tourist attraction in recent years which has added much needed revenue to the local economy. It seems that many people are drawn there seeking a change in pace from the rigors of everyday life. Life on Tangier Island is at a slower pace and it's like stepping back in time. The islanders isolation has left them with a distinct accent that still rings with the Elizabethan tones of their forebearers.