page_title: Crisfield, Maryland
section_title: Culture
hierarchical_section_title: Crisfield, Maryland / Culture
caption_attribution_description: English: A National Hard Crab Derby race nearing completion.
context_page_description: Crisfield is a town in Somerset County, Maryland, United States, located on the Tangier Sound, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. The population was 2,726 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. Crisfield has the distinction of being the southernmost incorporated city in Maryland.
  The site of today's Crisfield was initially a small fishing village called Annemessex Neck. During European colonization, it was renamed Somers Cove, after Benjamin Summers. When the business potential for seafood was discovered, John W. Crisfield decided to bring the Pennsylvania Railroad to Crisfield, and the quiet fishing town grew. Crisfield is now known as the "Seafood Capital of the World". The city's success was so great that the train soot and oyster shells prompted the extension of the city's land into the marshes. City residents often claim that the downtown area is literally built atop oyster shells.
  Crisfield began to slip into decline along with the declining health of the Chesapeake Bay, prompting a "strategic revitalization plan" to address the city's future needs. Currently, Crisfield is largely a tourist destination.
context_section_description: Due to Crisfield being the main access point to Smith Island, it is an area with many speakers of the unique Smith Island accent.  It also serves Smith Island cake, the Maryland state dessert, in many of its restaurants.
caption: View of one of the crab races, nearing completion.
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