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Tangier Island: Life on the island

TANGIER, Va. — Tangier Island, Virginia … Population: 460 (and shrinking).

The island is vanishing, but the reason why depends on who you ask. The fact remains: It could become uninhabitable in as little as 25 years.

In a five-part podcast series, WTOP reporter Michelle Basch travels to Tangier to meet the people who call it home and find out what’s really happening.

The gallery below shows life on the island of Tangier: the restaurants, the lone grocery store and everything in between.

Listen to the podcasts on our website or on iTunes and Podcast One.

High tide combined with a cold front to create higher than usual flooding in front of a restaurant and the island’s single grocery store. (WTOP/Michelle Basch)

This bridge just west of Tangier Combined School leads from the island’s Main Ridge to the West Ridge. When this photo was taken, flooding was worse than usual on the island, but high water is a regular problem on the island. (WTOP/Michelle Basch)

The current Tangier Combined School building was completed in 1998, but in 2006, drastic measures were taken to protect it from flooding. It was lifted 5 feet and placed on stilts. (WTOP/Michelle Basch)

Tangier Combined School is Virginia’s only public K-12 combined school. (WTOP/Michelle Basch)

Lorraine’s Seafood Restaurant is a tasty place on the island to eat. It gets rave reviews for its crab dishes! (WTOP/Michelle Basch) PHOTOS | Tangier Island: At a visitor’s glance (WTOP/Michelle Basch)

You can't go wrong with the cream of crab soup at Lorriane's seafood restaurant on Tangier. (WTOP/Michelle Basch) — You can’t go wrong with the cream of crab soup at Lorriane’s seafood restaurant on Tangier. (WTOP/Michelle Basch)

Fisherman’s Corner Restaurant is co-owned by Irene Eskridge, the wife of Tangier Island’s Mayor James “Ooker” Eskridge. The Mayor, a waterman, supplies the place with fresh seafood. (WTOP/Michelle Basch)

Tangier Island may be tiny, but it does have a post office! (WTOP/Michelle Basch)

The history museum is a great place to get better acquainted with Tangier Island’s past. (WTOP/Michelle Basch)

The land where Fort Albion once stood no longer exists. It’s been lost under the waves as Tangier Island shrinks. Thankfully, this historic marker stands to tell the fort’s story. (WTOP/Michelle Basch)

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You can't go wrong with the cream of crab soup at Lorriane's seafood restaurant on Tangier. (WTOP/Michelle Basch)

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Michelle Basch

Michelle Basch is a reporter turned morning anchor at WTOP News.

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