There are no cities on Alderney. The island itself is only 3 miles long by 1.5 wide.
The main concentration of houses and shops is in the centre of the Island. This area is sometimes erroneously called 'St Anne' (alternatively St Annes). In fact the correct name is simply 'Town'. The Parish of St Anne's includes the whole of the Island.
Although the Auregniais (Alderney Norman-French) language eventually died out in the early part of the 20th century, the signs leading to Town are bilingual, reading 'Town/La Ville', presumably to assist visiting French yachtsmen and day-trippers. Locals sometimes refer to it, tongue-in-cheek, as 'The City'.
The parish of St Anne is served by a magnificent, almost cathedral-like parish church in the centre of Town.
Like the other islands Alderney is a self-governing Crown Dependency. It has its own parliament, the 10 member States of Aldeney which sits 10 times a year. Alderney is also part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey which in modern terms is effectively a customs union including Guernsey and Sark (but not Jersey). In addition, because of an agreement made between Alderney, the UK and Guernsey after the Second World War, Guernsey takes responsibility for providing a number of public services on Alderney (e.g. health, education, the airport etc). These 'transferred services' as they are known, are provided by Guernsey in return for the right to collect direct and indirect taxes in Alderney at the same rate as in Guernsey.
Due to its location in the English Channel and its proximity to the French port of Cherbourg, it has often been seen to be strategically important, despite the treacherous waters that surround it. In the 19th century, a large breakwater - the longest in the UK - was built at Braye in order to form a harbour sheltered from the Swinge tidal race. Although it was never completed, its spectacular remains form the modern harbour. During World War II the island was occupied by German forces, including the SS, and four forced labour camps were built. Although not an extermination camp in the same sense as e.g. Dachau and Buchenwald, very many forced labourers, particularly from Eastern Europe, were worked to death, and there is a memorial to them near to Saye (pronounced 'Soy') which is a must-see.
The uninhabited islet of Burhou, off the northwest end of the island, is an important nesting area for seabirds. The former farmer's cottage on Burhou can be rented from the Government, and is used for 'get away from it all' holidays by a number of Alderney residents.
To the south of the islands, separating Alderney from the Cherbourg peninsula, is the Alderney Race (Raz), notorious for is extremely strong currents and rough seas. Despite the hazards presented by Alderney's rocky coastline and the hazards of the Swinge and Race, Braye harbour is a popular destination for yachtsmen and in summer the harbour is full of boats of all kinds, from small RIBs to multimillion pound luxury yachts.
During the summer there is a regular bus service round the island and even a railway[http://www.alderneyrailway.com] service between Braye and the north of the island.
There are no "chains" of fast food, no McDonalds, no Burger King, Pizza Hut etc. Everything is locally owned.
Public order offences are not as rare as the locals would have you believe. Unlike the UK, which has liberalised its drinking laws, Alderney observes strict licensing hours, which although they used to be the longest in the British Isles, are now probably the shortest. In the winter, no alcohol may be served after midnight, and all premises must close by 12.30. In the summer, these hours are extended by half-an-hour.
Again unlike the UK, which following Ireland, Guernsey and many other countries has banned smoking in public from the 1st July 2007, Alderney's government has found itself unable to do so in the weight of opposition, and at the time of writing, with the exceptions of the Belle Vue Hotel(entirely non-smoking as of 01.07.07 and part of the Moorings) smoking is not permitted. If you are from a non-smoking-in-public country, you may be amazed at how noxious the interior of some Alderney pubs is. There is also the Braye Beach Hotel which is non-smoking throughout.