Hugh Town is the main settlement on the Isles of Scilly

Isles of Scilly

The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...

. The town is situated on the island of St. Mary's It is located on a narrow isthmus

Isthmus

An isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas usually with waterforms on either side.Canals are often built through isthmuses where they may be particularly advantageous to create a shortcut for marine transportation...

 which joins the peninsula known as The Garrison with the rest of the island of St. Mary's.

Hugh Town's main street is the main shopping area on the islands and business is quite reliant on tourism

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

. There are also banks, hotels, pubs and a small hospital in the town. There are several beach

Beach

A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...

es. A notable building is the Star Castle

Star Castle, Isles of Scilly

Star Castle is a fortress on St Mary's, Isles of Scilly, built in 1593 by Francis Godolphin.It is in the shape of an eight-pointed star and features on the flag of the Council of the Isles of Scilly.It is now used as a hotel.- External links :*...

, now a hotel.

The main quay of St. Mary's is located in Hugh Town. The Scillonian III

Scillonian III

RMV Scillonian III is a passenger ship based at Penzance in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, run by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company...

 ferry

Ferry

A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...

 to Penzance

Penzance

Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...

  and the Gry Maritha

Gry Maritha

The Gry Maritha is a freight ship based at Penzance in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, run by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company.-History:Gry Maritha was built by Moen Slip in Norway, in 1981...

 cargo vessel use the quay.

St. Mary's Airport is located just outside Hugh Town. From there, there are regular flights by helicopter to Penzance, and by 16-seater light aircraft to St Just

St Just in Penwith

St Just is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The parish encompasses the town of St Just and the nearby settlements of Trewellard, Pendeen and Kelynack: it is bounded by the parishes of Morvah to the north-east, Sancreed and Madron to the east, St Buryan and Sennen to...

, Cornwall.