Accomack County, Virginia | |
|---|---|
%2c_Accomac_(_Accomack_County%2c_Virginia).jpg) Accomack County Courthouse | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofVirginia | |
 Virginia's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:37°46′N75°46′W / 37.76°N 75.76°W /37.76; -75.76 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Virginia |
| Founded | 1671 |
| Seat | Accomac |
| Largest town | Chincoteague |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,310 sq mi (3,400 km2) |
| • Land | 450 sq mi (1,200 km2) |
| • Water | 861 sq mi (2,230 km2) 65.7% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 33,413 |
| • Density | 74.3/sq mi (28.7/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
Accomack County is aUnited States county that, together withNorthampton County, constitutes theEastern Shore region of theCommonwealth of Virginia. These two counties also form the southern portion of theDelmarva Peninsula, which is bordered by theChesapeake Bay to the west, and theAtlantic Ocean to the east. The town ofAccomac serves as thecounty seat, while Chincoteague is the largest town in the county.[1]
The area was named for the Accawmack Indians, who resided in the area when the English first explored it in 1603. The region was known as "Accomac Shire" until it was renamed Northampton County in 1642. The present Accomack County was then carved out of Northampton County in 1663.
As of the2020 census, Accomack County had a total population of 33,413.[2] The population has remained relatively stable over the 20th century, though Accomack is one of the poorest parts of Virginia.[3]
The county was named for its original residents, theAccomac people, anEastern Algonquian-speaking Native American tribe.
Members of an English voyage of exploration landed in the area in 1603, four years before the founding of theJamestown Colony. CaptainJohn Smith visited the region in 1608. The Accomac people at the time numbered around 6,000 and was led byDebedeavon, aparamount chief, whom theEnglish colonists called the "Laughing King." He became a staunch ally of the colonists, granting them several large areas for their own use.
Accomac Shire was established in 1634 as one of the eight originalshires of Virginia. The name comes from the native word Accawmacke, which meant "on the other side".[4] In 1642 the name was changed to Northampton by the colonists. Northampton was divided into two counties in 1663. The northern adopted the original name, while the south remained Northampton.
In 1670, theVirginia Colony'sRoyal GovernorWilliam Berkeley abolished Accomac County, but theVirginia General Assembly re-created it in 1671.[5]
In 1940, the General Assembly officially added a "k" to the end of the county's name to arrive at its current spelling. The name of "Accomack County" first appeared in theDecisions of the United States Board on Geographical Names in 1943.[6]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,310 square miles (3,400 km2), of which 450 square miles (1,200 km2) is land and 861 square miles (2,230 km2) (65.7%) is water.[7] It is the largest county in Virginia by total area, as well as its easternmost county.
The state ofDelaware is roughly 36 miles (58 km) away from the Virginia and Maryland state-line in Greenbackville.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 13,959 | — | |
| 1800 | 15,693 | 12.4% | |
| 1810 | 15,743 | 0.3% | |
| 1820 | 15,966 | 1.4% | |
| 1830 | 16,656 | 4.3% | |
| 1840 | 17,096 | 2.6% | |
| 1850 | 17,890 | 4.6% | |
| 1860 | 18,586 | 3.9% | |
| 1870 | 20,409 | 9.8% | |
| 1880 | 24,408 | 19.6% | |
| 1890 | 27,277 | 11.8% | |
| 1900 | 32,570 | 19.4% | |
| 1910 | 36,650 | 12.5% | |
| 1920 | 34,795 | −5.1% | |
| 1930 | 35,854 | 3.0% | |
| 1940 | 33,030 | −7.9% | |
| 1950 | 33,832 | 2.4% | |
| 1960 | 30,635 | −9.4% | |
| 1970 | 29,004 | −5.3% | |
| 1980 | 31,268 | 7.8% | |
| 1990 | 31,703 | 1.4% | |
| 2000 | 38,305 | 20.8% | |
| 2010 | 33,164 | −13.4% | |
| 2020 | 33,413 | 0.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10] 1990-2000[11] 2010[12] 2020[13] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[14] | Pop 2010[12] | Pop 2020[13] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 23,697 | 20,266 | 19,825 | 61.86% | 61.11% | 59.33% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 12,039 | 9,253 | 8,639 | 31.43% | 27.90% | 25.86% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 106 | 97 | 65 | 0.28% | 0.29% | 0.19% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 86 | 177 | 249 | 0.22% | 0.53% | 0.75% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | 35 | 34 | 1 | 0.03% | 0.10% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 35 | 44 | 99 | 0.09% | 0.13% | 0.30% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 270 | 443 | 1,105 | 0.70% | 1.34% | 3.31% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2,062 | 2,850 | 3,430 | 5.38% | 8.59% | 10.27% |
| Total | 38,305 | 33,164 | 33,413 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of 2022, the median household income in the county is $50,601 and the per capita income is $29,202.[15]
As of the census[16] of 2010, there were 33,164 people, 15,299 households, and 10,388 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 84 people per square mile (32 people/km2). There were 19,550 housing units at an average density of 43 units per square mile (17 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 65.3% White, 28.1% Black orAfrican American, 0.4%Native American, 0.6%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 3.9% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. 8.6% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.Black or African American (28%),English American (15%),German (9%),Irish (9%) andMexican (4%).[citation needed]
There were 15,299 households, out of which 28.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.20% weremarried couples living together, 14.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.10% were non-families. 27.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.30% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.00 males.
Accomack and adjacentNorthampton County are the two poorest counties in the Commonwealth of Virginia.[3]
| Name | Party | District | |
|---|---|---|---|
| William J. "Billy Joe" Tarr | Ind | 1 | |
| Ron Wolff | Dem | 2 | |
| Vanessa Johnson | Dem | 3 | |
| Paul E.J. Muhly | Ind | 4 | |
| Harrison W. Phillips, III | Ind | 5 | |
| Robert Crockett | Ind | 6 | |
| Jackie Phillips | Ind | 7 | |
| Donald Hart, Jr. | Dem | 8 | |
| C. Reneta Major | Dem | 9 | |
Accomack County is represented by Republican William “Bill” DeSteph, Jr in the Virginia Senate, Republican Robert Bloxom in the Virginia House of Delegates, and RepublicanJen Kiggans in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Accomack County has been consistentlyRepublican-leaning in the 21st century; prior to this, it was aDemocratic stronghold turned swing county. The last Democrat to obtain an absolute majority wasJimmy Carter in 1976, thoughBill Clinton narrowly carried the county by a plurality in 1996.[17]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 153 | 7.24% | 1,825 | 86.33% | 136 | 6.43% |
| 1916 | 299 | 14.44% | 1,745 | 84.30% | 26 | 1.26% |
| 1920 | 409 | 16.49% | 2,026 | 81.69% | 45 | 1.81% |
| 1924 | 307 | 12.64% | 2,087 | 85.92% | 35 | 1.44% |
| 1928 | 1,367 | 42.81% | 1,826 | 57.19% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 527 | 17.53% | 2,458 | 81.74% | 22 | 0.73% |
| 1936 | 670 | 29.66% | 1,583 | 70.08% | 6 | 0.27% |
| 1940 | 882 | 37.28% | 1,476 | 62.38% | 8 | 0.34% |
| 1944 | 1,045 | 37.39% | 1,747 | 62.50% | 3 | 0.11% |
| 1948 | 1,088 | 35.05% | 1,669 | 53.77% | 347 | 11.18% |
| 1952 | 2,626 | 53.99% | 2,220 | 45.64% | 18 | 0.37% |
| 1956 | 2,823 | 54.25% | 2,213 | 42.52% | 168 | 3.23% |
| 1960 | 2,676 | 47.95% | 2,884 | 51.68% | 21 | 0.38% |
| 1964 | 3,145 | 47.06% | 3,528 | 52.79% | 10 | 0.15% |
| 1968 | 3,231 | 35.19% | 2,467 | 26.87% | 3,483 | 37.94% |
| 1972 | 6,496 | 71.97% | 2,406 | 26.66% | 124 | 1.37% |
| 1976 | 4,494 | 47.13% | 4,807 | 50.41% | 235 | 2.46% |
| 1980 | 5,371 | 50.21% | 4,872 | 45.54% | 455 | 4.25% |
| 1984 | 8,047 | 64.55% | 4,355 | 34.94% | 64 | 0.51% |
| 1988 | 6,926 | 60.01% | 4,443 | 38.49% | 173 | 1.50% |
| 1992 | 5,666 | 43.17% | 4,950 | 37.71% | 2,509 | 19.12% |
| 1996 | 5,013 | 43.02% | 5,220 | 44.79% | 1,421 | 12.19% |
| 2000 | 6,352 | 53.27% | 5,092 | 42.70% | 481 | 4.03% |
| 2004 | 7,726 | 57.85% | 5,518 | 41.31% | 112 | 0.84% |
| 2008 | 7,833 | 50.14% | 7,607 | 48.69% | 183 | 1.17% |
| 2012 | 8,213 | 51.17% | 7,655 | 47.69% | 183 | 1.14% |
| 2016 | 8,583 | 54.26% | 6,740 | 42.61% | 495 | 3.13% |
| 2020 | 9,172 | 54.07% | 7,578 | 44.68% | 212 | 1.25% |
| 2024 | 9,659 | 56.24% | 7,374 | 42.93% | 143 | 0.83% |
Accomack County is home to largechicken processing facilities owned byPerdue Farms andTyson Foods.[19]
STAR Transit providespublic transit services for both Accomack and Northampton counties and is headquartered inTasley.
The county is served byAccomack County Public Schools.[21] It is the onlyschool district in the county.[22]
High schools and K-12 schools in this district are:[23]
Eastern Shore Community College is located nearMelfa.[24]
The county maintains and is the licensee of sixtelevisiontranslator stations on two towers, with four located on a tower offUS 13 in unincorporatedMappsville licensed to Onancock, and the other two licensed to unincorporatedCraddockville on a tower nearRoute 178. Each translator tower has four signals to relay the signals of Hampton Roads's major network affiliates to the county, includingWAVY,WHRO,WTKR, andWVEC. Meanwhile,Fox programming viaWVBT is provided by WPMC-CA (Channel 36) from the Mappsville tower, a station owned byNexstar Media Group, the parent company of WAVY/WVBT.
Additionally,Salisbury, Maryland CBS / Fox affiliateWBOC-TV has long claimed Accomack County as part of its coverage area.
| Call letters | City of license | Channel | Station relayed (Network) |
|---|---|---|---|
| W14DY-D | Onancock | 14 | WAVY (NBC) |
| W42DP | Craddockville | 42 | WAVY (NBC) |
| W25AA-D | Onancock | 25 | WHRO (PBS) |
| W18EG-D | Onancock | 18 | WAVY (NBC), 18.1 WVEC (ABC), 18.2 WTKR (CBS), 18.3 WHRO (PBS), 18.4 |
| W22DN | Craddockville | 22 | WTKR (CBS) |
| W34DN | Onancock | 34 | WVEC (ABC) |
In Sydney Brown's lyrics for theMaple Leaf Rag, the first line states, "I come from ol' Virginny, from de County Accomack"
Accomack County Arprt
Eastern Shore Community College 29316 Lankford Highway, Melfa, VA 23410
Places adjacent to Accomack County, Virginia | ||||||||||||||||
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37°46′N75°46′W / 37.76°N 75.76°W /37.76; -75.76
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