Accomack County, Virginia
Encyclopedia
As of the census
of 2010, there were 33,164 people, 15,299 households, and 10,388 families residing in the county. The population density
was 84 people per square mile (32/km²). There were 19,550 housing units at an average density of 43 per square mile (17/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 65.3% White
, 28.1% Black
or African 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 were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
Black or African American
(32%), English American
(15%), German
(9%), Irish
(9%) and Mexican
(4%)
There were 15,299 households out of which 28.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.20% were married 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 adjacent Northampton County
are the two poorest counties in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The schools in this district are:
translator stations
on two towers, with four located on a tower off US 13
in unincorporated Mappsville
licensed to Onancock, and the other four licensed to unincorporated Craddockville
on a tower near Route 178
. Each translator tower has four signals to relay the signals of Hampton Roads's major network affiliates to the county, including WAVY
, WHRO
, WTKR
and WVEC.
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2010, there were 33,164 people, 15,299 households, and 10,388 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 84 people per square mile (32/km²). There were 19,550 housing units at an average density of 43 per square mile (17/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 65.3% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 28.1% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.4% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.6% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.1% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 3.9% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.6% from two or more races. 8.6% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
Black or African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
(32%), English American
English American
English Americans are citizens or residents of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England....
(15%), German
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
(9%), Irish
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
(9%) and Mexican
Mexican American
Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...
(4%)
There were 15,299 households out of which 28.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.20% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
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 adjacent Northampton County
Northampton County, Virginia
As of the census of 2010, there were 12,389 people, 5,321 households, and 3,543 families residing in the county. The population density was 63 people per square mile . There were 6,547 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile...
are the two poorest counties in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Towns
- AccomacAccomac, VirginiaAccomac is a town in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The population was 547 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Accomack County.-General information:* ZIP Code: 23301* Area Code: 757* Local Phone Exchange: 787...
- Belle HavenBelle Haven, Accomack County, VirginiaBelle Haven is a town in Accomack and Northampton counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 480 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Belle Haven is located at ....
, Partially within Northampton County as well - BloxomBloxom, VirginiaBloxom is a town in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The population was 395 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bloxom is located at ....
- ChincoteagueChincoteague, VirginiaChincoteague is a town on Chincoteague Island in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,317 at the 2000 census. The town is perhaps best known for the Chincoteague Ponies, although these are not actually on the island of Chincoteague but on nearby Assateague Island...
- HallwoodHallwood, VirginiaHallwood is a town in Accomack County, Virginia, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 290.-Geography:Hallwood is located at ....
- KellerKeller, VirginiaKeller is a town in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The population was 173 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Keller is located at ....
- MelfaMelfa, VirginiaMelfa is a town in Accomack County on the Eastern Shore of Virginia in the United States. The population was 450 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Melfa is located at ....
- OnancockOnancock, VirginiaOnancock is a town in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,525 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Onancock is located at ....
- OnleyOnley, VirginiaOnley is a town in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The population was 496 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Onley is located at ....
- PainterPainter, VirginiaPainter is a town in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The population was 246 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Painter is located at ....
- ParksleyParksley, VirginiaParksley is a town in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The population was 837 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Parksley is located at ....
- SaxisSaxis, VirginiaSaxis is a town in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The population was 337 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Saxis is located at ....
- TangierTangier, VirginiaTangier is a town in Accomack County, Virginia, United States, on Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay. The population was 727 at the 2010 census. The tiny island community has attracted the attention of linguists because its people speak a unique English Restoration era dialect of American English...
- WachapreagueWachapreague, VirginiaWachapreague is a town in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The population was 236 at the 2000 census.- History :Wachapreague, known as the Little City by the Sea, has a long and fruitful history. The name of the town came from the Wachapreague, an Algonquian people who resided in the area...
Education
The county is served by Accomack County Public Schools.The schools in this district are:
Elementary Schools
- Accawmacke Elementary School
- Chincoteague Elementary School
- Kegotank Elementary School
- Metompkin Elementary School
- Pungoteague Elementary School
Middle Schools
High Schools
- Arcadia High SchoolArcadia High School (Oak Hall, Virginia)Arcadia High School is a public high school in Oak Hall, Accomack County, Virginia. It is one of two mainland high schools in the Accomack County School District. It serves students in the northern half of the county. It is also the home of the Firebirds....
- Chincoteague High SchoolChincoteague High SchoolChincoteague High School is a public high school in Accomack County, Virginia. It serves grades six through twelve and, due to its low number of students, has only approximately fifty students per grade. Its mascot, the pony, is named after the feral Chincoteague Ponies on the nearby Assateague...
- Nandua High SchoolNandua High SchoolNandua High School is a public high school in the Accomack County Public Schools System. It was created in 1984, when the then-high schools Onancock and Central merged. The school is named after a Native American princess of the Powhatan Tribe in the 17th century...
- Tangier Combined School
- Badger Technical Center
Media
The county maintains and is the licensee of eight televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
translator stations
Broadcast relay station
A broadcast relay station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator , rebroadcaster , or repeater is a broadcast transmitter which relays, repeats, or reflects the signal of another radio station or television station, usually to an area not covered by the signal of the originating station...
on two towers, with four located on a tower off US 13
U.S. Route 13 in Virginia
U.S. Route 13 is a north–south U.S. highway established in 1926 that runs for from Interstate 95 just north of Fayetteville, North Carolina to the northeastern suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Morrisville. In the U.S...
in unincorporated Mappsville
Mappsville, Virginia
Mappsville is a census-designated place in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 440.-References:*...
licensed to Onancock, and the other four licensed to unincorporated Craddockville
Craddockville, Virginia
-References:*...
on a tower near Route 178
Virginia State Route 178
Virginia State Route 178 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs from U.S. Route 13 Business in Exmore north to SR 620, SR 628, and SR 718 at Bobtown...
. Each translator tower has four signals to relay the signals of Hampton Roads's major network affiliates to the county, including WAVY
WAVY-TV
WAVY-TV, channel 10, is a television station licensed to Portsmouth, Virginia, serving as the NBC affiliate for the Hampton Roads area . WAVY is owned by LIN Television Corporation, and is a sister station to Fox affiliate WVBT...
, WHRO
WHRO-TV
WHRO-TV digital channel 15 is the Public Broadcasting Service member Public television station for Hampton Roads, Virginia . The station is licensed to both Hampton and Norfolk with the studios at the Public Telecommunications Center for Hampton Roads next to the campus of Old Dominion University...
, WTKR
WTKR
WTKR is the CBS affiliate television station serving the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, officially known as the Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News DMA. The station is licensed to Norfolk and broadcasts on channel 40 . Its transmitter is located in Suffolk, Virginia...
and WVEC.
| Call letters | Channel | City of license | Station relayed | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W30CI | 30 | Onancock | WAVY | NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
| W42DP | 42 | Craddockville | WAVY | NBC |
| W25AA | 25 | Onancock | WHRO | PBS Public Broadcasting Service The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia.... |
| W20CW | 20 | Craddockville | WHRO | PBS |
| W39CS | 39 | Onancock | WTKR | CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
| W22DN | 22 | Craddockville | WTKR | CBS |
| W34DN | 34 | Onancock | WVEC | ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... |
| W48DO | 48 | Craddockville | WVEC | ABC |
Notable residents
- William Anderson, born in Accomack County, United States Congressman from PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
- Thomas EvansThomas Evans (Virginia)Thomas Evans was an eighteenth- and nineteenth-century congressman and lawyer from Virginia.Born in Accomack County, Virginia, Evans attended the College of William and Mary. He studied law and was admitted to the bar. He was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates in 1780, 1781 and from 1794...
, (c.1755-1815), born in Accomack County, United States Congressman from Virginia - George T. Garrison, (1835–1889), born in Accomack County, member of Virginia state legislature and United States Congressman from Virginia
- James HamiltonJames Hamilton (Pennsylvania)James Hamilton , son of the well-known Philadelphia lawyer Andrew Hamilton, was a prominent lawyer and governmental figure in colonial Philadelphia and Pennsylvania.-Life:...
, (c.1710-1783), born in Accomack County, lawyer and mayor of Philadelphia - James HenryJames Henry (delegate)James Henry was an American lawyer from Virginia who was a delegate to the Continental Congress.He was first elected to the Congress on December 17, 1779, but didn't enter the Congress until April of 1780...
, (1731–1804), born in Accomack County, lawyer and delegate to the Continental CongressContinental CongressThe Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution.... - Henry A. WiseHenry A. WiseHenry Alexander Wise was an American politician and governor of Virginia, as well as a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.-Early life:...
, (1806–1876), born in Accomack County, United States Congressman, United States Ambassador to BrazilUnited States Ambassador to BrazilThe following is a list of Ambassadors of the United States, or other chiefs of mission, to Brazil. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.-See also:...
, Governor of Virginia, and Confederate General.