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Accomack County is a county located in the U.S. state — officially, "Commonwealth" — of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 38,305. Its county seat is Accomac6.
Accomack and Northampton Counties comprise the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
History
The shire of Accomac was established in 1634. The shire's name comes from the Native American word Accawmack. In 1642 the named was changed to Northampton by the British, to eliminate "heathen" names in the New World. Northampton was split into two counties in 1663. The northern section assumed the original Accomac name. In 1670, Virginia Governor William Berkeley abolished the county, but the General Assembly re-created it in 1671. In 1940, the General Assembly officially added a "k" to the end of the county's name to arrive at its current spelling.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,393 km² (1,310 mi²). 1,179 km² (455 mi²) of it is land and 2,214 km² (855 mi²) of it (65.25%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 38,305 people, 15,299 households, and 10,388 families residing in the county. The population density was 32/km² (84/mi²). There were 19,550 housing units at an average density of 17/km² (43/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 63.38% White, 31.56% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 3.57% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. 5.38% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
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.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,250, and the median income for a family was $34,821. Males had a median income of $27,078 versus $19,590 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,309. About 13.00% of families and 18.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.20% of those under age 18 and 15.30% of those age 65 or over.
Towns
- Accomac
- Belle Haven
- Bloxom
- Chincoteague
- Hallwood
- Keller
- Melfa
- Onancock
- Onley
- Painter
- Parksley
- Saxis
- Tangier
- Wachapreague
External links
Virginia counties | Accomack County, Virginia | 1671 establishments
"Accomack County, Virginia"