Accomack County, Virginia

Accomack County, Virginia
Accomack County Courthouse
Seal
Location in the U.S. state of Virginia
Virginia's location in the U.S.
Founded	1671
Seat	Accomac
Largest town	Chincoteague
Area
• Total	1,310 sq mi (3,393 km2)
• Land	450 sq mi (1,165 km2)
• Water	861 sq mi (2,230 km2), 65.7%
Population (est.)
• (2015)	32,973
• Density	25/sq mi (10/km²)
Congressional district	2nd
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.co.accomack.va.us

Accomack County is a United States county located in the eastern edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Together, Accomack and Northampton counties make up the Eastern Shore of Virginia, which in turn is part of the Delmarva Peninsula, bordered by the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The Accomack county seat is the town of Accomac.

The Eastern Shore of Virginia was known as "Accomac Shire," until it was renamed Northampton County in 1642. The present Accomack County was created from Northampton County in 1663. The county and the original shire were named for the Accawmack Indians, who resided in the area when the English first explored it in 1603.

As of the 2010 census, the total population was 33,164 people. The population of Accomack has remained relatively stable over the last century, though Accomack is one of the poorest parts of Virginia.

Members of an English voyage of exploration landed in the area in 1603, four years before the founding of the Jamestown Colony. Captain John Smith visited the region in 1608. The Accawmacke nation at the time numbered around 2000, and were governed by Debedeavon, a paramount chief called by the English the "Laughing King". He became a staunch ally of the English newcomers, granting them several large areas for their own use.

Accomac Shire was established in 1634 as one of the eight original shires of Virginia. The name comes from the native word Accawmack, which meant "on the other side". In 1642 the name was changed to Northampton, following a policy of eliminating "heathen names". Northampton was divided into two counties in 1663. The northern adopted the original name, while the south remained Northampton. 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 the Decisions of the United States Board on Geographical Names in 1943.