Bayview, Virginia

Bayview is an unincorporated community in Northampton County, Virginia, United States.

Bayview is an over-300-year-old predominately African American community located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. It is a community rich in culture and tradition. After the American Civil War it became a community populated by freed slaves, principally consisting of farms and a small village with shops, restaurants, and its own post office. In the 20th century Bayview thrived due to agriculture, especially the growing of white potatoes, and the growth of the local seafood industry. In the late 20th century Bayview was hit hard when many of the canneries and seafood processing plants closed due to dwindling shellfish populations in the Chesapeake Bay as a result of increased pollution.

In 1994 the state of Virginia proposed to build a maximum-security prison on the edge of the community. At this time 90% of Bayview residents lived in substandard housing, with 85% having no indoor plumbing. Members of the community rallied and joined together with outside forces, ultimately defeating the prison in the spring of 1995. In 1998 the community organized as the Bayview Citizens for Social Justice and began forming productive partnerships, including the Nature Conservancy, to improve the standard of living for its people. Through a combination of federal, state, and private funds the community was able to raise $11 million and purchase 160 acres of farmland, including the proposed site for the prison. In the first phase they built 48 one, two, and three bedroom apartments, 22 single-family homes, a laundry facility, a Community Enrichment Center, and several other facilities. Currently the Bayview community is on the rise and is working towards the next phase of development.

Bayview is composed of approximately 200 people, 125 of which are over the age of 18. Their community is predominately African American, but in recent years there has been an increasing number of White and Hispanic people.

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