Accomac, Virginia

For the community in Pennsylvania, see Accomac, Pennsylvania.

Accomac, Virginia
—  Town  —
Location of Accomac, Virginia
Coordinates: 37°43′7″N 75°40′2″W / 37.71861°N 75.66722°W / 37.71861; -75.66722Coordinates: 37°43′7″N 75°40′2″W / 37.71861°N 75.66722°W / 37.71861; -75.66722
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	Accomack
Area
- Total	0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2)
- Land	0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	39 ft (12 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	547
- Density	1,322.1/sq mi (510.5/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	23301
Area code(s)	757
FIPS code	51-00180[1]
GNIS feature ID	1498445[2]

Accomac 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.^[3]

General information

• ZIP Code: 23301
• Area Code: 757
• Local Phone Exchange: 787
• School District: Accomack County Public Schools

Geography

Accomac is located at 37°43′7″N 75°40′2″W / 37.71861°N 75.66722°W / 37.71861; -75.66722 (37.718678, -75.667323).^[4]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1.1 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 547 people, 199 households, and 125 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,322.1 people per square mile (515.1/km²). There were 235 housing units at an average density of 568.0 per square mile (221.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 71.12% White, 24.68% African American, 2.56% Asian, 0.91% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.19% of the population.

There were 199 households out of which 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 35.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.71.

In the town the population was spread out with 14.8% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 131.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 136.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $37,500, and the median income for a family was $51,250. Males had a median income of $34,375 versus $23,929 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,050. About 3.7% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

History

According to Whitelaw,^[5] prior to 1693 the Accomack County courthouse shifted from Onancock to the tavern of John Cole at Matomkin. This tavern site is now located under the Parks and Recreation Department offices, the Suntrust Bank and the Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission offices. In 1693, the General Assembly ordered the court moved permanently to the Matomkin site. In 1786, the Town of Drummond was established. In 1787, the General Assembly further ordered that the Clerk's Office be moved to Drummond. The Town became known as Drummondtown and in 1893, the Post Office changed the name of the town to Accomac spelling it without the final "k" used by the County. Even today, a road into town is called Drummondtown Road and locals still occasionally refer to Accomac as Drummondtown.

The name comes from an Indian word meaning "on the other side".^[6]

Notable residents

• Henry A. Wise, born at Drummondtown, Governor of Virginia
• Thomas H. B. Browne, born at Drummondtown, United States Congressman^[7]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
4. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
5. ^ Whitelaw (1951). Virginia's Eastern Shore. Richmond: Virginia Historical Society. 
6. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. pp. 23. http://books.google.com/books/pdf/The_Origin_of_Certain_Place_Names_in_the.pdf?id=BqwPAAAAIAAJ&output=pdf. 
7. ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1967. 

External links

• Accomac, Virginia
• Accomac, Virginia in photos