Accomack

Formed January 1, 1663 (13^th county)

Accomack County (33,417), Accomac (519), Chincoteague (3,339)                

The red brick Romanesque Revival and Victorian courthouse was built in 1899 on Courthouse Avenue at Front Street.  United States Highway 13 Business is one block to the south of the site.  Bartholomew F. Smith is the architect.  The building was renovated in 1968.  The structure features a tower.  A 2001 District Courthouse and a 2001 Administration Building augment the courthouse.  Accomack County was created on January 1, 1663 from Northampton County as the 13^th county.  Onancock was the first seat with a 1680 courthouse.  Matomkin assumed the seat in 1693 with 1710 and 1756 courthouses.  Finally, in 1786 Accomac became the seat.  The county and county seat name is Native American for “on the other side.”  Accomack County is the birthplace to 1 Virginia Governor, Henry A. Wise. 

Accomack County government consists of a sheriff and 9 Supervisors.  Nine Circuit Court Judges and Fourteen District Court Judges serve Accomack and Northampton counties and Virginia Beach City and Forty-four Magistrate Court Judges serve Accomack and Northampton counties and Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach cities.  The county is on the eastern border with Maryland and the Atlantic Ocean.  Virginia Beach, Virginia is south and Richmond, Virginia is west of the county.  The Chesapeake Bay forms its western border.  The county center is 4.9 miles Northeast of Accomac nearer Bayside.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Maryland and the Atlantic Ocean and Northampton, Lancaster, and Northumberland counties. 

The area of the county is 455 square miles.  It is 35 out of 133 in the state.  It ranks 54 out of 133 in population in the state.  It has a density of 73.4 persons per square mile making it 85 out of 133 in the state.  Accomack County has 27.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 13 crosses through the county from north to south from Maryland to Northampton County.  The county is shaped like a diagonal line.  Accomac is located in the southwest quarter of the county.  Chincoteague is in the northeast quarter of the county.  Accomac is the county seat and Chincoteague is the largest city.  Accomac is 1.6% of the county population while Chincoteague is 10.0% of the county population.  The county and county seat are pronounced AK-KO-MAK.  The largest city is pronounced CHIN-KO-TEEG.