Northampton

Formed January 1, 1634 (5^th county)

Northampton County (12,278), Eastville (302), Exmore (1,477)

The Modern red brick building was erected in 2006 to replace the 1899 courthouse.  The building is on Courthouse Road at Hornes Road.  United States Highway 13 Business is Courthouse Road in the community.  PMA Planners & Architects provided the courthouse designs.  There was a 1795 courthouse before.  Northampton County was organized on January 1, 1634 as an original county (5^th county.)  Towne was the first county seat until 1677 when Eastville took over.  It is named for Northampton, England.  The county seat name is presumably a geographic term.  Northampton County is the birthplace to 1 Virginia Governor, Ralph S. Northam. 

Northampton County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Supervisors.  Nine Circuit Court Judges and Fourteen District Court Judges serve Northampton and Accomack counties and Virginia Beach City and Forty-four Magistrate Court Judges serve Northampton and Accomack counties and Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach cities.  The county is located on the eastern border with 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 5.8 miles South-Southeast of Eastville nearer Cheriton.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Accomack County and the Atlantic Ocean and Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Hampton, and Poquoson cities and York, Gloucester, Mathews, and Middlesex counties. 

The area of the county is 207 square miles.  It is 86 out of 133 in the state.  It ranks 107 out of 133 in population in the state.  It has a density of 59.3 persons per square mile making it 95 out of 133 in the state.  Northampton County has 33.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 13 enters the county from the north, Accomack County, and exits to the south, Virginia Beach City.  The county looks like a knife.  Eastville is located in the western quarter of the county.  Exmore is on the northern border of the county.  Eastville is the county seat and Exmore is the largest city.  Eastville is 2.5% of the county population while Exmore is 12.0% of the county population.