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30-538: Chincoteague ( / ˌ ʃ ɪ ŋ k ə ˈ t iː ɡ / or / ˈ ʃ ɪ ŋ k ə t iː ɡ / ) is a town in Accomack County, Virginia , U.S. The town includes the whole of Chincoteague Island and an area of adjacent water. The population was 3,344 at the 2020 census. The town is a tourist gateway to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on adjacent Assateague Island , the location of

60-469: A household in the town was $ 28,514, and the median income for a family was $ 33,425. Males had a median income of $ 27,075 versus $ 20,859 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 20,367. About 9.7% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line , including 22.9% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to

90-521: A popular recreational beach and home of the Virginia herd of Chincoteague Ponies . These ponies and the annual Pony Swim are the subject of Marguerite Henry 's 1947 children's book Misty of Chincoteague , which was made into the 1961 family film Misty , filmed on location. Chincoteague is located at 37°56′5″N 75°22′4″W  /  37.93472°N 75.36778°W  / 37.93472; -75.36778 (37.934673, −75.367805). According to

120-680: Is placed on a barge and ferried over. All the horses are herded into large pens after running through the middle of town and down Main Street. Pony Penning takes place on the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July. The actual swim occurs on Wednesday, the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company auctions that year's foals on Thursday, and on Friday the remaining ponies swim back to Assateague. The town features numerous small hotels, bed and breakfasts , and campgrounds that serve visitors to

150-411: Is served by Accomack County Public Schools . It is the only school district in the county. High schools and K-12 schools in this district are: Eastern Shore Community College is located near Melfa . The county maintains and is the licensee of six television translator stations on two towers, with four located on a tower off US 13 in unincorporated Mappsville licensed to Onancock, and

180-683: 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 . Accomac is the county seat . The Eastern Shore of Virginia was known as " Accomac Shire ," until it was renamed Northampton County in 1642. The present Accomack County

210-505: The English colonists called the "Laughing King." He became a staunch ally of the colonists, 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 Accawmacke, which meant "on the other side". In 1642 the name was changed to Northampton by the colonists. Northampton was divided into two counties in 1663. The northern adopted

240-592: The Köppen Climate Classification system, Chincoteague has a humid subtropical climate , abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. STAR Transit provides public transit services, linking Chincoteague with Oak Hall and other communities in Accomack and Northampton counties on the Eastern Shore. Accomack County, Virginia Accomack County is a United States county located in the eastern edge of

270-562: The Maple Leaf Rag , the first line states, "I come from ol' Virginny, from de County Accomack" 37°46′N 75°46′W  /  37.76°N 75.76°W  / 37.76; -75.76 Chincoteague Fire Department The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company operates from this building with approximately 25 active and 85 life members with (4) pumper engines, (1) 75 foot ladder, (1) rescue truck and (2) advanced life saving ambulances. The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department owns

300-574: The Pony Penning , which has been held annually since 1925, horses swim across the shallow water between the islands. At "slack tide" on the Wednesday before the last Thursday of every July, Chincoteague's "Saltwater Cowboys" herd the wild Chincoteague ponies from Assateague Island, across the Assateague Channel, to neighboring Chincoteague Island. If any animal is too small or weak to make the swim, it

330-680: The Union and against slavery. The town saw minor action in the war via the Battle of Cockle Creek , which was fought in the bay in 1861. The Native American name for the island is Gingoteague , and the name of the town "Chincoteague" first appeared in the Decisions of the United States Board on Geographic Names in 1943. In 1962, a major nor'easter winter storm, the Ash Wednesday Storm , struck

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360-477: The United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 37.3 square miles (96.7 km), of which 9.1 square miles (23.6 km) is land and 28.2 square miles (73.1 km), or 75.58%, is water. It lies at an elevation of three feet. Chincoteague was a barrier island until the mid-1800s, when Assateague migrated so far south that it shielded Chincoteague from the ocean. The year of 1650 marks

390-700: The Virginia Herd of Chincoteague Ponies on the Virginia side of Assateague Island . It also conducts the annual Pony Penning to help raise money for the department. The other herd is the Maryland Herd on the Maryland side of Assateague Island, owned by the National Park Service . On October 21, 2022, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and First Lady Suzanne Youngkin presented the Spirit of Virginia Award to

420-469: The International Space Station, there are large influxes of tourists whenever an Antares launch occurs. As of the census of 2000, there were 4,317 people, 2,068 households, and 1,244 families residing in the town. The population density was 448.2 people per square mile (173.1/km). There were 3,970 housing units at an average density of 412.2 per square mile (159.2/km). The racial makeup of

450-522: The United States Board on Geographical Names in 1943. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 1,310 square miles (3,400 km ), of which 450 square miles (1,200 km ) is land and 861 square miles (2,230 km ) (65.7%) is water. It is the largest county in Virginia by total area. The state of Delaware is roughly 36 miles (58 km) away from the Virginia and Maryland state-line in Greenbackville. As of 2022,

480-564: The Virginia Senate, Republican Robert Bloxom in the Virginia House of Delegates, and Republican Jen Kiggans in the U.S. House of Representatives. Accomack County is home to large chicken processing facilities owned by Perdue Farms and Tyson Foods . STAR Transit provides public transit services for both Accomack and Northampton counties and is headquartered in Tasley . The county

510-429: The age of 18 living with them, 49.20% were married couples living together, 14.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.10% were non-families. 27.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.96. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.30% under

540-503: The age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.00 males. Accomack and adjacent Northampton County are the two poorest counties in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Accomack County is represented by Republican William “Bill” DeSteph, Jr in

570-562: The coast. The town was completely underwater, and went for days without electricity. The storm destroyed almost all structures on Assateague Island, where development was just beginning. Following this, most of the island was preserved from development as Assateague Island National Seashore in 1965. The Assateague Lighthouse and Captain Timothy Hill House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places . In March 2020,

600-433: The county was 65.3% White , 28.1% Black or African American , 0.4% Native American , 0.6% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 3.9% from other races , and 1.6% from two or more races. 8.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Black or African American (28%), English American (15%), German (9%), Irish (9%) and Mexican (4%) . There were 15,299 households, out of which 28.90% had children under

630-462: The first land grant issued on Chincoteague Island, for 1,500 acres (6.1 km). Daniel Jenifer became the first English landowner. In 1671, settlers came to the island, and by 1672 there were large farms by Bishops, Bowdens, Jesters and Tarrs. By 1838, there were 36 houses on the island. In 1861, with the Civil War looming following the attack on Fort Sumter , the island voted 132–2 not to secede from

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660-412: The median household income in the county is $ 50,601 and the per capita income is $ 29,202. As of the census of 2010, there were 33,164 people, 15,299 households, and 10,388 families residing in the county. The population density was 84 people per square mile (32 people/km ). There were 19,550 housing units at an average density of 43 units per square mile (17 units/km ). The racial makeup of

690-585: The original name, while the south remained Northampton. In 1670, the Virginia Colony 's Royal Governor William Berkeley abolished Accomac County, but the Virginia General Assembly re-created it in 1671. 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

720-643: The other two licensed to unincorporated Craddockville on a tower near Route 178 . Each translator tower has four signals to relay the signals of Hampton Roads's major network affiliates to the county, including WAVY , WHRO , WTKR , and WVEC . Meanwhile, Fox programming via WVBT is provided by WPMC-CA (Channel 36) from the Mappsville tower, a station owned by Nexstar Media Group , the parent company of WAVY/WVBT. Additionally, Salisbury, Maryland CBS / Fox affiliate WBOC-TV has long claimed Accomack County as part of its coverage area. In Sydney Brown's lyrics for

750-504: The region, such as those patronizing the beaches. The island also features many restaurants, miniature golf courses and ice cream parlors, including Island Creamery . The island contains two museums: Beebe Ranch , and the Museum of Chincoteague Island . With the designation of the nearby Wallops Flight Facility as the launch site for the Antares rocket and Cygnus cargo module used to resupply

780-446: The town received critical flood protection funding ($ 53.9 million). Legend has it that the feral ponies on Assateague are descendants of survivors of a Spanish galleon that sank on its way to Spain during a storm in 1750 off the east coast, but the likelihood is that they are actually descended from domesticated stock, brought to the island by Eastern Shore farmers in the 17th century to avoid fencing requirements and taxation. In

810-542: The town was 96.92% White , 0.95% African American , 0.28% Native American , 0.28% Asian , 0.37% from other races , and 1.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.53% of the population. There were 2,068 households, out of which 21.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who

840-449: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.63. In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.0% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 30.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males. The median income for

870-514: 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 2020 census , the total population was 33,413 people. The population of Accomack has remained relatively stable over the 20th century, though Accomack is one of the poorest parts of Virginia. The county

900-563: Was named for its original residents, the Accomac people , an Eastern Algonquian -speaking Native American tribe. 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 Accomac people at the time numbered around 6,000 and was led by Debedeavon , a paramount chief , whom

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