Deltaville is a small

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

on the eastern tip of Middlesex County in the eastern part of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. It is known for being a vacation spot with sailing, fishing, and other water activities. The town developed around being a large boat building area, mostly for commercial bay watermen. However, those days have passed and the area is now dotted with numerous marinas, boatyards, and marine related businesses. The Deltaville ZIP code is 23043.

History

Originally known as Sandy Bottom, the community decided to change the town name in 1909. The name Delta was proposed, because of the shape of the town, as it is bordered by the

Rappahannock River The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 It traverses the enti ...

to the North, the Piankatank River to the south, and the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

to the east. There was a Delta, Virginia already in existence, so "ville" was tacked onto the end. Deltaville has been home for over a half century to a semi-pro

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

team, the Deltas. The 1948 vintage Deltaville Ballpark is their home field. Other activities in the town include a town

pool Pool may refer to: Bodies of water * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a roc ...

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

courts,

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

court, and

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people wi ...

, and a

community center A community centre, community center, or community hall is a public location where members of a community gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may be open for the whole community or for a sp ...

, all built and maintained by a volunteer Board of the Deltaville Community Association, a (501)(c)(3) organization. The Deltaville Maritime Museum and Holly Point Nature Park, home to the Nationally registered historic buyboat, the F.D. Crockett, is located in Deltaville at 287 Jackson Creek Road. Situated on 36 acres crossing both the waters of Mill Creek and Jackson Creek Road, this water accessible park acts as a setting for the Museum, the multi-purpose events pavilion, outside exhibits and the waterfront performance area. Founded in 2002, the Museum and Park's mission is to preserve and present the history of Chesapeake Bay watermen, their workboats, fisheries, and methods. The ''Museum and Park'' also host farmer's markets, plays, concerts, and Holiday events throughout the year. The tip end of Deltaville is Stingray Point, named by Captain John Smith on July 17, 1608. According to Captain John Smith's '' Generall Historie'': The legend that a cure was given to Smith by local Native Americans, who lived along what is now called Antipoison Creek, has been largely been discredited. On the evening of April 16, 2011, the community was struck by a devastating tornado. Prior to reaching Deltaville the storm had torn a path from North Carolina to the Chesapeake Bay. With wind gust estimated 135 mph it only took minutes to cause approximately 6.8 million in damages. The tornado touched down near Porpoise Cove, on the south side of Deltaville, and ran a northeast path, destroying 32 homes, along with Zoar Baptist Church, the Community Association Pool, and severely damaged the community hall. Despite injuries, no one was killed. The '' F.D. Crockett'' was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2012. The Middlesex County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution on October 2, 2012, supporting the efforts of the official naming, "Deltaville, The Boating Capital of the Chesapeake Bay."

Demographics

Deltaville was first listed as a

census designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in the 2010 U.S. Census. The

Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

defines Deltaville as a

(CDP) with a population of 1,119 as of 2010. As of the 2020 Census, the town had a population of 1,057. According the 2020 Census as well, Deltaville has a 42.9%

employment rate Employment-to-population ratio, also called the employment rate, is a statistical ratio that measures the proportion of a country's working age population (statistics are often given for ages 15 to 64) that is employed. This includes people that ...

, a

median income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of unde ...

$66,905 with a 6.1%

poverty rate Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse

, and a total of 1,188 houses with 394 occupied by families. Of the population, 927 are white, 37 are mixed, 29 are black, 27 are Hispanic, 8 are Native American, 3 are Asian, and 8 are other. 33% of the population is 65 years old or older.

References

Sources

National Historic Registry Sign in Hartfield, Virginia, "A Portrait of Deltaville 25th Anniversary Edition"

External links

Deltaville Official Site - Home of the Deltaville Community AssociationSouthside Sentinel Local NewspaperLower Middlesex Volunteer Fire Department
{{authority control Census-designated places in Middlesex County, Virginia Unincorporated communities in Virginia Census-designated places in Virginia Virginia populated places on the Chesapeake Bay