Essex County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the Middle Peninsula in 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 ...

; the peninsula 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 ...

on the north and King and Queen County on the south. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,599. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Tappahannock.

History

Essex County was established in 1692 from the old

Rappahannock County, Virginia Rappahannock County is a county (United States), county located in the northern Piedmont region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, US, adjacent to Shenandoah National Park. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 7,3 ...

(not to be confused with the present-day

). The county is named for either the shire or county in England, or for the

Earl of Essex Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first Earl upon each new cre ...

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (10.1%) is water. Its main town, Tappahanock, is focused at the Rappahanock River.

Adjacent counties

* Westmoreland County – north * Richmond County – northeast * Middlesex County – southeast * King and Queen County – south * Caroline County – west * King George County – northwest

Major highways

* *

National protected area

* Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge (part) Hutchinson unit, Thomas unit

Demographics

2020 census

2000 Census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 9,989 people, 3,995 households, and 2,740 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 4,926 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 57.96%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 39.04%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.55% Native American, 0.81% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.32% from other races, and 1.28% from two or more races. 0.72% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 3,995 households, out of which 28.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.70% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 14.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.40% were non-families. 26.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95. In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.90% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 27.00% from 25 to 44, 25.70% from 45 to 64, and 17.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $37,395, and the median income for a family was $43,588. Males had a median income of $29,736 versus $22,253 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $17,994. About 7.70% of families and 11.20% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 16.80% of those under age 18 and 11.80% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Board of supervisors

* Central District: John Magruder (I) * Greater Tappahannock District: Robert Akers (I) * North District: Sidney N. Johnson (I) * South District: Ronnie Gill * At Large: Bud Smith

Constitutional officers

* Clerk of the Circuit Court: Christina A. Ambrose (I) * Commissioner of the Revenue: Kristen Andrews Foster (I) * Commonwealth's Attorney: Vince S. Donoghue (R) * Sheriff: Walter "Arnie" Holmes (I) * Treasurer: B. A. "Penny" Davis (I) Essex is represented by Republican Ryan T. McDougle in the Virginia Senate, Republican M. Keith Hodges in the Virginia House of Delegates, and Republican Robert J. "Rob" Wittman in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Education

Essex County Public Schools (ECPS) is the public schools system for Essex County, Virginia, United States. The following schools make up the Essex County Public Schools system: Tappahannock Elementary School (Grades PK - 4th)
Essex Intermediate School (Grades 5th - 8th)
Essex High School (Grades 9th - 12th) Other schools located in Essex County include: St Margaret's School (Grades 8th - 12th, girls only)
Tappahannock Junior Academy (Grades K - 10th)
Aylett Country Day School (Grades PK - 8th)

Communities

Town

* Tappahannock

Unincorporated communities

Notable people

* David George -

black American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

ex-slave founder of Silver Bluff Baptist Church * Former

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

player Xavier McDaniel once lived in this county. * U.S. Senator Paul S. Trible Jr. was Commonwealth's Attorney of Essex County. * Robert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter, 1809–1887.

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House or House speaker, is the Speaker (politics), presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the United ...

and

Confederate States Secretary of State The Confederate States secretary of state was the head of the Confederate States State Department from 1861 to 1865 during the American Civil War. There were three people who served the position in this time. List of secretaries of state See al ...

. *

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

-winning R&B singer

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

was born and raised in this county. * Richard B. Garnett-

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...

general who was killed while leading his brigade during

Pickett's Charge Pickett's Charge was an infantry assault on July 3, 1863, during the Battle of Gettysburg. It was ordered by Confederate General Robert E. Lee as part of his plan to break through Union lines and achieve a decisive victory in the North. T ...

References

External links

*
Essex County Museum
{{Coord, 37.94, -76.95, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-VA_source:UScensus1990 Virginia counties 1692 establishments in the British Empire