Greenbackville is 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 ...

(CDP) 4.5 miles (5 km) south of

Stockton, Maryland Stockton is a census-designated place (CDP) in Worcester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 92 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Stockton, originally cal ...

Accomack County, Virginia Accomack County is a United States county that, together with Northampton County, constitutes the Eastern Shore region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. These two counties also form the southern portion of the Delmarva Peninsula, which is bo ...

, United States, located just south of the

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

state line. Per the 2020 census, the population was 173.

History

The town was settled in 1867 and was officially named "Greenbackville" by the United States Postal Service in 1874. Greenbackville and neighboring Franklin City, Virginia grew as a result of the railroad line, the Worcester railroad, completed on April 7, 1876 Hayman, John C. Rails Along the Chesapeake: A History of Railroading on the Delmarva Peninsula, 1827-1978. Marvadel Publishers, 1979. to transport

oysters Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of Seawater, salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in Marine (ocean), marine or Brackish water, brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly Calcification, calcified, a ...

and other

shellfish Shellfish, in colloquial and fisheries usage, are exoskeleton-bearing Aquatic animal, aquatic invertebrates used as Human food, food, including various species of Mollusca, molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish ...

from Chincoteague to

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. However, during the course of the 20th century

the Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, the construction of the Chincoteague Causeway, and the nor'easter of 1962 all helped to erode Greenbackville's economic base. The railroad line from the Maryland State line into Franklin City was abandoned in 1956.Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) abandonment index, Part II, ICC case #19305 Accessed a

/ref> The population of Accomack County near Greenbackville grew with the creation of Captains Cove, Virginia, Captains Cove, a planned residential community just west of Greenbackville.

Demographics

Greenbackville 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.

2020 census

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Accomack County, Virginia Former municipalities in Virginia Census-designated places in Virginia