Virginia Administrative Code › Title 4 - CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES › Agency 20 - MARINE RESOURCES COMMISSION › Chapter 1030 - MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE UNGRANTED STATE LANDS IN ACCOMACK AND NORTHAMPTON COUNTIES › Section 4VAC20-1030-20 - Description of ungranted state lands

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
A. Location and boundaries. This management
				plan covers 28,507 acres of ungranted state lands on Virginia's Eastern Shore.
				27,722 acres are located on the seaside between the barrier islands and the
				mainland. 785 acres are located on the bayside. Although most of these lands
				are marsh, there are some uplands and fringe marsh included in the acreage
				identified as being state owned. The state lands covered by this plan have been
				surveyed by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) which produced a
				series of maps depicting the state lands. The maps have been recorded in the
				clerks' offices of Accomack and Northampton Counties and can be found at the
				Accomack County Courthouse in Accomac and at the Northampton County Courthouse
				in Eastville.
B. Surrounding
				demographic features.
1. Northampton County.
				Northampton County is located on the southern half of the Delmarva Peninsula in
				Virginia, known as Virginia's Eastern Shore. The southern tip of the Eastern
				Shore is connected to the Virginia mainland by the Chesapeake Bay
				Bridge-Tunnel.
Northampton County is approximately 35 miles in length with
				  an average width of six miles. The county extends from the Accomack County line
				  in the north to Fisherman Island at the southern tip of the peninsula. The
				  county encompasses about 360 square miles or 229,947 acres of land, tidal
				  marshes, bayside creeks and barrier islands.
More than half of the total acres in Northampton County are
				  marshes, bayside creeks, and barrier islands. Twenty-five percent of the land
				  is in agricultural and forest use. Only 3.0% of the land is developed for
				  residential and commercial use. The remaining portion is undeveloped.
Northampton County is governed by a Board of Supervisors. The
				  county seat is in Eastville. According to statistics published in the 1990
				  census, the population of Northampton County is 13,061. The county is
				  predominantly rural with occasional small residential centers. The basis of the
				  economy is agriculture and seafood. The main occupations are in retail trade;
				  the agriculture, forestry and fishing industries; manufacturing; construction;
				  tourism; and health/education services.
2. Accomack County. Accomack County is
				located on the northern half of Virginia's Eastern Shore. Accomack County is
				approximately 45 miles long with an average width of 15 miles. The county
				stretches from the Northampton County line at the south to the Maryland state
				line at the north, and out to Tangier and Smith Islands in the Chesapeake Bay.
Accomack County encompasses approximately 476 square miles,
				  or 300,649 acres of mainland, marsh and barrier islands. Sixty-six percent of
				  the mainland is in agricultural and forest use. Twenty-three percent of the
				  land is tidal marshes and barrier islands, and the remaining 11% is developed
				  for residential and commercial use.
Accomack County is governed by a Board of Supervisors. The
				  county seat is in Accomac. According to statistics published in the 1990
				  census, the population of Accomack County is 31,703. The main occupations are
				  in retail trade; manufacturing; health/education; tourism; and the agriculture,
				  farming and fishing industries.