Essex County is a county in Virginia, United States, on the Middle Peninsula between the Rappahannock and Mattaponi river systems. It had a population of 10,599 at the 2020 census and covers 286 square miles (740 km2) — 257 square miles (670 km2) of land and 29 square miles (75 km2) of water — centred near 37\u00b056\u2032N 76\u00b057\u2032W.<\/p>\n
Tappahannock is the county seat, and its postal code is 22560. The county has one incorporated town and roughly four dozen unincorporated communities and crossroads, no cities, and no civil townships (Virginia counties are not divided into townships). Essex County is in the Eastern time zone.<\/p>\n
Tappahannock is the only incorporated town; everywhere else in the county is unincorporated. The table below lists the county’s principal named places. Type “Unincorp.” means an unincorporated community or crossroads with no separate municipal government.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tappahannock<\/td>\n | Town · seat<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 22560<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Battery<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Beazley<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bestland<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bethlehem Fork<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Brays<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Brays Fork<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Caret<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 22436<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Center Cross<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 22437<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Champlain<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 22438<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Chance<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Desha<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Dunbrooke<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Dunnsville<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 22454<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Eubank<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Fairview<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Farmers Fork<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Henley Fork<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Howertons<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Hustle<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 22476<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Iraville<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Island Farm<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Jacks Fork<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Jenkins Landing<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Kino<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Laneview<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 22504<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Layton<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lloyds<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Longist Forks<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Loretto<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 22509<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lowerys Landing<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lowerys Point Landing<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Meade<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Millers Tavern<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 23115<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Montague<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Mount Landing<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Mount Pleasant<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Oakley<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Occupacia<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Ozeana<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Pauls Crossroads<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Pigeon Hill<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Red Hill<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Rexburg<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Richmond Beach<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Taylors<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Upper Mount Landing<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Upright<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Wares Wharf<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Wildwood Beach<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\nZIP Codes<\/h2>\nMost of the smaller communities listed above have no post office of their own and are served by mail from one of these nine ZIPs, usually whichever is nearest along the same road.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nEssex County sits on the Middle Peninsula, a low, flat neck of land between the Rappahannock and York river systems. The Rappahannock River forms the county’s entire northern boundary, and its tidal marshes and the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge cover much of that shoreline. Inland, the terrain is gently rolling farmland and pine woods drained by small creeks and “forks” that give many of the county’s place names their suffix.<\/p>\n Essex County borders King George County<\/a> to the northwest, Westmoreland County<\/a> to the north, Richmond County<\/a> to the northeast, Middlesex County<\/a> to the southeast, King and Queen County<\/a> to the south, and Caroline County<\/a> to the west.<\/p>\n Essex County had 10,599 residents at the 2020 census. Tappahannock, the only incorporated town, is by far the largest community; Millers Tavern and Center Cross are the next-largest named settlements, though neither is separately counted by the Census Bureau. The county’s median household income runs well below the Virginia median of $89,931, reflecting its rural, agricultural economy. Population density is about 41 people per square mile of land.<\/p>\n Agriculture remains central to Essex County’s economy, with grain, soybean, and cattle farms across the inland townships. Tappahannock, on US 17 and US 360, is the county’s retail and government hub and also serves as a boating and fishing gateway on the Rappahannock River. Riverside Tappahannock Hospital anchors the town’s health-care sector, and the Essex County public school system is a major local employer.<\/p>\n Essex County was formed in 1692 from old Rappahannock County, one of Virginia’s original 17th-century shires. Historians differ on whether it was named for the English shire of Essex or for the Earl of Essex. Tappahannock, laid out in the late 1600s as a tobacco port on the Rappahannock River, retains one of Virginia’s best-preserved colonial-era downtown districts, including the county courthouse and several 18th-century buildings still in use.<\/p>\n US Route 17 runs north-south through the county and US Route 360 runs east-west, crossing at Tappahannock. Distances from Tappahannock:<\/p>\n The nearest commercial airport is Richmond International Airport, about 50 miles southwest of Tappahannock.<\/p>\n Where is Essex County, Virginia?<\/strong> What is the population of Essex County?<\/strong> How big is Essex County?<\/strong> What is the county seat of Essex County?<\/strong> How many towns and communities are in Essex County?<\/strong> What ZIP codes are in Essex County?<\/strong> |