Northumberland County is a county in Virginia, United States, on the Northern Neck peninsula between the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers. It had a population of 11,839 at the 2020 census and covers 286 square miles (740 km2) centred near 37°52′N 76°23′W.<\/p>\n
Heathsville is the county seat; its postal code is 22473. The county has one incorporated town and roughly a dozen unincorporated communities, is in the Eastern time zone, and carries FIPS code 51133.<\/p>\n
Northumberland County has one incorporated town, Callao, and a scatter of small unincorporated communities and crossroads that give the Northern Neck its rural character. Most are CDPs or simple place names with no municipal government; the table below marks each with the closest available population figure.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Callao<\/td>\n | Town<\/td>\n | 547<\/td>\n | 22435<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Heathsville<\/td>\n | CDP · seat<\/td>\n | 272<\/td>\n | 22473<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Reedville<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | 242<\/td>\n | 22539<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Burgess<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 22432<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lottsburg<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 22511<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Wicomico Church<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 22579<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Ophelia<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 22530<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Mila<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 22467<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Fleeton<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Sunnybank<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lewisetta<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Oak Grove<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Coan<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Nokomis<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Chesapeake Beach<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Horse Head<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Sandy Point<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Avalon<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Blackberry<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Claraville<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Ditchley<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Edwardsville<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Fairport<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Georgetown<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Hyacinth<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lake<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lilian<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lodge<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Mount Olive<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Rainswood<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Remo<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Slash<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Vir-Mar Beach<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Walmsley<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Kilmarnock, which the old list on this page once included, is actually located in neighboring Lancaster County, not Northumberland — it is covered on that county’s own page. A handful of the smallest crossroads in the old list (Beverlyville, Blackwells, Blundon Corner, Browns Corner, Browns Store, Bryant Corner, Bundick, Byrdton, Cowart, Crabbe Mill, Dodlyt, Downings Corner, Folly, Gibeon, Gillick Corner, Gonyon, Hamlins Corner, Hardings, Hardins Corner, Harryhogan, Harveys, Highland Landing, Howland, Jetts Store, Kayan, Lee Dale Shores, Luttrels Corner, Lynhams, Middletons Corner, Miskimon, Morrisons Corner, Reynolds Corner, Sissons Corner, Stately Oak, Surprise Hill, Tibitha, Tipers, Waddeys, Walkers Corner, Williams Corner) could not be independently corroborated this pass and have been held back rather than republished unverified.<\/p>\n ZIP Codes<\/h2>\nSmaller communities without their own post office share the ZIP code of the nearest town listed above.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nNorthumberland County occupies the eastern end of the Northern Neck, the narrow peninsula bounded by the Potomac River on the north and the Rappahannock River on the south, with the Chesapeake Bay at its eastern tip. Roughly a third of the county’s total area is water, and its shoreline is cut by numerous tidal creeks and coves, including the Coan and Great Wicomico rivers. The land is flat to gently rolling coastal plain, historically farmed in tobacco and now given over to a mix of soybeans, forestry and watermen’s trades.<\/p>\n Because it sits at the tip of the peninsula, Northumberland has only two land neighbors: Lancaster County<\/a> to the south, across a narrow land connection near the head of the Rappahannock’s tributaries, and Richmond County<\/a> to the west. Across the Potomac to the north lies St. Mary’s County, Maryland, and across the Rappahannock to the south lies Middlesex County.<\/p>\n The 2020 census counted 11,839 residents, with Callao and Heathsville as the two largest population centers. Northumberland’s median household income runs well below the Virginia median of $89,931, reflecting the county’s older, more rural population — more than a third of residents are 65 or older. Population density works out to roughly 62 people per square mile of land area.<\/p>\n The Chesapeake Bay’s menhaden fishery anchors the local economy at Reedville, home to Omega Protein Corporation, one of the largest employers on the Northern Neck and among the last big menhaden-processing operations on the East Coast. Beyond the fishery, tourism, retirement and second-home real estate, small-scale farming and county government are the other main sources of work. Reedville’s Fishermen’s Museum and its Victorian sea captains’ houses draw visitors along with the county’s public landings and marinas on the Coan, Yeocomico and Great Wicomico rivers.<\/p>\n Northumberland County was formed by the Virginia General Assembly in 1648, making it one of the oldest counties in the state, carved out of the territory that had been home to Algonquian-speaking peoples including the Wicocomico and Patawomeck before English settlement. Its name echoes the English county of Northumberland. Reedville rose to prominence in the late 19th century as a menhaden-fishing boomtown, at one point counted among the wealthiest towns per capita in the United States on the strength of the fish-oil and fishmeal trade.<\/p>\n Virginia Route 360 runs the length of the county from Lancaster County in the south to Heathsville and on toward Callao, connecting to Route 3 for the rest of the Northern Neck.<\/p>\n The nearest commercial airport is Richmond International Airport, roughly a 90-minute drive.<\/p>\n Where is Northumberland County, Virginia?<\/strong> What is the population of Northumberland County?<\/strong> How big is Northumberland County?<\/strong> What is the county seat of Northumberland County?<\/strong> How many towns are in Northumberland County?<\/strong> What ZIP codes are in Northumberland County?<\/strong> |