Onancock and the Eastern Shore of Virginia

Onancock is located in the mid-Atlantic region on the Eastern Shore of Virginia on the southern-most part of the Delmarva Peninsula. The Eastern Shore is bordered on the east side by the Atlantic Ocean and the west side by the Chesapeake Bay. This area is rural with agriculture and seafood industries contributing to the local economy. Major employers include NASA Wallops flight facility, the poultry industry and health care. Among the attractions of the town is a newly improved wharf, restaurants, galleries, small shops, a movie theater, a playhouse, a blacksmith shop, a historical home which houses the Historical Society, and a cultural center located in the old high school. A brand new hospital is located just outside of town and a community college is located several miles south of town. Civic leaders have focused on maintaining a small town atmosphere emphasizing Onancock’s history and heritage along with its natural beauty.

Explored by Captain John Smith in 1607 and chartered in 1680, Onancock is one of King James' original 12 royal ports in the Colonies. Blessed with deep water access to the Chesapeake Bay and offering a natural safe haven from stormy weather, Onancock was for over 250 years the trade center of the Eastern Shore, closely tied in maritime commerce to Baltimore and Norfolk. Onancock today remains a working port for watermen and waterborne commerce while offering recreational boaters a unique port of call.

The town’s location, temperate climate, small town charm, walkability, and history are attracting a diverse group of individuals to move to Onancock. The town’s economy is strengthened by tourism. The area experiences four moderate seasons without climatic extremes, in which the warm spring leads to hazy, hot summer days, and warm muggy nights that turn into the bright sunny days and cool crisp nights of autumn and the colder days of winter. The housing in Onancock ranges from single family dwelling units including large historic homes and smaller bungalows, ranchers and cape cods, upstairs apartments in the downtown area, home rentals and a limited number of multi-family units. The cost of living is below the national average.