Introduction to the Northern Neck

Welcome to my first post. First I would like to give you an introduction to the area.



The Northern Neck area of Virginia is a quiet and peaceful peninsula sourounded by the Potomac River, The Rappahannock River, and the Chesapeake Bay. There are four counties that make up the Northern Neck - they are Northumberland, Lancaster, Richmond, and Westmoreland counties. Fishing and Farming have long been a major source of jobs in the area, but with recent environmental restrictions alot of watermen find it harder and harder to meet new requirements and still make a living. Farmers too have realized that they could make far more money selling the land (espically waterfront) that they own instead of farming it, which has been a contributing factor in the last several years to the Real Estate Boom. More and more farms are being turned into subdivisions with upscale homes. Developers from all over the country have seen the potential in this area and have flocked here to stake their claim.

Although residential real estate has been booming in the area, most of the people moving to the Northern Neck are buying 2nd homes or retiring here. Businesses in the area are still for the most part locally owned with a few exceptions, i.e. Food Lion and Wal-Mart. Most people - locals and come-heres alike - would like to keep it that way. Some people complain about the lack of big business in the area, but that's why people come here - to get away from things like that. If you want to be around a Metropolitian area don't come here. We are 1 1/2 hours away from Richmond and about 2 hours from D.C. If you are looking for a quiet place to retire and have your family visit to go out on the water, this is the place.

The Northern Neck is full of history. George Washington, James Madison, Robert E. Lee and others were born here. Look here to read the entire history:

http://www.northernneck.com/history.htm

One of the most famous places in the Northern Neck is Reedville, located in Northumberland County. It is home to the commercial fishing fleet of Omega Protien. In its heyday Reedville had the highest per-capita income of any town in the country - of course the population was probably under 400 people at that time.

According to the 2ooo census, the total number people who live in the Northern Neck was less than 50,ooo. With only 745 square miles that puts the population at 66 people per square mile.

To put it into perspective I graduated from Northumberland High School in 1999 with 92 people in my class.

I will try to post on a different subject every week. Upcomming posts will include,

What to do here

Homes and Land prices and discription (with pictures)

Outlook for '06

If you like the information provided in my blog please leave a comment. You can also visit my website http://www.nnkproperties.com