Chincoteague, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Chincoteague (ˌʃɪŋkəˈtiːɡ or ˈʃɪŋkətiːɡ) is a town on Chincoteague Island in Accomack County
Accomack County, Virginia
As of the census of 2010, there were 33,164 people, 15,299 households, and 10,388 families residing in the county. The population density was 84 people per square mile . There were 19,550 housing units at an average density of 43 per square mile...

, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 4,317 at the 2000 census. The town is perhaps best known for the Chincoteague Ponies, although these are not actually on the island of Chincoteague but on nearby Assateague Island
Assateague Island
Assateague Island is a long barrier island located off the eastern coast of Maryland and Virginia. It is best known for its herds of feral horses, pristine beaches, and the Assateague Lighthouse. The island also contains numerous marshes, bays and coves, including Toms Cove...

. These ponies and the annual Pony Penning Day
Pony Penning
Pony Penning is an annual event held in Chincoteague, Virginia on the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July. The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department conducts the event and it consists of a Wild Pony Swim on Wednesday and a Pony Auction on Thursday...

 are the subject of Marguerite Henry
Marguerite Henry
Marguerite Henry was an American writer. Henry inspired children all over the world with her love of animals, especially horses. The author of fifty-nine books based on true stories of horses and other animals, her work has captivated entire generations of children and young adults and won...

's 1947 children's book Misty of Chincoteague
Misty of Chincoteague
Misty of Chincoteague is a 1947 book by American author Marguerite Henry, inspired by a real Chincoteague Pony named Misty. Set on the coastal island of Chincoteague, Virginia, the book tells the story of the Beebe family and their efforts to raise a filly born to a wild horse. The book won the...

. This was made into the 1961 family film
Family film
A family film is a film genre that is designed to appeal to a variety of age groups and, thus, families.In December 2005, Steven Spielberg's 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial came first in a poll of the 100 Greatest Family Films. The genre today generates billions of dollars per annum.Family...

 Misty
Misty (1961 film)
Misty is the name of a 1961 film based upon Marguerite Henry's award-winning children's book Misty of Chincoteague, published in 1947.-1961 filming:...

, which was filmed on location.

Geography

Chincoteague is located at 37°56′5"N 75°22′4"W (37.934673, -75.367805). According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the town has a total area of 37.1 square miles (96.0 km²), of which, 9.6 square miles (24.9 km²) of it is land and 27.4 square miles (71.1 km²) of it (74.02%) is water.

History

1650 marks the first land grant issued on Chincoteague Island for 1500 acres (6.1 km²). Daniel Jenifer became the first English landowner. In 1671, settlers came to the Island and by 1672, there were large farms by Bishops, Bowdens, Jesters and Tarrs. By 1838, there were 36 houses on the island and in 1861, the island voted 132-2 not to secede from the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...

 and against slavery. The town saw minor action in the war via the Battle of Cockle Creek
Battle of Cockle Creek
The Battle of Cockle Creek, October 5, 1861, was a minor naval engagement off Chincoteague, Virginia early in the American Civil War.-Background:...

 fought in the bay in 1861

The Native American name for the island is "Gingoteague" and the name of the town "Chincoteague" first appeared in the Decisions of the United States Board on Geographical Names in 1943.

In 1962, a major nor'easter
Nor'easter
A nor'easter is a type of macro-scale storm along the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada, so named because the storm travels to the northeast from the south and the winds come from the northeast, especially in the coastal areas of the Northeastern United States and Atlantic Canada...

 winter storm, the Ash Wednesday Storm
Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962
The Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962 occurred on March 6–8, 1962 along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. It was considered by the U.S. Geological Survey to be one of the most destructive storms ever to affect the mid-Atlantic states...

, struck the coast. The town was completely underwater, and went for days without electricity. The storm destroyed almost all structures on Assateague Island, where development was just beginning. Following this, most of the island was preserved from development as Assateague Island National Seashore
Assateague Island National Seashore
Assateague Island National Seashore is a unit of the National Park Service occupying much of Assateague Island along the Atlantic coast of Maryland and Virginia. It is a barrier island shaped by stormy seas and gentle winds. It lies adjacent to Assateague State Park and Chincoteague National...

 in 1965.

Chincoteague Ponies

Legend has it that the feral ponies
Feral horse
A feral horse is a free-roaming horse of domesticated ancestry. As such, a feral horse is not a wild animal in the sense of an animal without domesticated ancestors. However, some populations of feral horses are managed as wildlife, and these horses often are popularly called "wild" horses...

 on Assateague are descendants of survivors a Spanish galleon that sank on its way to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 during a storm in 1750 off the east coast, but the likelihood is that they are actually descended from domesticated stock, brought to the island by Eastern Shore farmers in the 17th century to avoid fencing requirements and taxation.

In the Pony Penning, which has been held annually since 1925, horses swim across the shallow water between the islands. If any animal is too small or weak to make the swim, they are placed on a barge and ferried over. All the horses are herded into large pens after running through the middle of town and down Main Street. Pony Penning takes place on the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July. The actual swim occurs on Wednesday, the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company
Chincoteague Fire Department
The Chincoteague Fire Department is a historic U.S. building located at 4026/4028 Main Street, Chincoteague Island, Virginia. This building was initially constructed in 1930 and expanded in 1957....

 auctions that year's foals on Thursday, and on Friday the remaining ponies swim back to Assateague.

Tourism

The town features numerous small hotels, bed and breakfast
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...

s, and campgrounds that serve visitors to the region, such as those patronizing the beaches. Two of the largest campgrounds are Tom's Cove Park
Toms Cove
Toms Cove is an embayment on the southern end of Assateague Island in Virginia with the mouth near Chincoteague Inlet. A U.S. Coast Guard station was located there. Toms Cove also contains the Toms Cove Visitor Center run by the U.S. National Park Service....

 on the south end of the island and Maddox Family Campground on the north end. The island also features many restaurants, ice cream parlors, and miniature golf courses. The island also contains three museums: Beebe Ranch
Beebe Ranch
The Beebe Ranch is an American horse ranch and museum located at 3062 Ridge Road, Chincoteague, Virginia.The museum focuses on two Chincoteague Ponies, Misty and her foal Stormy, featured in the novels Misty of Chincoteague and Stormy, Misty's Foal by Marguerite Henry...

, Museum of Chincoteague Island and Refuge Waterfowl Museum
Refuge Waterfowl Museum
The Refuge Waterfowl Museum is located at 7059 Maddox Boulevard, Chincoteague, Virginia, United States. The museum contains an extensive collection of wildfowl wood carvings by renowned decoy crafters. The museum also exhibits murals, wildlife paintings and skipjack models. The museum also...

.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 4,317 people, 2,068 households, and 1,244 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 448.2 people per square mile (173.1/km²). There were 3,970 housing units at an average density of 412.2 per square mile (159.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.92% White, 0.95% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.37% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 1.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.53% of the population.

There were 2,068 households out of which 21.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.63.
In the town the population was spread out with 18.0% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 30.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $28,514, and the median income for a family was $33,425. Males had a median income of $27,075 versus $20,859 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the town was $20,367. About 9.7% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.9% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable natives and residents

  • "Cigar" Daisey
    Delbert Daisey
    Delbert Daisey , known as Cigar Daisey, is an American waterfowl wood carver. He lives and works in Chincoteague, Virginia and is the resident carver at the Refuge Waterfowl Museum. His decoy carvings are recognized for both their artist value and functionality as working pieces for waterfowl...

     - waterfowl
    Waterfowl
    Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....

     decoy wood carver
    Wood carving
    Wood carving is a form of working wood by means of a cutting tool in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation of a wooden object...

  • Skip Hinnant
    Skip Hinnant
    - Career :Hinnant's first major role was as Cathy's boyfriend Ted on The Patty Duke Show from 1963 to 1965, and Schroeder in the original cast of Clark Gesner's You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown during its original off-Broadway run in 1967, where his brother, Bill Hinnant, played Snoopy.He is best...

    - actor and comedian

External links

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