The name derives from a word from a Native American language that means "land between two waters." Nassawadox is bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the west by the Chesapeake Bay. The county is divided as is the town into bayside and seaside areas which refers to the land on either side of the highway, Route 13 which runs through Accomack and Northampton Counties. Highlighting its name and its location, Nassawadox has since 1993 hosted the annual October Between the Waters Bike Tour, which features bike tours of various lengths between the Eastern Shore's two coasts. Brownsville and the Northampton Lumber Company Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 572 people, 186 households, and 121 families living in the town. The population density was 1,334.2 people per square mile. There were 207 housing units at an average density of 482.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 54.90% African American, 43.18% White, 0.87% Asian, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.22% of the population. There were 186 households out of which 23.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.8% were married couplesliving together, 22.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.93. In the town, the population was spread out with 19.2% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 14.7% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 40.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 54 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 69.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $21,250, and the median income for a family was $27,500. Males had a median income of $25,000 versus $23,594 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,626. About 24.0% of families and 32.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 44.7% of those under age 18 and 18.9% of those age 65 or over.
