Remmie Pittman
REALTOR® & THG Elite Agent
Northern Neck37.8600° N 76.3800° W
Northumberland.
11,839 residents across 286 square miles, seated at Heathsville.
One of 6 areas our Northern Neck team works.
At a glanceHeathsville
The publicrecord.
What the county and the census hold on Northumberland — quoted, not estimated.
A Chesapeake Bay county with roughly 509 miles of shoreline along the Bay, the Potomac and their tributaries, built on seafood, agriculture and, increasingly, retirement and second-home real estate. Median resident age is just under 60, and nearly two in five residents are 65 or older.
Reedville remains a genuine working fishing port — historically the center of the Chesapeake's menhaden industry and still one of the top U.S. ports by landings volume, with Omega Protein's processing plant and corporate headquarters and the independently operated Ocean Harvesters fishing fleet both based there.
Heathsville, the county seat since 1681, keeps a historic district of roughly 100 contributing buildings around its 1900–01 courthouse.
- Type
- County
- County seat
- Heathsville
- Population (2020)
- 11,839
- Land area
- 286 sq mi
- Communities we cover
- 6
- Established
- 1648
- Real estate tax rate (FY2026–27)
- $0.51 per $100
Figures from Wikidata, population as of 2020. The tax rate is published by the county and set annually; check the current year before budgeting.
Where it is37.8600° N 76.3800° W
Where isNorthumberland?
The nearest of our other Northern Neck areas is Lancaster, 10 miles off.
8 mi
Central Northern Neck
east of center
43 mi
Williamsburg
south-west
61 mi
Richmond
south-west
77 mi
Fredericksburg
north-west
Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Getting around.
Route 360 is the county's main corridor, running up from Warsaw through Heathsville.
US-360 (Northumberland Highway)
The county's primary route, connecting Warsaw to Heathsville.
Richmond International Airport
The nearest commercial airport, a comparable distance to neighboring Lancaster County.
Inside the county6 communities
Every communitywe cover.
6 of them have homes on the market today. Each figure is live, and opens that search.
- 40HeathsvilleSee the homes
The county seat since 1681 — Heathsville's historic district holds roughly 100 contributing buildings around its 1900–01 courthouse.
- 27ReedvilleSee the homes
A historic menhaden-fishing port and still an active one today, home to Omega Protein's processing plant and headquarters and the Reedville Fishermen's Museum.
- 5CallaoSee the homes
An unincorporated community on US-360, northwest of Heathsville.
- 3BurgessSee the homes
A small unincorporated community in the county.
- 1OpheliaSee the home
A small unincorporated community in the county.
- 13LottsburgSee the homes
A small unincorporated community in the county.
Living here6 reasons
The case forNorthumberland.
The figures above read plainly, and what they look like day to day. Where something is a trade-off, it says so.
Space
41 people to the square mile.
Of the 6 Northern Neck areas we hold both figures for, only 2 are more open — Northumberland ranks 3rd least crowded. If room is what you are buying, this end of the market is where it is.
Scale
11,839 people, as of 2020.
The 3rd largest of the 6 Northern Neck areas we hold a count for — big enough for a steady market without being the busiest one.
The line that matters
Northumberland, seated at Heathsville.
In Virginia the county sets the rate, runs the school division and maintains the roads — and the lines do not follow the place names, so two houses a mile apart can sit under different rates and different schools.
A working fishing port, still
Reedville remains a top U.S. port by landings volume.
Its menhaden-processing history isn't a museum piece — Omega Protein still runs its plant and corporate headquarters here, with the independent Ocean Harvesters fleet supplying it.
509 miles of shoreline
The Bay, the Potomac and their tributaries all touch this county.
That much shoreline for a county this size shapes almost everything about how people here live and work.
A colonial-era seat, still governing
Heathsville has been the county seat since 1681.
Its historic district, roughly 100 contributing buildings around an 1900–01 courthouse, still functions as the county's civic center.
SchoolsNorthumberland County Public Schools
Schools andcolleges.
About 1,160 students across three schools, with the nearest college over the county line.
Northumberland County Public Schools
An elementary, a middle and a high school, serving roughly 1,160 students.
Rappahannock Community College
Its nearest campuses are in Warsaw and Glenns, plus a site in Kilmarnock.
Outdoors3 of them
Where theweekends go.
Two Bay-shoreline natural area preserves protect habitat for a federally threatened beetle, among other species.
Hughlett Point Natural Area Preserve
204 acres of Chesapeake Bay shoreline with trails and a boardwalk.
Dameron Marsh Natural Area Preserve
316 acres, habitat for the federally threatened northeastern beach tiger beetle.
Reedville Fishermen's Museum
An 1875 waterman's home and restored 'Millionaire's Row' mansions, on the National Register.
On the market93 in Northumberland · live
Homes on themarket now.
On the market in Northumberland right now.
Live from search.hogangrp.com, refreshed hourly.
All Northumberland listingsSearchsearch.hogangrp.com · Live MLS
Homes inNorthumberland.
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Your team1 in Northern Neck
People who livewhere they sell.
The Northern Neck team covers every one of these areas.
Nearby5 more in Northern Neck
The rest ofNorthern Neck.
Same team, same standard, 5 other places — nearest first.
Questions5 answered
What peopleask us.
Asked often enough by people moving to Northumberland to be worth answering in writing.
A Chesapeake Bay county of roughly 509 miles of shoreline, with a genuinely working fishing industry at Reedville alongside a growing retirement and second-home population.
$0.51 per $100 of assessed value for FY2026–27.
Northumberland County Public Schools — an elementary, middle and high school serving roughly 1,160 students. Rappahannock Community College's nearest campuses are in Warsaw and Glenns.
Yes — Omega Protein still operates its menhaden-processing plant and corporate headquarters there, supplied by the independently run Ocean Harvesters fleet, and it remains one of the top U.S. ports by landings volume.
Hughlett Point and Dameron Marsh natural area preserves for Bay shoreline and trails, plus the Reedville Fishermen's Museum for the county's maritime history.
Sources · checked September 14, 2026
Tax rate · Hughlett Point preserve · Dameron Marsh preserve · Reedville Fishermen's Museum · Omega Protein · Heathsville historic district · Schools
Thinking of selling
What is your Northumberland homeactually worth?
Mike Hogan founded the brokerage on knowing the county rather than the listing. Ask what that means for this street — or take a cash offer from a local investor and skip the showings entirely. Neither route commits you to the other.