Essex Virginia Map

About Essex, Virginia

Essex is a locality in Essex County, Virginia, United States. It is a small community with a population of 480. The population density is 8.0 people per km². Essex is located at 37.9672°N, 76.9643°W. It observes the Eastern Time (America/New_York) timezone. ZIP code: 22560.

Essex breathes the damp, salt-tinged air of the Rappahannock River, a broad, languid artery that whispers of tides and distant Chesapeake Bay. It lies 31.2 miles south of Wicomico, MD (from Wicomico, MD: bearing 189°T), and is situated 6.4 miles west-north-west of Tappahannock. The land here is a low, fertile plain, crisscrossed by creeks that snake through stands of loblolly pine and shadowy oak, their branches heavy with Spanish moss. Fields, some still tilled, others surrendered to the slow embrace of nature, stretch towards the water's edge, a patchwork of muted greens and earthy browns under a sky that often hangs a soft, pewter gray. The roads wind with the contours of the terrain, lined by weathered fences and the occasional stately, if a little weary, historic home, its white paint peeling like sun-baked skin. The story of Essex is deeply entwined with the river that defines it, a place where tobacco once flowed as readily as water, shaping fortunes and the very character of the place. Remnants of that agrarian past linger in the quiet rhythm of life, a pace dictated less by the clock and more by the seasons. Today, the economy finds its footing in aquaculture, particularly oysters, their briny harvest a modern echo of the bounty nature has always offered. Along the waterfront, small marinas hum with the gentle putter of boats, a testament to the enduring connection to the water, while the scent of woodsmoke often drifts from chimneys in the cooler months, a comforting signal of hearth and home in this enduring corner of Virginia.

About This Essex Map Page

This page provides an interactive Google map of Essex, Virginia with street, satellite and terrain views and integrated Street View imagery. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service, with current observations and a 7-day forecast also powered by Open-Meteo. Real-time local news and world news feeds keep the page current, while a Wikipedia summary or an editorially written description provides background on Essex and Essex County.

Detailed location data for Essex includes the ZIP code (22436), telephone area code (540), county seat of Essex County (Tappahannock), and school district assignment. These are among the most commonly searched location details for any US city or town.

Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity — ensuring the correct Essex is identified even where the name is shared across multiple counties or states. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.