Franktown is a small community with a wealth of tranquil nature
Franktown has come a long way since its founding as a stagecoach stop on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. “Seafood and agriculture are historically the legacy businesses there,” says Shaun Sterling, a Realtor with Long & Foster Real Estate who has sold scores of properties in the area. “Although those play a role in the local economy, people are now doing an assortment of things like commuting to other places on the shore for work.” The rural community sits just a few blocks away from the Lankford Highway, connecting it with larger towns like Nassawadox and Exmore, but its rural location plays a central role in shaping its outdoorsy charm.
Backyard recreation is central to living in Franktown
Due to the community’s rural character and abundance of private farmland, Franktown doesn’t have any parks of its own. However, Nassawadox Creek creates plenty of opportunities for outdoor recreation. Many Franktown properties have piers in their backyards, meaning that fishing trips and boat rides can be launched from home. Houses located along rural lanes like Wellington Neck Road often include expansive yards, which may consist of open farmland or wide stretches of green fields.
Franktown features a small but diverse housing stock
The oldest properties in Franktown date to the early 1800s, but the majority were built from the 1910s to the 1930s in Colonial Revival, Dutch Colonial and ranch styles. “There are multigenerational families living there, but the dominant real estate theme is second homes,” Sterling says. “You’ve got a lot of waterfront properties and non-waterfront, too.” The median sale price for a single family home is $380,000, but Franktown’s limited number of homes means few properties come on the market.
Student engagement and dual enrollment at Northampton High
Students can start their education at Occohannock Elementary School, which receives a C rating from Niche, followed by Northampton Middle and Northampton High, both rated C-plus. Northampton High features smaller-than-average classroom sizes and dual enrollment through Eastern Shore Community College.
Nassawadox puts restaurants just around the corner from Franktown
While Franktown doesn’t have a business scene of its own, neighboring Nassawadox offers a small but diverse selection of restaurants. The Great Machipongo Clam Shack shares the Eastern Shore’s natural bounties through its fish and shellfish platters. The Little Italy Restaurant immerses visitors in an Italian-themed atmosphere through its paintings and its pizza and pasta dishes, although it also features an extensive list of Mexican offerings as well. Casa Hispana sells imported Mexican products as well as baked goods from Richmond’s La Sabrosita Bakery. For more groceries, a Food Lion is less than 5 miles away in Exmore.
The Lankford Highway connects Franktown to larger towns and cities
Franktown’s location along the Lankford Highway connects it to the beaches of Cape Charles within 20 miles and the natural attractions of Chincoteague within 50 miles. Virginia Beach is a 60-mile journey south. Franktown is also a 20-mile drive from the Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital in Onley.
Written By
Jacob Adelhoch
