Painter is a quiet community on Virginia's Eastern Shore
Though a railroad once ran past and a highway now cuts through its heart, Painter remains a quiet, rural community planted in the farmland of Virginia’s Eastern Shore. “Painter doesn’t have much of a town center, but it does have some waterfront properties and small, rural, little communities,” says Shaun Sterling, a Realtor with Long & Foster who has sold several properties in the area. “Most of those communities at one point were railroad towns, but the railroad was torn up 20 years ago.” Painter forgoes big-box retail in favor of local farmers markets, and residential developments are nowhere to be found. Instead, boaters explore Chesapeake tributaries and ocean waterways as nature lovers find a slice of quiet, outdoorsy living in an otherwise suburbanizing state.
Boating and hang-gliding in this part of the Eastern Shore
While the town of Painter is a few miles inland on the Delmarva Peninsula, the surrounding area touches both the Chesapeake shoreline and the Atlantic Coast. “Harborton, especially, is a big place for boating,” Sterling says. “Painter has some boating access as well.” Several homes feature backyard piers and boat launches, allowing fishing trips and kayaking along Pungoteague Creek. Avid boaters can also join the Eastern Shore Yacht & Country Club, where members socialize at a tiki bar and over games of pickleball, bingo and trivia. Just south of Painter, Virginia Hang Gliding offers thrill-seekers a chance to explore the Eastern Shore from the sky.
Painter's homes exist in smalltown or rural settings
The area features a variety of housing options among the hamlets and vast swaths of countryside. Midcentury ranch-style houses and bungalows in need of repair have sold for $30,000 to $90,000, while well-maintained Cape Cod, bungalows and ranch-style homes sell for $180,000 to $500,000. Manufactured homes have sold for $50,000 to $290,000. Residences in neighborhoods like Pungoteague and Harborton sit close to each other along grid-patterned streets, but homes in more rural areas often come with large lot sizes that may include backyard piers or farmland.
Small businesses bring farm goods to the table
Because of Painter’s small, decentralized population, the community does not have a robust retail district. A Dollar General covers basic grocery needs, and residents travel 5 miles south to shop at the Food Lion in Exmore. Ewa’s Farmers Market in Harborton sells fresh-baked goods like sourdough bread, danishes and muffins from a small farmhouse. Neighboring Melfa’s Blue Crab Bay Co. sells crab-themed stoneware as well as seafood seasonings and snacks. Pungoteague’s Chatham Flower Farm, in business since 1690, doubles as a venue for artist workshops and weddings.
Nandua High prepares students for college
Students can start their education at Pungoteague Elementary School, which receives a C-plus rating from Niche, before attending B-minus-rated Nandua Middle School and B-rated Nandua High School, which offers classroom sizes well below the national average. The high school also partners with Virtual Virginia to offer online AP classes and dual-enrollment opportunities with Eastern Shore Community College.
Highway access to beaches and health care
Painter’s location along Lankford Highway connects it with larger towns on the Eastern Shore. The beaches of Cape Charles are a 27-mile drive, and Onley’s Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital is 10 miles.
Written By
Jacob Adelhoch
