Why we “come-heres” moved to the Eastern Shore of Virginia

In 2014 after retirement, we bought a little home on the outskirts of Cape Charles.  We loved the idyllic ruralness, the quaintness of the small towns up and down the Shore, the friendliness of the people, the strong sense of community, and the location between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean with the Barrier Islands as a bonus.  We immediately started volunteering with community advocacy groups like the Citizens for a Better Eastern Shore (CBES), the Friends of Kiptopeke, and Master Gardeners; environmental groups like The Nature Conservancy and Master Naturalists; did volunteer stints at the CBBT Welcome Center (which turned into paid positions); and made many wonderful friends who have become “family”.  We learned to play Maj Jongg, and joined a local book club; we learned a lot about the history of the Eastern Shore.  All along, we have worked very hard along with others to keep the Shore’s character intact. 

Now, over the past twelve years, we are seeing that character being challenged at every turn, which among other things include:  Town Edge developments and other developments being proposed that do not realistically account for work force/affordable housing; proposed mining of the sea bed right off our coast that would cause destruction of our beautiful Barrier Islands and our hard-earned marine life restoration efforts; chicken farms and other industries what would deplete our fragile water aquifer and other infrastructure; and even a hint of building a data center here!

All of these things threaten our ability to provide food for the nation and protect the unique environment in which we live.  Progress is not always a good thing!  Protecting what we have is an ongoing challenge on which we MUST continually work.  If you are unsure where to start, visit the websites of or write emails to the following:

Citizens for a Better Eastern Shore (CBES):  www.cbes.org

The Nature Conservancy of Virginia:  www.nature.org

Master Naturalists:  www.masternaturalist@vt.edu

Friends of Kiptopeke email:  friendsofkiptopekestatepark@gmail.com

Master Gardeners of the Eastern Shore:  www.esvmg.com

To learn more about sea bed mining off our coast:  https://tinyurl.com/2fa663rh

To learn more about Town Edge & other developments in your county:

info@co.northampton.va.us

administration@accomack.gov

Please consider your/our inheritance of trust to maintain our little Piece of Paradise and our lovely Eastern Shore of Virginia character.  One of the best ways to do this is to GET OUT AND VOTE!

Nicki & Paul Tiffany

Cape Charles VA