right|thumb|1903 Map depicting Elizabeth City County and other "lost counties" of Virginia
Elizabeth City County was a county in southeastern Virginia from 1634 until 1952 when it was merged into the city of Hampton. Originally created in 1634 as Elizabeth River Shire, it was one of eight shires created in the Virginia Colony by order of the King Charles I. In 1636, it was subdivided, and the portion north of the harbor of Hampton Roads became known as Elizabeth City Shire. It was renamed Elizabeth City County a short time later.
History
Elizabeth City was originally named Kikotan (also spelled Kecoughtan and Kikowtan), presumably a word for the Native Americans living there when the English arrived in 1607. They were friendly to the English, but Sir Thomas Gates either worried about safety (including potential attack by the Spaniards and the Dutch) or coveted their corn fields after the "starving time" of the 1609–10 winter. The English seized their land while the men were out hunting, and for some reason, the natives never attacked the settlement in response.
The shire and county were named for Elizabeth of Bohemia, daughter of King James I, sister of Princes Henry and Charles.
The town of Hampton, established in 1680, became the largest city in Elizabeth City County, and was the county seat.|source2=
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Major communities in Elizabeth City County
- Buckroe Beach
- Fox Hill
- Kecoughtan
- Langley Field
- Plum Tree Point
- Phoebus
- Hampton (before it became an independent city)
- Wythe
- Aberdeen Gardens
- Pine Chapel Village
See also
- Elizabeth City (Virginia Company) (1619-1634)
- Elizabeth City Shire (1634-1643)
- Hampton, Virginia (1952-)