ActiveLake Gaston
+45 photos$3,200,000
$689/sq ft
6 bd·8 ba·4,644 sq ft·1.42 ac
263 Pinewood Acres Drive, Henrico, NC 27842
Jackson & Northampton County, NC · 2026
The Northampton County Buyer's Brief
The north shore of Lake Gaston, a historic courthouse square in Jackson, the last exit on I-95 before Virginia, and some of the deepest rural land value left in northeastern North Carolina. One brief, seven chapters, written for the buyer who wants the real trade-offs, not a brochure.
- chapters, fully drafted
- 7
- county population
- ~17,500
- last I-95 exit before VA
- Exit 180
- USDA-eligible (expected)
- Most of the county
One Brief · Seven Chapters
Read it like a book, or jump to what you need.
A lake buyer, a courthouse-town buyer, and a land buyer aren't asking the same questions — but in a county this size they're all reading the same market. One brief covers it, in three arcs.
Chapters 01–03
The North Shore & The Towns
Lake Gaston, the courthouse towns, and one exit from Virginia
Lake Gaston's Northampton shoreline and the real price delta, an honest read on Jackson, Rich Square, Conway and Woodland, and what living at the last I-95 exit before Virginia actually means.
- Ch 1 — The North Shore Thesis
- Ch 2 — Jackson, Conway, Rich Square & Woodland
- Ch 3 — The I-95/VA-Line Position
Chapters 04 & 05
The Land & The Services
Row crops, timberland, schools, and the healthcare drive
Present-use-value taxation and what buying farm or timber acreage actually involves, then a straight look at Northampton County Schools and why healthcare means a drive to Roanoke Rapids.
Read the land chapter →Chapters 06 & 07
The Money & The Decision
Second-home math, and a closing framework
A short look at occupancy classification and financing on the lake, plus the county's dedicated financing page — then a closing framework for lake, land, or corridor.
Read the financing guide →County Profile
The county behind the brief.
Northampton County is a working county of roughly 17,500 people in North Carolina's northeastern Coastal Plain, holding the north shore of Lake Gaston and the last stretch of I-95 before Virginia. What sets it apart from its rural neighbors is that combination — real waterfront, a genuine historic courthouse town, and a border-state commuter position, all at deep-rural prices.
- Population
- ~17,500 2020 census
- County seat
- Jackson NRHP historic district
- The lake
- Lake Gaston north shore — Henrico
- The interstate
- I-95 Exit 180 Garysburg · last exit in NC
- Formed
- 1741 from Bertie County
- Nearest hospital
- ECU Health North Roanoke Rapids, ~18 mi
Before You Search Any Further
It's Northampton — one word, no capital H.
Is it Northampton or "Northhampton"?
Northampton — one word, no capital H. "Northhampton" and "North Hampton" are both common misspellings (Travis has typed the extra-H version himself). If you searched one of those and found little, that's likely why. This site also isn't about Northampton, Massachusetts or Northampton County, Pennsylvania or Virginia — three real, different places that share the name.
Do you cover Lake Gaston, or just the town side of the county?
Both. Northampton holds the north shore of Lake Gaston (Halifax County holds the south shore along the same stretch) — that's Chapter 1. The rest of the brief covers the county's towns, the I-95/Virginia-line corridor, and the land and farm market away from the water.
Where do people in Northampton County actually work and shop?
Mostly outside the county. There is no hospital here — the nearest is ECU Health North Hospital in Roanoke Rapids, about 18 miles from Jackson. Day-to-day retail and groceries generally route through Roanoke Rapids or across the state line to Emporia, Virginia. This is genuinely rural county living, and this brief says so directly rather than glossing over it.
Cross-shopping Lake Gaston? Halifax County holds the lake's south shore along this same stretch, with its own corridor and Roanoke Rapids content. Each county's brief stands on its own —confirm any specific parcel's county against NC OneMap before you rely on a general "north shore/south shore" description, including this one. If you meant this county, the whole brief starts at chapter one.
Market Data
Current Northampton County market activity.
Lake Gaston waterfront, Jackson's historic stock, and deep-rural land are small, different markets — this is a market report that says so honestly rather than manufacturing a countywide average that doesn't mean much at this scale, and it never publishes a monthly median off a single-digit sample.
Live MLS data for Northampton County, refreshed on every site build — see the report for the current feed status.
The broker
Travis Old
Horizon Realty Group · North Carolina Real Estate
Travis works the 19 counties of northeastern North Carolina that make up his territory — Halifax and Northampton counties included. Northampton is the fleet's north-shore market: Lake Gaston on one side, deep-rural land and a Virginia-border commute on the other, all priced well under what the same water and acreage cost closer to a metro area. This brief is written with that reality in mind — the real trade-offs, not a brochure.
Serving
Credential
2026William C. Bass Leadership Academy — appointed member
Education
2018University of North Carolina at Greensboro — BA in Economics
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