The Outer Banks has so much to offer --- beautiful beaches, breathtaking coastline, rich history, lively culture, a developing economy and abundant recreational activities for land, sea and air. Is it any wonder that 7 million visitors come here each year?
Location
The Outer Banks, located in Dare County, northeast North Carolina, is a chain of barrier islands in the middle of the Atlantic Seaboard. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Virginia on the north, Pamlico Sound on the south, and the North Carolina mainland on the west.
The Outer Banks’ villages are located in three main geographic areas: the Northern Beaches, Roanoke Island on the west and Hatteras Island on the south.
Ocracoke Island lays at the southernmost tip of the Outer Banks, in Hyde County, a 45 minute ferry trip from Hatteras Island. The island is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and is about 15 miles long. It has just one village at the western tip, which is built around historic and scenic Silver Lake. It is the most remote inhabited island of the Outer Banks, and is owned by the National Park Service, except for the village.
The Outer Banks can be accessed by I-158 from the north and I-64 from the west and south. The Chesapeake Expressway, Route 168, links I-64 in Chesapeake to North Carolina and the Outer Banks. Ocracoke Island can be reached by ferry from Hatteras Village, Swan Quarter or Cedar Island.
Distances Between Towns/Cities
The Outer Banks is situated approximately 72 miles south of Norfolk, VA, and approximately 242 miles north of Myrtle Beach, SC. It is located approximately 169 miles from Raleigh, 217 miles from the Washington D.C. area, and 236 miles from Baltimore.
Airports
The major airport serving the Outer Banks is the Norfolk International Airport.
Norfolk International Airport is located approximately 72 miles north, in Norfolk, VA, one mile east of I-64. It provides 188 daily passenger fights and handles over 3 million passengers a year.
Charter service to the Outer Banks is available via Dillon’s Aviation which is based at Dare County Regional Airport. Dare County Regional Airport was used as a naval auxiliary air station during World War II. It is currently operated by Dare County Airport Authority for public and commercial flights.
There are three unattended, unlit airstrips in the area that include Billy Mitchell Field on Hatteras Island, First Flight Airstrip in Kill Devil Hills, and Ocracoke Airstrip on Ocracoke Island.
Terrain
Dare County's Outer Banks is made up a chain of barrier islands covering an area of 800 square miles, of which 409 square miles are water. It has 130 miles of untouched coastland, surrounded by 900 miles of the Atlantic Ocean waters with many wide, shallow sounds. It has the largest estuary system in the world.
The Outer Banks sit primarily at an elevation of 11.3 feet above sea level.
Ocracoke Island is less than five feet above sea level. It is 13 miles long and 2 miles wide.
Population
The Outer Banks has a population of approximately 40,800 year-round residents, and 7 million visitors. The largest incorporated town is Kill Devil Hills, with a population of 6,425, and the smallest is Duck, with a population of 448. The population growth for the region is almost double the North Carolina average. The population of Ocracoke Island is approximately 700.
Jobs
Tourism is the Outer Banks’ strongest economic stimulus, providing approximately 30,000 jobs annually and a revenue of $619 million. Fishing is also a major part of the economy, both commercial and chartered sport fishing. There are other industries such as mail order outlets and technologically operated businesses, which work well in combination with tourism. In the winter months construction and service businesses remain strong.
On Ocracoke Island every business is owned and operated by residents, with not a single chain or franchise.
The northeast North Carolina’s strong labor force, excellent industrial sites and buildings, financial incentives and recruitment efforts have brought attention to the business potential in the region and attracted large capital investments.
In 2005, country music artist, Randy Parton, signed a deal with private developers and the City of Roanoke Rapids for the development of a music theater and entertainment district along I-95 in the vicinity of Exit 171 in Roanoke Rapids, NC. This represents a music and entertainment venue that will become a nationally-recognized travel destination. The first phase of the project will represent a $129 million investment, creating over 2,595 new jobs.
TAMSCO, an ESSI company, will be building a $20 million hangar facility in nearby Elizabeth City, and this project will create 100 new jobs.
Dare County School System is the largest employer in Dare County.
The average time to travel to work in the Outer Banks area is 16.8 minutes.
Dare County Schools
Dare County School System is excellent. Each of its eleven schools has received accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and every school met the Federal “No Child Left Behind” standards. Ocracoke School is a NC School of Excellence, with at least 90% of its students at grade level.
In 2004, the Dare Education Foundation received the Governor’s Education First Partnership Award, in recognition of its involvement in, and advocacy and support for public schools and student achievement.
Colleges/Universities
The universities nearest to the Outer Banks include Norfolk State University, approximately 72 miles away in Norfolk, Virginia, Elizabeth State University, approximately 42 miles away in Elizabeth City, NC, and East Carolina University, approximately 100 miles away in Greenville.
East Carolina University is the third largest university in North Carolina with 22,767 students and a faculty of 1,406.
College of the Albemarle has campuses in Manteo, Elizabeth City, and Edenton. It offers courses in Basic Skills, Continuing Education, Business and Industry Training and Cultural Enrichment.
Housing
Housing prices in this area are nearly fifty percent higher than the North Carolina average. The high prices are due to the prime location coupled with the minimal availability of undeveloped land. Much of the land is protected by Federal Wildlife Sanctuaries and cannot be developed.
You can find simple cottages, opulent single family homes, townhomes and condominiums. Home prices in the Outer Banks range from $60,000 to $9 million. The area is perfect for year-round family homes, vacation properties, second homes, or retirement living. The average price for a single family home is $894, 866.
Historic Places of Interest
The Outer Banks’ villages have 300 years of history and culture to share through its several historical sites and museums.
The Wright Brothers National Memorial at Kill Devil Hills marks the site where, on December 17, 1903, the Wright Brothers achieved the first successful airplane flight.
The Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, at the north end of Roanoke Island is where Sir Walter Raleigh's explorers and colonists attempted to found settlements in 1585. This was the first English attempt to colonize the New World.
The North Carolina Maritime Museum preserves and displays all the aspects of the area’s maritime heritage. It has seven major exhibits and 18 tanks, up to 285,000 gallons in size.
The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum fully displays the area’s maritime legacy as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic”.
The Frisco Native American Museum and National History Center has nationally recognized collections in a building that itself is 100 years old.
Fort Ocracoke is a Confederate fort built at the beginning of the Civil War.
Ocracoke Island was an often frequented anchorage for Edward Teach, the pirate Blackbeard, who was killed at Teach’s Hole, just west of Ocracoke Village.
The Roanoke Island Freedmen's Colony is an historic National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Site. It is the site of a colony on Roanoke Island between 1862 and 1867, whose 3,000 residents had previously been slaves.
The Outer Banks' “newest” lighthouse is also its smallest. The Ocracoke Lighthouse was an original 1857 screwpile lighthouse that aided mariners in Croatan Sound. It was a cottage built over the water, and served as both a beacon and a residence. It was reconstructed in 2004 and contains exhibits highlighting Roanoke Island's maritime history.
The Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station was built in 1874 and is one of the first seven on the Outer Banks, and famous for its crews’ daring rescues of ships in distress.
Recreation
The Outer Banks has six exceptional parks and wildlife areas: Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, Jockey’s Ridge State Park, Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve, and Elizabethan Gardens.
Other recreational options available in the area are; biking, tennis, horseback riding, water slides, miniature golfing and go-carts.
The Outer Banks have some of the finest golf courses in North Carolina. Excellent courses located within Dare County include The Carolina Club, the Currituck Club, the Kilmarlic Golf Club, the Pointe Golf Club and Sea Scape Golf. They range in terrain and challenge level from a 9-hole executive course to an 18-hole, Scottish links-style course.
The Outer Banks has prime conditions for aerial tours, hang-gliding and parasailing. Jockey's Ridge State Park is one of the best locations for learning to hang-glide.
The Outer Banks are a water lovers’ paradise, with some of the best beaches on the Atlantic Coast. The area is ideal for a full range of water activities including jet skiing, ocean and sound kayaking, diving, surfing, windsurfing, sailing, boating, and of course swimming. The Outer Banks is often referred to as the "Windsurfing Capital of the East Coast".
As for fishing, the Outer Banks also offers some of the best fishing on the East Coast. There are over 130 miles of beach for surfcasting, and between Kitty Hawk and Hatteras there are eight piers for pier fishing.
Sight-seeing cruises of the area are available on a variety of vessels, from sailboats to head boats.
Along the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” sea floor are the remains of more than 1,500 shipwrecks, perfect for divers’ exploration.
Special Attractions/Events
The Outer Banks is home to America’s oldest outdoor drama, “The Lost Colony”, the story of the first English settlement in America, which mysteriously vanished without a trace.
The works of local painters, sculptors, print makers, jewellers, craftsmen, decoy carvers and photographers, as well as original classics, are displayed at over 20 galleries located between Duck and Hatteras Island.
The Outer Banks region has four lighthouses, each unique: Cape Hatteras, Bodie Island, Ocracoke and Currituck Beach lighthouses. The Ocracoke lighthouse is the oldest operating lighthouse in the State, and the shortest.
Roanoke Island Festival Park has a living history interpretation showing the evolution of Roanoke Island and the Outer Banks from the 16th century to the early 20th century.
The Outer Banks also hosts many special events throughout the year including art shows, festivals, theatre productions, parades, sports competitions, antique fairs, and fishing tournaments.
There are several visitor attractions on Ocracoke Island, including the Ocracoke lighthouse and the famous Ocracoke ponies, descendants of horses that are thought to have been survivors of shipwrecks or left behind by early explorers.
Interesting Facts
Dare County is named for Virginia Dare, the first English child born in North America.
Ocracoke was supposedly named after the pirate Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard, who exclaimed, “Oh, Crow Cock!”
The beaches of Ocracoke Island were named #10 on Stephen Leatherman’s list of top beaches in the nation.
The Outer Banks has the largest sand dunes on the East Coast.
- NUMBER1EXPERTS™ 
