The Outer Banks are a 100-mile (160-km) long string
of narrow barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, on the East
Coast of the United States. They cover approximately half the northern
North Carolina coastline, separating the Albemarle Sound and Pamlico Sound
from the Atlantic Ocean. The Outer Banks are a major tourist destination,
and are known for temperate weather and wide expanses of wide open beachfront.
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The Outer Banks are a series of islands: from north to south —
Bodie Island, Roanoke Island, Hatteras Island, and Ocracoke Island.
The northern part of the Outer Banks, from Oregon Inlet northward, is
usually considered part of the North American mainland, although it
is technically separated by the Intracoastal Waterway, which passes
through the Great Dismal Swamp occupying much of the mainland west of
the Outer Banks. Road access to the northern Outer Banks ends in Corolla,
North Carolina, with communities such as Carova Beach accessible only
by four-wheel drive vehicles. North Carolina State Highway 12 links
most of the popular Outer Banks communities. The easternmost point is
Cape Point at Cape Hatteras on Hatteras Island, site of the famous candy-striped
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. Other towns and villages you'll find in the
Outer Banks region are: Corolla, Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk,
Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, Manteo, Wanchese, Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo,
Avon, Buxton, Frisco, Hatteras, Ocracoke
The Outer Banks are not anchored to offshore coral reefs
like some other barrier islands, and as a consequence often suffer significant
beach erosion during major storms. In fact, their location jutting out
into the Atlantic makes them the most hurricane-prone area north of Florida,
for both landfalling storms and brushing storms offshore. Hatteras Island
was cut in half on September 18, 2003, when Hurricane Isabel washed a
3000 feet wide and 30 feet deep channel called Isabel Inlet through the
community of Hatteras Village on the southern end of the island. The tear
was subsequently repaired and restored by sand dredged by the Army Corps
of Engineers.
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Cape Lookout National Seashore preserves a 56 mile long section of
the Southern Outer Banks, or Crystal Coast, of North Carolina, running
from Ocracoke Inlet on the northeast to Beaufort Inlet on the southeast.
Three undeveloped barrier islands make up the seashore - North Core
Banks, South Core Banks and Shackleford Banks. The seashore includes
two historic villages on Core Banks, Shackleford's wild horses, and
the Cape Lookout Lighthouse, which has a black-and-white diamond pattern.
A visitors center for the seashore is located on Harkers Island. Nearby
coastal towns and villages include: Beaufort, Morehead City, Atlantic
Beach, Cedar Point, Emerald Isle, Harkers Island, Newport, Pine Knoll
Shores, Salter Path, Swansboro, and Sealevel.
The very name Crystal Coast was coined as part of a tourism campaign
by the Carteret County Tourism Development Authority, which exists to
serve visitors and residents of the Crystal Coast. It is also known
as the Crystal Coast Tourism Authority. There are more than 100 restaurants
in the area and many hotels, including the Sheraton Atlantic Beach,
the largest full service hotel on the coast of North Carolina. Beach
cottages, which are often rented out for a week during the summer, are
also popular here, especially in Emerald Isle. Several of the properties
in the area, especially Atlantic Beach, are second homes of people from
the interior part of the state, including those from cities such as
Kinston, Goldsboro and the capital city of Raleigh. There is also public
access to the beach in many areas, with one of the most popular being
an area known as "The Circle" in central Atlantic Beach. It
is a collection of shops, houses and amusement rides along the ocean
at the end of the causeway from the bridge to Morehead City. The Circle
is undergoing a redevelopment, replacing the rides that were in the
center of the area, which is actually more triangular, with high-rise
apartments, as well as new restaurants and shops
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