Ocracoke is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated town
located at the southern end of Ocracoke Island, in Hyde County,
North Carolina. The population was 763 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Sunset on a northern Ocracoke Island beach in June 2007
The island of Ocracoke is a part of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It is the most southerly inhabited island of the Outer
Banks, and can only be reached by one of three public ferries (two of which are toll
ferries), private boat, or private plane. Other than the village of Ocracoke and a few other areas (a campground, a pony pen, a
small runway), the entire island is part of the Cape
Hatteras National Seashore. A single paved two-lane road, NC 12, runs from
the village at the southern end of the island to the ferry dock at the northern tip of the island, where a free ferry connects to
Hatteras Island. The second ferry dock, located in the village, has toll connections to
Swan Quarter, North Carolina on the mainland and Cedar Island, near Atlantic, North
Carolina. Ocracoke Island Airport (FAA Identifier W95) is located slightly south-east of the village, allowing small
aircraft to land.
View of Ocracoke Lighthouse from across Silver Lake, June 2007
The village of Ocracoke is located around a small sheltered harbor called Silver Lake, with a
second smaller residential area built around a series of man-made canals called Oyster Creek. The village is located at the
widest point of the island, protected from the Atlantic Ocean by sand dunes and a salt marsh. The average height of the island is less than five
feet above sea level, and many of the buildings on the island are built on pilings to lift them off the ground. As a result,
flooding is a problem during hurricanes and large storms. The Ocracoke Lighthouse, one of North America's oldest lighthouses, is situated near Silver Lake.
On the island is what may be considered to be the only non-embassy British soil in the United States. During World War II, German submarines sank several British ships including the HMS
Bedfordfordshire, and the bodies of British sailors washed up on shore. They were buried in a cemetery on the island. A
lease for the 2,290 square foot plot, where a British flag flies at all times, was given to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission for as long as the land remained a cemetery, and
the small site officially became a British cemetery. The United States Coast Guard station on Ocracoke Island takes care of the
property. A memorial ceremony is held each year in May.[1]
Ocracoke village is located at 35°6′46″N, 75°58′33″W (35.112687,
-75.975895)1. According to the
United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 24.9
km² (9.6 mi²). 24.8 km² (9.6 mi²) of it is land
and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.62%) is water.
Economy
The economy of Ocracoke Island is almost entirely based around tourism. During the winter,
the island has a population of fewer than eight hundred, and there are only a few businesses open. During the spring, summer and
early fall, there are several thousand tourists living on the island in weekly rental houses, hotels and campgrounds, plus many
more that come across the ferry from Hatteras Island for the day or to stay overnight.
Several bars, dozens of restaurants, and many shops, stores and other tourist-based businesses open for the tourist season, and
every single business on the island is independently owned and operated by residents. There are no chains or franchises, which
gives the island a distinctive character.
Ocracoke was named America's Best Beach for 2007 by Dr. Stephen Leatherman, a
professor of coastal ecology at Florida International University who
compiles his annual list under the moniker "Dr. Beach". Ocracoke had previously earned the #2 and #3 spots in 2005 and 2006,
respectively.
Fishing is also a major part of the economy, including both commercial fishing and chartered
sport fishing. With easy access to the Pamlico Sound, the coastline of the
Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf Stream, the
Outer Banks area has a variety of different fishing options, from small Sound fish all the
way up to tuna and drum.
During the winter, the island's only main employers are construction and the businesses
that support the small population. Many islanders use the winter as time off, since they tend to work between 60 and 80 hours a
week during the tourist season. The permanent island population in the off season is only a few hundred people.
Political history
Fort Ocracoke, a Confederate fortification constructed at the beginning
of the American Civil War, was situated on Beacon Island in Ocracoke Inlet, two miles
to the west-southwest of Ocracoke village. The Confederates abandoned and partially destroyed the fort in August 1861 after
Union victories on nearby Hatteras Island. Union
forces razed it a month later. Beacon Island subsided beneath the waves of the inlet in the early 20th century. The remnants of
Fort Ocracoke were located and identified in 1998.
Ocracoke Island was also a favorite anchorage of Edward Teach/Thatch/Drummond, et cetera, better known as the pirate Blackbeard. He was killed in November 1718 in battle in Teach's Hole,
a channel slightly west of the present location of Ocracoke village.
Local Dialect
Ocracoke Island historically had its own distinct dialect of English, often referred
to as a brogue. A characteristic phrase is "high tide," pronounced somewhat like "hoi toid." Due
to the influx of tourists and greater contact with the mainland in recent years, however, the Ocracoke brogue has been
increasingly influenced by outside dialects.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 769 people, 370 households, and 219 families residing in the
CDP. The population density was 31.1/km² (80.4/mi²). There were 784 housing units at
an average density of 31.7/km² (82.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.10% White, 1.69% African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.65% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.95% of the population.
There were 370 households out of which 17.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were
non-families. 30.8% of all households were composed of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.55.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 13.0% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 34.6% from
45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $34,315, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median
income of $26,667 versus $25,625 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was
$18,032. About 7.7% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.
Ocracoke School, June 2007
Public services
The residents of Ocracoke Island are served by the Ocracoke School (K-12) located near the
center of the village. The island also has a small, local airport located just north of the village on NC 12.
Ocracoke Airport, June 2007
References
External links
Coordinates:
35.112687° N 75.975895°
W
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