Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks, North Carolina is an island located 25 miles off the Carolina Coast in the Atlantic Ocean. Norfolk International Airport in Norfolk, Virginia is the closest airport to Cape Hatteras.
There is a ferry to Cape Hatteras which is part of the 72 mile Outer Banks and is a National Seashore since 1953. It was the first National Seashore designated by the U.S. and is under the jurisdiction of the National Parks Service.
The island serves as an important resting and feeding place for migratory birds.
There are campgrounds as well as hotels in town on the island.
Vehicle owners can apply for permits to be allowed on the beaches from September through November at night. At other times they are prohibited in order to not disturb sea turtle nests.
The Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci was the first European to set foot here in the 16th Century.
Hatteras is home to the tallest lighthouse in all of the United States. It is 210 ft. tall with 269 steps to reach the top. In 1999 it had to be relocated further away from the ocean in order to prevent its collapse from the erosion of surrounding land by the Atlantic. The lighthouse was built due to the nearby Diamond Shoals, where the Labrador Current and the Gulf Stream meet in the Atlantic.
ICape Hatteras, Outer Banks, North Carolina has several marinas and fishing is considered to be best in the spring and fall.
There are several marked nature trails in different areas of the island. There are also 7 different populated villages here in all.
The 3 Villages of Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo run into each other and feel like one small town. They are located at the edge of the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.
The central village of Avon is directly adjacent to some of the best areas fro windsurfing and kite boarding.
Buxton Village has one of the few lifeguard beaches and is adjacent to the Buxton Woods where the lighthouse stands. There is also good anger fishing from near here as Buxton's Cape Point is close to the Gulf Stream and a migratory channel for undersea life.
In the Village of Frisco there is good fishing and many beaches. This is also home to a Native American Museum.
Hatteras is the largest of the villages and has a broad array of fishing boat charters available. There are more restaurants here than elsewhere on the island. There is a Day at the Docks Celebration held here annually.
Residents of Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks, North Carolina all live within 30 minutes of their place of work. There was a total of 714 inhabitants of the island in 2007, in the overwhelming majority of Anglo descent. The cost of living here is below the average for the United States. There are 704 houses and condos here, within this protected area.
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