Cedar Island, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
Cedar Island is an island
and a small coastal unincorporated community in eastern North Carolina
and some folks believe that the area has a connection to the Roanoke Lost Colony of the late 16th century. Cedar Island is located in Carteret County
and was populated with local Native Americans prior to European settlers arriving sometime in the 18th century or possibly before. It is also the location of the state ferry transportation system dock where travel can be made across Pamlico Sound
to the island
and village
of Ocracoke
in Hyde County
.
. The Methodist and Free Will Baptist maintain regular meetings and Sunday services.
Cedar Island is about 4 miles (6.4 km) long, extending from the "Lola" village, down the bay, on the southeast end near the Core Sound
and Lewis Creek, up to the Ferry Station at the north side of the island, bordering Pamlico Sound
. The main village of Cedar Island, formerly known as "Roe" is located along the north central portion of the island. There is a fisherman's harbor in this area.
Businesses on the island are:restaurant
-motel
-campground, "The Driftwood", and a full-service grocery, hardware
, and convenience store
, "Island's Choice", a wholesale-retail fish company (Quality Seafood), a hair styling salon, a horse riding stable
, several vacation cottage
s for rent
, and a post office
.
Cedar Island has sandy beaches backed up against stands of juniper
(mistaken by early settlers for cedars) and pine
. More than half of Cedar Island belongs to the (Federal
) Cedar Island Wildlife Refuge
. The refuge is open for hiking and has a headquarters and information kiosk at the south end of the island, near the end of Lola Road.
There are at least 2 public boat ramps. One is at the very end of Lola Rd, at Lewis Creek which leads out to Cedar Island Bay and Core Sound. Another is located just to the right, or east of the Ferry Station at the North end of the island.
Cedar Island has good weather most of the year, cooler than inland areas, in the summer, and warmer than inland areas in the winter, but is occasionally hit by hurricanes in the fall. Temperatures do not often fall below freezing in the winter, nor do they often rise above 90 degrees in the summer. Except for Hurricanes, rainfall is usually sufficient for gardens and lawns, and fairly even throughout the year. Mosquitos are a major pest in the summer, due to the immense amount of woods and marsh on the island.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
and a small coastal unincorporated community in eastern North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and some folks believe that the area has a connection to the Roanoke Lost Colony of the late 16th century. Cedar Island is located in Carteret County
Carteret County, North Carolina
Carteret County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 66,469. Its county seat is Beaufort. Most of the county is part of the Crystal Coast....
and was populated with local Native Americans prior to European settlers arriving sometime in the 18th century or possibly before. It is also the location of the state ferry transportation system dock where travel can be made across Pamlico Sound
Pamlico Sound
Pamlico Sound in North Carolina, is the largest lagoon along the U.S. East Coast, being long and 24 to 48 km wide. It is a body of water separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Outer Banks, a row of low, sandy barrier islands, including Cape Hatteras. The Neuse and Pamlico rivers flow in...
to the island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
and village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of Ocracoke
Ocracoke
Ocracoke may refer to:* Ocracoke, North Carolina* Ocracoke Island Light, a lighthouse on Ocracoke island* Ocracoke Inlet, the inlet at the southern end of Ocracoke Island...
in Hyde County
Hyde County, North Carolina
-National protected areas:* Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge * Cape Hatteras National Seashore * Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge* Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge * Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:...
.
Roads
There are only 2 main roads on Cedar Island, Cedar Island Rd (NC Route 12) and Lola Rd. Northbound Route 12 is the only way to drive to Cedar Island without using a ferry connection. Southbound NC 12 continues from the ferry terminal across Cedar island to meet with US 70 on the mainland near the community of Sea Level. Motorists traveling north on NC 12 board the ferry to Ocracoke Island from Cedar Island.Amenities
In 2005, the population of Cedar Island was about 350. Many residents are fishermen; although fishing is declining in the area. The other major employer is the North Carolina Ferry System. There are three churches on the island: Methodist, Free Will Baptist, and Primitive BaptistPrimitive Baptist
Primitive Baptists, also known as Hard Shell Baptists or Anti-Mission Baptists, are conservative, Calvinist Baptists adhering to beliefs that formed out of the controversy among Baptists in the early 1800’s over the appropriateness of mission boards, bible tract societies, and temperance...
. The Methodist and Free Will Baptist maintain regular meetings and Sunday services.
Cedar Island is about 4 miles (6.4 km) long, extending from the "Lola" village, down the bay, on the southeast end near the Core Sound
Core Sound
The Core Sound is a large and shallow body of water in eastern North Carolina located between the mainland of Carteret County and Core Banks, part of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, located west of the Atlantic Ocean and north of Bogue Sound. Pamlico Sound is located to the north and east....
and Lewis Creek, up to the Ferry Station at the north side of the island, bordering Pamlico Sound
Pamlico Sound
Pamlico Sound in North Carolina, is the largest lagoon along the U.S. East Coast, being long and 24 to 48 km wide. It is a body of water separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Outer Banks, a row of low, sandy barrier islands, including Cape Hatteras. The Neuse and Pamlico rivers flow in...
. The main village of Cedar Island, formerly known as "Roe" is located along the north central portion of the island. There is a fisherman's harbor in this area.
Businesses on the island are:restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
-motel
Motel
A motor hotel, or motel for short, is a hotel designed for motorists, and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles...
-campground, "The Driftwood", and a full-service grocery, hardware
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
, and convenience store
Convenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
, "Island's Choice", a wholesale-retail fish company (Quality Seafood), a hair styling salon, a horse riding stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
, several vacation cottage
Cottage
__toc__In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cozy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location. However there are cottage-style dwellings in cities, and in places such as Canada the term exists with no connotations of size at all...
s for rent
Renting
Renting is an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property owned by another. A gross lease is when the tenant pays a flat rental amount and the landlord pays for all property charges regularly incurred by the ownership from landowners...
, and a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
.
Cedar Island has sandy beaches backed up against stands of juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
(mistaken by early settlers for cedars) and pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
. More than half of Cedar Island belongs to the (Federal
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
) Cedar Island Wildlife Refuge
Wildlife refuge
A wildlife refuge, also called a wildlife sanctuary, may be a naturally occurring sanctuary, such as an island, that provides protection for species from hunting, predation or competition, or it may refer to a protected area, a geographic territory within which wildlife is protected...
. The refuge is open for hiking and has a headquarters and information kiosk at the south end of the island, near the end of Lola Road.
There are at least 2 public boat ramps. One is at the very end of Lola Rd, at Lewis Creek which leads out to Cedar Island Bay and Core Sound. Another is located just to the right, or east of the Ferry Station at the North end of the island.
Cedar Island has good weather most of the year, cooler than inland areas, in the summer, and warmer than inland areas in the winter, but is occasionally hit by hurricanes in the fall. Temperatures do not often fall below freezing in the winter, nor do they often rise above 90 degrees in the summer. Except for Hurricanes, rainfall is usually sufficient for gardens and lawns, and fairly even throughout the year. Mosquitos are a major pest in the summer, due to the immense amount of woods and marsh on the island.
Neighboring communities
- AtlanticAtlantic, North CarolinaAtlantic is an unincorporated community in eastern Carteret County situated along the Core Sound, located in what was known to early settlers of the area as Hunting Quarters. It is the location of US 70's eastern terminus and the ferry terminal for journeys to North Core Banks in the Cape Lookout...
- 10 miles (16.1 km) south - Sea LevelSea Level, North CarolinaSea Level is an unincorporated community in northeastern Carteret County, North Carolina. It rests on the banks of the Core Sound and has a population of roughly 450. It is located in what was known to early settlers as Hunting Quarters. Sea Level has one of the lowest elevations in North Carolina;...
- 10 miles (16.1 km) southwest on NC 12 - OcracokeOcracoke, North CarolinaOcracoke is a census-designated place and unincorporated town located at the southern end of Ocracoke Island, located entirely within Hyde County, North Carolina. The population was 769 as of the 2000 census...
- 23 miles (37 km) northeast across Pamlico SoundPamlico SoundPamlico Sound in North Carolina, is the largest lagoon along the U.S. East Coast, being long and 24 to 48 km wide. It is a body of water separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Outer Banks, a row of low, sandy barrier islands, including Cape Hatteras. The Neuse and Pamlico rivers flow in... - PortsmouthPortsmouth, North CarolinaPortsmouth was a fishing and shipping village located on the north end of the Core Banks on the Outer Banks in North Carolina. The site lies on Portsmouth Island in Carteret County, across Ocracoke Inlet from the village of Ocracoke. The town was established in 1753, and abandoned in 1971...
- 20 miles (32.2 km) east across Core SoundCore SoundThe Core Sound is a large and shallow body of water in eastern North Carolina located between the mainland of Carteret County and Core Banks, part of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, located west of the Atlantic Ocean and north of Bogue Sound. Pamlico Sound is located to the north and east.... - BeaufortBeaufort, North CarolinaBeaufort is a town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. Established in 1709, it is the third-oldest town in North Carolina.The population was 4,189 at the 2008 census and it is the county seat of Carteret County...
- 35 miles (56.3 km) southwest on NC 12 & US 70 - Swan QuarterSwan Quarter, North CarolinaSwan Quarter is an unincorporated village in and the county seat of Hyde County, North Carolina, United States.- Geography :...
- north across Pamlico Sound - Stacy - 12 miles (19.3 km) south on NC 12 & US 70
- Davis - 16 miles (25.7 km) south on NC 12 & US 70
- Morehead City - 38 miles (61.2 km) southwest on NC 12 & US 70