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No
one can begin to imagine what a truly unique and serene
place the Village of Hatteras is without visiting here.
The end of the island almost seems like the end of the
world when you finally arrive. Hatteras offers an odd
blend of old time fishing tradition combined with the
glitz and glamour of modern sportfishing style fishing yachts.
No visit to Cape Hatteras or Hatteras Village could be complete without
witnessing those offshore sportfishing yachts rumbling in after a
day at sea and then unloading their catch on the
village's marina docks.
Here is the
Wikipedia
link to Hatteras. |
Hatteras
Village is located on the extreme SW end of Cape Hatteras
Island but the actual geography takes a
little
explanation.
At the
north end of the island you will
enter by crossing the Oregon Inlet bridge. After leaving
the bridge you will see signs mentioning Pea Island and
the Pea Island Wildlife Station. Pea Island? Wait a
minute. I thought I was on Hatteras Island. Well,
actually you are.... at least now you are on Hatteras Island
heading toward Cape Hatteras.
Over the
years Cape Hatteras was divided in two islands several
times. At one time it was divided by a
hurricane at a place that you will see about five miles
south of The Bonner Bridge that was named New Inlet.
You will need to watch closely because New Inlet
actually closed
itself up and is nothing more then an unimproved paved boat
ramp now. If you look out toward the sound while you are
passing it, you will notice some old dilapidated wood
pilings that look like they might have been the old
bridge over New Inlet but those pilings are actually
the remains of on old train trestle. A train on a sand
island you might be asking? At one time the entire Hatteras Island was covered
with live oak trees. The resulting logging industry
here was so valuable that the industry built a train
system just to transport their harvest inland!
Although
the name Hatteras often brings to mind the tallest brick
lighthouse
in the United States
Hatteras Lighthouse at 208 feet tall the actual lighthouse itself
is located in the neighboring village of Buxton.
So the Village of Hatteras was actually named after the island
which was named after the original native American
Hatteras tribe.
So lets
add up the score. We have an island with a village named
for the island and a lighthouse named also for the
island and not the village. When anyone brings up any
subject about "Hatteras" we basically assume that we are
talking about all of Hatteras Island and not necessarily
just the village.
With
plenty of Hatteras Island tackle shops, restaurants,
motels and other businesses available it may be a little bit
confusing but Hatteras sure makes a very inviting place
to enjoy your favorite outdoor activities.
Local Controversy
Should Be A National Concern!
Currently
Hatteras Island itself is deeply embroiled in some
serious issues. Along with the fuel and housing crunch that all
American's are feeling, the local businesses and citizens are
forced to take an active roll in defending the area’s right
to have free and open beaches which have been the long
cherished trademark
of this area. Please don't forget that open beaches has
always been the basis of our local economy long
before the National Park Service and US Fish and Wildlife
arrived and "promised" to keep it that way.
If you would like to read more
about the Hatteras Island "beach access" issues please refer to
the NPS website and read about why the
NPS
felt it necessary to close public access to our North Carolina
public beaches despite their own statistics showing that it was
unnecessary. Please also research the opposing views presented
and documented at the
Island Free Press.
Local Hatteras Island citizens would like for any potential
visitors to be better informed before they make any decisions
regarding their beach access or eventual loss of it.
Fishing
Hatteras Island juts out easterly into the Atlantic Ocean
which make the the warm waters of the
Gulf Stream come extremely close to Cape Hatteras. This location
offers a perfect
environment for the early northern migration of many ocean species of
fish both inshore and offshore. When the fish arrive it doesn’t take long for the word to
circulate and anglers from all over will line up at “The Point” for an
opportunity to catch their own fish of a lifetime.
Hatteras Island is also the home of the
Cape Hatteras Anglers Club with a membership of
over 900. CHAC holds an invitational surf fishing team tournament every fall
as well as also sending its own members to represent CHAC at several
tournaments along the East Coast. CHAC is a great place for visiting fishermen to make contact and
get the most up to date information on what is happening at Cape Hatteras,
NC.
Activities
Galore
(Click On Your
Activity of Interest)
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Neighbors and Businesses
Hatteras has several small neighborhoods with a variety of
variously priced homes. Beware though, even with the current
housing crunch beach property still doesn’t come cheap. The
main highway is State Route 12 which runs through the center
of Hatteras Village and has several motels along it. Many of the homes
in and around the Village of Hatteras are available for weekly rental.
Hatteras is also the home to the NCDOT ferry dock which is
part of the awesome NC ferry systems. There is also a very
active and high quality US Coast Guard
Station located at Hatteras. |
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