Ownership Demographics, Rising Sea Level, & Recipes
Did you ever wonder about which states our property owners come from? Currently, there are about 9,000 real estate parcels on Hatteras Island, excluding government owned properties, utilities, cemeteries and lots that are classified as being overwashed by the ocean. Here are the approximate ownership statistics:
- 32 percent are owned by individuals with Hatteras Island ZIP codes
- 68 percent are owned by individuals with off-island ZIP codes
The mailing addresses by state for the majority of off-island owners are:
- Virginia – 23.0 %
- North Carolina – 15.8 %
- Maryland – 6.1%
- Pennsylvania – 4.8%
- New Jersey – 4.8%
- New York – 2.1%
- Ohio – 1.6%
- Florida – 1.4%
- All other states – 8.0%
In the future, we would expect to see the number of property owners from North Carolina increase. The construction of new four-lane roads from the Raleigh area has made it much easier to get to the Outer Banks from mainland North Carolina than it has been in the past.
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A recent article in The Virginian-Pilot. our local newspaper, reported that rising sea level is adversely affecting the Alligator River Wildlife Refuge that is located across the sound from Manteo. The rise in sea level is apparently turning areas that are currently forest into marsh with potentially negative effects on the wildlife habitat. Rising sea level is a fascinating issue. It is a lot like high blood pressure. It occurs so slowly that we don’t see the effects on a daily basis, but its implications are dramatic and far-reaching. A recent book by Stanley Riggs and Dorothea Ames, Drowning The North Carolina Coast: Sea-Level Rise and Estuarine Dynamics, (North Carolina Sea Grant, December 2003) forecasts an increase in the rate of sea level rise over the next century with the dramatic effect of potentially transforming Hatteras Island into an archipelago vs its present configuration. Scientists had estimated that sea level along the North Carolina coast was rising at the rate of about one foot per century. According to Dr. Stan Riggs and Dorothea Ames, data accumulated from tide gauges at the Army Corps of Engineers site in Duck suggest that sea level in the state may actually be rising at a faster pace of 1.5 feet per century. If you would like more information about rising seal level, request a copy of our free report on this subject at hranicka@hatterasisland.com.
On a related topic, the Alligator River Wild Life Refuge has some very interesting nature programs such as "howling up" the red wolves in the evening. The next time you are on the island, check the refuge’s program schedule for an Outer Banks experience that will provide memories for a lifetime. The refuge’s schedule may be viewed at http://www.fws.gov/alligatorriver/spec.html.
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If you would like to enjoy at home the seafood that you eat while you are on Hatteras Island, check out our new page on Outer Banks recipes. The first recipe is for Hatteras clam chowder from Steve and Beth Bailey at Risky Business Seafood.