Cedar Island, North Carolina

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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 1500s. Cedar Island is located in Carteret County and was populated with local native americans prior to european settlers arriving sometime in the 1700s 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Amenities

In 2005, the population of Cedar Island was about 350. Many residents are fishermen; although, due to foreign imports, fishing is declining in the area. There are three churches on the island: Methodist, Baptist, and Primitive Baptist. The Methodist and Baptist maintain regular meetings and Sunday services.

Cedar Island is about 4 miles long, extending from the "Lola" village 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.

There is a restaurant-motel-campground, "The Driftwood", and a full-service grocery, hardware, and convenience store, "Island's Choice", a wholesale-retail fish company, a construction company, "Isaac's", a horse riding stable, several vacation cottages 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.

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.