Atlantic, North Carolina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Atlantic, North Carolina
Census-designated place
Atlantic, North Carolina Location in North Carolina
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Carteret
Area
• Total	0.94 sq mi (2.43 km2)
• Land	0.92 sq mi (2.38 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2)
Elevation	0 ft (0 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	468
• Density	508.70/sq mi (196.46/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	28511
Area code(s)	252
FIPS code	37-02480
GNIS feature ID	1026498

Atlantic is a small community in Carteret County, North Carolina, in the United States. It's called an "unincorporated community" because it doesn't have its own local government like a city or town. It's also a "census-designated place," which means the government counts its population for statistics.

In 2010, about 543 people lived here. Atlantic is located along a body of water called Core Sound. Long ago, early settlers knew this area as "Hunting Quarters."

Atlantic is where a major road, US-70, ends in the east. It's also where you can catch a ferry to get to North Core Banks. This area is part of the beautiful Cape Lookout National Seashore.

East of Atlantic, there's a special area used by the United States Marine Corps. It's called MCOLF Atlantic. This base is mainly used for helicopter training and practice exercises. It's not used very often, but a security team from MCAS Cherry Point is always there.

Fishing is a very important part of life in Atlantic. For a long time, Commercial fishing has been the main way people here earn a living. Luther L. Smith and Son Seafood is the last working fish house in the community. You can also find Drum Inlet Marina here, which is a great place to start a trip to the Outer Banks.

Atlantic also has a bit of history. It was once an official town from 1905 to 1920 and had three different mayors. It was also home to the very first public high school in Carteret County.

Geography of Atlantic

The Atlantic community covers about 2.4 square kilometers (0.94 square miles) of land. Only a small part, about 0.05 square kilometers (0.02 square miles), is water.

There's a small stream called Little Port Brook that divides two parts of a road (Old US 70). This means the road ends on both sides. Some people think there used to be a bridge where the harbor is now. They believe it was removed when the marina was built. Today, US 70 ends before this spot, at the corner of Morris Drive and Seashore Drive.

Near the Core Sound Loop Road, there's another dead end sign. This one faces south towards the harbor.

Population Information

The population of Atlantic has changed over time.

See also

In Spanish: Atlantic (Carolina del Norte) para niños