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Outer Banks facts for kids

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NCOuterBanks-EO
The Outer Banks, separating the Atlantic Ocean (east) from Currituck and Albemarle Sounds (north) and Pamlico Sound (south)

The Outer Banks (frequently abbreviated OBX) are a 200 mi (320 km) string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the east coast of the United States. They line most of the North Carolina coastline, separating Currituck Sound, Albemarle Sound, and Pamlico Sound from the Atlantic Ocean. A major tourist destination, the Outer Banks are known for their wide expanse of open beachfront and the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The seashore and surrounding ecosystem are important biodiversity zones, including beach grasses and shrubland that help maintain the form of the land.

The Outer Banks were sites of early European settlement in the United States and remain important economic and cultural sites. Most notably the English Roanoke Colony vanished from Roanoke Island in 1587 and was the first location where an English person, Virginia Dare, was born in the Americas. The hundreds of shipwrecks along the Outer Banks have given the surrounding seas the nickname Graveyard of the Atlantic. The Outer Banks were also home to the Wright brothers' first flight in a controlled, powered, heavier-than-air vehicle on December 17, 1903, at Kill Devil Hills. During the 20th century the region became increasingly important for coastal tourism.

The Outer Banks are particularly vulnerable to sea level rise and coastal erosion; the effects of climate change compounds existing coastal erosion caused by poor coastal management and construction practices. In some locations on the banks, sea levels rose 5 inches from 2011 to 2015. Some sections have significantly eroded already, with portions of Hatteras Island at 25% of its original width as of 2014. Tropical storms like Hurricane Irene in 2011 have already destroyed significant infrastructure and property.

Geography

The Outer Banks is a string of peninsulas and barrier islands separating the Atlantic Ocean from mainland North Carolina. From north to south, the largest of these include: Bodie Island (which used to be an island but is now a peninsula due to tropical storms and hurricanes), Hatteras Island, Ocracoke Island, Portsmouth Island, and the Core Banks. Over time, the exact number of islands and inlets changes as new inlets are opened up, often during a breach created during violent storms, and older inlets close, usually due to gradually sifting sands during the dynamic processes of beach evolution.

The Outer Banks stretch southward from Sandbridge in Virginia Beach down the North Carolina coastline. Sources differ regarding the southern terminus of the Outer Banks. Generations of North Carolina schoolchildren have learned that the term includes the state's three prominent capes: Cape Hatteras, Cape Lookout, and Cape Fear. Other sources limit the definition to two capes (Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout) and coastal areas in four counties (Currituck County, Dare County, Hyde County,and Carteret County). Some authors include Carteret's Shackelford Banks and Bogue Banks in their descriptions, while others exclude Bogue Banks. Still other references restrict the definition to the northern three counties of Currituck, Dare, and Hyde.

The abbreviations OBX (Outer Banks) and SOBX (Southern Outer Banks) are modern terms used to promote tourism and to market a variety of stickers, t-shirts, and other items to vacationers. OBX, which originated first, is generally used in the northern Outer Banks. SOBX is used primarily in Carteret County, which is also known as the Crystal Coast.

The northern part of the Outer Banks, from Oregon Inlet northward, is actually a part of the North American mainland, since the northern inlets of Bodie Island and Currituck Banks no longer exist. It is separated by the Currituck Sound and the Intracoastal Waterway, which passes through the Great Dismal Swamp occupying much of the mainland west of the Outer Banks. Road access to the northern Outer Banks is cut off between Sandbridge and Corolla, North Carolina, with communities such as Carova Beach accessible only by four-wheel drive vehicles. North Carolina State Highway 12 links most of the popular Outer Banks communities in this section of the coast. The easternmost point is Cape Point at Cape Hatteras on Hatteras Island, site of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

The Outer Banks are not anchored to offshore coral reefs like some other barrier islands and as a consequence they often suffer significant beach erosion during major storms. In fact, their location jutting out into the Atlantic makes them the most hurricane-prone area north of Florida, for both landfalling storms and brushing storms offshore. Hatteras Island was cut in half on September 18, 2003, when Hurricane Isabel washed a 2,000 foot (600 m) wide and 15 foot (5 m) deep channel called Isabel Inlet through the community of Hatteras Village on the southern end of the island. The tear was subsequently repaired and restored by sand dredging by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It was cut off once again in 2011 by Hurricane Irene. Access to the island was largely limited to boat access only from August to late October until another temporary bridge could be built.

Vegetation

The vegetation of the Outer Banks varies. In the northeast part of the Outer Banks, from Virginia Beach southward past the North Carolina border to Oregon Inlet, the main types of vegetation are sea grasses, beach grasses and other beach plants including Opuntia humifusa on the Atlantic side and wax myrtles, bays, and grasses on the Sound side with areas of pine and Spanish moss-covered live oaks. Yucca aloifolia and Yucca gloriosa can be found growing wild here in the northern parts of its range on the beach. Sabal Minor palms were once indigenous to the entire Outer Banks, and they are still successfully planted and grown. Its current most northerly known native stand is on Monkey Island in Currituck County.

From Cape Hatteras National Seashore southward, the vegetation includes that of the northeastern Outer Banks. Sabal minor and Yucca aloifolia as well as Cabbage palmetto (Sabal palmetto), which can be found in the north, although they are native in the southern part of the Outer Banks. Pindo palms and windmill palms are also planted widely throughout the Outer Banks; although, they are not indigenous to the area.

A wide variety of native plants can be found at the Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo on Roanoke Island. The gardens are open year round, 7 days a week.

Weather

The Outer Banks have unusual weather patterns because of their unique geographical location. As the islands are jutted out from the eastern seaboard into the Atlantic Gulf Stream, the Outer Banks has a predisposition to be affected by hurricanes, Nor'easters (usually in the form of rain, and rarely snow or mixed precipitation), and other ocean-driven storms.

The winters are typically milder than in inland areas, averaging lows in the upper 30s and highs in the lower 50s, and is more frequently overcast than in the summer. However, the exposure of the Outer Banks makes them prone to higher winds, often causing wind chills to make the apparent temperature as cold as the inland areas. The summer months average lows from the mid-70s to highs in the upper 80s, depending on the time of the summer. The spring and fall are typically milder seasons. The fall and winter are usually warmer than areas inland, while the spring and the summer are often slightly cooler because of the moderating effects of being surrounded by water.

Although snow is possible, averaging from 3 inches in the north to less than 1/2 inch per year in the south, there are many times when years pass between snowfalls. The majority of nor'easters are "born" off the coasts of the Outer Banks.

Culture

GraveyardoftheAtlanticMuseum
Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, Hatteras, North Carolina, June 2007

The Outer Banks were first settled by English European colonial settlers, many of whom still have descendants living on the islands to this day. Before bridges were built in the 1930s, the only form of transport between or off the islands was by boat, which allowed for the islands to stay isolated from much of the rest of the mainland. This helped to preserve the maritime culture and the distinctive Outer Banks accent or brogue, which sounds more like an English accent than it does an American accent. Many "bankers" have often been mistaken for being from England or Ireland when traveling to areas outside of the Outer Banks. The brogue is more distinctive the further south one travels on the Outer Banks, with it being the thickest on Ocracoke Island and Harkers Island.

Some residents of the Outer Banks, known as wreckers, made part of their living by scavenging wrecked ships—or by luring ships to their destruction. Horses with lanterns tied to their necks would be walked along the beach; the lanterns' up and down motion would appear to ships to represent clear water and a ship ahead; the unsuspecting captain would then drive his ship ashore following this false light.

The islands are home to herds of feral horses, sometimes called "banker ponies," which according to local legend are descended from Spanish Mustangs washed ashore centuries ago in shipwrecks. Populations are found on Ocracoke Island, Shackleford Banks, Currituck Banks, and in the Rachel Carson Estuarine Sanctuary.

Ocracoke was the last refuge of pirate Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard. It is also where the infamous pirate was killed November 22, 1718 in a fierce battle with troops from Virginia.

The Outer Banks is home to Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria), the roasted leaves of which were brewed into a high caffeine beverage called black drink by the Native Americans. The Outer Banks may be one of the few places where it is still consumed.

Fishing

The Outer Banks offers a multitude of fishing options for tourists as well as locals. There has been a long history of fishing in the Outer Banks, dating back to the end of the 17th century. Pirates ravaged the coast for the majority of the 1600s, but once they were ridden, the local settlers used fishing as their lifeline. Then, in the mid-19th century, large-scale commercial fishing erupted, mostly due to the construction of the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal, which simplified shipping methods for fishermen. Saltwater fishing became the cash-crop of the Outer Banks, and blossomed it into a popular tourist destination. In modern times, tourists will flock to the area just for the abundance of fishing opportunities. Anglers, otherwise known as fishermen, have a wide range of fishing methods, some of these methods date back to when the first settlers arrived, to choose from in the Outer Banks.

The Outer Banks are a popular destination for bottom fish like spot and mullet, these two types of fish are caught throughout the year. The peak for fishing bottom and top water feeders is early to the middle of May. If the angler is solely searching for top water fish, then late May and June would be the ideal time to fish, especially if they are searching for Mackerel. In the offseason, or winter months, the true fishermen are out searching for Trout, Sea Bass, Bluefish, Bluefin Tuna, Oysters, King Mackerel, Bay Scallops, and Striped Bass. In the spring, the popular catches are Grouper, Sea Trout, Sea Bass, Bluefish, Bluefin and Yellowfin tuna, Oysters, Snapper, Striped Bass, Red Drum, Croaker, Sea Mullet, King Mackerel, and Wahoo Late Spring and the beginning of summer is the favored time for top-water fish to move-in to the coastal waters near the Outer Banks, because of the warming waters and the increased visibility in the water The top water fish can see baitfish easily due to the decrease in murky water Plus they will start to migrate back North as the coastal waters to the south become too hot, the waters farther North will warm to their desired temperatures. Yet, in the prime tourist season of the summer, fishermen and many tourists have plenty of game options such as blue Marlin, White Marlin, Dolphin, Wahoo, Cobia, King Mackerel, Bluefish, Tuna, Flounder, snapper, Grouper, Spanish Mackerel, Crabs, Soft Crabs, Shrimp, Spot, Croaker, Sailfish, and Sea Mullet. By the fall, most tourists have started to leave, but fishermen are still out searching for Snapper, Channel Bass, Bluefish, King Mackerel, Grouper, Tuna, Oysters, Striped Bass, Sea Mullet, Spot, Clams, Speckled Trout, Flounder, and Shrimp. The prime season for fall fishing is late September to October 23. Though the water is more turbulent and murky due to the strong northeast prevailing winds, there is still some big game fish left. Most of these fish are vacating back to the South for the warm waters. This makes it a prime time for smaller bottom fish who love to feed in murky, colder water.

Communities

Towns and communities along the Outer Banks include (listed from north to south):

Currituck Banks

Bodie Island

OBX Duck Sunset
Sunset over the Currituck Sound in Duck (2009)
Brodie Island Lighthouse
The Bodie Island Lighthouse (October 2008)

Roanoke Island

Hatteras Island

OBX Avon
Sunset over Avon

Ocracoke Island

Bogue Banks

Parks

Jockeys ridge state park
Jockey's Ridge State Park

Economy

Major industries of the region include commercial fishing, boat building and tourism. Since the 1990s, the rise of tourism has led the region to become an increasingly service-oriented economy.

Maritime industries

There has been a long history of fishing in the Outer Banks, dating back to the end of the 17th century. Pirates ravaged the coast for the majority of the 1600s, but once they were ridden, the local settlers used fishing as their lifeline.

In the mid-19th century, large-scale commercial fishing erupted, mostly due to the construction of the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal, which simplified shipping methods for fishermen. Saltwater fishing became the cash-crop of the Outer Banks, and blossomed it into a popular tourist destination. In modern times, tourists will flock to the area just for the abundance of fishing opportunities. Anglers, otherwise known as fishermen, have a wide range of fishing methods, some of these methods date back to when the first settlers arrived, to choose from in the Outer Banks.

Notable residents

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Bancos Externos para niños

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