The Towns of Atlantic Beach, Pine Knoll Shores and Salter Path comprise about half the island known as Bogue Banks. The balance of the island was acquired in the 1800's by John Royall who, by today’s measurements, owned from mile marker 5 to the western end of the island. Eventually, Royal sold his holdings to two individuals. The one was Alice Hoffman, a distant relative of Theodore Roosevelt, who owned two miles of present day Atlantic Beach, all of present day Pine Knoll Shores, Salter Path, and Indian Beach. The other was Henry Fort who owned all what would become the Town of Emerald Isle. Fort’s plan to create a southern Atlantic City was derailed by the Great Depression and these two large tracts of land remained undeveloped for decades.
Like the early development of Bogue Banks, the island can be divided into three distinct parts, geologically. The eastern third is wide and low to moderate in elevation. The central third is relatively narrow and low in elevation. The western third is very wide with extremely high elevation. Indeed, some of the highest sand dunes on the East Coast are found on Bogue Banks, a consequence of the large volumes of sand moving ashore. The exact reason for such extensive sand movement is unknown but part of the answer has to be the east-west orientation of the island, making it perpendicular to the prevailing wind direction. In comparison, a low elevation barrier island such as Hatteras, Core, or Topsail is oriented parallel to the dominant wind direction.
High elevation is one reason why Bogue Banks has perhaps the lowest risk ratings among barrier islands along the entire east coast. Higher elevations are less vulnerable to hazards; a storm surge from a category 5 hurricane would inundate many barrier islands completely while only the eastern half of Bogue Banks would be covered.
Another key to reducing risk on Bogue Banks is its significant sand volume. Sand volume, like water and air is a resource that needs to be conserved rather than abused or destroyed. The ideal source of new sand should be from off-island rather than taking sand from one place to another on the island. A large off shore sand volume like that off Bogue Banks means a wide and high island which allows siting of development back and up from the water, two of the best ways to mitigate against storm damage to property.
A third element in reducing risk on Bogue Banks is its favorable vegetation cover. Indeed, this vegetation was the source of Emerald Isle’s name. When the original developers were contemplating the purchase of this undeveloped half of Bogue Banks, a consultant from Florida was hired to advise them. This consultant asked to be flown over the property to gain a perspective on how development might occur. With no development at the time, the consultant looked down at what appeared from the air as a solid green gem in the middle of a sea of sparkling blue water and pronounced, "This place shall be known as Emerald Isle.”
In subsequent blogs in this series, I will continue to examine Emerald Isle, NC. In the meanwhile, to learn more about life in Emerald Isle, NC, my town of residence, go to my website, www.EIHomesforSale.com and request my free Guide to Living Were You Vacation or text your email address to: 919-308-2292. Stay well and stay safe.
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