OV Bogue Banks2 - Bogue Banks including Atlantic Beach, Pine Knoll Shores and Indian Beach Area Overviews | NC's Central Coast


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		Bogue Banks Bogue Banks is the narrow barrier island that stretches below Morehead City, with its main highway N.C. 58 nearly parallel to N.C. Highway 24. At the east end of the island is Fort Macon and the town of Atlantic Beach and at the west end of the island is Emerald Isle. The body of water called Bogue Sound separates Bogue Banks from the mainland. The 30-mile-long island is connected to the mainland by two high-rise bridges, one at each end — one bridge from Morehead City to Atlantic Beach on the east end and the other bridge from Cape Carteret to Emerald Isle on the west end. Because the ocean and sound beaches attract visitors and summer residents, you will find many second homes, condominiums, hotels and summer rental cottages on the island. Bogue Banks offers visitors a special treat. The island runs east to west and its Atlantic Ocean side faces due south, so you can watch the sun rise in the east over the ocean, travel across the sky, and set in the west over the ocean. This barrier island is constantly changing with each storm or hurricane as sand is shifted or eroded away. N.C. Highway 58 extends the entire length of Bogue Banks. Along the way it is marked with green mile markers (MM). The MM series begins with mile 1 at the east end and continues along N.C. 58 to mile 21 on the west end. In this book we give the MM number as part of the address for businesses on Bogue Banks. The majority of Bogue Banks' development, both commercial and residential, is along N.C. 58, and in the Coast Guard Road area of Emerald Isle. A ride from one end to the other gives you an overview of the island communities. To illustrate how narrow the island is, in several places you can see both the sound and the ocean from the road. Bogue Banks embraces five townships that often seem to blend together. Atlantic Beach is at the far east end of the island and borders the town of Pine Knoll Shores. Indian Beach surrounds the small unincorporated community of Salter Path, and Emerald Isle is at the far west end of the island. Each town has its own personality, points of interest and governing body. Checking our maps will help you get an overall picture of how these towns combine into Bogue Banks. As N.C. Highway 58 passes through the different communities, it often takes on a new name. In Atlantic Beach, the road is called Fort Macon Road. East Fort Macon Road is the strip between the old fort and the main intersection in town. West Fort Macon Road is the strip between that intersection and the western edge of town. The longest stretch of the highway is called Salter Path Road, and it runs from Atlantic Beach through Pine Knoll Shores, Indian Beach and Salter Path. In Emerald Isle, the highway is called Emerald Drive. It really isn't as confusing as it sounds — N.C. 58 is just one road with several names that all spell scenery and coastline comforts.
		Atlantic Beach Atlantic Beach is the oldest of the five towns on Bogue Banks. It was originally the site of a small pavilion built on the beach in 1887. The one-story building had a refreshment stand and stalls in the back for changing clothes. The popularity of surf-bathing was growing, and guests at the old Atlantic Hotel in Morehead City and other areas were transported to the sound side of Atlantic Beach by sailboat. The guests then trekked across the island to the pavilion, which faced the ocean. Supplies were dragged over the sand dunes by ox cart. In 1916 the original pavilion and 100 acres were bought by Von Bedsworth, and the 100-room Atlantic View Beach Hotel was built, a lone sentry on the strip of island. The hotel later burned, but by 1928 a group of county citizens had built a toll bridge from Morehead City to today's Atlantic Beach and had developed a beach resort with dining facilities, bathhouses and another pavilion. This complex would also perish to fire just a year later. A New York bank took possession of the property and built a new hotel, and Atlantic Beach slowly began to grow into the town it is today. In 1936 the toll bridge was sold to the state, and toll charges were dropped. In 1953 a drawbridge replaced the old bridge, and in the late 1980s, the drawbridge was replaced by the current Morehead City-Atlantic Beach four-lane, high-rise bridge. High-rise bridges play an important role along the Crystal Coast, allowing large vessels to easily maneuver the coastal waters. Past the North Carolina Port at Morehead City you will see tugs with barges, pleasure boats, long-line fishing boats and an occasional passenger cruise liner on the Intracoastal Waterway. Today Atlantic Beach is home to about 3,600 year-round residents, although the population swells to a whopping 35,000 during the summer months. Atlantic Beach is a mixture of old-fashioned beach cottages, moderate vacation homes and modern condominiums. The center of town, known to locals as The Circle, is found at the southernmost end of the Atlantic Beach Causeway and offers oceanfront day parking and souvenior shops. Major changes are in the works for The Circle. A developer plans to construct high-rise condos, retails shops, restaurants, lodging and many other upscale improvements.
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