page_title: Ocracoke, North Carolina
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Ocracoke, North Carolina / Geography
caption_attribution_description: Ocracoke Island Lighthouse from across Silver Lake (Ocracoke Island, Outer Banks, North Carolina, United States)
context_page_description: Ocracoke is a census-designated place and unincorporated town located at the southern end of Ocracoke Island, located entirely within Hyde County, North Carolina, in the United States. The population was 948 as of the 2010 census. As of 2014, Ocracoke's population was estimated at 591. Ocracoke Island was the location of the pirate Blackbeard's death in November 1718.
  In early September 2019, Ocracoke Island fell victim to Hurricane Dorian destroying about 1,000 feet of pavement along NC 12. Ocracoke Island had been closed to visitors since Hurricane Dorian for contractors to repair the road and dune line. As of December 5, Ocracoke Island has been reopened to the public with ferry service being restored to its normal winter schedule.
context_section_description: The island of Ocracoke is a part of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. At various times throughout recorded history the barrier island now known as Ocracoke has been part of Hatteras Island.  The "Old Hatteras Inlet" opened prior to 1657 south of the current inlet separating Ocracoke from Hatteras, but closed around 1764 causing the islands to be reconnected. Ocracoke remained connected to Hatteras until Wells Creek Inlet opened in the 1840s and later closed.  The modern "Hatteras Inlet" that separates the two islands was formed on September 7, 1846 by a violent gale. This massive storm, known in Cuba as 1846 Havana hurricane and along the East Coast of the United States as the Great Gale of 1846, was the same storm that opened Oregon Inlet.
  It is one of the most remote islands in the Outer Banks, as it can only be reached by one of three public ferries (two of which are toll ferries), private boat, or private plane. Other than the village of Ocracoke and a few other areas (a ferry terminal, a pony pen, a small runway), the entire island is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
  The village of Ocracoke is located around a small sheltered harbor called Silver Lake, with a second smaller residential area built around a series of man-made canals called Oyster Creek. The village is located at the widest point of the island, protected from the Atlantic Ocean by sand dunes and a salt marsh. The average height of the island is less than five feet (1.5 m) above sea level, and many of the buildings on the island are built on pilings to lift them off the ground. Flooding is a risk during both hurricanes and large storms. Ocracoke Light is situated near Silver Lake and has remained in continuous operation since 1823.
  The island is home to a British cemetery. During World War II, German submarines sank several British ships including HMT Bedfordshire, and the bodies of British sailors were washed ashore. They were buried in a cemetery on the island. A lease for the 2,290-square-foot (213 m²) plot, where a British flag flies at all times, was given to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission for as long as the land remained a cemetery, and the small site officially became a British cemetery. The United States Coast Guard station on Ocracoke Island takes care of the property. A memorial ceremony is held each year in May.
  Ocracoke village is located at 35°6′46″N 75°58′33″W (35.112687, -75.975895). The United States Census Bureau counts the entire island as a census-designated place (CDP), with a total area of 9.6 square miles (24.9 km²). 8.6 square miles (22.3 km²) of the area is land, and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km²), or 10.58%, is water.
caption: View of Ocracoke Lighthouse across Silver Lake
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