Cedar Island is an island and a small coastal unincorporated community in eastern North Carolina, United States. It is located in

Carteret County Carteret County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,686. Its county seat is Beaufort. The county was created in 1722 as Carteret Precinct and gained county status in 1739. It was named for ...

. It was populated with local Native Americans prior to the arrival of European settlers. It is also the location of the state ferry transportation system dock, where travel can be made across Pamlico Sound to the island and village of Ocracoke in Hyde County. The ZIP Code for Cedar Island is 28520.

Roads

There are only two main roads on Cedar Island. Northbound Route 12 is the only way to drive to Cedar Island without using a ferry connection. Southbound North Carolina Highway 12 continues from the ferry terminal across Cedar island to meet with

U.S. Route 70 U.S. Route 70 or U.S. Highway 70 (US 70) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. It is a major east–west highway of the Southeastern United States, Southeastern, Southern Unite ...

on the mainland near the community of Sea Level, North Carolina. Motorists traveling north on N.C. 12 board the ferry to Ocracoke Island from Cedar Island.

Amenities

In 2005, the population of Cedar Island was about 350. Many residents are fishermen, though fishing is declining in the area. The other major employer is the North Carolina Ferry System. There are three churches on the island: Methodist, Free Will Baptist, and Primitive Baptist. The Methodist and Free Will Baptist maintain regular meetings and Sunday services. There are a few local businesses. Cedar Island is about long, extending from the "Lola" village, down the bay, on the southeast end near the Core Sound and Lewis Creek, up to the Ferry Station at the north side of the island, bordering Pamlico Sound. The main village of Cedar Island, formerly known as "Roe" is located along the north central portion of the island. There is a fisherman's harbor in this area. Cedar Island has sandy beaches backed up against stands of

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...

(mistaken by early settlers for cedars) and pine. More than half of Cedar Island belongs to the ( Federal) Cedar Island Wildlife Refuge.U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina.
Retrieved January 18, 2016. The refuge is open for hiking and has a headquarters and information kiosk at the south end of the island, near the end of Lola Road. There are boat ramps for public use.

Climate

The climate of Cedar Island is cooler than inland areas in the summer and warmer in the winter, and it is occasionally hit by hurricanes in the fall. Temperatures do not often fall below freezing in the winter, nor do they often rise above 90 degrees in the summer.

Neighboring communities

* Atlantic - south * Sea Level - southwest on NC 12 * Ocracoke - northeast across Pamlico Sound * Portsmouth - east across Core Sound *

Beaufort Beaufort may refer to: People and titles * Beaufort (surname) * House of Beaufort, English nobility * Duke of Beaufort (England), a title in the peerage of England * Duke of Beaufort (France), a title in the French nobility Places Polar regions ...

- southwest on NC 12 & US 70 * Swan Quarter - north across Pamlico Sound

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in North Carolina Unincorporated communities in Carteret County, North Carolina Islands of North Carolina Islands of Carteret County, North Carolina Coastal islands of North Carolina Populated coastal places in North Carolina