Cedar Island is an island and a small coastal

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in eastern

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

, 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 fo ...

. 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 Pamlico Sound ( ) is a lagoon in North Carolina which is the largest lagoon along the North American East Coast, extending long and 15 to 20 miles (24 to 32 km) wide. It is part of a large, interconnected network of lagoon estuaries that i ...

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 on the mainland near the community of

Sea Level, North Carolina Sea Level, also spelled Sealevel, is an unincorporated community in northeastern Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. It rests on the banks of the Core Sound and has a population of roughly 450. It is located in what was known to early s ...

. 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 Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

Free Will Baptist Free Will Baptists are a group of General Baptist denominations of Christianity that teach free grace, free salvation and free will. The movement can be traced back to the 1600s with the development of General Baptism in England. Its formal est ...

, 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 Arc ...

(mistaken by early settlers for cedars) and pine. More than half of Cedar Island belongs to the ( Federal) Cedar Island

Wildlife Refuge A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

.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 The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

- south *

Sea Level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardis ...

- southwest on NC 12 * Ocracoke - northeast across

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most d ...

- 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