Atlantic is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in eastern Carteret County,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 543. It is situated along Core Sound, located in what was known to early settlers of the area as Hunting Quarters. It is the location of the eastern terminus of US-70, and the

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

terminal for access to North Core Banks in the Cape Lookout National Seashore. The community is located east of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

installation MCOLF Atlantic which is primarily used for helicopter and aggressor force exercises. The installation sees limited use but is staffed around the clock by a security unit from MCAS Cherry Point. Atlantic is home to Luther L. Smith and Son Seafood, the last operating fish house in the town. Drum Inlet Marina, the most suitable location to embark to the Outer Banks, is a full-service harbor.

Commercial fishing Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for Commerce, commercial Profit (economics), profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice ...

has long been the primary means of earning a living in this community. Atlantic was the site of the first public high school in Carteret County. It was an incorporated community from 1905 until 1920. It had three different mayors during this time.

Geography

The Atlantic CDP has a total area of , of which , or 2.00%, is water. Little Port Brook separates two roads (Old US 70) from the other side, so it results in a dead end coming from both directions. Many believe that there used to be an old bridge where the harbor is today, since the road aligns, but it was taken out when the marina was put in. Now, US 70 ends before the separation, at the corner of Morris Dr and Seashore Dr, about 2500 feet away from the harbor. By the Core Sound Loop Rd, near the White Point Take Out (on the other side), there is also a dead end sign facing south towards the harbor as well.

Demographics

References

Sources

Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields is a website detailing information and first hand memories about airports in the United States which are no longer in operation, or are rarely used. The website was started by Paul Freeman in 1999 as he had d ...

in SE NC (Since World War II MCOLF Atlantic has been a satellite airfield of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. Though it is not in daily use anymore, it is used on a regular basis for training operations by the Marine Corps and other Military organizations.) {{authority control Census-designated places in Carteret County, North Carolina Census-designated places in North Carolina Populated coastal places in North Carolina